Since its inception, Schuylkill League Football Division 1 has produced many high quality battles on the gridiron. Every week provides a playoff-type atmosphere.

Week 4 only has one Division 1 game on the slate, and it certainly has the chance to live up to that billing.The first game in SLF Division 1 play will showcase the undefeated Tamaqua Blue Raiders and perennial Division 1 contender Blue Mountain. Both schools have used the run game and a physical mentality up front as the foundation of their respective programs. That's why this matchup has always been a good done over the years, with the Raiders (4-0) and Eagles (1-3) boasting such similar styles.The talented running backs, the battle in the trenches, and the chance to start the Division 1 season with a victory, are all good enough reasons why this bout is deemed the Times News Game of the Week.Balance is the word that comes to mind when describing this year's Raiders' squad, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Pounding the football has been Tamaqua's method of operation under head coach Sam Bonner, but this season, a talented and healthy dynamic duo at quarterback has given Bonner the ability to mix it up.Senior Thad Zuber leads Tamaqua with 404 yards through the air, while sophomore Brayden Knoblauch has also been efficient, throwing for 272 yards. The two have combined to put together an impressive Tamaqua passing game that has thrown for 676 yards and 11 touchdowns. That's not all, as they've also combined to complete 71 percent of their passes for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.A dash of the passing game here and there, paired with Tamaqua's power-run game duo in Nick Breiner (614 yards rushing, 9 TDs) and Nate Boyle (326 yards, 3 TDs) give the Raiders the perfect recipe for success on Stadium Hill."Nick and Nate do a good job of not going down on first contact," said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. "They just kind of shake it off and then get positive yardage, and many times they've been able to get to the second level. Our run game sets up our pass game, and Thad has done a great job job there as well as our tight end, Casey Rother, they've been real leaders there for us. Both of our quarterbacks have been great, offensively we have a lot of guys that can bounce around to different spots, which is always nice when you have that type of versatility."The Eagles have challenged themselves early and often this season, facing off with Muhlenberg (1-2), Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (2-1) out of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania Football News 3A honorable-mention ranked Wyomissing (4-0). The Eagles have lost all three of those contests, but they competed and were in every one of those ball games. Blue Mountain's lone win on the season was a 40-0 victory over Hanover.The Eagles are known for their ground attack, but have just one rusher with over 100 yards in senior Calogero Carestia, but they've also spread the ball around, with five different players having 15 or more carries. The level of competition might have something to do with the lack of production.Blue Mountain senior quarterback David Krewson has picked up the slack for the Eagles offensively, throwing for 510 yards and five touchdowns. Eagles' senior 6-2 wide out Nate Calderone has also been a bright spot for the offense, catching 21 balls for 357 yards and two scores in just four games."We know Blue Mountain is a tough football team with talented playmakers and we know their 1-3 record doesn't indicate the type of team they are," said Bonner. "Their quarterback is a big kid at 6-2, 210 and he has a nice arm, so we have to do our best to create pressure on him and keep him in the pocket. We also have to be tough up the middle in stopping the run, because they still run the ball close to 60 percent of the time."