Northwestern at Palmerton

Friday, 7 p.m.Records: Northwestern 4-1 ovearall (4-1 Colonial League); Palmerton 3-2 overall (3-2 CL)Northwestern's offense needs to .... establish its strong running game, but also test a Blue Bomber pass defense that has allowed 138.2 yards per game this season. The Tigers also need to secure the ball. They are minus-1 in turnover ratio this season while Palmerton is plus-3.Northwestern's defense needs to .... slow down a Blue Bomber running game that has averaged 221.2 yards per game this season. Both teams play a base 4-4 defense that is predicated on stopping the run. The winner could be the team that has success throwing the ball and loosening up the other team's defense.Palmerton's offense needs to .... to be much more consistent. At times, the Bombers show that they can be very explosive and then there are times where they go into a lull where they can't get a first down. It has happened in at least one stretch each of the last three weeks. They also need to run the ball well and control the clock so that they keep the ball out of the Tigers' hands.Palmerton's defense needs to .... control Nothwestern's run game and limit their big play makers (Ty Cunningham and Payton Bachman). Cunningham and Bachman have the ability to go the distance at any time. They'll get their big plays here and there, but the Bombers have to make sure that they don't allow it often.Fast facts .... The Tigers won last year's matchup, 47-13, behind Michael Oswald's 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns ... Northwestern has run the ball on 80.2 percent of its offensive plays this season, while Palmerton has kept the ball on the ground 74.8 percent of the time.Quoteable .... "They're all about running the ball and mixing in some timely passes. All of their backs run well. We're going to have to shut them down sideline to sideline." Northwestern head coach Tom Linette"We talked to the kids about how it is exciting to be back in big games after being out of that scene for an entire season. It's only week six, but a match-up of two teams in the playoff mix gets everyone in the program, the schools, and the community excited." Palmerton head coach Paul McArdle.Marian at Panther ValleyFriday, 7 p.m.Records: Marian (1-4 overall, 0-3 Anthracite Football League); Panther Valley (0-5 overall, 0-3 Anthracite Football League)Marian's offense needs to ... Put the last four weeks behind them and welcome back several starters that are making their return to the lineup. Corey Quick returns at quarterback, Paul Martin is back at running back and Brendan McGowan returns to anchor the offensive line. Friday night will be the closest Marian has been to full strength since a season-opening win against Lehighton, which should give all of Colt Country something to look forward to.Marian's defense needs to ... Disarm that Panthers' pistol offense and that starts by silencing quarterback Mike Weaver and tailback Josh Vega. Panther Valley has playmakers on offense, so Marian needs to execute when in position to make plays (something they haven't done in the past few weeks).Panther Valley's offense needs to ... Be able to run the ball with quarterback Mike Weaver and running back Josh Vega against a Colts defense that has been gouged the past two weeks (yielding 110 combined points to Pius X and North Schuylkill). The Panthers must also stress ball security and need everyone playing up to their potential.Panther Valley's defense needs to ... Be better tacklers this week. The Colts offense will be firing on all cylinders with the return of several starters, so Panther Valley needs all 11 players on defense to do their jobs and take care of their individual responsibilities.Fast facts ... In five games this season (due to injury, suspension and performance), Panther Valley has been forced to use four different quarterbacks, while Marian has had to use three different signal callers. Joe Revell, Lucas Damian, Anthony German and Mike Weaver have all quarterbacked the Panthers at one time or another, while the Colts have used Corey Quick, Ryan Karnish and J.T. Keer behind center ... Marian has played Panther Valley more than any other team in the program's history (43 times). The Colts have 23 wins (23-19-1) against the Panthers, which is second most against any opponent (behind Marian's 32 wins against Mahanoy Area).Quotables ... "Both teams have struggled this season, but this is a big rivalry game, so there's a lot to be excited about. We've had a good week of practice and now we just have to translate that effort on to the playing field on Friday night." - Marian head coach Stan Dakosty."Friday night is going to be a great atmosphere, no matter what our records are. The Marian/Panther Valley rivalry is always a hard-nosed, hard-hitting football game, so we just need to come out, do our part and put our best foot forward." Panther Valley head coach Frank Damian.East Stroudsburg South at LehightonFriday, 7 p.m.Records: East Stroudsburg South 3-2 overall (2-0 Mountain Valley Conference); Lehighton 2-3 overall (0-2 Mountain Valley Conference)Lehighton's offense needs to ..... move the ball and control the clock in order to keep a high-scoring East Stroudsburg South spread offense off the field. East Stroudsburg South has averaged 28.8 points per game throughout its first five contests.Lehighton's defense needs to ..... be prepared for the Cavaliers' balanced offensive attack. Ebbert knows the Cavaliers have a real good spread offense, and even added the fact that they tend to give Pitt-bound Kyshoen Jarrett the ball on speed sweeps often. The Indians need to be disciplined, stay with coverage players and try not to give up the big play.Fast facts ..... East Stroudsburg South holds a seven-game winning streak against Lehighton after the Indians rolled off a six-game winning streak from '97 to '02. The last time the Indians knocked off the Cavaliers was in '02 when they scored a 16-13 victory at home. Speaking of home, the Indians should cherish the fact of playing on their very own home turf. During the losing streak, the Indians lost by 13 (in '08), 3 (in '06) and '35 (in '04) for an average point differential of 17 points. However, on the road at the Purple Pit, the Cavaliers won by an average of 30 points per game 36, 35, 21, and 29.Quotable ..... "I told them we just have to improve. We have the potential to be a pretty good team yet. We're not the caliber of East Stroudsburg South or Pleasant Valley. But, we just have to keep improving. Our season isn't shot yet. We could end up .500 and hopefully get into the playoffs yet. So, that's the motivating factor, but we have to improve. We're not a good enough team to make the mistakes that we're making as far as penalities, fumbles and everything else." Lehighton head coach George Ebbert.Jim Thorpe at MinersvilleFriday, 7 p.m.Records: Jim Thorpe (4-1 overall, 3-1 Anthracite Football League); Minersville (0-5 overall, 0-4 Anthracite Football League)Jim Thorpe's offense needs to ... Continue running the football, especially against a Minersville defense that has given up over 200 yards on the ground in four of its five games this season. Shane Edwards is coming off a career game last week against Shenandoah Valley, where he carried the pigskin 37 times for 225 yards, en route to TIMES NEWS Player of the Week Honors. Edwards will surely get his carries and he'll have some help this week with the returns of quarterback Terry Moll and wide receiver P.J. Johnson. The Olympians' offense looks to be fully healthy for the first time in three weeks (since the Reading Central Catholic game).Jim Thorpe's defense needs to ... Play basic fundamental football against a Minersville team that is predominantly run-oriented. Last week the Olympians created four interceptions and will once again prioritize winning the turnover battle. The Battlin' Miners feature plenty of big bodies up front (similar to the size of Jim Thorpe's line), so controlling the line of scrimmate is going to be key in what figures to be a very physical contest.Fast fact ... Jim Thorpe has won seven of the last nine meetings against Minersville. The Battlin' Miners posted victories in 2003 and 2007, but the Olympians have won the past two meetings by a combined 14 points.Quotable ... "Despite being 0-5, Minersville is a very good football team. They're a lot better than their record indicates, so we need to come out and do the small things right and pay attention to detail. We can't afford any slip ups, that's for sure." Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger.Tamaqua at North SchuylkillFriday, 7 p.m.Records: Tamaqua (1-4 overall, 1-2 Anthracite Football League), North Schuylkill (5-0 overall, 5-0 Anthracite Football League)Tamaqua's offense needs to ... score. That won't be easy against North Schuylkill's rugged 50 defensive alignment, which has allowed just 22 points all season with three shutouts. Maintaining drives and finishing them off will be more crucial than ever for Tamaqua this week.Tamaqua's defense needs to ... avoid giving up big plays. The Spartans are a ground-oriented team that has the propensity for breaking off long runs, wearing down the opposition behind an imposing offensive line and fullback Ed Pavalko.Fast Facts ... North Schuylkill is ranked fourth in Class AA in this week's Patriot-News statewide poll ... The Spartans lead the series with Tamaqua 22-9 and have won the last two meetings. The Raiders' last win vs. NS came in 2007 by a 42-6 score... Spartans have outscored the opposition 228-22 and have four players with 200 or more yards rushing: Pavalko (429, 7 TDs), Kody Flail (355, 7 TDs), Scott Houser (304, 3 TDs) and Ethan Motsney (228, 3 TDs) ... Grif Griffiths leads the Raiders with 412 yards rushing and is now at 2,298 rushing yards for his career ... Raider QB Ryan Palsgrove has 3,407 career passing yards, completing 223 of 478 passes with 30 TDs.Quotable ... "North Schuylkill is a hard-nosed football team that doesn't make many mistakes, and they take advantage of other teams' mistakes. We need to cut back on our mental mistakes and continue to improve. If we do that, we have a shot at making a run at the end of the season." Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner.Pocono Mountain West at Pleasant ValleyFriday, 7 p.m.Records: Pocono Mountain West (2-3 overall, 1-1 Mountain Valley Conference), Pleasant Valley (4-1 overall, 1-0 Mountain Valley Conference)Pleasant Valley's offense needs to ... keep doing what it has been doing, which means balancing its attack. The Bears like to hit short passes and let their receivers, such as Rich Irving, make plays after the catch. When they turn to the run it will be a combination of Rob Getz and Dekimbe Smith. Getz has big-play ability, while Smith is usually used in short-yardage situations. The Panthers are giving up an average of 25.8 points-per-game and should surrender a lot of points to PV's high scoring offense (33.2 ppg).Pleasant Valley's defense needs to ... contain PM West tailback Terrence Quiteh. After racking up 238 yards through the first two weeks, Quiteh has been relatively quiet the last two - totaling just 96 yards on the ground against East Stroudsburg North and East Stroudsburg South. However, Pleasant Valley is allowing opposing runners to pick up 4.73 yards-per-carry.Fast Fact ... Pleasant Valley is currently ranked No. 4 in the District 11 playoff with 78 points. Other than being ranked 14th (5-5 record) at the end of last season, the last time the Bears were ranked this late in the season was Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2004 . They finished the season 6-4 and were ranked ninth out of nine teams.Quotable ... "I am pleased with how we have played through the first half of the season, but there is still plenty of football left. Our focus and preparation week-in and week-out has allowed us to improve and we need to keep it going. We need to continue to approach each week with the same amount of attention. We will be playing conference games the rest of the way where the teams know each other very well. But if we can keep concentrating on what we need to do to win then we should be alright." Pleasant Valley head coach Jim Terwilliger.