Head football coaches often sing the praises of their assistants.

It's common during post game interviews for the head coach to credit his staff for the team's success.Northern Lehigh's Joe Tout did exactly that following the Bulldogs' 21-14 season opening victory over Pen Argyl.But Tout also gave a shout out to a member of the staff that often goes unrecognized the trainer.On a hot, humid Saturday afternoon in Pen Argyl, Northern Lehigh trainer John Swartz was a busy man.His contributions didn't go unnoticed by Tout."John did a great job for us," said Tout. "We had kids cramping up all over the place and John did a nice job of working the cramps out, getting some fluids in them, and getting them back in the game."Some of our kids missed a possession or two, but everyone who cramped up eventually got back in the game."For the Bulldogs, who have eight different players going both ways and who dressed just 29 players for the game, getting starters back on the field was crucial.Swartz, who is in his 6th year as the Bulldogs' trainer, had a busy Saturday."John came in early Saturday morning to do the prep work on our football players before we got on the bus to go to Pen Argyl," explained Tout. "He then worked a home girls soccer game we had at Northern Lehigh later that morning. When that ended, he got in his car and drove down to Pen Argyl and got there at about 1 p.m. for our 1:30 game."Swartz had double duty that day because the Bulldogs, like most area teams, have just one trainer.Tout said at one point during the game, three different Bulldogs were battling cramps at the same time."John doesn't have an assistant so I had a couple of my coaches Terry Bowman and Derek Long pitch in and help at one point. We just had them grabbing heels and Stretching calves until John was able to take over."Tout said even though the Bulldogs took precautions to try and avoid the cramps, sometimes it's almost unavoidable."We were stressing hydration to our kids all week, especially from Wednesday on," said Tout. "But when you're playing as many kids both ways as we are, and you're playing an afternoon game, cramps are going to happen."I was scouting a game Friday night and it was actually long-shirt weather. It was a beautiful night for football. But Saturday was a different story."Fortunately for Tout and the Bulldogs, it was a story that had a happy ending."John does an outstanding job. not only for our program, but for all the other sports at the school," said Tout. "He's great with the athletes and also great with the parents."Most of the time, his work goes unnoticed. But Saturday he definitely played a role in our victory."*****STARTING WITH A SHUTOUT ... Jim Thorpe and Palmerton both opened the 2014 football seasons with shutouts. The Olympians blanked Minersville, 35-0, while the Blue Bombers kept Wilson off the scoreboard in a 21-0 decision.The last time the two schools started the year with a shutout they made the playoffs.Thorpe's last opening-night shutout came in 2003 when it blanked Tamaqua, 28-0. That year the Olympians went 8-2 in the regular season and actually began the campaign with three straight shutouts.For Palmerton, its last whitewash of an opponent in the first week of the season came back in 1992. That year, the Bombers posted a 27-0 victory against Pen Argyl on their way to a 9-2 record during the regular season.*****RUNNING TO PAYDIRT ... Jim Thorpe's Robert Heller got his team off to a good start Friday by breaking free for an 86-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.The scoring run was the longest by an Olympian player since Oct. 8, 1999 (153 games ago) when Gabe Robinson got loose for an 88-yarder against Northwest Area during a 34-13 victory.*****PALMERTON PICKS OFF WILSON ... In Palmerton's season-opening win against Wilson Saturday, the Blue Bomber secondary came up big by intercepting four passes. Dominic Shivone had two of the picks while Sean Doherty and Jared Mooney each had one.Over the past 25 seasons (a span of 270 games), this marked just the sixth time Palmerton had four or more interceptions in a single game. The Bombers had five in one contest on Oct. 28, 2005 (versus Northwestern) and four each on Sept. 13, 2013, Sept. 17, 1999, Sept. 26, 1997 and Oct. 6, 1995.*****INDIAN DEFENSE SCORES ... In Lehighton's season-opening win against Mahanoy Area, the Indians scored a pair of defensive touchdowns. Tegan Durishin intercepted a pass and returned it 73 yards for a score while Tom Ruzicka scooped up a fumble and took it 47 yards to the house.Last season, there was only one time among Times News area teams that a school had two defensive scores in a game. The team was Lehighton, who turned the trick against Pocono Mountain East. Gavin Zehner had a pick-six while Connor Frey returned a fumble for a score.*****MEDIA BLITZ ... Fans will have plenty of ways to get their fill of football throughout the season. Television, radio and internet shows focusing on area high school players and teams will be available on a weekly basis.TV Blue Ridge Cable TV-13's award-winning Monday Evening Quarterback program features highlights of the previous week's games as well as coach and player interviews. Bob Capasso will host the program that airs 7 p.m. on Monday evenings. This week's guest team will be the Palmerton Blue Bombers.RADIO Pottsville athletic director and Eastern Football Conference president Eric Rissmiller and Lehighton football coach Tom McCarroll join co-hosts "Coach" Dave "Whitey" Williams and Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association public relations director Doyle Dietz for this week's edition of "Thursday Night Live From the Deer Lake Pub and Restaurant," Route 61, from 7-8 p.m. on Magic 105.5-FM, WMGH, and on the web at

www.wmgh.com.INTERNET Coal Region Football Thursday Night Tailgate will return for a second season. Pat Crampsie, John Cooper and Brad Hurley host the show that reviews the previous week's games and previews the upcoming games for all the local teams. The show is posted to YouTube every Thursday evening during the season. Search 'Coal Region Football Thursday Night Tailgate' to access it. This week's games of the week are Marian vs. Panther Valley and Blue Mountain vs. North Schuylkill. You can also follow CRFTNT on Twitter @CoalRegionFball.