Minersville at Lehighton

WHEN: Friday, September 5 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Minersville (0-1, 0-1 AFL); Lehighton (1-0, 1-0 AFL).LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Jim Thorpe def. Minersville, 35-0; Lehighton def. Mahanoy Area, 47-12.MINERSVILLE'S IMPACT PLAYERS: The Battlin' Miners had a tough time getting anything going last Friday against the Olympians, producing only 118 yards of total offense and seven first downs. Junior quarterback Jon McBreen finished 4-of-8 passing for 29 yards and one interception. McBreen had a little more success on the ground, rushing for 63 yards on 11 carries. Minersville's second leading rusher was Dave Schultz, who managed only nine yards on 10 carries. Schultz was the Miners' leading receiver, finishing with 18 yards on two receptions. Offensive woes aside, it's the Minersville defense (or lack therof) that grabbed everyone's attention last week. Jim Thorpe rolled up 382 yards of total offense, including an astonishing 356 yards on the ground. There's no question a Lehighton team that ran the ball 36 times last week against Mahanoy Area will be looking to once again take advantage of a porus Miners' defense.LEHIGHTON'S IMPACT PLAYERS: The Indians featured a relatively balanced rushing attack in last week's win over the Golden Bears. Wyatt Clements carried the ball a team-high 12 times for 127 yards, including touchdown runs of 46 and 32 yards. When it wasn't Clements, quarterback Tyler Cann showed once again that he's just as effective with his feet, carrying the ball 10 times for 44 yards and a score. Jahmir Spencer produced Lehighton's fourth and final rushing score in the third quarter with a 27-yard scamper. Cann didn't do as much with his arm, completing four of his eight pass attempts for 12 yards, with Tyler Crum catching three of those passes. But with a solid ground game and a defense that produced two touchdowns, Cann really wasn't forced to make plays with his arm. The Indians' Tom Ruzicka returned a fumble 47 yards for a score, while Tegan Durishin took an interception 78 yards for a touchdown. The Lehighton D produced a total of five turnovers, including four fumbles. Even though Minersville committed only one turnover a week ago, you can bet the Indians will try to force the visitors into more mistakes this Friday.FAST FACTS: The 12 points allowed by Lehighton last week were the fewest since a Week 7 win against William Allen last year when the Indians blasted the Canaries 55-8...Minersville heads into its contest at Lehighton having lost nine straight regular season games on the road dating back to 2011, when the Miners defeated Panther Valley 56-33. The season was also Minersville's last with a winning record, as the team finished with a 9-2 record, including a spot in the District 11 playoffs...The Indians, on the other hand, finished 2-3 at home last season...Lehighton's win against Mahanoy gave it back-to-back victories in season-openers after the Indians broke a three-year losing streak against Marian with a 27-14 victory last season.QUOTABLE: "Last week, I was pleased with our performance for Week 1. We did some nice things offensively, but need to clean up our execution if we want to be successful for the entire season. Defensively, we were not as sound in our responsibilities which allowed some gaps in our front seven. However, we were able to capitalize on turnovers and returned a fumble and interception for TD's. Looking at Minersville, we face a different style of offense and defense than Mahanoy, which presents a different set of challenges. Minersville is better than their Week 1 score indicates and our players need to be mentally prepared to get the Miners' best shot," Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.Schuylkill Valley at TamaquaWHEN: Friday, September 5 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Schuylkill Valley (1-0); Tamaqua (0-1, 0-1 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Schuylkill Valley def. Susquenita, 40-6; North Schuylkill def. Tamaqua, 35-6.SCHUYLKILL VALLEY'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Edward Shuttleworth scored two first-quarter touchdowns to help jump-start Schuylkill Valley against Susquenita last Friday. Shuttleworth's two 1-yard scores came two minutes apart to end the first quarter and begin the domination by the Panthers. On Schuylkill Valley's first play in the second quarter, quarterback Connor Sausser (6-for-11, 185 yards) found Dillon Riley on a screen pass for a 78-yard touchdown. Sausser then connected with Keegan Fouse on a 15-yard strike to close out the half. Fouse finished the game with three catches for 72 yards for the Panthers, who allowed just 24 first-half yards to Susquenita. Shuttleworth capped his night with his third score late in the third quarter. He rolled up 142 yards on 20 carries and Riley added another 127 total yards for Schuylkill Valley, which rushed for 238 yards. Susquenita's only score of the game came on Kevin Kenny's 56-yard run with five seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Panthers quickly struck back when Rhett Robinson scored from 8 yards out to close out the scoring.TAMAQUA'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Freshman quarterback Thad Zuber left last week's game against North Schuylkill late in the first half with an ankle injury, which will sideline him for the forseeable future. Prior to his departure, Zuber had completed four of his 10 passes for 29 yards while also throwing two interceptions. With Zuber out of the game, running back Ernie Shilko, who had 14 carries for 34 yards, moved to quarterback, completing 2 of 3 passes for 30 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to Tyler Skripko, who led the Raiders with 11 carries for 37 yards. Collin Moyer replaced Shilko in the backfield and carried eight times for 32 yards. Defensively, the Blue Raiders struggled, allowing the Spartans to score on their first four possessions which resulted in a 27-0 halftime deficit. North Schuylkill compiled 357 yards of total offense, led by a ground game that produced 210 yards. The Spartans' John Rupinski led all rushers with 94 yards on 11 carries while Major Jordan chipped in 69 yards on just four carries. North Schuylkill quarterback Bobby Grigas finished five-of-eight passes for 147 yards. The Blue Raiders will need to shore up their defense with a high-powered Schuylkill Valley offense coming to town this week.FAST FACTS: Tamaqua's loss to North Schuylkill broke a four-game winning streak that went back to a Week 6 matchup with the Spartans last year, when the Blue Raiders fell 21-14. The setback also gave Tamaqua back-to-back losses in season openers after the Blue Raiders lost to Jim Thorpe 34-13 in 2013...Schuylkill Valley is now 4-1 in its last five games dating back to last season. The loss came to Wyomissing (41-35) in the District 3-AA quarterfinals...Tamaqua's 29 point loss to North Schuylkill was its worst since a 47-7 setback against Marian Catholic during the 2010 season finale.QUOTABLE: "Obviously, we have some things that we need to work on and we need to get better at. But we'll have another chance this week," Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner.Shenandoah Valley at Jim ThorpeWHEN: Friday, September 5 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Shenandoah Valley (0-1 AFL); Jim Thorpe (1-0, 1-0 AFL).LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Blue Mountain def. Shenandoah Valley, 41-12; Jim Thorpe def. Minersville, 35-0.SHENANDOAH VALLEY'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Shenandoah Valley quarterback Ian McCole and receiver Joel Santana found their rhythm late in the first half of last week's loss to Blue Mountain. The duo connected on two passes for 65 yards in the final minute of the half before McCole hit Riley Miller from 4 yards out to put the Blue Devils on the board. McCole finished 7-for-16 passing for 128 yards, 117 of which went to Santana. Blue Mountain's defense held the Devils' run game below zero, totalling minus-25 yards on 27 attempts. Trailing 20-6, Shenandoah Valley had a chance to bring the game within one score after its second-half kickoff bounced off one of the Blue Mountain up-men and was pounced on by the Devils at the Eagles' 48. However, two penalties and two incomplete passes forced the Devils to punt. The Eagles' Dakota Roberts racked up 111 yards on five carries and scored three touchdowns against Shenandoah Valley's defense. Blue Mountain quarterback Sean Greenawalt tallied 99 yards on five carries, Will Horn chipped in 52 on eight carries. In all, the Eagles rushed 32 times for 366 yards while attempting only five passes. Shenandoah Valley was out-gained 373-103. The Devils also had nine penalties for 52 yards.JIM THORPE'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Jim Thorpe had its way with Minersville last week, gashing the Battlin' Miners for 356 yards rushing on 33 carries. Junior tailback Robert Heller was the catalyst, gaining 148 yards on 10 carries, highlighted by an 86 yard touchdown in the first quarter. Quarterback Shane Snisky was equally impressive with his feet, piling up 69 yards on five carries, including a 63 yard score in the second quarter. Jim Thorpe also had touchdown runs from Kevin Vitti (19 yards), Antonio Madera (12 yards) and Ryan Carroll (1 yard). Snisky was 2-of-3 passing for 26 yards and one interception. Vitti (18 yards) and Carroll (8 yards) had the receptions. Jim Thorpe's 16 first downs were also well ahead of Minersville's seven. But for as good as the offense was, the Olympians' defense was just as dominant, holding Minersville to 118 yards of total offense while keeping the Battlin' Miners off the scoreboard. Jim Thorpe's six penalties for 48 yards will be an area head coach Mark Rosenberger and his staff will look to clean up heading into Week 2.FAST FACTS: Jim Thorpe defeated Shenandoah Valley 27-14 last year, breaking a string of two straight losses to the Blue Devils. Last year's loss to the Olympians also started a streak of six straight losses to end the season for Shenandoah, which continued with last week's setback in the season-opener against Blue Mountain. During that span, the Blue Devils have been outscored 218-93. Shenandoah's lone win last year came on the road at Minersville, a 41-14 triumph...After starting last season 6-1, the Olympians finished 1-3. Jim Thorpe outscored its opponents 243-118 during the stretch, which included two shutouts. But over the last four games of the season, the Olympians were outscored 100-70, allowing more than 30 points twice.QUOTABLE: "Last week was definitely a confidence builder for our team. Being able to have several guys contribute with big plays means a lot, and it's nice to know we have that potential. This week will be a challenge for our offensive linemen, because they're (Shenandoah Valley) very physical upfront. But we're going to try to use our speed and athleticism to our advantage. It's a new and different challenge from a week ago, but I think the kids are ready for it," Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger.Pleasant Valley at Bethlehem CatholicWHEN: Saturday, September 6 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Pleasant Valley (0-1, 0-1 EPC); Bethlehem Catholic (1-0, 1-0 EPC).LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Easton def. Pleasant Valley, 49-14; Bethlehem Catholic def. Liberty, 56-27.PLEASANT VALLEY'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Pleasant Valley never really got a chance to get junior running back Austyn Borre going against Easton last week, as the Bears trailed by 28 heading into intermission. Borre totaled just six carries for 38 yards last and you can bet he will touch the ball more this week, as he rushed for over 1100 yards in 2013. Pleasant Valley has a ton of experienced linebackers. The Bears gave up 248 yards on the ground last week against Easton, so Pacchioni will look to see how three-year starter and senior captain Antonio Santana will respond this week as the Bears look to improve on stopping the run.BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Freddie Simmons is the player to look out for in this match up. The talented receiver scored on a punt return, kick return, and caught a 72 yard pass for a score last weekend against Liberty. Julian Spigner is the signal caller for Bechai. Last week he completed 61% of his passes and threw two touchdowns. On the other side of the talented Simmons, is Michael McDaniel who contributed 65 receiving yards and accounted for the other Bechai touchdown through the air. The Bears will be paying much attention to Simmons, so expect McDaniel to have a bunch of targets in the contest.FAST FACTS: According to THE TIMES NEWS statsitics, dating back to 1979 there is no record of these two schools EVER squaring off against each other…Before a successful 8-5 2013 campaign, Becahi was a combined 6-24 its previous three seasons…Pleasant Valley, on the other hand, hasn't had a losing record since 2008…The Bears are one of five former Mountain Valley Conference teams which registered a loss last week, the only winner being Stroudsburg…The last time Pleasant Valley lost by 35+ points was November 16th, 2012 against Parkland when the Bears were defeated by 37…The Bears averaged 335 yards per game last season, so expect them to put some more points on the scoreboard this week.QUOTABLE: "We just want to come out and execute this week. The kids didn't execute (against Easton) like they had been in practice. This is a Championship Week for us. They're (Bethlehem Catholic) in the Mountain Valley Division (with us) and we need to win this game. They have playmakers all over the field, but I don't think their offensive and defensive lines get enough credit. They have some big guys that can really move. But we need to come out and execute for four quarters," Pleasant Valley head coach David Pacchioni.Northwestern at BangorWHEN: Friday, September 5 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Northwestern (1-0, 1-0 CL); Bangor (1-0, 1-0 CL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Northwestern defeated Notre Dame 32-6; Bangor defeated Catasauqua 31-18.NORTHWESTERN'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Senior Taylor Breininger had a big game in the season opener for the Tigers. Breininger caught two passes for 46 yards on a key second-half drive that resulted in a touchdown. He also threw a key block to spring running back Harry Hall into the end zone. Defensively, all he did was lead the team with six tackles, three of which were for a loss, and pick off a pass. The Tigers need rebound performances from some of their skill position players. There were too many mistakes on offense, many of which were on first down and put Northwestern in first-and-long situations. Northwestern fumbled the ball three times against the Crusaders, but were able to recover each of them and maintain possession. Coach Josh Snyder game kudos to both the offensive and defensive lines for their play against Notre Dame. The offensive line helped Northwestern's offense to 281 yards of total offense, while the defensive line helped keep Notre Dame to just 121 yards of total offense. Snyder preaches having a strong special teams unit and last week, Northwestern blocked a punt and had a combined 117 yards in kick-off and punt return yards. Punter Brandon Miller averaged just over 40 yards per punt on three kicks and also hit on a 28-yard field goal.BANGOR'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Sophomore Saivaughn Bass carried the ball 13 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns against Catasauqua, with most of those yards coming on an 85-yard touchdown run. Sean Wolderich and Cam Strohe also picked up rushing touchdowns, with Wolderich running for 69 yards and Strohe adding 47. Quarterback Michael Hlatky threw just seven times, completing three passes for 42 yards and one touchdown. Bangor coach Donnie Hawk, who is in his second season in the top spot at Bangor, has implemented the single-wing offense. In the single-wing, the ball is often snapped directly to a running back rather than the quarterback. Pen Argyl was the most recent team in the Colonial League to use the single-wing, but they've gone to a more conventional style of offense. The Bangor defense allowed 256 yards of total offense against Catasauqua, but with key returning players like Brice Lemon, Eli Vough and Dallas Labar, the defense should be capable of better showings than what they gave against Catasauqua. Last season, the Slaters defense allowed an average of 282 yards per game, eighth in the Colonial League.FAST FACTS: Cam Richardson ran for a touchdown against Notre Dame, but didn't catch any touchdown passes, leaving him tied with his coach, Josh Snyder, for the school's career-high in TD passes caught, with nine… Bangor RB Phil Vass ran for 242 yards against the Tigers last October in a 29-22 Northwestern win. Thankfully, Vass has graduated and is now playing college football at Millersville. Hall ran for 113 yards for Northwestern, while quarterback Frank Dangello threw for 170 yards and one touchdown… Northwestern came through the game with Notre Dame in good shape physically. Snyder reported just the usual early season dings and has all of his weapons ready to play against Bangor… One of the reasons why Bangor switched to the single-wing offense this season is because their passing game was last in the league with just 26.8 yards per game, while they were second in the league with 259 yards rushing.QUOTABLE: "We didn't really even have the players to emulate the single-wing in practice. You have to have certain types of players to run that, which is why a lot of teams have gotten away from it. We still think we were able to come up with a scheme that will work," Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder.Pen Argyl at PalmertonWHEN: Friday, September 5 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Pen Argyl (0-1, 0-1 Colonial); Palmerton (1-0, 1-0 Colonial)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Northern Lehigh def. Pen Argyl, 21-14; Palmerton def. Wilson, 21-0.PEN ARGYL'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Sophomore Logan Ruppert got his first varsity start under center and completed 11-of-16 passes for 104 yards. He also rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries. The highlight of the afternoon for Ruppert was a 24-yard touchdown completion to Chris Muller. Muller was Ruppert's favorite target as he caught seven passes for 76 yards. He's the go-to-guy and a good special teams player. Another receiver that Muller will look to is James Klinger. Ryan Silvius is a big back who the Bombers will have to gang tackle. LInemen the Green Knights are counting on include Jacob Krincek, Zach Ruppert and Chris Lawson.PALMERTON'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Sophomore Garrett Perschy had quite the opener for the Blue Bombers in their win over Wilson. Perschy completed 8-of-12 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown in addition to carrying the ball 16 times for 40 yards and a score. Sean Doherty was the leading receiver, hauling in three passes for 68 yards and a TD. Though Palmerton gained only 198 yards of total offense, it certainly made up for it with an opportunistic defense and timely special teams play. The Bombers forced five turnovers, including four interceptions. Nick Sander also returned a punt 79 yards for a score.FAST FACTS: The Blue Bombers need to have better results on first down and put themselves in more manageable second down situations...They also need to move the chains by converting third downs...Palmerton must continue to spread the ball around and get the it into to its athletes...The Blue Bombers need to establish a good ground game and mix in timely passes...On defense, the Bombers must continue to pursue to the ball and force turnovers like they did against Wilson...The last time Palmerton defeated Pen Argyl was in 2008 by a 28-7 score...Since that win, the Bombers have only scored five times against the Green Knights...Pen Argyl leads the series 22-11...It was incorrectly stated in Tuesday's game story that Jared Mooney returned a punt during action against Wilson. It was actually Nick Sander.QUOTABLE: "Winning Week One was nice to get out of the gates. However, we know we were very fortunate to win 21-0. We were not as sharp and crisp as we would have liked to have been in all phases of the game. We are a work in progress and will continue to get better each and every day," Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.Saucon Valley at Northern LehighWHEN: Friday, September 5 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Saucon Valley (1-0, 1-0 Colonial); Northern Lehigh (1-0, 1-0 Colonial)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Saucon Valley def. Salisbury, 39-36; Northern Lehigh def. Pen Argyl, 21-14.SAUCON VALLEY'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Panthers will have junior QB Zach Thatcher at quarterback. Thatcher threw three touchdown passes in last week's win and completed 8-of-13 passes for 157 yards. Nate Harka caught three passes for 51 yards and two TDs, while Mike Kane caught four passes for 102 yards and one score. The leading rusher for the Panthers is Evan Culver, who ran 19 times for 146 yards and two TDs.NORTHERN LEHIGH'S IMPACT PLAYERS: Nate Farber is still the workhorse for the Bulldogs. Farber carried the ball 22 times for 116 yards in Saturday's win over Pen Argyl. Chad Cederberg returned to the quarterback spot and completed four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. He also gained 45 yards on seven carries and ran for a 15-yard TD. The defensive line and linebackers were solid in the win over Green Knights. Cameron Kates is a strong lineman and Pen Argyl had a hard time blocking him, especially on two drives that the Bulldogs halted. Tight end Brandon Smith, who was injured last year, and another tight end, Austin Lancsak, are a big part of the Bulldog offense, as are running backs Auston Arnold and C.J. Young.FAST FACTS: The Panthers lost 2,000-yard rusher Nick Savant and 1,000-yard passer Keith Mosser, so the offense will go as far the line goes, which was evident with some big scoring plays last week against Salisbury...Panthers are coming off winning the Eastern Conference 3A Championship last year with a 50-49 win over Wilkes-Barre Coughlin...Panthers beat Bulldogs last year by a 26-21 score...Bulldogs lead series with Panthers, 22-11 and had won four in a row before Saucon won last season...Bulldogs have to make teams drive 60 and 70 yards and can't give up the big play like Salisbury did last week against them...Bulldogs are concentrating on cleaning up their offense this week. If they do that, head coach Joe Tout feels they'll be okay. There was a scoring change from the original box score of last week's game against Pen Argyl. The touchdown that was credited to Austin Lancsak on a fumble recovery in the end zone was changed to a score for the Bulldogs' Nate Farber. Originally, the officials ruled that Farber had fumbled into the end zone before breaking the plane of the goal line.QUOTABLE: "Anyone that follows the Colonial League will tell you that if you go to Pen Argyl and win, you're happy. That's one of the toughest places to play in our league. To come out with a win in a game that we could have lost, we're happy," Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout."