Anthracite Football League fans don't have to wait for Week 8, 9, or 10 to see an intense rivalry game as Panther Valley will head to Marian tomorrow for an early season AFL showdown.

All sorts of crazy things can happen on the gridiron when the Panthers and Colts get together and it's for that very reason their Week 2 matchup is our Times News Game of the Week.Both teams played pretty solid in Week 1 with the Colts earning a "W" over a perennial Tri-Valley League contender in Williams Valley, while Panther Valley hung tough with the 2013 District 11 A Champion, Schuylkill Haven.One of the early season questions for the Colts was if one of their playmakers and team leaders, K.J. Snerr, could stay healthy after missing most of 2013 season with a shoulder injury. Snerr certainly got off to a great start on his "stay healthy 2014" campaign against the Vikes, rushing for 163 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries. The Marian rushing attack totaled an impressive 271 yards on the ground at an even more impressive 7.32 yards per carry. Now that the Colts know they have a pretty dynamic rushing attack in their arsenal the Panthers could and should expect to see a healthy dose of blue and gold jerseys running the football."Our rushing attack worked well for us, but we were also sporadic at times offensively," said Marian coach Stan Dakosty. "The first thing we have to do is make sure we clean up some of the things we didn't do well last week. We can't commit as many penalties as we did last game either; this is a rivalry game and we know we're going to see a tough PV team come Friday night."Panther Valley showed last Friday night that despite its youth and lack of game time experience it still can pack a punch. In fact, the Panthers hung with a highly touted Schuylkill Haven team for three quarters. A fumble on the Panthers' 50-yard line with two minutes left in the third gave the 'Canes the momentum they were looking for, with Haven scoring two unanswered touchdowns from that point on. Still, PV showed that they're not going to let external expectations get in the way of it playing good football."Our kids battled hard when things didn't go our way and they could've easily given up," said Panther valley coach Matt Davis. "We played hard for 48 minutes and our kids were very upset that we didn't win; they did not accept the loss, which was great to see."Marian's success a week ago did not only come on the offensive side of the ball. One could actually argue that the Colts' defense was the real story on the night against Williams Valley. Marian's front seven were in the Vikes backfield throughout the game and when push came to shove, Williams Valley truly didn't have an answer. The speed and strength of the Colts defensive linemen generated eight sacks, and as they continued to dominate throughout the game, it was no surprise that Marian's coaching staff kept dialing up the pressure."Our game plan will be to put our kids in the positions that give us great protection and a chance to win," said Davis. "We will not allow them to beat us because we were outnumbered in a specific formation."Marian head coach Stan Dakosty mentioned last week that he didn't really know what to expect from the Colts "D." Now that he knows he has a stable of pass rushers to work with, the defensive scheme for the Colts could very easily be geared to a more aggressive style."Our defense played a great game last week there's no doubt about that," said Dakosty. "Like I said this is a big rivalry for us and it doesn't matter if we played Panther Valley in Week 1, 5, or 9; it's always going to be an exciting game. Throw the records out the window and prepare yourself for a tough football game. That's what you need to tell yourself if you're a coach or a player for this type of ball game."