East Stroudsburg South-Pleasant Valley

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: East Stroudsburg South (1-4, 1-4 EPC); Pleasant Valley (2-3, 2-3 EPC)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Easton def. East Stroudsburg South, 37-0; Pleasant Valley def. Pocono Mountain West, 56-12.IMPACT PLAYERS: East Stroudsburg South - Starting quarterback Nick Boushell left last week's game against Easton with an apparent ankle injury mid-way through the third quarter. Jake Cirillo, who was the starter last year, came in and completed his first four passes and efficiently moved the offense down the field. A 22-yard pass and catch to Tyler Harrison brought the Cavaliers within the Rovers' red zone, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play pushed the Cavs back and stalled the drive. East Stroudsburg South managed just 38 yards rushing on 21 carries and compiled just 125 total yards, and it will bear watching who is under center this Friday. Pleasant Valley - Tanner Parascando is the Bears' starting tight end and also rotates in at defensive end. Parascando is a hard worker who is dedicated to his teammates. Parascando has excelled in his role as a 'special teams guy.' The senior loves running down on kickoffs and being on the punt return and kickoff return teams and has been very enthusiastic about special teams. It's clear Parascando wants what's best for the team and will sacrifice everything to make that happen.FAST FACTS: East Stroudsburg South defeated Pleasant Valley 30-14 in last year's contest. The Bears won by a score of 21-10 in 2012 ... In their four losses this season, the Cavaliers have been outscored 138-7. Those losses have come to Freedom, Stroudsburg, Bethlehem Catholic and Easton, teams that have a combined record of 20-0. East Stroudsburg South's lone victory was a 42-0 triumph over a 1-4 Pocono Mountain East team ... Pleasant Valley has also faced Easton and Bethlehem Catholic, losing by a combined score of 89-52. Since losing 41-21 to a 5-0 Whitehall team in Week 3, the Bears are 2-0 and have outscored their last two opponents by a score of 103-26. Those games were against Allen and Pocono Mountain West, teams that both sport records of 0-5 ... In the District 11 AAAA rankings, Pleasant Valley is currently 10th with 200 points, while East Stroudsburg South is 11th with 110 points ... Pleasant Valley is 2-1 on the road or in neutral site games this season, but 0-2 at home. The Cavaliers' lone victory came on the road against the Cardinals in Week 2.QUOTABLE: "I was satisifed with all phases of the game last week. We had two special teams touchdowns which really gave us a ton of momentum. We have to clean up fumbles, penalties, assignment errors, and missed tackles. You can throw out the records between these two teams, it doesn't matter. This game is going to be a dog fight. They are big up front and their quarterback being back will give them more confidence in their playmaking ability. These are the type of kids that you dream about having on your team. They want the best for the team and will sacrifice everything for the team." - Pleasant Valley head coach Dave PacchioniMinersville-TamaquaWHEN: Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Minersville (1-4, 1-4 AFL); Tamaqua (3-2, 2-2 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Minersville def. Shenandoah Valley, 21-0; Tamaqua def. Panther Valley, 41-0.IMPACT PLAYERS: Minersville - Senior running back/defensive end Kyle Lucas had his best game of the season in the Battlin' Miners win over Shenandoah Valley last week. Dylan Stephen contributed to a rushing attack that piled up over 200 yards by pouring in 32 yards and a score on seven carries. Stephen was also active on the other side of the ball, recording a season-high five tackles as Minersville held the Blue Devils to under 50 yards of total offense. Tamaqua - Chance Szabo played a key role in helping the Raiders' defense keep Panther Valley to single digits in total yards last week. The sophomore recorded two tackles and one sack against the Panthers in what was a dominating effort. Szabo has 11 tackles and two sacks on the season and has been vital for a unit that has allowed an average of nine points during a 3-1 stretch.FAST FACTS: Tamaqua has held its opponents to single digit scoring in three of its five contests this season ... Sam Bonner's squad held Panther Valley to just one total yard of offense last week ... Tamaqua holds the 20-15 series advantage over Minersville since 1979 ... Ernie Shilko will continue to fill in and start at quaterback for Tamaqua ... Thad Zuber started the year as the Raiders' quarterback, and coach Bonner is optimistic that he could be back on the field toward the tail end of the season ... The Raider backfield tandom of Tyler Skripko and Bud Moyer has been effective, as the two have combined for 15 touchdowns on the ground ... Tamaqua has outscored its opponents in the fourth quarter, 31-6 ... Minersville pitched a shutout against Shenandoah Valley last week to earn its first win of the year ... The Battlin' Miners also scored 21 points during last week's win, which is a season high.QUOTABLE: "Our defense has been playing some really tough football, and that was evident last week. But we can't get caught up in that. We know we're going to be in a physical game against Minersville this week. If we want to keep playing well we have to continue to limit our mistakes and get strong play in all three phases of the game," - Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner.Panther Valley-Jim ThorpeWHEN: Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Panther Valley (1-4, 1-4 AFL); Jim Thorpe (5-0, 5-0 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Tamaqua def. Panther Valley, 41-0; Jim Thorpe def. Schuylkill Haven 14-13.IMPACT PLAYERS: Panther Valley - Nate Miller stepped in at outside linebacker during the Panthers' Week 2 game against Marian and has been a mainstay at the position since. The junior has over 30 tackles this season and has averaged around 10 tackles per game. Miller recorded a season-high 13 tackles against Mahanoy Area. Miller will continue to play a key role with Panther Valley looking to turn things around after a tough loss to Tamaqua; Jim Thorpe - Antonio Maderra had a monster game last week recording an interception, eight tackles, and a game saving extra point block to help keep Jim Thorpe undefeated.FAST FACTS: Panther Valley owns a 12-10 series advantage over the Olympians since 1979 ... Jim Thorpe is undefeated at 5-0, and has won two games by one point apiece this season, both thanks to blocked extra points ... The last time Jim Thorpe started out 5-0 was in 2007 when the Olympians finished 9-3 overall and won the Anthhracite Football League ... Matt Hudicka will be back behind center this week for Panther Valley, after he missed last week's game against Tamaqua due to illness ... Hudicka will look to revive the Panther offense which managed just one total yard last week against Tamaqua.QUOTABLE: "The character the kids have been showing in close games this year has been fantastic. We're finding ways to win these games. Our entire defensive unit is playing well. Our safeties are always in the box making tackles. Field position has been great for us because our special teams is playing so well from punts to covereage. We need to be disciplined defenseively in order to stop Panther Valley's option offense and we have to stop hurting ourselves with negative plays and penalties," - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger."We can't keep giving our opponents that ball deep in our territory. Whether it's through turnovers or special teams, we're always in a hole, and it's hard to come back from that. Last week was a tough game. But I hope that our guys use that bad game as a positive and learn from it moving forward," - Panther Valley head coach Matt Davis.Marian-LehightonWHEN: Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Marian (3-2, 2-2 AFL); Lehighton (3-2, 3-1 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Blue Mountain def. Marian, 17-14; Governor Mifflin def. Lehighton, 35-13.IMPACT PLAYERS: Marian - Ethan Kuczynski's confidence seems to be growing every time he steps on the field for the Colts. The sophomore will surely keep Lehighton's defense on its heals defensively, as he's a threat to take over the game through the air. Lehighton - Tyler Crum has been a tremendous leader this season, both on and off the field for the Indians. The senior has been on the verge of making some big plays each week in all three phases of the game. As a receiver, Crum has 15 receptions for 151 yards and two scores. On top of being a great receiver and defensive back, he has also done a great job punting and returning kicks for Lehighton.FAST FACTS: Marian holds the series advantage over Lehighton, 7-3 since 1979 ... Wyatt Clements leads the Times News coverage area in rushing touchdowns with a total of 10 so far in 2014 ... K.J. Snerr happens to be second in the Times News coverage area with eight touchdowns ... Both star running backs compiled over 100 total yards last week against tough opponents, so look for Clements and Snerr to be the focal points of their respective offenses ... Marian has put up 157 points this year, as the Indians have scored 156 ... Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll played his high school football at Marian under current Colts head coach Stan Dakosty ... This is a huge AFL game, as Lehighton is alone in third place with one loss and Marian is one of four AFL schools with two league losses.QUOTABLE: "I was very pleased with how our team competed against a talented AAAA Governor Mifflin program. The kids fought hard until the end. People say playing better competition makes you better, but that's only true when a team fights to compete for an entire game, and that's what we did. Turnovers are something we have been able to limit for the most part and that certainly will be a point of emphasis this week. Marian is a tough, well coached team and we will have to bring our 'A' game this week for a chance to win." - Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll"The kids are working hard this week. Last week we didn't finish and we feel we had one slip away from us. The kids are determined and are a great bunch of young men who come to work every day. We're in the midst of the tough schedule and that's the AFL at its finest. I thought we played physical last week and did some nice things. I've said it before, it comes down to the guys up front on offense and defense in order to win games. We're excited to play a very good Lehighton team." - Marian head coach Stan DakostyNo. Lehigh-CatasauquaWHEN: Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Northern Lehigh (4-1, 4-1 CL); Catasauqua (2-3, 2-3 CL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Northern Lehigh def. Palisades, 14-13; Catasauqua def. Wilson, 55-28.IMPACT PLAYERS: Northern Lehigh - The Bulldogs' Floyd Snyder filled in for quarterback Chad Cederberg, rushed for 116 yards, completed six passes for 64 yards and scored the winning touchdown for his team last week. If Cederberg is healthy enough to return, don't be surprised to see him share the duties with Snyder, who adds another dimension to the Bulldog offense; Catasauqua - Jacob Kober caught three touchdown passes, had six receptions for 172 yards and also threw a 33-yard pass to Ricky Houser for a TD in last weekend's win over Wilson.FAST FACTS: Catasauqua holds a 21-17 edge over the Bulldogs in the series (since 1979), winning the last three meetings ... The last Northern Lehigh win over the Roughies was in 2011 by a 13-7 score ... CJ Young caught all six passes completed last week against Palisades for 64 yards ... This is a crucial game in the District 11 playoff rankings with the Bulldogs sitting fourth behind Northwestern, North Schuylkill and Palisades.QUOTABLE: "Offensively this week, it's just going to be a matter of us being consistent. Our focus offensively is us hurting ourselves. We've been hurting ourselves consistently. We're not worried about what Catasauqua is going to do, we're more worried about ourselves." - Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout