Newton's Third Law of motion states that when one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. For all you non-science buffs out there what the above statement basically means is that for every action there is an opposed and equal reaction.

Newton's Third Law best represents how difficult it could be for both the Lehighton Indians and Tamaqua Raiders to run the football when they face off with each other on Friday night. It's pretty obvious that the Tribe and Raiders will try and pound the football with power backs Wyatt Clements (Lehighton, 856 yards, 17 TDs) and "Bud" Moyer (Tamaqua, 1,002 yards, 12 TDs), but if history is any indication of how their defensive lines will compete, then rushing yards are certainly not going to come easy.With serious playoff implications on the line the battle between these two brute force squads has been deemed the week nine Times News Game of the Week.The Indians defense has been playing in high gear as of late. The Tribe have allowed just 21 points over their last three ball games and are surrendering just 4.37 yards per carry.The Raiders "D" has been the heart and soul of their football team throughout the season. They're giving up just 11.6 points per game and a stingy 3.57 yards per carry.The defensive rushing stats don't lie, which means one of these teams are going to have to make some big plays in the passing game to come out on top. That's something Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner is well aware of as the Raiders have only attempted 71 passes on the season."We can't be one-dimensional this week and we know that," said Bonner. "We need to add a passing dynamic to our offense and we've been working really hard on that at practice. Thad Zuber is back and healthy and he'll see some time behind center because of his ability to pass the ball. Ernie Shilko, who has been playing quarterback for us since Thad's injury will be moved around a lot. He's a versatile player and we can use him really anywhere."The Indians have had a pretty decent passing attack this season thanks to quarterback Tyler Cann (931 yards passing, 8 TDs, 7INTs) and receivers Tyler Crum and Tom Ruzicka. Crum is a lengthy target with good athletic ability, and has caught 29 balls for 456 yards and five touchdowns. Ruzicka has been used in the slot and in the backfield for the Indians and has 19 catches on the year for 268 yards and two scores. Cann, Crum, and Ruzicka will be counted on heavily in Lehighton's passing attack."Tyler (Cann) has been doing a great job leading our offense and making plays for us," said Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll. "Tyler Crum has also been our go-to guy at receiver and Tom Ruzicka has done a nice job catching the ball out of the backfield. To be quite honest, I feel good about our other receivers too, they just haven't gotten the chance to shine yet and this could be the week for one of those guys to step up. Rushing yards are not going to be easy to come by, so we know we have to make some plays through the air."If the physical nature of the this ball game isn't appealing enough for you then just consider what's at stake, which is a spot in the postseason for both of these teams. Lehighton (6-2) is currently on the outside looking in, sitting in the fifth spot behind Jim Thorpe, Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh, and Becahi. The Indians will have a shot at Thorpe in week 10, but a loss to the Raiders could keep them out of the District 11 AAA Playoffs.Tamaqua (5-3) is currently out of the District 11 AA playoffs and has to win at least one of their last two regular season games to get in. A win over Lehighton would be a good start to playing its way in, but it doesn't get any easier in week 10 as they face rival Marian.Simply put, both teams need to have another "W" when they wake up on Saturday morning."With how competitive the league is and the way it's spread out between A, AA, and AAA schools everyone knew it was going to come down to the end of the season," said McCarroll. "You can look at it negatively or you can look at it positively like we do. The way we look at it is our kids will be playing playoff type games in playoff type atmospheres before the postseason even begins. So, if we are able to get in then we should be well prepared to play in that type of game."Many of the preseason prognosticators expected Lehighton to be in position to qualify for the playoffs, but not many had Tamaqua at 5-3 through the first eight weeks of the 2014 season. The Raiders lost a lot of offensive firepower from a season ago, including their starting quarterback, tailback, and one of their wide receivers. Enter the Tamaqua "D," who have been pound for pound one of the toughest units in all of District 11. The Raiders defense has kept them in games week in and week out, giving up just 168 yards of total offense per contest."Our defense has been great and it's a testament to how tough these kids are and how much they work in the offseason," said Bonner. "They don't care who lines up against them on the offensive side of the ball, they never back down and they're just a great group of kids. They've been the driving force behind out success this season, there's no doubt about that."