Win or go home.

It's that simple for a few of our Times News area football squads as week 10 of the high school football season is upon us. Week 10 is also deemed "rivalry week" in the Times News area as several local teams will compete for not only a spot in the postseason, but bragging rights as well.For organizational purposes we'll start with the teams from the Times News area that have already clinched a playoff berth. The Northwestern Tigers (8-1) and Marian Colts (6-3) have already punched their ticket to the postseason. The Tigers have locked down the No. 2 seed in the District 11 Class AA playoffs, while the Colts currently hold the second spot in the Class A bracket.The Colts and Tigers are in, but as noted there are some teams that in order to compete during "week 11" have to earn a "W" on Friday night.Pleasant Valley (AAAA), Lehighton (AAA), Jim Thorpe (AAA), Palmerton (AA), and Northern Lehigh (AA) are all teams that still have a chance to qualify for the District 11 postseason if they can come away with a victory on Halloween night.Pleasant Valley (6-3) will face off with rival Stroudsburg (9-0) for a big time Eastern Pennsylvania Conference showdown. Stroudsburg has clinched a playoff berth and currently sits in the No. 2 spot in the District 11 AAAA standings. For the Bears, the message is a clear as it gets. If they win then they're in, which of course won't be an easy task with the undefeated Mounties coming to Brodheadsville. Pleasant Valley can also sneak in if they lose. The Bears would need Emmaus (5-4) to lose to Parkland (7-2) and Liberty (5-4) lose to Freedom (7-2)."We took step six last week by beating Pocono Mountain East and now step seven is coming up," Pleasant Valley Coach Pacchioni said of his team's position. "Since we were 0-3, we've been preaching that each week is a Championship Week every time out, and now we're here."If we want to play a meaningful game in November, that is a district game, I feel we have to win. If we want to be comfortable with playing those top teams in the Lehigh Valley, we have to win this game. If we win this game, I'll feel more confident going forward into districts."The Palmerton and Northern Lehigh rivalry hasn't been much of a rivalry of late as the Bulldogs have won the last five meetings between the two by a score of 189-60. The last time the Bombers defeated Northern Lehigh was in 2008, which was the last time they qualified for the postseason. No matter, this game is always physical and with the winner of this one going to the District 11 AA playoffs, it's a game that could undoubtedly come down to the wire."We talked about it on Saturday after the Northwestern loss," said Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout. "Win we're in, lose we'll have to see where we stand as far as Eastern Conference goes. We aren't going to discuss it any more this week. Let's just leave it like that. It's one of those, if we take care of business Friday night, it'll take care of itself."As noted, Palmerton is looking to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2008. A win over the Bulldogs would be huge for the strength of the program and the confidence of future Bomber football players."We're excited for the opportunity to extend our season, but we can't get caught up in that right now," said Palmerton coach Chris Walkowiak. "We have to take this game, one play and one moment at a time, and play to the best of our abilities mentally and physically. It's going to be an emotional game, there's no doubt about that, but we have to be able to corral that emotion and play disciplined football."If Palmerton loses to Northern Lehigh then it will qualify for the Eastern Conference AA playoffs. If Northern Lehigh loses then they are not guaranteed a spot in Eastern Conference. They need Salisbury and Berks County League squad Schuylkill Valley to lose in order to clinch a spot outright. If Schuylkill Valley (4-5) wins then they will tie in points and it will come down to their defeated opponents. If Salisbury (4-5) upsets Southern Lehigh (8-1) then the Falcons would jump Northern Lehigh.The Jim Thorpe and Lehighton rivalry is as even as it gets with the series split 6-6 since they renewed the rivalry 12 years ago. Last year's regular season finale was for the last spot in the District 11 AAA playoffs as well, with the Tribe edging the Olympians 28-24.The road to the postseason is more clear cut for Lehighton than it is for Thorpe this season. If the Indians (7-2) win then they're in the AAA field. In order for the Olympians (7-2) to get in they have to defeat Lehighton and they need Blue Mountain (7-2) to lose to Schuylkill Haven (4-5). If Jim Thorpe loses it still has a chance at the Eastern Conference playoffs but it would need help. Blue Mountain, East Stroudsburg North, Honesdale, Wallenpaupack and Coughlin are all in the mix for EC berths. If Lehighton loses it most likely would gain a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.The Olympians knew that their last three games of the season were going to be tough, having to face North Schuylkill (9-0), Blue Mountain, and Lehighton."You can throw the records out the window, you can throw all the playoff implications out the window, the simple fact is that no one ever wants to lose this game," said Jim Thorpe coach Mark Rosenberger. "We knew coming into this three-game stretch that we would have to win at last one out of the three to have a shot for districts and so far we're 0-2. We have to come out ready to play and answer the difficult challenge that Lehighton presents."The Indians are looking to qualify for districts for the second consecutive season and certainly look geared up to do so. Since losing to Governor Mifflin 35-13, the Indians have won four straight outscoring their opponents 158-27.A big reason for the Indians success has been their ability to create turnovers. They're plus-15 in the turnover department this season, which any football aficionado will tell you is a recipe for winning."Our mindset is to finish the season on a strong note," said Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll. "We've been playing good football as of late and we know we have a job to do come Friday night. We just have to mentally prepare ourselves for the emotions of the game. We want to play with emotion, but we need to keep what has been working for us intact. We have to continue to fly to the football, create turnovers, and get the ball to our playmakers on offense."The Tamaqua Blue Raiders (5-4) are eliminated from the District 11 AA playoff picture, but can still qualify for an Eastern Conference AA postseason game with a win over rival Marian on Friday. Tamaqua can also get in if they lose, but they would need Pine Grove (4-5) to lose to Halifax (1-8).