Lehighton-Jim Thorpe

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 31 at 7p.m.RECORDS: Lehighton (7-2, 7-1 AFL); Jim Thorpe (7-2, 6-2 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Lehighton def. Tamaqua, 48-6; Blue Mountain def. Jim Thorpe, 28-18IMPACT PLAYERS: Lehighton - Dustin Koons has been playing well at nose guard this season and has shown improvement on the offensive line over the past few weeks. He's a player that seems to have a motor that never stops. Jim Thorpe - Tailback Robert Heller, lost midway through the third quarter against Blue Mountain after his 2-yard touchdown run gave the Olympians a 12-10 lead, finished with 16 carries for 139 yards and two scores. The first touchdown was a 62-yard scamper in the first quarter. After Heller exited, the Olympians' offense struggled to move the ball effectively.FAST FACTS: Lehighton leads the all-time series 16-6. The rivalry was renewed in 2002 after a 38-year hiatus and since then each team has won six games … Last season Lehighton was victorious, 28-24 … Jim Thorpe has given up 66 of its 128 points against them over the past two weeks (53 percent) … Lehighton has eclipsed the 40-point mark each of the past three weeks … Robert Heller eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark during last week's loss against Blue Mountain … Wyatt Clements of the Indians had two touchdowns last week against Tamaqua and now has 19 on the season. That leads the Times News coverage area.QUOTABLE:"We went toe to toe with a quality Blue Mountain football team and I have to give my kids a ton of credit for battling the whole game. This week we have a lot on the line against another very good Lehighton football team." - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger."We're looking for our players to stay focused on finishing the season strong regardless of who our opponent is. Sometimes, in rivalry games, emotions can run high but as long as the kids remain focused on their goals and responsibilities, that will be the best approach," Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.Palmerton-Northern LehighWHEN: Friday, Oct. 31 at 7p.m.RECORDS: Palmerton (6-3, 6-3 CL); Northern Lehigh (5-4, 5-4 CL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Palmerton def. Salisbury, 38-28; Northwestern def. Northern Lehigh, 42-6IMPACT PLAYERS: Palmerton: The Bombers showed a little different look out of the backfield last week, with senior Jerry Pereira getting more touches as a running back. Pereira carried the ball 13 times for 53 yards and caught two passes for 25 yards and with his speed, adds another dimension to the Bombers offense. Northern Lehigh: The main concern for the Blue Bombers is to stop Nate Farber, who carried the ball 39 times for 174 yards, two touchdowns and ran for the game-winning two-point conversion in last year's game won by the Bulldogs 22-21. He's one tough solid running back and linebacker.FAST FACTS: It's the most important game between the Bulldogs and Bombers in years because it has playoff implications for both teams ... Last year's meeting was the first start for Bomber QB Garrett Perschy, then a freshman and he was 4-for-12 for 52 yards ... Creating turnovers is a Palmerton priority and scoring off them is key ... Offensively Bombers need to take advantage of all scoring opportunities ... Farber's winning TD and conversion last season came with 33 seconds left to deflate the Bombers ... Bulldogs have won last five meetings, with Bombers last win coming in 2008 by a 35-11 score.QUOTABLE: "It is week 10 and playing Northern Lehigh is our top focus and priority. We will need great effort and execution in all three phases of the game. It is going to be a great atmosphere to play and this is what Friday night lights are all about." - Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak."Our focus this week is on not giving up big plays. We've gotten better offensively. We've got to play a fundamental game this week in all areas. We're forced to have those 10, 11 play drives because we don't have the speed we've had in the past." - Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.North Schuylkill-Panther ValleyWHEN: Friday, Oct. 31 at 7p.m.RECORDS: North Schuylkill (9-0, 8-0 AFL); Panther Valley (1-8, 1-7 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: North Schuylkill def. Schuylkill Haven, 42-8; Minersville def. Panther Valley, 8-0.IMPACT PLAYERS: North Schuylkill - Bobby Grigas threw for 172 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 42-8 Anthracite Football League rout of Schuylkill Haven last week. Grigas finished the night 8-of-11 with touchdown passes covering 20 yards to John Rupinski, 32 yards to Tevin Murray and 24 yards to Richard Zahodnick. Grigas added a 19-yard scramble for a score. Panther Valley - Quarterback Ali Capobianco seemed to spark the Panthers' offense when he took over late in the first half last week. Capobianco helped Panther Valley open the second half with its longest drive of the game, a methodical, 10-minute possession that came up empty because of a personal foul penalty at the Minersville 2. The Miners' defense then forced two incomplete passes as the Panthers turned it over on downs. Capobianco nearly brought the game back on a last-minute drive. He hit Anthony Micholik for 14 yards and ran for 10 more before the clock ran out on his 16-yard run to the Miners' 25. Capobianco finished with 55 yards rushing on 17 carries while completing 4-of-8 passes for 48 yards and an interception.FAST FACTS:The Spartans have clinched the 2014 Anthracite Football League title … North Schuylkill has held six of its nine opponents to single-digit point totals this season … the Spartans have eclipsed the 40-point mark five times in 2014 … North Schuylkill holds a 21-6-1 advantage over Panther Valleysince 1978 … Panther Valley has had double digit scoring games in just three contests this year … Despite not producing any points last week, the Panthers compiled 10 first downs and 78 yards on the ground.QUOTABLE: "We came out last week and said we wanted to control the clock and we did. We said that the game wasn't going to come down to X's and O's or play-calling or anything else. It was going to come down to what team wanted it more. We had a chance to win that game and let an opportunity slip away. Hopefully the kids have learned from it." Panther Valley head coach Matt Davis.Stroudsburg-Pleasant ValleyWHEN: Friday, Oct. 31 at 7p.m.RECORDS: Stroudsburg (9-0, 9-0 EPC); Pleasant Valley (6-3, 6-3 EPC)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:Pleasant Valley def. Pocono Mountain East, 42-20; Stroudsburg def. Northampton, 42-7.IMPACT PLAYERS: Stroudsburg - Quarterback Jake Jakobsen completed four passes good for 38, 46, 10 and 29 yards, and three went for touchdowns last week against Northampton. Two (38 and 29 yards) went to Joel Ozoemena, who caught three passes for 77 yards. Jakobsen finished with 123 yards on 4-of-9 passing. Tailback Gerald Douglas got his yards too, running for 117. He's now 103 yards away from Stroudsburg's all-time mark of 3,933 career rushing yards, which was set by Artie Owens. Pleasant Valley - Demetrius Green has been doing a great job at the receiver position this season for the Bears. Last week Green compiled four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown giving him four on the season.FAST FACTS: Twelve different Bears have found the endzone this season ... Pleasant Valley has won six conseuctive games ... Stroudsburg's Jake Jakobsen threw four touchdowns to three different receivers last week ... Stroudsburg has pitched three shutouts this season, holding its opponents to just 68 total points in 2014 ... Pleasant Valley quarterback Brandon Kuehner earned the Times News Player of the Week award, as he completed 10 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns during last week's win over PM East.QUOTABLE: "We took step six last week by beating Pocono Mountain East and step seven is coming up. 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. Since we were 0-3, we've been preaching that each week is a Championship Week every time out, and now we're here." - Pleasant Valley head coach Dave PacchioniTamaqua-MarianWHEN: Friday, Oct. 31 at 7p.m.RECORDS: Tamaqua (5-4, 4-4 AFL); Marian (6-3, 5-3 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Lehighton def. Tamaqua, 48-6; Marian def. Shenandoah, 41-0.IMPACT PLAYERS:Tamaqua - Trevor Skripko, Tyler Skripko, and Dylan Baddick have been three of the Raiders' biggest playmakers on defense this season, with Trevor recording 80 tackles and Tyler notching 75. Those totals rank first and second on the team, and both have also recorded three sacks this season. In last week's game against Lehighton, Tyler had seven tackles (one for loss) while Trevor notched five tackles. Tyler has also played a big role in the offense throughout the season as several key players have missed time with injury, rushing for over 400 yards and nine touchdowns. Baddick had been a "ball hawk" in the secondary this season leading the way for Tamaqua. Marian - Senior Nico Agosti came up big for the Colts last week against Shenandoah, accounting for 18 points. Agosti had 87 yards rushing and two scores on just three carries and also caught two passes for 42 yards and another score. Agosti's longest run of the game was a 75-yarder, and his longest reception went for 35 yards. The senior also totaled 30 yards on two punt returns.FAST FACTS: Since 1978, Marian has a 19-10 advantage over Tamaqua … Last season the Raiders defeated the Colts, 24-10 … Both teams thrive on the ground offensively. Marian has 1,930 yards on the ground this season, as Tamaqua has 1,895 … K.J. Snerr of Marian and Bud Moyer of Tamaqua are the focal points of each team's ground game when healthy ... Both Moyer and Snerr are dinged up battling some injuries Moyer is listed as day to day, but improving and Snerr wasn't limited in practice and is good to go ... The Raiders will start either Ernie Shilko or freshman Thad Zuber behind center.QUOTABLE: "We're looking to regroup after a tough loss last week. It's always a tough game and it's meant a lot the past few years. It's good to get to this point of the year and be playing for something. Marian is always a disciplined team. We've played quality opponents the last few weeks and we need to limit our mistakes this week." - Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner."We're excited that the stage is set for the backyard rival football game in the last week of the year. There is a lot of excitement in the community and in the school. Both teams are going to go out there and try their best to represent their schools. Coach Bonner has a solid football team that is disciplined and physical over there, and we're going to have to play some good football to beat them." - Marian head coach Stan Dakosty.