Schuylkill Haven was tabbed as the Schuylkill Football League's favorite to win Division II. The Hurricanes topped Jim Thorpe last week and will travel to Lehighton in week No. 2 to square off with the undefeated Indians.

Schuylkill Haven at Lehighton Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:BETTER LATE THAN NEVER... Both of these teams had big second halves to help clinch their respective Week 1 victories. Lehighton tallied 20 points in the second half, which included two scores in the fourth period during its 34-30 win over Fleetwood. Haven outscored Jim Thorpe by a 19-7 margin in the last two quarters en route to a 31-14 victory."I think it speaks volumes about our kids' character of how they responded to adversity last week," said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. "They kept fighting and pulled out the win."DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES... Schuylkill Haven threw the ball just twice last week, while the Indians notched 27 pass attempts.CHANGE OF SCENERY... Dating back as far as the Times News records show, Lehighton and Schuylkill Haven have never played one another."This week is going to be another big test for us," explained the Lehighton coach. "We're going to have to make those same type of plays against a really good Schuylkill Haven team if we want to pull out the victory."IT'S BEEN A WHILE... Lehighton's last regular season league loss came against North Schuylkill on Sept. 12, 2014.PRESEASON FAVORITES... Schuylkill Haven was voted as the favorite in both the preseason coaches and media polls to win the Schuylkill Football League Division II. Lehighton ranked third and fourth respectively, but did receive some first place votes.GROUND ATTACK... Schuylkill Haven averaged 5.9 yards-per-carry on the ground last week. Expect to see more of the same treatment this week against Lehighton.Panther Valley at HamburgFriday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:ON THE BOARD... Panther Valley topped Columbia Montour Vo-Tech in week one, 40-18. The season-opening win marked PV's first win in Week 1 since 2012 when it defeated Mahanoy Area, 34-6."It's huge, it really is," said Panther Valley head coach Matt Davis. "Just to get confidence, getting off on the right foot and a having a win under our belt is huge. We've won three of our last four now (dating back to lat year) and we feel like we have a bit of momentum now. The kids don't panic as much now. It's awesome to be 1-0, but at the same time, it's behind us and we're looking to get win number two."CAN YOU CATCH ME?... Rene Figueroa's rushing touchdown of 51 yards was the longest TD run in the Times News coverage area during week one. In fact, the Panthers also had scoring plays of 67 and 71 yards through the air. "We're a kind of offense that is gong to push the tempo and spread the ball to other guys," explained the PV coach. "We feel like we have some playmakers that could take it the distance any given play. We were very happy with how week one went."FIRST QUARTER SCORING... Panther Valley scored 26 points in the first quarter during its week one non-league victory. The last time the Panthers tallied that amount in a single quarter was during another non-league contest in 2015 against Hanover Area when PV hung 27 in the first frame. Panther Valley's greatest single-quarter tally against Schuylkill Football League teams was 14 last season.PILE IT UP... Panther Valley's 352 yards of total offense was the program's most in a single game in well over a calendar year. PV accumulated 151 rushing yards and 201 yards through the air during the victory against CMVT.UNFAMILIARITY... According to Maxpreps, Panther Valley and Hanover haven't played a regular season game in over a decade. "They (Hamburg) beat Nativity 34-0 week one. It was a tight game until late in the first half. They're a Wing-T system with a new coach this year. We match up well with them size-wise. They like to run it and then throw the play-action kind of like us. They scored on a lot of big plays last week too. We need to make them put together drives and eliminate the big plays."RUN THE ROCK... Hamburg and Nativity were scoreless after one quarter last week, but the Hawks tallied all 34 of their points across the final three quarters. Jordan McAllister and Logan Werley combined for 190 yards on the ground. The Panthers lost some key linebackers to graduation, but coach Davis liked what he saw in week one on that side of the ball. "There was definitely a lot of bright spots defensively, but there are a lot of areas we need to work out," the Panthers' coach said. "We're getting a lot of questions answered in regard to which guys will fill each spot. Hunter Kerestes and Kyle Rusnak both played great games on that side of the ball. We're thrilled to see it, we had three interceptions, and we're going to do anything we can do to set up our offense and get some points on the board."Northern Lehigh at CatasauquaFriday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:OOPS... Catty and Northern Lehigh both struggled keeping possession of the ball last Friday. The Rough Riders committed six turnovers (two interceptions, four fumbles) in a 38-24 loss to Salisbury, while the Bulldogs lost three fumbles and had an interception in a 42-6 loss to Southern Lehigh."We felt like we did some nice things offensively and defensively against Southern Lehigh," said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. "We are stressing that we need to have a great week of practice and everyone has to get better this week."Our offensive line wore down against Southern Lehigh so we are expecting that group to step up big time this week. We are stressing ball security and that we need to play more fundamental football when carrying and passing the ball."IN A HOLE... Turnovers played a major role in Catty not being able to take advantage of what proved to be a potent offense in Week 1. The Rough Riders had 522 yards of total offense (297 passing, 225 rushing) and 23 first downs but trailed 28-0 after the third quarter."Catty is very athletic and the score is not indicative of the team that they have," Tout said of Catty's play against Salisbury. "They have some really nice skill players, two nice running backs and multiple athletic receivers. They moved the ball (against Salisbury) but had multiple turnovers and at least two that were early inside the red zone."So we are focusing on not giving up big plays and forcing them to have long drives against us."(NOT SO) FOND MEMORIES... Last Friday marked the first time since 2013 that Northern Lehigh opened the season against Southern Lehigh. In that game, the Spartans were again victorious, 49-0.SNAPPED... Northern Lehigh won last year's meeting against Catty, 55-14. The victory ended a three-year losing streak against the Roughies during which the Bulldogs were outscored 105-30.WRONG DIRECTION... Dating back to a 39-29 loss to Salisbury in Week 7 of the 2015 season, Northern Lehigh has now lost five consecutive games. During the stretch, the Bulldogs have been outscored 202-67.Northwestern at SalisburyFriday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:THE NEW LOOK FALCONS... Salisbury debuted their new flexbone offense last week in their win over Catasauqua. The team's coaching staff spent part of their summer with the Army and Navy football teams learning the system from them. The team also debuted junior quarterback Cameron Vaka, making his first varsity start. Vaka handled the offense well and showed himself to be a threat both with his arm and with his legs."He didn't really look like a kid in his first varsity start," noted Northwestern coach Josh Snyder. "He's poised and seemed like he commanded things well, so he'll definitely present a challenge."NEW LOOK MEETS OLD TRADITION... Things could get interesting with Salisbury's focus on the ground game. It's no secret that the Tigers pride themselves on stopping the run, so it seems like the new approach by the Falcons might play right into the Tigers paws. Snyder likes the match-up, but knows that stopping the Salisbury offense won't be easy."Right now, you don't really know what to expect from teams, but we should be able to get some things under control and that's going to give us a better result. It's just a matter of getting better week after week with young players," he said.THE PHRASE THAT PAYS... Northwestern fans will do well to remember this phrase: "Bollinger to Cunningham." Freshman QB Deven Bollinger found a friend in receiver Trevor Cunningham. The two hooked up on seven passes for 184 yards and one touchdown. Cunningham's 184 yards receiving set a school record, easily surpassing the old mark of 135 set by Payton Bachman (2010) and Cam Richardson (2013).Bollinger's 241 total passing yards in the opening win over Palmerton are the second most in school history, behind only Mike Heintzelmann's 264 yards back in 1975.GLAD THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY... Snyder admitted that his young team likely had more jitters than they thought they might in the season opener. With players making their first varsity start or starting at different positions, some nerves and youth may have helped lead to three turnovers (one fumble and two interceptions). Things could have been much worse though, because Northwestern had three other fumbles, but were able to recover them and maintain possession."We have a lot of guys who were making their first start or even playing their first varsity game. I'm not too worried about it, but it's something that we have to address and we have to work on or it's going to hurt us down the line," said Snyder.THIS TIGER'S A WILDCAT... Junior Phil Dangello served as a wildcat QB for Northwestern in Week 1 and picked up a five-yard TD run with just under three minutes to play against Palmerton. That touchdown and the point after by Hunter Miller gave Northwestern their 13-12 margin of victory over the Blue Bombers.Palmerton looked for some late-game magic of their own, but came up short when the Northwestern defense picked up a big sack and then Cunningham came up with a huge play in the end zone, batting away a potential touchdown pass with just under one minute to play.Southern Lehigh at PalmertonFriday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:LAST 10... Southern Lehigh owns a 7-3 record against Palmerton over the past decade. The Spartans defeated the Blue Bombers last October, 55-12, compiling 470 yards of total offense.STOUT UP FRONT... Palmerton gave up 311 yards of total offense during last week's lost to Northwestern. However, the Bombers gave up just 67 rushing yards that averaged out to just over two yards per carry. Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak mentioned that his team must consistently defend both aspects against a talented Southern Lehigh team this week. "Southern Lehigh is a very well-rounded team that can hurt you with the run or pass," explained the Palmerton coach. "We must guard against both. Reading our keys will be the number one focus on defense this week with defending the Wing-T. We will have to do a very good job up front and on the outside to help limit their run game. (Travis) Edmonds throws a very good ball and they have playmakers all over the field. We will need to make sure we communicate and are in the right positions to defend their pass game to avoid giving up the big play."SLOW START, STRONG FINISH... Southern Lehigh trailed Northern Lehigh by a 6-0 margin after the first quarter in Week 1. The Spartans then shut out the Bulldogs by a 48-0 margin across the final three periods.FEED THE BEAST... Dating back to last season, Palmerton tailback Mike Stasko has had at least 13-plus carries in the his last five games. "This week, along with every week, we are going to try to get our athletes the ball and have them make plays," Walkowiak said. "We need to be more consistent as a whole from our group of skill players, along with our line, to have more success offensively. We did do a lot of very good things Friday night; however it is the mental lapses and missed blocking assignments that we need to concentrate on to shore up things offensively. Also, scoring in the red zone when we have the opportunity will help improve things for us."FORGET ABOUT IT... "Morale has been good; it was a tough loss but we need to have a short memory with a very tough Southern Lehigh team coming in," noted the Bombers' coach. "They're a tough and explosive 5A school. We looked at the film and we need to continue to perfect what we did well, while learning from our mistakes at the same time in order to get better."Tamaqua at Mahanoy AreaFriday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:TO THE HOUSE... Tamaqua was one of two Schuylkill Football League teams to return its season-opening kickoff to the house in Week 1. Nick Breiner did it for the Raiders, while Bobby Wagner ran North Schuylkill's back. Aside from his kick return, Breiner rushed for 77 yards on the ground. "It all started off with Nick Breiner, who I think is giong to have a heck of a year," said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. "It's always good when you start the year with an opening return."SCORING AT WILL... Tamaqua's 49 points marked the third time over the past three seasons that Bonner's team has scored at least that many. The Raiders scored 51 against Shenandoah Valley last year.BACK IN THE SADDLE... Raiders' starting quarterback Thad Zuber is healthy and ready to roll for a full season behind center. Zuber wasted no time on the field, completing 9-of-13 passes. The junior hooked up with tight end Eddie Titus for a 19-yard score in the first frame. The rest was history, as Tamaqua rolled by Minersville, 49-13. "Eddie and Thad had a few big hook ups that got us going early in the game," the Tamaqua coach said. "These young guys are showing us what they can do on a Friday night. This is the first year that we actually have a starting quarterback that has taken snaps for us. Thad is a year older, shows a lot of poise, and is one of the smarter kids in his class, which really helps out at that position."NEW FACES, SIMILAR SUCCESS... Mahanoy Area lost a lot of longtime veterans to graduation, but the Golden Bears convincingly defeated Towanda last week, 31-14. The Golden Bears rushed 53 times for 277 yards. Matt Lewandowski made his first-career varsity start at quarterback. He tossed three touchdowns and compiled 127 total yards of offense. "We have to play gap responsible defense," Bonner said. "Everyone needs to do their job, that is always important. They (Mahanoy) run a lot of option and misdirection stuff; it's important that everyone plays their position and does it well. Hopefully we can build off of last week."RECENT SUCCESS... Over the last 10 years, Tamaqua owns an 8-2 record against Mahanoy Area. However, the Golden Bears won last season's meeting, 53-28.Pleasant Valley at Allentown CCSaturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:COMEBACK KIDS... Pleasant Valley trailed by a 25-22 margin entering the fourth quarter last week against Nazareth. The Bears blanked Nazareth in the fourth quarter, scored three touchdowns, and earned a 43-25 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference victory. "Our players have been focused on their next opponent," said Pleasant Valley head coach Mark Versuk. "We have a nice group of seniors who understand that they need to take the season week by week. We have a huge challenge this week with going against Allentown Central Catholic. Since this is our first road game, we are just focused on understanding what it takes to compete against such a good team as Allentown Central Catholic. They have to withstand the ups and downs throughout the game and stay poised and focused throughout the fourth quarter."FIRST TIMER... Last week's victory marks Pleasant Valley's first win against an EPC South Division opponent since the conference assembled in 2014. The Bears will now take on ACC, who dropped its first game of the year to Freedom last week, 31-8. "We have a long week to prepare," said Versuk. "Our game is a Saturday night, so we can take our time installing our game plan. We have the extra time to focus on a team that has been picked by everyone to win the EPC North. Our kids know it's going to be a huge challenge to go on the road and compete with a team like them."LOTTA' OFFENSE... The Bears compiled 448 yards of total offense during the win over Nazareth. It's the most they've totaled since last season against Pocono Mountain East, when PV put up the exact same amount during a 63-20 win last October. The 448 mark was the most the Bears had in a single game last season. "We just need to execute the game plan," explained the PV coach. "We feel there are some things we can do offensively to be successful Saturday night. We need to eliminate turnovers and penalties on the offensive side of the ball. We do not have many younger players on the offensive side of the ball. All 11 of our starters had either started or saw playing time at the position they are in now. They just seem to be focused at the next challenge and this week in Central Catholic."FILLING AUSTYN'S SHOES... The Bears used a host of runners to fill the void of former four-year varsity starter, Austyn Borre. Mike Mitchell, Brent Beck, Matt Buonforte, Joseph Lees, and Brandon Keyes combined for 174 yards on the ground last week. "We were able to stay on the field and it looked as though our offensive and defensive lines were getting stronger," explained Versuk. "The fact that we were able to stay on the field and finish the game strong made all of our coaches very proud at the end of the game. It does set a feeling that we can finish out a game when we need to, as we came from behind in the fourth quarter.",