Passing and running work hand-in-hand. One opens the revolving door for the other.

In the Times News Game of the Week, both Tamaqua and Blue Mountain will need to be multi-dimensional on Friday in order to be competitive up until the final whistle."In the past years, we've ran the ball against them," said Tamaqua receiver Zeke Wassell, who ranks third in the TN area with 340 receiving yards. "This year, we have a pass and run game. We really worked on throwing the ball in the offseason. It's good to know that I'll get the ball, but we have a whole team. Whoever can support us and chip in is all we can ask for."It's proven that Tamaqua (3-1) can run the ball with Nick Breiner and company. But the hard work running routes in the offseason has paid off for the Raiders so far this year.They've thrown the ball 73 times this season, which is 20 more attempts than last season through four games. Quarterback Thad Zuber has connected on 60 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception this year."It helps that we're a little more diversified this year," said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. "We have guys that can cause some problems in the passing game. Casey Rother is coming around. He's a 6-5 receiver and we emphasized in Week 2 that we wanted to try and get him the ball. Zeke (Wassell) has been doing a great job too, as well as Eddie Titus. They're all guys we can get the ball to. Our tailback (Breiner) has been catching some balls out of the backfield. We're happy that we have four guys to throw the ball to and I don't think it's one of those things that you can single out one of them."Blue Mountain will search for its offensive consistency again after a 28-14 loss to Wyomissing last week.The Eagles (3-1) blew out Muhlenberg and Hanover respectively to start the season, while claiming victory over Springside Chesnut Hill Academy (21-14) in Week 3 and tallying over 800 rushing yards during the winning sequence. But the non-league defenders were also forced to be on their heels, while senior quarterback Mason Freed completed 19-of-29 passes during the initial three victories.However, Freed could be the wild card this Friday.According to sources, he was benched for a non-disclosed reason during the loss to Wyomissing. The final result was a one-dimensional offense, as Blue Mountain picked up just 86 yards through the air and 47 yards on the ground."They're always very physical," the Tamaqua coach said. "Last year, they were a very physical team and this year is no different. I don't think they have one big gun, but they have a lot of weapons and they spread the ball around, which sometimes makes it tough to defend."Bonner's statement stands true, as Blue Mountain has distributed its carries on average to eight different runners per game this season.The Eagles have taken a running-back-by-committee approach, but Tamaqua has continued to ride its workhorse, Breiner, and for good reason. The sophomore ranks fifth in the TN area with 345 rushing yards on 6.63 yards per carry. Things for the Raiders' run game are coming together behind their youthful offensive line."You're seeing our guys come off the ball a little bit lower, and a little bit harder every play," Bonner explained. "Just because the ball might go away from you one play, it's important that you go after people on that back side. They're hard-working kids and they will get better as the year goes on."This year, Bonner's club has proven to be two-dimensional, while having a bit of a "chip on its shoulder.""Everybody said we were going to be a 5-5 team in the beginning of the year," Wassell said. "We wanted to prove that we weren't going to go out there and roll over. Coach Bonner always says after 24 hours, you have to let your win or loss go. We're just trying to focus on the game coming up this week and that's about it."