As both Tamaqua and Lehighton are well aware, nothing less than 48 minutes of executed football will earn a victory.

Both Schuylkill Football League programs have had their ups and downs this season.This week, they'll square off in our Week 7 Game of the Week in the hopes of closing the door at the final whistle."The second half of games have been the downfall," said Tamaqua's senior tight end Eddie Titus. "We haven't really played four quarters yet and we're trying to stress that every week at practice."The Raiders (3-3) have dropped two straight, and have combined for just 14 total points against Blue Mountain and Pottsville during that stretch.But, the Raiders defense shined bright last week, which gave them a 7-6 edge in the third quarter. Unfortunately, for Tamaqua, Pottsville outscored the Raiders by a 13-0 margin in the final period en route to a 19-7 victory last week.The Raiders have outscored their opponents by a 148-57 tally across the first three periods this season. However, opponents have outscored Tamaqua 41-16 in the all-important final quarters of games."I thought we moved the ball offensively," Raiders' head coach Sam Bonner noted of last week's game. "But we shot ourselves in the foot a few times. We had some opportunities and some drives that were ruined by some penalties. We had some guys out of rhythm with a missed snap, a penalty, or a fumble. Like I said before, we're one of those borderline teams. We're young and we showed that we can play with anybody, but we have to be able to play a full four quarters."Lehighton had no trouble putting up points this year, until the Tribe got blanked 7-0 by North Schuylkill last week."We definitely played solid defense," said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. "Anytime we give up seven points in a game, we expect to win. Unfortunately, we stalled multiple times on offense. We've talked about being consistent. We've only played one half every single week. Unfortunately, we didn't' even put that together last week, which led to our struggles. I like the approach that our kids have had this week. They seem mentally ready to bounce back."Now, both offenses will look to get back to their scoring ways.Friday's game will feature three of the Times News area's top-five statistical rushers, as well as a pair of the top-five receivers."They have a few guys you have to contain and we have to play gap-control defense," Bonner said. "They're really dangerous if they get the corner on you, so we have to be tough on the corner and come up to make those plays. Offensively, we have to get to the second level up front. Our initial take-off is a good push, but we need to make sure that we come off and get on the linebackers more."McCarroll mentioned that both teams possess similar qualities."They have some nice guys on the outside making plays for them, whether its (Zeke) Wassell, (Casey) Rother, and (Eddie) Tituts," he said. "A lot of times people talk about us having nice, young receivers. Well, they're in the same boat. Our mental approach is going to be key this week."Both teams have offensive firepower. Both teams can play defense. But when the end of the third quarter siren goes off, which team will have the extra gear?"There's not one easy game in this league," said the Indians' coach. "If we don't play a complete game, we're going to end up with a bunch of losses. But, it sets up for the kind of situation that you want as a competitor. It's a good situation for us to be in. We're so close in proximity to Tamaqua, and I think we have some similar types of kids. We both have physical kids and playmakers. It kind of adds to a natural rivalry."