Panther Valley travels to Lehighton for a special Thursday night game this week.

The annual matchup between the two schools benefits the Bo Tkach Foundation.Panther Vy. at LehightonThursday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:FIVE STRAIGHT… Lehighton is 5-2 against Panther Valley since 2007. The Indians have won five straight against PV, and have outscored the Panthers by a 113-26 margin over the last two meetings. "PV definitely has some things for us to worry about," said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. "They have some really nice athletes on offense and if they get on track, they can hurt us. Defensively, they do a nice job of loading the box and making it difficult to get things going in the run game. If they can cut down on self-inflicted mistakes, they can create matchup problems with a lot of teams in our league."BLANKED… Lehighton has been rolling through four games this season. Last week, the Tribe blanked Marian 44-0. They've scored at least 30 points in each game. TaQuan Bradley-Chambers continued to eat up defenses, as he tallied 177 rushing yards on just 14 carries against the Colts. "The biggest takeaway (from last week) was that we played a pretty clean game," said McCarroll. "We had some breakdowns the previous week that we improved upon. When we have a quick start, it's important for us to maintain our focus for four quarters, and we did that well last week."UNBEATEN START… The last time Lehighton started 4-0 was in 2015, when the Indians ran the table in the regular season.SUSTAIN DRIVES… Panther Valley head coach Scott Price mentioned that his team needs to sustain drives and limit mistakes. "They're big and strong up front with speed on the edges," said Price. "They're a very well-coached team. They have a great backfield with Chambers and (Cody) Scherer. We have to try and limit their run while locking down the secondary. We have to tackle better this week."PRIME TIME.... The Thursday night special is the only football game in the area. "I think it is a little bit different," said McCarroll. "The kids know they are the "only game in town" and that creates an added excitement. The short week can create a sense of anxiety from a coaching perspective, feeling like we don't have enough time to prepare as usual. However, the Bo Tkach Foundation is a great organization to be associated with, and we are thankful that we could be included."Shen. Vy. at Jim ThorpeFriday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:SWARM... "The Red Swarm" has allowed only seven total points this year through four games. Jim Thorpe blanked Marian in Week 2, Panther Valley in Week 3, and Minersville in Week 4. Schuylkill Haven scored the lone touchdown in Week 1. "We were able to get going early on in the running game," said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. "Then we mixed in the passing game. We showed good balance throughout the game. We also did a nice job of controlling the ball."FILLING IT UP... Thorpe tailback Justin St. Hill did it all last week, rushing for 157 yards and hauling in a 59-yard pass. He scored three times.FOUR STRAIGHT... The Olympians have won their last four against Shenandaoh; pitching shut outs in two of those games.ROLLER COASTER... The Devils were outscored 74-6 across the first two weeks. In Week 3, Shenandoah enjoyed a 37-0 rout of Kutztown, before a 32-13 Week 4 setback to Canton.THE FOCAL POINT... Shenandoah's Zach Kink is the tailback who will receive most of the work. He was held to only 29 yards on 11 carries last week, but posted 114 yards during the Devils' big win two Fridays ago.Marian at Sch. HavenFriday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:000… Marian has now been shut out in three-straight games, and have totaled just 111 rushing yards during the stretch. "We gotta get our offense going here in general," said Marian head coach Pat Morgans. "We obviously haven't scored in three games. We're not chewing up enough clock, and we're giving other teams' offenses opportunities to score, and they're taking advantage of it. We want to keep getting better and fighting every week."HEAD SCRATCHER... Our records on Schuylkill Haven date back to 2004, and not once have the Hurricanes started a season 0-4 until this year. "It's like poking the bear there," Morgans said. "They're a very good 0-4 team and very physical, fast, and well balanced. I haven't even spoken about their record. I'm looking at them as a very good Schuylkill Haven."ALMOST... Haven was in position to beat North Schuylkill last week, but missed a field goal late in the fourth frame to take the lead.CALLIN' KOBE... Kobe Brish is continuing his dominance in the SFL. He added 118 more yards on the ground against the Spartans and now has 584 yards on 84 carries (7.1 yards per carry). "They're a different Haven team," said the Marian coach. "In the past, they liked to run the ball, and you can put eight or nine guys in the box. But you can't do that this year. Kalyan is a great quarterback and they have great receivers there. It's not your typical Schuylkill Haven team."LAST YEAR... Haven won last year's clash by a 17-6 final, but Marian has won two of the last three. The Hurricanes are 7-6 against Marian across the last 13 meetings.Wilson at Northern Lehigh Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:ROAD WARRIORS... Wilson has gone 2-0 away from home this season. The Warriors have picked up wins at Pen Argyl (43-8) and Salisbury (28-7). It's been a different story at home, as Wilson has suffered losses to Palisades (42-0) and last week against Northwestern (29-26). Will the Warriors return to their winning ways Friday against the Bulldogs?GOT THEIR NUMBER... Northern Lehigh (0-4) has won the last five meetings, outscoring Wilson 208-91 during that span. Wilson's last win was a 35-7 triumph in 2009. The teams did not play in 2012 or 2013.JOB WELL DONE... Wilson running back Job Goodman had a monster game in last week's loss to Northwestern. Goodman had nine carries for 157 yards and three scores to go along with two catches for 44 yards. Goodman is a nice safety blanket for quarterback Cam Clark, who completed 8-of-15 passes for 193 yards and a score against the Tigers. "This week we need to know where No. 25 (Goodman) is at all times. He is one of the top running backs in our league. Wilson does a nice job of putting him all over the place. He will be in the backfield, lined up in trips, and opposite of trips trying to get him one-on-one matchups. So our focus is on him this week. Their QB (Clark) is their second leading rusher. So at times they will put (Goodman) at wideout and they will run the QB. So we are focusing on stopping those two players," said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.DEFENSE?... Northwestern quarterback Deven Bollinger carved up the Warriors' defense in last Saturday's come-from-behind win. Bollinger completed 20-of-29 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns - including the game-winner to Caleb Clymer with 7:05 remaining in the fourth quarter. Northern Lehigh uses more of a ground-and-pound, ball control-style offense. But if the Bulldogs can keep Goodman and the Wilson playmakers off the field, it could take pressure off the Northern Lehigh defense. "Defensively, they run a 4-3, but put five men on the line. So this is a bit of a different front we are seeing. Last year, they focused on taking away our outside run game. So we need to be able to adjust in game to their front. We think we will have the opportunity to improve on our passing game this week as well," said Tout.IN CHECK... The Northern Lehigh defense did well to keep Notre Dame quarterback Cole DeFranco under control last week and trailed just 21-14 at halftime. DeFranco completed 11-of-24 passes for 155 yards while also running for another 53 yards. Northern Lehigh held the Crusaders to 366 yards. The Bulldogs had allowed 409.3 yards per game entering the contest. "I thought we did play better last week. The first half was the best half of the year. Offensively, we had good drives in the first half, but continued to hurt ourselves with penalties. So we need to work on that. Defensively, we gave up two big plays in the first half. Other than that our defense was excellent early. So there are a bunch of positives to build on from last week," said Tout.Palmerton at BangorFriday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:TURNAROUND... Palmerton enjoyed great success last season, advancing to the District 11 Class 2A championship game. But the Blue Bombers started the year 1-3 before finishing strong to make a push for the postseason. Palmerton opened this season with a 42-14 win over Northwestern, and moved to 3-1 with a 44-12 rout of Pen Argyl last Friday. Despite that run of success, head coach Chris Walkowiak knows there is still a lot of work ahead. "At this point in time we are focusing on one game at a time and trying to go 1-0 each week. Getting off to a good start is helping build more confidence. I also believe our start has a direct correlation to our team chemistry and putting a real strong emphasis on focusing on ourselves. Players are trying to improve themselves each week, which in turn, is helping our overall team performance. The players attitudes have been great, and they are a fun bunch to be around daily," Walkowiak said.GAINING MOMENTUM... Bangor opened the season with back-to-back losses - 43-13 to Saucon Valley and 34-6 to Notre Dame Green Pond - but has come on strong over the last two weeks. The Slaters showed they can open it up in a 56-27 victory over Northern Lehigh, and also displayed an ability to grind it out in a 12-6 win over Salisbury last Friday. "Bangor is a tough team that possesses very good size and has some real nice skill kids that can make plays. We will continue spreading the ball on offense, trying to keep the chains moving and protecting the football. On defense, we need to limit the bigs plays, pressure the QB (Bo Meyers), get off the field on third downs and create turnovers. We will also rely on our special teams to gives us a spark," said Walkowiak.RAPID FIRE... The Bombers scored points on their first six possessions last week against Pen Argyl, and managed to build a 38-0 lead before halftime, putting the mercy rule into effect for the rest of the contest. Tekoah Guedes had another huge game, leading Palmerton with 96 rushing yards on 12 carries and a score, while hitting 10-of-18 passes for 131 yards and two scores. Andrew Sabo also had a big game on both sides of the ball, rushing nine times for 67 yards, and scoring three touchdowns, while recording several tackles and a sack. Aaron Stasko opened the scoring with a 37-yard touchdown run and finished with 55 yards rushing on three carries while also adding four catches for 26 yards.SHUT DOWN... Palmerton limited Pen Argyl to just four first downs in the first half, and 79 yards of total offense for the entire game. "On defense, I believe Tanner Burnett, Kyle Kralik and Andrew Sabo set the tone for us defensively," said Walkowiak.BREAK OUT... The Bombers had a quick start last week, but that hasn't always been the case this season. Palmerton scored 21 points in the first quarter against Pen Argyl, after scoring just seven points in the first quarter of the first three games combined. Walkowiak is hoping it continues this week against Bangor. "Our message to the kids its to stay focused on the task at hand, continue to execute our fundamentals and assignments, and win their play. We need all 11 players to finish their assignments this week to improve on where we left off last week," he said.PM West at Pleasant Vy.Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:OWN IT... Pleasant Valley has won the last five meetings in the series, including last year's game, 35-27. The Bears (1-3) have outscored the Panthers 213-63. Pocono Mountain West's last victory over Pleasant Valley was a 14-7 triumph in 2011.HIGH-WATER MARK... The 27 points scored by the Panthers (0-4) last season were their most in the series since they put up 26 in a 2009 victory.MOTIVATED... Despite a slow start to the season, Pleasant Valley's head coach is confident his team has the necessary tools to contend moving forward. "I don't want them to think that they can't compete. They gotta think that whoever they're going against, that they can. And I think everybody on our schedule left, we can. Because we're gonna get guys back (from injury). Believe it or not, we're gonna get some guys back," Versuk said.HIGHS AND LOWS... Pocono Mountain West has allowed 196 points this season and scored just 59. The Panthers allowed a season-high 63 points and managed just 13 in last week's loss to Emmaus.HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION... The Panthers enjoyed a strong finish to the 2016 season, posting a 4-2 record over the final six games. That hasn't carried over into 2017, however, as Pocono Mountain West has struggled out of the gate through the first four games this season. That doesn't mean the Bears are looking past Friday's showdown. "West always has a nice game plan. They always play us tough, no matter what team we have. Coach (Jim) McCarroll always has something that we haven't seen. I expect to lineup Friday night and him (McCarroll) to be in some sort of defense that might throw us off at times. And for them to run some sort of offense that we may not see. And we have to, as coaches, try to get our guys in the best position possible. So it'll be a good game," Versuk said.Pen Argyl at NorthwesternFriday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS... Deven Bollinger has had a bit of a rough time at quarterback this season. After just one game, his favorite receiver, Caleb Clymer, was moved to the backfield to help fill a hole. Combine that with an inexperienced offensive line, and Bollinger just wasn't getting much of a chance to do anything. Last week was different. The sophomore QB completed 20-of-29 passes, setting a school record for completions in one game."I think Bollinger was just more comfortable with his receivers, because he's gotten to know them and knows their routines. Plus, the line was giving him a little more time and he was also getting rid of the ball quicker. All of those things contributed to the game that he had," said coach Josh Snyder.ANOTHER ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS... Phil Dangello returned to the lineup for Northwestern last week against Wilson and helped Bollinger reach his completion record by catching 10 passes for 94 yards. The 10 catches in a game was also a new school record. Clymer caught eight of Bollinger's passes for 122 yards.KNIGHTS LOOK TO HAVE THEIR DAY... Nobody knows better than the Northwestern Tigers that a winless team is a dangerous team. The Tigers went into Wilson last weekend looking for their first win of the season and battled hard to get it. Pen Argyl is coming into Tiger Stadium this week without a win.A REAL DOOZY... After seeing his team hit hard by graduation, Pen Argyl coach Paul Reduzzzi is in much the same position that Snyder was when his team was hit by injuries early this year. Reduzzi has had to make due with younger players who are adjusting to starting at the varsity level. Defensively, the Knights have been blasted for 161 points through their four games, while they've only put up 48 points on the board this season.WHO TO WATCH... Senior Logan Sterner can be one of the more dangerous backs in the Colonial League. In back-to-back games against Saucon Valley and Catasauqua, Sterner rushed for a combined 307 yards. Last week he was held to 26 yards by Palmerton. Quarterback Anderson Dear has thrown for 306 yards this season, but has completed just 37 percent of his passes.FOCUS ON YOURSELF... Northwestern went through their usual Monday film review of their upcoming opponent, in this case, Pen Argyl, but Snyder wasn't really looking to stress anything special about the Green Knights. Instead, he prefers to keep looking at what his team can do better."We've really stressed doing things the right way. We've added a lot of new plays with players coming back, and we've sort of had to get reacclimated to having some of these guys out there, so we told the guys to worry more about what they have to do than about anything specific that Pen Argyl might do," said Snyder.Capsules compiled by Patrick Matsinko, Justin Carlucci and Chuck Hixson