Emerging from an offseason full of unknowns with a victory was a confidence booster for both Lehighton and Tamaqua.

Both sides will be looking to maintain that momentum when they meet this Saturday in the Times News Game of the Week.

The Indians and Blue Raiders imposed their will in Week 1, but they did so in vastly different ways.

Lehighton’s 40-12 victory over Panther Valley featured 495 yards of total offense - with quarterback Richard Fronheiser tossing five TDs and throwing for nearly 300 yards.

Tamaqua utilized a potent ground game to pound Shenandoah into submission in its 49-7 win last Friday. Nate Curvey (13 carries, 168 yards, two touchdowns) and Logan Hess (nine carries, 83 yards, three TDs) battered the Blue Devils and led a Blue Raider rushing attack that piled up almost 400 yards.

The matchup will test what both teams like to do best.

“We were really pleased,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “I think Curvey and Hess are a great 1-2 punch. Curvey, being a little bit bigger and powerful, and Hess having a little more shake in there, I think those two guys were great. And I think we’re going to get better as the year goes on. With a young team, our goal is to improve every week. And sometimes you see that even more so with a young team. So that’s our goal to get better this week, and hopefully be competitive throughout the course of the year.”

The Blue Raiders entered 2020 after a run to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals and their first District 11 title a year ago. While many of the key pieces from that squad have moved on, those who returned certainly benefited from the experience, especially with offseason workouts limited due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s impossible to simply replace school record-breakers like quarterback Brayden Knoblauch, running back Nate Boyle and wide receiver Matt Kistler.

But that doesn’t mean the Blue Raiders, who didn’t complete a pass last week against the Blue Devils, are a total unknown.

“We’ve seen them on film and they are as physical as we’ve seen,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “Coach Bonner does such a good job. When a coach has been there long enough, they develop a culture, a style and an identity, and that’s what he did. He established a toughness. And even if they don’t have their most athletic teams, you know you’re going to get punched in the mouth, and that’s where they’re at.”

On the other side of the ball, the Tamaqua defense held Shenandoah to -16 rushing yards and 69 total. Seniors Nate Wickersham, who also added 45 yards rushing from his quarterback position, and Lucas Schickram led the team with eight and five tackles, respectively, while Brayden Hess picked up two sacks.

The unit will be tested by an Indians’ offense that found success on the ground and through the air a week ago. Fronheiser’s primary targets in the passing game were Zack Hunsicker (eight catches, 94 yards, one touchdown), Hunter Crum (seven catches, 91 yards, two TDs), Ian Rarick (82-yard TD) and Ethan Buchert (29-yard TD).

On the ground, JJ McDowell carried the ball five times for 40 yards with a five-yard score, while Zach Miller carried the ball 13 times for 35 yards and Brady O’Donnell added 34 yards on two carries to help the Tribe churn out 144 yards rushing.

“They definitely have some skill guys,” said Bonner. “Obviously, Crum is an athlete, he’s a big target, and Hunsicker as well. They’re both really dangerous. They look to throw the ball and make big plays, which can be deflating. You get a long drive and you score, then you give up a big play and they’re taking it to the house. So we have to try to take away that big play. Our secondary is going to have to have a good week and we have to get those guys better.

“This is going to be a big test for us on both sides of the ball.”

The challenge will be similar for the Tribe, who surrendered 229 yards rushing but just 16 through the air in Week 1 against Panther Valley.

McCarroll knows his team will need to be sound to knock off the Blue Raiders.

“We don’t really have a ton of size to matchup with that necessarily, so it’s about hitting gaps for us and things like that,” said McCarroll. “For us, the only chance that we are really going to have is if we can try to match their physicality in the trenches on both sides of the ball. If we can’t do that, we’re in trouble.”