Pleasant Valley and Northern Lehigh will look to keep their unbeaten starts intact as the season moves into Week 4.

Pine Grove at No. Lehigh

When: Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Bulldogs’ continue to roll.

Northern Lehigh rolled to a 44-12 victory over Pen Argyl this past Saturday to improve its record to 3-0 on the season. After a big win over Northwestern the previous week, the Bulldogs showed no signs of slowing down against the Green Knights, bolting out to a 23-0 lead in the first quarter. “We had a really good drive to start, 13 plays and a touchdown,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. “We took control right from the start. They fumble on their second play, and we were able to punch in a second score right after. Our team fed off of that early momentum, and the game was never in doubt. I was really happy with the effort and our improvement from Week 2. We had the mercy rule in effect mid-way through the third, and we were able to get all of our players in the game. Our backups got great experience due to the fact that Pen Argyl kept pretty much all of their starters in for the remainder of the game. So getting our JVs game experience against a varsity team will really pay off down the road.” Northern Lehigh was able to set the tone up front and establish control of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. “We were able to keep a good rotation with our offensive and defensive lines, and we definitely had good push in the second half,” Tout said. “Offensively, Jackson Van Norman, Brody Dye, Lucas Farmer, Sam Frame, Jayden Krempasky, Ben Reitz, Landon Moll, and Seth Adams all played a lot and it kept us fresh throughout the game.” The Bulldogs’ defense was stifling, allowing a total of just 12 yards rushing, and forced three turnovers, including interceptions by John Abidelli - which went for a 32-yard touchdown - and Nick Frame. “Defensively, AJ, Austin Smyth, Landon Moll all played very well,” Tout said. “Our interior, Jayden Krempasky, Sam Frame, and Lucas Farmer, all had big games as well. Landon Moll had three sacks and Austin and Jayden each had one. So our defensive front controlled the game from the start.” Pine Grove is coming off a 48-0 loss to North Schuylkill, which dropped the Cardinals to 1-2. Pine Grove amassed 124 yards of total offense in the game. “Pine Grove wants to run the ball, and they have some athletes,” said Tout. “Their QB will run read option, so we must keep him under control. They definitely want to run the ball, and that is their comfort zone. So if we can control the line of scrimmage and force them to pass, we will have some opportunities for turnovers. We are really happy with how we are playing right now, and we are looking for us to improve offensively, defensively, and on special teams this week.”

Players to Watch:

Mason Kroh, Pine Grove

The senior quarterback completed 6-of-17 pass attempts for 44 yards and one interception in last week’s loss to North Schuylkill. Kroh also added five carries for 24 yards.

Lane Lehman, Pine Grove

The junior running back carried the ball 13 times for 25 (1.9 yards per carry) yards against North Schuylkill. Lehman also added two catches for 15 yards, and tied for the team lead with eight total tackles.

Jack Tosh, Northern Lehigh

With running back Izaiah Ramos out last week against Pen Argy, the Bulldogs got some standout play from Tosh, who had 104 yards on nine carries, “Without Ramos, we went to a group of backs with AJ, John Abidelli, and Jack Tosh getting a lot of carries,” said Tout. “This week we will keep that rotation, and will also use Ethan Karpowich more in the run game. Ramos will be a game-time decision. We may keep him out just to be safe. He will definitely be back for next week.”

Nick Frame, Northern Lehigh

Frame was efficient through the air against Pen Argyl, completing 8-of-12 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Tamaqua at No. Schuylkill

When: Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Raiders looking to bounce back.

After battling Notre Dame Green Pond to a 14-14 tie at halftime last week, Tamaqua watched the Crusaders turn to the ground game en route to a 41-26 victory. After running the ball just six times in the opening half, Notre Dame went to a run-heavy game plan in the second half. It resulted in four rushing TDs - a 37-yarder by Josh Ludlow and scores of 58, 32 and nine yards by Danny Darno. “It was 14-14 in the first half, and I thought we played tough,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “We executed our game plan. We had one drive that took about eight minutes off; I think it was 14 plays in eight minutes, and we were doing what we wanted to do in that first half. The second half, unfortunately, we had a couple of three-and-outs, and they started grinding the ball on us a little bit. ... So that’s something that we have to work on a little bit, and something we feel like we have to get better at.” Tamaqua’s Damon Sell also came up with a couple of huge plays. He intercepted a pass early in the fourth quarter with the Raiders trailing just 20-14. He then added a 53-yard kickoff return that eventually led to a Luke Kane-to-Dillon 33-yard TD pass. “Offensively, we had Luke (Kane), Connor (Dillon) Declan Coleman continue to make some plays in the passing game,” said Bonner. “I was hoping that we would be able to run the ball a little bit better, and that’s a possibility maybe getting Warren (Stewart) back this week. He could help us out with that. But we feel like we’re hanging with teams, and they’re really good teams we’re hanging with for the first half and first three quarters. We just have to figure out a way to string four good quarters together.” North Schuylkill led Pine Grove 35-0 at halftime last week en route to a 48-0 win. It was the Spartans’ second straight win after a season-opening loss to Mount Carmel. North Schuylkill has outscored its last two opponents 69-0 since its 25-17 loss to Mount Carmel in the opener. “Our schedule doesn’t get any easier,” said Bonner. “They’re a big, strong, physical team, and they’ve been that way for a little while. We just have to make sure we try to keep them off the field, convert some of those third downs consistently, and not give up some of those big run plays, especially later in the game.”

Players to Watch:

Trevor Minalda, North Schuylkill

The Spartan quarterback led the way completing 18-of-24 passes for 203 yards with three going for touchdowns in the first half last week against Pine Grove.

Connor Dillon, Tamaqua

After scoring four TDs in a win over Lehighton in Week 2, Dillon was Tamaqua’s top offensive weapon against Notre Dame Green Pond. The versatile junior caught four passes for 119 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter scores. He also ran the ball 10 times.

Luke Kane, Tamaqua

Kane completed 12-of-24 passes for 198 yards against Notre Dame Green Pond, with two touchdown passes and a touchdown run.

Marian at Line Mountain

When: Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Colts get back on track.

After watching a five-game winning streak that dated back to last season come to an end against Minersville in Week 2, Marian got back on track last week, downing winless Catasauqua 12-7. Junior Jesse Rodino made the play of the game, rushing through the Rough Riders’ line to block a punt with a little over two minutes to play giving his team an ideal chance at the win from the 10-yard line. Marian broke through with Matt Martin, who scored what would be the winning touchdown to make it 12-7 with 1:56 to play in the game. Line Mountain was a late add to the Colts’ schedule after their original Week 4 opponent canceled its varsity campaign before the start of the year. Line Mountain enters 0-3 and is coming off a 35-28 loss to Tri-Valley. The Eagles led 28-21 entering the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs put up 14 points to secure the win. “I think they’re one of the better teams we’re going to play this year to be really honest with you,” said Colts’ head coach Stan Dakosty. “They lost to three teams that are undefeated. They literally had that game tucked away last week and Tri-Valley made a great comeback ... They pretty much took control the entire game. They’re a good football team. If there’s ever a deceiving record, it’s this week with that 0-3 record. They’re really not an 0-3 football team, that’s for sure.” The Bulldogs put up 352 yards of offense against Line Mountain, 195 through the air and 157 on the ground. Before last week, Line Mountain had been outscored 93-13 this season. The Eagles’ three opponents this season - Penns Valley, Danville and Tri-Valley - are a combined 9-0. Against Tri-Valley, sophomore Blake Readinger was 3-for-3 for 78 yards, while junior Nolan Baumert ran the ball 24 times for 84 yards and two scores and also added an interception on defense along with four tackles. In the passing game, Tharon Wagner caught two passes for 42 yards, while Brayden Boyer had one grab for 26 yards. The Eagles have utilized multiple quarterbacks this season, with Readinger completing 7-of-14 pass attempts for 126 yards, while freshman Kaiden Maurer has completed 7-of-10 passes for 62 yards.

Players to Watch:

Matt Martin, Marian

Martin ran the ball 18 times for 62 yards with the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter for Marian in last week’s win over Catasauqua. Martin also finished with 13 total tackles, including two tackles for loss.

James Rodino, Marian

The junior finished with 13 total tackles (four solo), and had four tackles for loss last week against Catty. He also added a sack.

Michael Gelatko, Marian

The sophomore had all three catches from quarterback Bruce Hopeck, including a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Gelatko finished with three grabs for 34 yards. He also had nine total tackles, and one tackle for a loss.

Pleasant Valley at Dieruff

When: Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Can the Bears continue their momentum coming off a big win?

Pleasant Valley took down Eastern Pennsylvania Conference rival East Stroudsburg South at home last Friday night with a 7-6 victory. It was a defensive battle throughout the game between the two teams. “The score indicates that the two defenses definitely shined,” PV head coach Blaec Saeger said. “From an offensive standpoint, we were able to move the ball. We ran for somewhere around 260 or so. That was a little misleading, but we were not able to finish drives, and that’s a credit to the East Stroudsburg South defense. They played very tough all night, as did our defense. We had to make a goal-line stand at one point. South was definitely able to move the ball, but also not able to finish. The second half, I thought our defense played even better. They struggled to move against us. After they scored and we answered, there was still nine minutes left and they had two more possessions and really couldn’t muster up anything at all.” With the win over the Cavaliers, the Bears improve to 3-0 heading into J. Birney Crum Stadium Friday night to face Dieruff. The Huskies played East Stroudsburg South in Week 2 and were only down 8-0 at halftime before ES South put up 20 straight points in a 28-0 shutout win. Dieruff began the season at Nazareth and also kept it close with Pocono Mountain West in Week 3 before the Panthers pulled away late. “Very big, very big up front,” Saeger said about Dieruff. “Much bigger than us, and they have some athletes that make plays. It’s a very tough task to go down there to J. Birney Crum. It’s a tough place to play. We got to make sure, and this is the message I said to them, is to not fall into the trap. We had a big game last week, and the Bucket Game next week (against Pocono Mountain East), and we got to make sure our focus is squarely on Dieruff because if it’s not, they’re a team that can jump up and bite us. I guarantee it, but we got to make sure we have our heads on straight and have a great week of practice, put the past behind us, let the future in front of us and focus on the here and now.” Pleasant Valley rushed for 242 yards against East Stroudsburg South last week, as junior quarterback Valentino Byers-Robinson accounted for 117 of those yards. Once the ES South got on the board last week, PV stopped the two-point conversion and answered right back with a 13-yard touchdown run by Byers-Robinson before Rory Robinson made the extra point to make it 7-6. “Special teams were able to make the extra point and stop their two-point conversion,” Saeger said. “We won the punting battle. A game like that, field position is very important. We did what we had to do to get by them.”

Players to Watch:

Valentino Byers-Robinson, Pleasant Valley

Robinson rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown running the triple-option offense against East Stroudsburg South last week. Byers-Robinson took over Robert Papaleo’s vacated spot at quarterback and has started the season 3-0 as a starter.

Fela Olaniyan, Pleasant Valley

Olaniyan made huge plays on defense and had 83 yards on the ground against the Cavaliers, and Pleasant Valley’s run game set up the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. He and Jarod Moore combined for 121 rushing yards in Week 3.

Jarod Moore, Pleasant Valley

Moore has played an integral part for the Bears during the 2022 season. He brings back veteran experience to the team, along with Fela Olaniyan. The run game has worked for Pleasant Valley so far, and the Bears won’t pass the ball unless they have to. Don’t fix what’s not broken for PV, and expect the same come Friday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium.

Shenandoah at Panther Vy.

When: Thursday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week:

Panthers look to bounce back after consecutive losses.

After opening the season with a win over Salisbury, the Panthers have suffered back-to-back losses to Tri-Valley and Mahanoy Area. Despite the setbacks, first-year head coach Mark Lavine found some positives to build on last week.

“I’m proud of how our kids responded in the second half against Mahanoy,” Lavine said. “We had been shutout by Tri-Valley the previous week, and we were down 28-0 at halftime last week. We challenged our kids at half and they responded. “I liked our compete level. We’re never happy with a loss, but I was happy with our effort.” The challenge now for the Panthers (1-2), who outscored Mahanoy in the second half, is to build on that against Shenandoah (0-3). “We need to play four quarters of football,” said Lavine. “We have had moments in games where we’ve looked pretty good, but we haven’t been consistent. I want to see that consistency this week from the opening kickoff and until the final whistle.” Lavine said his defense will be challenged by the Blue Devils passing game. “They’re a deuces and trips team,” Lavine said about Shenandoah’s multiple receiver formations. “They will try to spread us out. The challenge for our defense will be to prevent the big plays.”

Players to Watch:

Brady Jones, Panther Valley

Jones, a sophomore receiver, could be a bigger part of the Panther offense this week. He hasn’t had any receptions or carries in the first three games, but Lavine said that could change. “Brady is pretty quick, so we would like to get the ball in his hands a little bit,” he explained. “We need to get on the perimeter more than we have, and I think Brady can help us in that respect with some speed sweeps or wide receiver screens. Teams have really been loading up inside against us, so we are going to need to get outside more than we have been.”

Brad Jones, Panther Valley

Jones, a junior, has been starting at linebacker and guard for Panther Valley. “Brad is coming off a really nice game against Mahanoy Area,” said Lavine. “He’s our leading tackler through three games, and he’s also been doing a nice job on the offensive line.”

Nick Ryan, Shenandoah

Ryan has been the Blue Devils main offensive threat. The 6-2 junior leads the team with 16 catches for 243 yards. He has also scored all three of Shenandoah’s touchdown this season. “He’s a nice player,” said Lavine. “He has good size and speed. We will definitely need to know where he is at all times.”

Pen Argyl at Northwestern

Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Is the Northwestern secondary up to the task of stopping the Green Knights through the air?

It has been almost five years to the day since Northwestern and Pen Argyl met on the football field. That meeting was also at Tiger Stadium, and saw Northwestern roll to a 43-14 win over the Green Knights. The two teams are back at Tiger Stadium for an early-season matchup this season. “They bring something a little different for us this week in that they run a spread attack on offense, and we don’t see that very often,” said Northwestern Lehigh coach Josh Snyder. “We are going to have to be on our toes, and really have to keep an eye on number-three.” Number-three is junior wide receiver Damian Tyminski, who is averaging just under 125 receiving yards per game for the Green Knights. Tyminski opened eyes last season when he pulled in eight touchdown passes and amassed 780 yards receiving for Pen Argyl. The Knights passing game will be a test for the young secondary of the Tigers that got some help last week when Cade Christopher was able to play all game on both sides of the ball. “We hope we can have Cade in there more, but he is pretty active on our offense and needs a breather now and then, so we usually want to give him some time off,” said Snyder. “Last week he was able to go on every play for us, but we might not have that luxury every game.” Northwestern had three interceptions last week in a win over Blue Mountain, with Christopher getting two interceptions and Blaine Snyder pulling down the third. One of Christopher’s picks resulted in a 52-yard return for the senior. Not a bad upgrade for a team that had just one interception through the first two games of the season.

Players to Watch:

Mason Bollinger, Northwestern

On a stretch of three plays last week, Northwestern Lehigh had direct snaps to three different players. Of course, Christopher saw the most, but running back Dalton Clymer also saw his fair share as he did in previous weeks. The new guy was freshman Mason Bollinger, who went 1-for-3 in attempts and hit Christopher for a 38-yard jaunt. Christopher returned the favor and threw to Bollinger twice for a total of 74 yards. “That gave us a couple different things that we could do,” said Snyder of Bollinger’s inclusion on the offense. “Mason is a big kid (6’ 1”, 168 pounds), and he has played well on JV for us, so we decided to use him a little more on varsity to see what he could do. We are not going to throw the whole playbook at him, but there are some things that he’s comfortable with that we can use with him.”

Blaine Snyder, Northwestern

Junior Blaine Snyder was the highlight of an efficient defensive squad in Week 3. He led the team with 11 tackles, including two for losses and pulled in his first interception of the season. On the season, Snyder has nine solo tackles and 19 assists on tackles for the Tigers as part of their ferocious linebacking corps. Northwestern has seniors Austin Sosnovik and Luke Miller teamed with Snyder and fellow junior Clymer, giving them one of the most formidable groups in the Colonial-Schuylkill League.

Brad Rissmiller, Pen Argyl

With Tyminski as his favorite target, junior quarterback Brad Rissmiller has led an improving passing attack that averages 216 yards per game. Five players have multiple catches this season for the Green Knights, including junior Alex Moser, who is second on the team with seven catches and 103 yards. Pen Argyl will throw the ball more than any team that the Tigers have faced this season. In their three games, the Tigers have been thrown on just 27 times, while the Green Knights have attempted 73 passes, completing 45 of them for 649 yards.

Lehighton at Wilson

When: Saturday, Sept. 17, 12 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Can Lehighton limit miscues and pick up its first win of the season?

Lehighton (0-3) will be looking to get its first win of the season this week against another winless team in Wilson, and the Indians will be looking to do so by cutting down on their miscues and turnovers. Lehighton is averaging almost 27 points per game so far this season, which is a total points average rarely seen in a winless team. The Indians are also averaging 333 yards of total offense on the season, meaning the Tribe has been able to move the football fairly consistently. But turnovers (-2 on the season), along with special teams and defensive breakdowns, have helped opponents average 41 points per game against Lehighton. The second quarter has also been an issue for the Indians, as they have been outscored 68-17 in that frame. Lehighton will get a struggling Wilson (0-3) team on Saturday afternoon, and the Warriors, unlike the Indians, have not been able to do much offensively this season, as they’re averaging just over eight points per game. “Our focus this week is just playing a complete game to limit our mistakes as much as possible in each and every quarter. No team is going to play a perfect game, but we can’t have the huge mistakes or the game-changing mistakes that kill our momentum. That’s been the issue for us this season,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “So, cut down on the mental mistakes, cut down on the physical assignment mistakes and go out there and play fast and make plays. That’s our mission for this week.”

Players to Watch:

Ian Rarick, Lehighton

Rarick has been really good early on for Lehighton. Rarick already has 22 catches for 375 yards and three scores. He’s averaging just over 17 yards per catch.

Ethan Buchert, Lehighton

Buchert has been a nice complement to the Indians’ passing attack, running then football hard and effectively. Buchert has rushed for 141 yards and two scores.