It seems like just yesterday we were grilling dogs on the Fourth of July and suddenly we are at Week 5 of the 10-week high school football season.

So the question is: What have we learned so far and what will we have to learn as the season goes from warm days and cool nights to cool days and cold nights?

There was a lot of thought that Palmerton and Northwestern would be the top two teams in the Times News coverage area and that certainly has been the case, although the Bombers got a tussle from Jim Thorpe last week.

Unfortunately the two teams won’t play each other this fall so unless one of them stumbles, the only way to settle the argument over is the top-ranked team is by arguing and hope you can make a compelling case for your team.

We’ve also learned that Pleasant Valley has a chance to again be the best team in Monroe County. The Bears had big holes to fill this year and so far are making a claim to be the county’s best after beating East Stroudsburg South.

Lehighton and Marian are headed in the right direction, while Jim Thorpe has to feel good, despite the loss, about making Palmerton sweat last week.

And if you had Brennan Kunkel on your Bingo card to set a Panther Valley rushing record in last week’s 39-21 victory over Shenandoah, way to go. I have a feeling Mr. Kunkel, who gained 324 yards against Shenandoah, is going to get a lot carries over the next six weeks.

No. 9 – Tamaqua

The schedule was cruel to the Blue Raiders the first four weeks, with North Schuylkill, Notre Dame of Green Pond and Northwestern three of those games. A much-improved Lehighton team beat the Blue Raiders too so they are 0-4. But good news, Tamaqua is at Salisbury Friday night and it should be a celebratory ride home for the Blue Raiders.

No. 8 – Jim Thorpe

The Olympians are 1-3 but can certainly move up a notch or two in the rankings if they beat Pine Grove. I’m curious to see the score of this one after Northern Lehigh throttled Pine Grove 45-20 last week.

No. 7 – Marian

The Colts put a hurting on Sayre last week and continue to make strides, but Sayre is a tiny school in northcentral Pennsylvania. Nativity is up next. Marian won last year 15-12, so this should be a good test for the Colts.

No. 6 – Panther Valley

Kunkel’s 324 yards didn’t just set a new mark, but smashed the old mark by nearly 60 yards. Dave Evans rushed for 268 in 1974 in a win over Mahanoy. The Panthers get another Schuylkill County team tonight in Minersville. And it’s not your imagination, we are having a Thursday night game almost every week.

No. 5 – Northern Lehigh

The Bulldogs are at .500 after winning two straight. Tough one Friday night, though, in North Schuylkill.

No. 4 – Lehighton

The Indians make a jump after pounding Wilson 50-0. They can really make a big jump, and turn a lot of heads not only in Carbon County but also the Lehigh Valley, by beating Northwestern Friday night. That might be asking a big much.

No. 3 – Pleasant Valley

The toughest part of this week’s game for the Bears might be the drive. They go to East Stroudsburg North and with leaf-peeper traffic cranking up, it might take them two hours to get to the game.

No. 2 – Northwestern

The Times News headline on the Tigers’ game with Pen Argyl last week was: ‘Unbeaten Northwestern keeps rolling.’ That about sums it up. … It was 34-0 at halftime.

No. 1 – Palmerton

The Bombers were losing to Jim Thorpe by 10 in the second half, but rallied to remain unbeaten. Give you one guess who led the comeback? His initials are M.M. Palmerton might need another outstanding performance from quarterback Matt Machalik tonight with high-scoring Notre Dame of Green Pond coming to town.