Whenever Panther Valley and Marian Catholic play each other in sporting events, it’s considered a serious rivalry.

You can always count on a large, raucous crowd when they meet - whether it be in basketball, volleyball or baseball.

Two brothers have managed to clear the hurdle of that competitive strife and play on fall sports teams at both schools.

Mergim Bushati and his younger brother Jah, both Panther Valley High School students, play football for the Panthers but have joined the Marian Catholic boy’s soccer team where both are starters.

Mergim, a senior, said none of his peers from either school give him flak about playing for a rival.

“At both schools they’re supportive,” he said. “When I’m at football practice they ask how I’m doing at soccer. When I’m at soccer, my teammates ask how I’m doing at football.”

Jah is a sophomore and is the goalkeeper for Marian. He admits, “Sometimes I’m teased,” although good-naturedly. “Everyone understands I’m just here to play the sport.”

He said his football coach also is supportive of him playing soccer.

They’re not the first players to be doing this.

Last year, Trey McAndrew also played football for PV and soccer for Marian in his senior year at Panther Valley. Mergim and Jah are the first brothers playing for both schools, though.

Mergim, 17, and Jah, 15, are the sons of Beke and Servete Bushati of Summit Hill. Although both athletes were born in the United States, the parents emigrated from Albania in 2005.

The parents instilled strong work ethics in the two boys (at one point the mom held three jobs), which they carry with them when participating in their respective sports as well as other endeavors.

Mergim is the starting tight end and defensive end on PV’s football team and the starting striker on Marian’s soccer team.

Jah is a kicker, linebacker and fullback on both the varsity and junior varsity football teams and the starting goalkeeper on Marian’s soccer team.

The two were able to join Marian’s soccer team as a result of a agreement between the two schools that happened just a few years ago in which Marian and Panther Valley agreed to field joint boys and girls soccer team at Marian.

It isn’t always an easy schedule for Mergim and Jah. Often football players depart practice exhausted from the physical workout, but for the brothers it means they must rush to Marian and either play a full soccer game or practice session.

Mergim said he doesn’t have a favorite between football and soccer.

“I like them both equally,” he said. “My dad played in Albania, so I grew up with it.”

Both brothers are also members of the Panther Valley High School wrestling team. In the spring, they compete in high school track.

When younger, they also played Little League baseball.

“Anything that can be played, we played it,” Mergim said.

Both boys agree they are close and do everything together. “That’s my best friend right there,” Mergim said, referring to Jah.

Jah said of Mergim, “One hundred percent, he’s my No. 1 supporter.”

A cousin of the Bushati brothers is also on the soccer team, Nuredin Gjoca of Lansford.

“We always did everything together growing up, the three of us,” Mergim said of he, Jah and Nuredin.

Each summer, the Bushati family vacations in Albania where Mergim said he works on his soccer skills.

“Soccer is different in Albania; it’s a lot faster,” Mergim said, noting that it is the main sport there.

“Albania’s a small country but has a lot of small towns,” he said. “The towns play against each other but have this big tournament for the towns and cities, and then a country tournament. My uncle played in Albania and his team won the country tournament.”

It’s not only high school sports that the two brothers play. They also take Jui jitsu lessons where Mergim has attained a blue belt. So far he has competed in two Ju jitsu tournaments and won them both, competing against grown men in their 30s or 40s.

“It helps with us conditioning for wrestling,” he said.

Jah said he isn’t as interested in Ju jitsu as Mergim, but enjoys the workout.

“It helps me keep myself in shape,” he said.

“Most of the time, I’ll play what he does,” Jah said. “There’s a little competitiveness between me and him.”

There is one difference arising between the brothers.

Both have a contrasting set of goals.

Mergim said he is hoping to someday be a professional fighter in the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) circuit. He’s already been taking some lessons at an MMA training facility in Nazareth.

Meanwhile, he’s hoping to attend college and get a degree in finance or business administration. He said he isn’t sure where he wants to attend college, but is hoping to either play football or wrestle in college.

Jah, on the other hand, said his main priority is to keep his grades up “and hopefully get into a good college.”

His career ambition is to become a doctor.

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PROGRAM FIRST … The Marian boys’ soccer team earned the first win in the program history on Saturday when it beat Weatherly, 5-2. The Colt program is in its second year of existence, After the win, the Colts showered Coach Joseph Tracy with Gatorade.

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CENTURY MARK … Tuesday was a night to remember for Cara Thomas of the Northwestern field hockey team. In a 4-0 win over Bangor, Thomas posted her 100th career goal.

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UNBLEMISHED … There are still 14 fall sports teams left in the District 11 that not suffered a loss, including three from the Times News coverage area. Defending PIAA State boys’ soccer champion Northwestern Lehigh has started the season with a perfect with a perfect 15-0 mark. Meanwhile, the Panther Valley and Pleasant Valley girls’ volleyball teams are also still unbeaten with records of 12-0 and 14-0 respectively.

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AUTO-MATT-IC ... One of the biggest reason for Northwestern’s boys soccer success has been the play of senior Matt Johnson. Johnson continued his strong offensive play Last Thursday, as he accounted for five of the Tigers’ six goals in a 6-1 win over Wilson.

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HOME SWEET HOME … The Marian volleyball team hosted the Marian Homecoming Invitational last weekend. Head coach Maria Serina and her Fillies walked off with the championship, beating Palmerton 25-8, 25-11, 25-9 and Executive Education Academy, 25-9, 25-6, 25-10.

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DISTRICT BOUND … As of Monday night, 11 Times News area teams have already qualified for the postseason. The list includes four girls soccer and four volleyball teams. In girls soccer, Northwestern, Palmerton, Tamaqua and Northern Lehigh have qualified, while in volleyball Marian, Panther Valley, Jim Thorpe and Pleasant Valley are in the field. In addition, the Northwestern boys’ soccer team and the Northwestern Lehigh and Palmerton field hockey have punched their postseason tickets.