Lehighton, Northwestern and Palmerton all will be looking to remain undefeated this Friday night, while a number of other area teams — Jim Thorpe, Marian and Panther Valley — are hoping to rebound from losses.

Saucon Valley (2-1) at Lehighton (3-0)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Lehighton used a fast start and another dominant rushing performance to roll past Wilson 42-8 last week and improve to 3-0.

Lukas Croizier ran for 187 yards in the first half as the Indians established control at the line of scrimmage. Lehighton has now outscored its first three opponents 121-28, scoring 42 first-quarter points while allowing none.

Saucon Valley enters at 2-1 following back-to-back wins over Pen Argyl, 40-0, and Catasauqua, 38-16. The Panthers opened the season with a 41-7 loss to Pleasant Valley, but have scored 78 points over their two-game winning streak.

Storyline of the Game

A high-powered Lehighton offense meets a Saucon Valley group that has found its footing after the opening-week loss.

Croizier has been the bulldozer for the Indians, rushing for 383 yards and six touchdowns on 39 carries. He also has a receiving touchdown, giving him seven total scores. Jack Lucykanish has completed 27 of 43 passes for 275 yards and six touchdowns, while Carl Lingham has a team-high 12 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Saucon Valley brings balance of its own. Senior Braden Rohn has rushed 22 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns, while Eli Szlachtianshyn has 154 rushing yards and a team-high 29 tackles.

Lehighton’s defense has allowed just 28 points through three games, and McCarroll said continued clean football will be the priority against an opponent coming in with confidence.

Coach’s Corner

“We established a run game. We established the line of scrimmage. We got off to a fast start. We stayed consistent, and I think we kind of imposed our will, and we played a really clean game,” McCarroll said.

“They’re playing physical, they’re playing fast, they’re playing sound, and it’s a lot of fun to see. I love the way our defense is playing right now. As long as we can minimize mistakes, I think we’re going to give ourselves the best chance to win because we’ve played really clean football the last two weeks.” — Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll

Nanticoke (1-2) at Panther Valley (1-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Panther Valley is coming off a 35-6 loss to undefeated Shenandoah Valley last week. Shenandoah Valley quarterback Ethan Bench threw for 177 yards and had three touchdowns in helping the Vikings to score 28 second-half points. Panther Valley has allowed 66 of its 86 overall points in the second half.

Panthers’ quarterback Cy Maynard ran for 61 yards against Shenandoah Valley, and has accumulated 236 yards with four touchdowns. Maynard has completed 24 of 43 passes for 301 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nathan Colon, who ran for 69 against Shenandoah Valley, has 172 for the season. Troy Nunez has added 133 in three games on the ground. Chase McArdle has a team-high 13 receptions for 145 yards.

Greater Nanticoke Area posted its first victory last week, a final-minute 14-12 win over Tunkhannock. Jeremy Smith ran for 144 yards. The Trojans opened the season with losses to Carbondale (40-7) and Palmerton (62-14). They finished last year winless at 0-10, and had lost 18 straight. This a rare meeting between the two teams.

Storyline of the Game

Panther Valley had four costly turnovers last week - three lost fumbles and an interception - that previously was a bad trademark of its past. Its offense has to get back in gear, as it has produced just a touchdown in each of its last two games. It needs to take control of the game early over Greater Nanticoke Area, who squeaked by Tunkhannock.

Coach’s Corner

“We were disappointed with the mistakes we made last week. We had three turnovers and several drive killing penalties that you can’t have against a quality team like Shenandoah is right now. We need to clean up our mistakes in order to win games going forward.

“This week, we get an unfamiliar opponent from District Two, which creates its own challenges with not knowing much about them. They have a nice running back, and have some momentum after a last-minute victory last week. We need to get back to playing mistake-free football and play four complete quarters..something we haven’t done in the last two weeks.” Panther Valley head coach Mark Lavine.

Minersville (1-2) at Marian (1-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Last week, Marian suffered a hard-fought, 12-10 loss to Tamaqua. It was a battle between Marian’s Tyler Price and Tamaqua’s Terrence McDowell. Price was a workhorse, carrying 30 times for 143 yards with a six-yard touchdown, while McDowell scored on a 70-yard scamper and finished with 100 yards. Tamaqua’s Ace Schickram found the end zone for the game-winner on an eight-yard run with 3:20 left in the game.

This week, the Colts will meet Minersville, which fell short in a 25-20 comeback bid against Northern Lebanon last week.

Battlin’ Miners quarterback Derek Derenzo is a dual threat, as he ran for 70 yards and threw for 77, scoring two rushing touchdowns and throwing for another against North Lebanon. He has 209 yards rushing, and 338 passing in three games. Price has rushed for 508 yards with six touchdowns this season. He also leads the team in tackles with 30, while Dominick Rodino has 24 stops. Marian has scored 42 of its 69 points in the second half, but it has also allowed 46 of its 52 points after halftime. This also will be the Schuylkill League Division II opener for both teams.

Storyline of the Week

Price should get another heavy workload, as Minersville gave up 289 yards last week. But Rocco Griguoli, who has 190 receiving yards, can provide some relief for Price. Marian quarterback Gregg Tirpak, who has had a slow start, could have a breakout game, too, against Minersville’s pass defense that issued 143 yards against Northern Lebanon. The Colts’ defense slowed McDowell, and they will need to rise to the occasion again.

Coach’s Corner

“We are disappointed in the result last week, as we felt like we played well enough to win. I thought we controlled both lines of scrimmage, but credit Tamaqua for making enough plays in the fourth quarter to swing the game.

“I thought Jason Ashfield was terrific as a lead blocker for Price and our D-Line of Rodino, (Billy) Ebert, Ashfield, and Griguoli played well in limiting their run game. We will need another strong performance by that group this week as Minersville has a good run game led by Derenzo. Offensively, we need complimentary playmakers to emerge to take the load off of Tyler Price.” - Marian head coach Billy O’Gurek

Jim Thorpe (1-2) at Bangor (1-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Jim Thorpe will look to get back on track after it dropped a 43-7 decision to Southern Lehigh last week. Tyler Hoherchak completed 11 of 25 passes for 123 yards against Southern Lehigh, and has thrown for 275 with one touchdown and an interception in three games. Bobby Levins ran for 80 yards, and has 158 for the season. Anthony Kiehl caught four passes for 87 yards, and recorded eight tackles last week. He has rushed for 145 yards with three touchdowns. Defensively, Philip Garner has registered 19 tackles, Kaden Hess had 17 stops, Dominic Kiehl had three sacks, and Ralph Clay had two interceptions.

Bangor was thumped by Northwestern, 56-7, last Friday. The Slaters have dropped two straight, and been outscored 60-14 in their last two games after they shut out East Stroudsburg North, 49-0. Bangor’s Lincoln Rehrig had 166 yards passing, and he has 337 with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Lucas Hurd had rushed for 170 yards.

Jim Thorpe dumped Bangor, 35-21, last season, and it won, 43-27 in 2024. The Olympians lost meetings against them in both 2023 and 2022.

Jim Thorpe has allowed 66 of its 101 points in the opening half, and has allowed 33.7 points per game. Offensively, it has averaged 16.3

Storyline of the Week

Jim Thorpe will seek to take control of the game early like it did in its 42-7 over Minersville two weeks ago when it posted 28 first-quarter points. In that game, it had a balanced offensive attack. Getting off to a fast start is also imperative playing in Bangor, which always is a tough place to play.

The outcome could easily sway the direction of the Olympians’ season with Northwestern, Northern Lehigh, and Lehighton in the coming weeks.

Coach’s Corner

“Bobby Levins had a really good game last week running the football, and we are led defensively by Nick Faust (15 tackles for the season).

“I feel as though we played extremely hard for 48 minutes. Unfortunately we didn’t make enough plays to be more competitive offensively, and we allowed too many big plays defensively. This week, we need to be better offensively finishing off drives and defensively. We have to eliminate the big play from their offense.. as always, the game will be one in the trenches.” - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger

Northern Lehigh (2-1) at Palisades (0-3)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Northern Lehigh rebounded from a huge loss to rival Northwestern by rolling past Pen Argyl at home, 46-6. The Bulldogs received four touchdown passes from Times News Player of the Week Garrett Smoyer, who also added a long touchdown run. Two of Smoyer’s scoring tosses went to Colin Karetsky, with one of his TDs coming on a short pass that he turned into a 63-yard tally on the first play from scrimmage. Nolehi’s defense held the Green Knights to just 51 yards of offense, and no points in the first half as the host team built a 20-0 lead. Mason Rothrock collected a team-leading 11 tackles, while Hayden Lilly added eight stops, a sack and a tackle for loss.

Meanwhile, Palisades suffered its third consecutive loss to start the season being dominated by Palmerton, 54-14. The Pirates have allowed at least 33 points in each of those games. Against the Bombers, they gave up 296 yards rushing on just 25 attempts, an average of 11.84 yards per carry, along with 28 first-quarter points.

Last year, Palisades delivered a 41-6 victory over Palmerton in Week 7, dropping the Bombers record at the time to 2-5.

Storyline of the Week

Will he or won’t he play? That’s the question for both sides. The Bulldogs’ Chris Frame is week-to-week with his injury, while Palisades is hoping to get Division 1 recruit Lincoln Cook back on the field. Cook, who has missed the team’s first three games, has committed to Northwestern University of the Big Ten and was a force for the Pirates a year ago with 65 receptions for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, he added three interceptions. Against Nolehi in last season’s regular season, he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown during a 28-14 win. While the Bulldogs got revenge against Palisades in the district playoffs with a one-point overtime win, the team remembers the trip home from Kintnersville after losing. They don’t want to experience that feeling again.

Coach’s Corner

“It may be a cliche, but our focus is, ‘Are we going to get off the bus?’ We’re hoping our kids still remember last year. The way that the cycle worked, we’re heading back there this year. That (loss) stung us a bit. That hurt us a lot too (in the district seeding) ... Are we going to go down there and take care of business? We know that they have Lincoln Cook. We don’t know if he’s going to be back this week or not. But there you have a Power Four player, and the word is he’s close to coming back. We’re going to prepare as if he’s going to play and we want him to. With this group that we have, we want to challenge ourselves and see Palisades with their best player. We want to see our secondary match up with him. And after their start, I’m sure Palisades wants that boost, too.” - Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.

Executive Education (2-1)

at Tamaqua (2-1)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Tamaqua remains home Friday after holding off Marian Catholic 12-10 last week for its second straight victory.

The Raiders rebounded from a 44-20 season-opening loss at Lehighton with a 40-27 win over Schuylkill Haven, then edged the Colts in a defensive battle. Terrence McDowell has continued to carry the load offensively, rushing for 499 yards and seven touchdowns on 74 carries through three games.

Executive Education Academy enters at 2-1 after bouncing back from a 17-14 opening-week loss at Northern Lehigh. The Raptors followed that defeat with road wins over both Berks Catholic, 40-21, and Bristol, 48-33.

Storyline

Tamaqua has found its rhythm, but Friday brings a different kind of challenge.

McDowell has accounted for seven of the Raiders’ 11 touchdowns, and 46 of their 72 points. Tamaqua has totaled 668 rushing yards, with McDowell averaging 6.74 yards per carry. Jaxon Faneck has completed 7 of 13 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, while Ace Schickram has added a touchdown pass.

Executive Education may be an unfamiliar opponent to many local fans, but it brings a talented dual-threat quarterback in Shawntez Whitsitt. Whitsitt can make plays both through the air and on the ground, presenting a different rushing and passing test for the Raiders’ defense.

Tamaqua has done much of its best work late, scoring 38 fourth-quarter points while allowing 13. The Raiders will look to keep Whitsitt and Executive Education from creating explosive plays and extend their winning streak to three.

Coach’s Corner

“They’re athletic. We watched a lot of film on them. They have an athletic quarterback, athletic receivers, and a tough running back. They have athletes pretty much all over the field, so it is definitely going to be a challenge. We have to make sure we prevent the big plays they’re good at making. We have to put them in tough situations. Our guys have to make plays, especially our special teams guys, guys in the secondary, and linebackers–and we are going to have to get a good pass rush. We showed a lot of character over the last couple of weeks, and it was nice to see not just one guy, but four or five guys step up last week and make plays for us when we were down 10-0.” - Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner

Northwestern (3-0) at Salisbury (1-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Northwestern got out of the gates fast against Bangor, scoring 56 points in the first half to come away with the win. The Tigers got two punt return TDs from Michael Lagowy, and a pick six from Kendall Wikert to go along with a strong offensive performance. Sophomore quarterback Trey Snyder continues to impress, leading the Times News area in passing with 627 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. He was a perfect 7-for-7 for 174 yards and a TD against the Slaters. Junior running back Chase Sukanick continues to gain momentum as well. He rushed for 85 yards on just seven carries with two scores against Bangor, and is now over 300 rushing yards on the season.

Salisbury started off the season with a 27-0 win over South Philadelphia, but has since dropped two games in a row and was blown out by Notre Dame Green Pond 48-7 last week. The Falcons didn’t get much going on offense in the game, and surrendered four passing TDs to NDGP signal caller Tommy Murphy.

Coach’s Corner

“Salisbury had two competitive games to start the season. Offensively, they’re going to run some counters and sweeps at you. The QB has made some nice plays for them as well. For us, we’re going to look to get out to a fast start. They’ve shown multiple defensive looks this season already; they’re trying to find an identity. So, our goal will be to take what they give us, execute and look to improve. I think our defensive front has looked good this season. We have a good rotation going. Those guys keep each other fresh, and they’ve been freeing up our linebackers to make plays. I also like how we’ve been developing depth. That’s been big for us over the years. We’ve been able to play a lot of guys.” - Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder.

Palmerton (3-0) at Catasauqua (1-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Palmerton continued its strong start to the season with a 54-14 win over Palisades last week. The Bombers are back to being a physical team in the trenches so far this season, and it showed in the run game against the Pirates, as they rushed for 299 yards. Freshman Carson Eckhart looked good, rushing for 160 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. Junior quarterback T.K. Gursky has been one of the most improved players in the Times News area, and he kept that trend going, throwing for 157 yards and 2 TDs. Gursky ranks second in the TN area with 499 passing yards on the season. The Bombers were once again good against the run, giving up just 51 yards to Palisades.

Catasauqua came through with a narrow 7-6 win over Wilson in Week 1, and since then it has dropped two in a row. The Rough Riders’ defense has struggled over the past two weeks, giving up 41 points to Mahanoy Area, and 38 points to Saucon Valley. Ruben Concepcion leads Catty with 150 rushing yards and three scores.

Coach’s Corner

“They’re going to mix up the run and pass. They have some good athletes, and they like to spread the ball around. They can be dangerous because of their athleticism. So we need to make plays, be disciplined and focus on alignment and assignment. Defensively, they’re aggressive and they like to bring pressure from all over the place. So, we need to take what they give us and take care of the ball. We have been spreading it around pretty well on offense, and of course we will look to establish the run early in the game. We need to continue to build off the momentum that we have created and we need to put together good practices, so we can go out there and play fundamentally sound and play complementary football.” - Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.