The regular season comes to an end after tonight’s games.

All of the Times News area clubs seem headed to the playoffs, so Week 10 is a chance to enter the postseason on a positive note.

Of note, Northern Lehigh travels to Lehighton while Tamaqua looks to run its winning streak to four games.

No. Lehigh (5-4) at Lehighton (6-3)

When: Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Lehighton rolled to an impressive 49-7 win over Palmerton last week, snapping a two-game skid. The Indians were able to do what they do best and that’s run the football, as they rushed for 271 yards in the game, with senior running back Lukas Croizier rushing 17 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, Croizer has accumulated 1,031 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. The Tribe defense was also very opportunistic in the game, to put it mildly, forcing four turnovers. The Indians’ secondary came through with three interceptions - two of them from Cash white - and a Croizier blocked punt turned into a Carl Lingham scoop and score.

Northern Lehigh dropped its third game in a row in a 58-12 loss to Notre Dame Green Pond. The vaunted Crusaders’ offense was able to tally 418 yards of total offense in the game. The Bulldogs did have some success through the air, with Garrett Smoyer throwing for 135 yards at 19.3 yards per completion. Another encouraging sign for Northern Lehigh is the health of its standout senior offensive weapon in Chris Frame, who has been getting healthier every week since returning from injury a few weeks ago. Frame hauled in four catches for 81 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame.

Storyline of the Game

Like most games do, the play along the line of scrimmage will have a lot to do with who wins this ball game. The Tribe looked really good in the trenches a week ago, and you can expect them to once again try and establish the run early. The Bulldogs do have an impressive stable of skill guys on the outside, but they have struggled against teams that have both size and physicality up front.

Coach’s Corner

“I thought our offensive line was fairly dominant last week, and they just played with a different edge. We challenged them to play that way, and they stepped up. They were even giving us feedback during the game to run certain plays where they thought they could move guys off the ball. And the defense was very solid as well. Our guys put themselves in good positions in the secondary, and they were able to make plays, and that also had a lot to do with the pressure we were getting on their quarterback. This week, we need to just continue to build off what we did last week. We have to bring that same mentality and intensity to the game on Friday night. Northern Lehigh is a team that is hungry for a win and has a lot of good athletes out there that can make plays.” - Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

“We’re going to treat this week as a playoff game. That’s the type of attitude and mentality we want our guys to play with this week. I know the scoreboard doesn’t look like it from last week, but I thought we did a lot of good things in the game against Notre Dame. Our guys didn’t back down at all. This week, we know it’s all about playing fundamental assignment football and it’s about controlling the football. We can’t hurt ourselves, which is what has been plaguing us during this losing streak. Turnovers and penalties have really hurt us, so we have to limit our mistakes against a very good football team in Lehighton.” - Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.

Catasauqua (4-5) at Northwestern (8-1)

When: Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

The Tigers lost for the first time in 41 regular season games last Friday in a narrow 17-14 loss to the third-ranked team in the state in 4A in Southern Lehigh. The Tigers’ defense was able to stop the Spartans’ offense twice in the fourth quarter, but it could not find the end zone. Northwestern did have a chance to tie or take the lead with just under two minutes remaining, but the Tigers couldn’t get into a position to put points on the board and ran out of time. Chase Sukanick led the way with 81 rushing yards in the game for the Tigers and Brady Zimmerman scored both of Northwestern’s touchdowns.

Catasauqua has won three games in a row and is fighting to stay in the hunt for a District 11 2A playoff berth. The Rough Riders defeated Salisbury last week 41-0. Joziah Martinez had a big night, rushing for 127 yards and four touchdowns. Martinez has rushed for 11 touchdowns this season.

Storyline of the Game

Northwestern will surely be chomping at the bit to get back into the win column after its first loss in the regular season in four years. Look for the Tigers to try and establish its running game and physicality early in this one.

Coach’s Corner

“Last week really came down to them making a few more plays than we did. I thought our defense played well and came up with a lot of key stops, but we just couldn’t generate much explosiveness on offense. They’re a team that doesn’t have many weaknesses, and we still gave ourselves a chance to win or tie the game at the end, and we just ran out of time. We just needed to make a few more plays. The message this week is that we’re going to turn up the energy a little bit. I’m going to stoke the fire a little bit at practice myself. This is the first time we’re practicing after a loss in four years. So, we’re going to keep grinding and we’re excited to get back on the field against a Catty team that has won three in a row. They have some guys that are flying around and making plays right now.” - Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder.

Tamaqua (5-4) at Pine Grove (2-7)

When: Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

The ride home probably felt a little shorter. Tamaqua turned a two-hour trip to Selinsgrove into its third straight victory last Friday, earning a 27-18 win to move above .500 heading into the regular-season finale.

Terrence McDowell and Ace Schickram each topped 100 rushing yards, continuing a productive stretch for the Raiders’ backfield. But Tamaqua also found other ways to make the trip worthwhile. The Raiders recovered an onside kick to open the third quarter and forced a pair of Selinsgrove fumbles late in the game to help secure the victory. For a team that had been hurt by costly mistakes earlier in the season, those were important opportunities to finish on the right side of a close game. Tamaqua has now followed its three-game losing streak with wins over North Schuylkill, Panther Valley and Selinsgrove.

McDowell enters Friday with 946 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while Schickram has added 721 yards and five scores on the ground. Together, they have accounted for 1,667 rushing yards.

Pine Grove, meanwhile, is trying to halt a four-game skid. The Cardinals enter at 2-7, with losses this season to common opponents North Schuylkill, Blue Mountain, Pottsville and Panther Valley.

Storyline of the Game

The Raiders’ ground game gives them a clear starting point. Tamaqua has rushed for 2,139 yards this season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, with McDowell and Schickram providing a productive one-two combination. CJ Walker has added 347 yards, giving Sam Bonner’s club another option to share the workload.

According to MaxPreps, Pine Grove senior Logan Troup has carried 298 times for 1,633 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’ll be a key player for Tamaqua’s defense to focus on.

Tackling well, limiting long runs, and getting Pine Grove off the field will be central to Tamaqua’s chances. Offensively, the Raiders will look to keep their own rushing attack moving without giving possessions away. Last week’s timely takeaways helped close out a road win. Another disciplined effort would give Tamaqua a fourth straight victory and a winning regular season.

Coach’s Corner

“Their running back (Troup) seems to be the guy. Their quarterback doesn’t throw a bad ball, though. I think the key will be to stop the run game. They run a lot of power run game. The quarterback is handy, but their running back is their go-to guy. Our defense has been doing a good job putting a stop to the run game so that I’m hoping they can continue with that. I think (Selinsgrove) came into the game thinking they could run against us, and they kind of had to change their idea as the game went on. We’ve done a good job the last weeks starting well. The defense has been getting a lot of three-and-outs ... while we’ve had nice long drives to start the game. That’s a great way to set the tone. Hopefully we can pull this one out and it would be four in a row.” - Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner

Marian (4-5) at Schuylkill Haven (5-4)

When: Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Marian rallied from an 18-7 halftime deficit, but the Colts couldn’t stride past Mahanoy Area, dropping a 24-21 decision and their second straight. Tyler Price ran for 162 yards with two scores, and he also caught eight passes for 114 yards. Greg Tirpak completed 14 of 34 attempts for 178 yards with a touchdown. Price also recorded 12 tackles. For the season, Price has 1,399 yards rushing with 14 touchdowns, and he also has 31 catches for 538 yards with seven scores. Tirpak is 86 of 173 for 1,515 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Rocco Griguoli leads the Colts in receiving with 36 catches for 677 with seven touchdowns. Price leads the Times News area players in rushing and scoring, and he is second in receiving behind Griguoli. Tirpak leads all quarterbacks in the area in passing yards. Defensively, Price has a team-high 97 tackles with three sacks, and Dominic Rodino has 93 stops with four sacks.

The Colts will meet Schuylkill Haven, who routed Minersville, 42-29, last week for their third straight victory. Colton Reber ran for 313 of the Hurricanes’ 390 yards on the ground. Reber has been the bulk of Schuylkill Haven’s offense, as he has accounted for 1, 825 yards with 25 touchdowns. The Hurricanes have rushed for 2,569 yards as a team, and they have 824 total passing yards. Brayden Shappell has been a tackling machine with 133 stops, and Wyat Gerber has 74 tackles and two interceptions.

Schuylkill Haven has won the last two meetings, posting a 55-14 victory last season. Marian’s last win was in 2023 with a 27-0 shutout, but Schuylkill Haven has won three of the last five meetings. Marian is scoring more points in the first half of the games (136-234), but also allowing more (128-218).

Storyline of the Week

It will be a showcase of premier league backs Price and Reber, and it will come down to what team can stop the run better. Marian has an advantage with Tirpak, and Schuylkill Haven allowed 130 yards passing last week. But the Colts can’t let the Hurricanes gain momentum in their final regular-season home game.

Coach’s Corner

“Definitely a disappointing showing last week against Mahanoy. We were not ready for the intensity of a rivalry game early on, and that falls on me for not having us ready. We struggled to stop the run early on before settling in after halftime, but we still had too many empty possessions. A missed field goal and a fourth-quarter fumble proved costly in another close game. Tyler Price had another phenomenal game with over 100-rushing and 100-receiving yards, but we struggled to get Rocco Griguoli involved because of Mahanoy’s double-and triple-teams.

“It will not be any easier this week with a Schuylkill Haven team that seems to be hitting its stride. Reber is a load at running back. We need to tackle better and make them drive the football to score. Offensively we need to be more efficient with our scoring chances if we want a chance to win.” Marian head coach Billy O’ Gurek

Panther Valley (4-5) at N. Schuylkill (2-7)

When: Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Panther Valley is coming off a 27-20 victory over Pine Grove in which they scored 20 points in the second half, breaking a three-game losing streak. Quarterback Cy Maynard completed five of nine passes for 157 yards with two touchdowns, and he rushed for a touchdown. Carson Jones rushed for 71 yards, and Chase McArdle caught two passes for 96 yards, one a 76-yarder for a touchdown. For the season, Maynard has completed 50 of 93 attempts for 738 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions, and has rushed for 413 yards with eight touchdowns. Troy Nunez has rushed for 409 yards with three scores. McArdle has 32 catches for 496 yards with four touchdowns. Defensively, Brody Vermillion has a team-high 94 tackles, and Carlos Maldanado has 57.

Pottsville downed North Schuylkill, 32-21, last week, sending the Spartans to their third straight defeat. North Schuylkill had won seven of their last eight meetings against Pottsville. Quarterback Brock Holmes has rushed for 459 with 10 touchdowns, and he has thrown for 541 yards with four touchdowns.

North Schuylkill won last year’s clash, 53-27, and the Spartans have won the last eight meetings dating back to 2008. Before last season, they last met in 2015. PV’s last win in the series was 29-27 in 2007.

Panther Valley has scored 101 of their 148 points this season in the second half, but they have allowed 144 of their 272 points after halftime.

Storyline of the Week

Panther Valley is looking to finish on a high note and knock off a longtime foe. They still have an outside shot at a district berth and need to play ball control. The Panthers will also need to play a physical game, and North Schuylkill is better than their record due to their challenging schedule.

Coach’s Corner

“We were very happy that our guys fought through a lot of adversity; from being down 7-0 then 14-7, and also having different guys step up after losing two starting linemen. Our kids battled and made plays when they had to.

“North Schuylkill is always a tough, well-coached team. Their record is deceptive because they lost to some really good teams. We have to go up there and match their physicality on both sides of the ball in order to be successful.” -Panther Valley head coach Mark Lavine.