Jim Thorpe and Palmerton didn’t get the results they were hoping for last week.

The Olympians were upset 27-20 on Saturday afternoon at Saucon Valley, while the Bombers were bombarded 49-7 by Lehighton at the Teepee.

With the District 11 3A playoffs fast approaching, both teams are eager to bounce back in a big way. This week, Jim Thorpe heads to Fireline Road to take on Palmerton in one of the Times News Games of the Week.

After scoring on its first two possessions, Jim Thorpe (5-4) jumped out to a 13-0 lead over Saucon Valley and even forced back-to-back turnovers.

The Olympians had prime field position inside the Panthers’ 30-yard line following those miscues but came up empty both times — opening the door for Saucon Valley’s comeback. The Panthers answered with two scoring drives in the second quarter to take a 14-13 lead into halftime, and from there, the game was on.

“We had opportunities early in the game where we could’ve made it a four-possession game, and we didn’t execute, and we didn’t take advantage,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “That absolutely cannot happen this week.

“For the first time since week one we lacked physicality on all levels. Tackling was also an issue for us, so those are the things we need to clean up if we want a different result this week against a good Palmerton team. So far, our players have responded well at practice and that needs to continue as week moves forward.”

Palmerton on the other hand didn’t have many opportunities to score points last week, as the Bombers turned the ball over four times in the game, which helped the Indians get out to a 35-0 halftime lead.

Three interceptions and a blocked punt led to 21 points for Lehighton.

The Bombers also struggled in the trenches against the Tribe, giving up 271 yards on the ground.

Palmerton will certainly need to be better in that department against a Thorpe team that has weapons in Bobby Levins (619 yards, 8 TDs), dual-threat quarterback Tyler Hoherchak (372 yards, 6 TDs, 1,1101 yards passing) and Anthony Kiehl (217 yards, 4 TDs) that can all take it the distance in the Olympians’ spread rushing attack.

“We did not execute the basic fundamentals of the game last week and that can’t happen again. Our attitudes and our intensity need to be much better at the start of the game. We came out flat,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.

“When you’re turning the ball over like that and giving the other team really good field position for almost all of their possessions, then you’re not giving yourself much of a chance to win the game. And this week, again the game is going to be decided on who is better up front.

“Defensively, we need to know where Levins is at all times and the quarterback can get you off balance with his ability to run, so reading our keys, like it is every single week, will be very important. Just overall, we have to play more physical, and we have to shore up our blocking assignments on offense. We need to get back to running the football and gaining yards in the run game more consistently.”

The Olympians, who had been defending the pass well in recent weeks, struggled against the Panthers, giving up 198 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns. When Palmerton quarterback T.K. Gursky has time to throw, he’s been highly effective at distributing the ball to his many weapons, totaling 1,192 passing yards with 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions — all of which came last week against Lehighton.

The Bombers like to spread the ball around, with five players recording at least 136 receiving yards this year.

Leading the way are Cale Young and Connor Lawless, with 19 and 18 receptions respectively.

“Palmerton has a bunch of weapons that can hurt you and that can make plays. That’s again why tackling and swarming to the football will be big this week. And getting pressure in their backfield and on the quarterback is also a priority for us,” added Rosenberger.

“Offensively, we need to again establish physicality up front and we need to establish our run game. We always want to be balanced on offense, but the run game opens what we like to do in the pass game. We’re going to need everyone who is out there on the field to step up for us and finish the regular season strong come Friday night.”