Jim Thorpe will look to get on the board in Schuylkill League Division 1 play after last week's loss to Blue Mountain. North Schuylkill hopes to remain as one of the two undefeated teams in the division.

Jim Thorpe at No. SchuylkillFriday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:BATTLE OF RUNNING ATTACKS... Jim Thorpe (4-2) and North Schuylkill (4-2) boast two of the best rushing attacks in SFL this season. The Olympians' run game has been solid since its opening week loss to Schuylkill Haven and they feature one of the best running backs in the Times News area in Justin St. Hill. He has rushed for 555 yards(5.6 yards-per-carry) and 11 touchdowns. St. Hill scored twice last week against a stubborn Blue Mountain front. For North Schuylkill, quarterback Richie Zahodnick and power-back Mason Jordan have been a terrorizing one-two punch in the rushing game. Last week, against a tough Lehighton defense, the Spartans rushed for nearly 200 yards on the ground.NOT MUCH PASSING... The North Schuylkill passing offense hasn't been used much this season. In its game against Lehighton last week, the Spartans did not attempt a single pass. It was the second time this season where they didn't attempt any passes in a game. For the Olympians, Brendan Carroll has been effective in the pass game with just limited opportunities. Carroll is 30-of-58 for 502 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. "A key component to this game will be who wins on first down," said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. "We need to get ourselves in good situations on second down and not second and long and third and long. Then on the defensive side, we need to be able to create some negative yardage plays on the early downs in order to force them to throw the ball. First down play will be critical in this game."PHYSICALITY... Both Olympians' losses this season have been to notoriously physical teams in Schuylkill Haven and Blue Mountain. The Spartans also lost to Schuylkill Haven and the physical front-four of Marian. Both teams are built on physical play, so it's no secret that whichever team brings it more in the that department come Friday night could walk away with that all-important Schuylkill Football League Division 1 victory. "Although we didn't come away with a win, our kids held their ground against a very physical Blue Mountain team last week," said Rosenberger. "We just have to bring that same mentality to the table this week and finish off our drives and not turn the ball over. We're excited for the challenge."Marian at Mahanoy AreaFriday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:RUSH DEFENSE... Marian has been consistent battling the run this season. The Colts are holding teams to 120 yards on the ground. Mahanoy Area has had its success rushing the football on the year, rushing for over 300 yards on multiple occasions. However, a big concern for Mahanoy (3-3) will be if talented quarterback Matt Lewandowski is able to play. He was knocked out of the game against Hamburg two weeks ago with a head injury. Lewandowski is the Bears' most dynamic athlete. If he's not back, they could be looking at a repeat of the 26-yard rushing performance they had against Schuylkill Haven a week ago. "We have been pretty consistent in the run game throughout the season, and that's a testament to how hard those guys work up front," said Marian coach Stan Dakosty. "We need to get better at creating momentum swinging plays whether it be in special teams or big plays in the passing game. Every game is critical, and Mahanoy is a rival that will give us everything they can come Friday night."SOPHOMORE SENSATION... Marian (3-3) sophomore Seth Paluck has been the much needed offensive catalyst for the Colts this season. Paluck has rushed for 409 yards, and has caught eight balls for 116 yards, while leading the team in touchdowns with nine. The next closest Colt is senior quarterback Ethank Kuczysnki, who has three touchdowns rushing and six passing.STRENGTH OF SCHEDLUE... The Colts have been in some battles already this season with Schuylkill Football League Division 1 teams Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, and North Schuylkill. Marian was only able to come away with a win over the Spartans, but it was in the others games, losing by one point to the Tribe, and by five to the Olympians. Mahanoy's three wins haven't come against the strongest competition, with wins over Towanda, Holy Redeemer and Nativity, three teams with a combined record of 4-14.Panther Vy at Shenandoah VyFriday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:LOSING STREAKS... The Panthers (1-5) and the Devils will be looking to break losing streaks this week. After a convincing win over CMVT in Week 1, the Panthers have lost five-straight, while the Devils (0-6) have remained winless this season. The Panthers have been outscored 225-64 since their Week 1 win, while the Devils have been outscored 245-40. Needless to say, both of these teams are in need of a "W".ONE DIMENSIONAL... Panther Valley's talented running back, Rene Figueroa, only has 43 attempts for 148 yards on the season. The Panthers have forced themselves to come back from behind, as PV quarterback Hunter Kennedy has been asked to the throw the ball a hefty 18 times per game. "There's no doubt that we have to be more balanced on offense and that starts with not playing from behind," said Panther Valley head coach Matt Davis. "When you're down two or three scores, running the football becomes very difficult because of time. We have to do a better job of getting leads, finishing drives, and not shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers."Palisades at PalmertonFriday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:SMASHMOUTH FOOTBALL... Once again, Palmerton (2-4) will be faced with a challenge in the trenches this week when the tough-running Pirates come to town. Palisades boasts one of the best, if not the best, running back in the Colonial League this season in Jared Colletti. Colletti rushed eight times for 83 yards and three touchdowns, while returning a punt 71 yards for another score against Salisbury a week ago. For the Bombers to pick up the win, they must bring that same physical play up front that they displayed last week against an undefeated Notre Dame Green Pond squad. "I'm proud of the way our defense played last week, I think they played good enough to win," said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. "We just have to be better and play more physical on the offensive line. We have to give our playmakers room to make plays. The kids are working hard, we just have to execute on game day."KILLER KRALIK... A big reason for Palmerton's improved defensive line play is Kyle Kralik. Kralik has been able to generate pressure the last few weeks and get the opposing team's backfield. Kralik has 40 total tackles on the season, with 6.5 sacks, and an impressive nine tackles for a loss. "Kyle Kralik has really been getting after the quarterback, and it's been huge for us on the defensive side of the ball," said Walkowiak. "He's getting better every week, and he anchors a group of guys that are working hard and getting better every week. I'm proud of that unit."COMPARE AND CONTRAST... So far this season, Palmerton and Palisades (4-2) have been equally unsuccessful against the same Colonial League opponents. Both squads have lost to Southern Lehigh and league favorite Notre Dame. Palisades was able to defeat Northwestern by a score, while the Bombers lost to the Tigers by one point in their opening week game. This one will be tight.Northwestern at Bangor Friday Oct. 7, 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:PUTTING BLINDERS ON... Northwestern's Josh Snyder coaches his players to look at the next game as the biggest one on the schedule. This week is the perfect example why. Snyder doesn't want his team looking back at their 15-6 win over previously undefeated Saucon Valley, because that win won't mean nearly as much if Bangor (1-5) were to upset his team Friday night. He also doesn't want them looking ahead to next week's game against Southern Lehigh, the team that is tied with Northwestern (4-2) at the top of the West Division standings, because that's the perfect recipe for losing to a team like Bangor.SAY WHAT, SAIVAUGHN? ...One of the challenges for the Northwestern defense will be stopping running back Saivaughn Vass, who has rushed for 571 yards this season, good enough for second among running backs in the Colonial League. Last week, Southern Lehigh was able to hold Vass to just 39 yards on 11 carries, but in the two previous weeks, he ran for just under a combined 300 yards against Palmerton and Salisbury."They like to run the ball, so we have to try to keep that to a minimum and put them in situations where it's going to be tougher for them to run, but it's tough to do that with Vass, because he can be so tough," said Snyder.NOT IN OUR HOUSE, OR YOUR HOUSE... Bangor has had a tough time putting any points on the board against Northwestern. Last season, the Tigers beat the Slaters in The Jungle by a 39-0 score. In 2014, they downed Bangor 41-0 at Farnan Field in Bangor.FALSE ALARM... Bangor had hoped to start turning things around this season, and for a while, it looked like they might. The Slaters opened the season with back-to-back tough against Saucon Valley and Notre Dame, dropping both games by a combined 98-36 score. In Week 3, they played Northern Lehigh tough, but lost 39-33. The Slaters came right back and beat Salisbury in Week 4, but two losses since have Bangor at 1-5 and looking up at the four teams ahead of them in the East Division.No. Lehigh at Saucon VyFriday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:HISTORICALLY EVEN... Northern Lehigh (2-4) and Saucon Valley have split their meetings over the last 12 seasons. The Panthers have won the last three contests, outscoring NL by an 89-41 margin. "Saucon is a big, physical team that wants to run first," said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. "But they'll use play-action off the running game. They have a quick tailback and a quarterback that run the veer extremely well and also throws well. I believe this will be without question the biggest team that we face all year. On the offensive line, they are very big and when they lock on you, they get great push."HOLD ON TIGHT... The Bulldogs need to take care of the football. They have a -12 plus-minus so far this season.YOU'RE MY FAVORITE... Receiver Austin Hemingway has been the overwhelmingly favorite target on the Bulldogs' offense. Hemingway has 19 catches for 254 yards, while the rest of the team has 20 combined receptions.LOOKING TO REBOUND... Northwestern gave Saucon (5-1) its first loss of the season last week, 15-7. However, the Panthers held the Tigers to just 74 yards of total offense during the loss. "Saucon moved the ball very well last week, and I thought the heavy rain and field conditions had an impact on the outcome of the game," said Tout. "We will need our best effort of the year this week. We are focusing on ourselves this week, rather than getting caught up on our opponent. We feel we played our worst game of the year last week, and we are challenging our team to come back with more focus this week."Pleasant Vy. at DieruffFriday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.Here's what you need to know:WHAT A RUN... Pleasant Valley (5-1) has won four straight games over Dieruff (2-4) from 2012-15, averaging 46.5 points per game in those four victories. Despite the recent run of success, Pleasant Valley head coach Mark Versuk knows his team can't overlook the Huskies (2-4). "Dieruff presents a lot of problems," Versuk said. "They have a lot of skill guys. Coach (Kyle) Beller does a good job with their offense and defense. It's their homecoming, so we have to go down there and be ready to go. We're just excited to try to get our sixth win of the season."LOOKING FOR IMPROVEMENT... The Bears allowed several big plays on special teams in last week's 52-38 win over East Stroudsburg South, including an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. "We'd like to play some better defense," Versuk said. "The defense, I really feel has been improved. We really put ourseleves in bad positions with special teams. That's the area we've been focusing on this week is improving the kickoff coverage, and just tightening up special teams. If they are going to score, let's at least make them go 70 yards instead of 10 yards or a free touchdown. So that's the goal this week, and continue to get better on defense."BUZZ IN THE AIR... With Pleasant Valley securing its fourth -straight win last Friday, there is a sense of excitement in the community. "We try to take it one at a time, but the kids are excited," Versuk said. "The school and the community are excited about the football team and where they stand right now. We just want to continue our success. If you go to see a Pleasant Valley game in Brodheadsville, I wish we were up by more, but you're getting your money's worth. You're getting to see a lot of exciting games. As long as we're on the winning side, I guess I can live with that."BACK AND FORTH... Pleasant Valley held a 16-8 lead over East Stroudsburg South last Friday before the two teams combined for 44 points in the third quarter. Despite the swings in momentum, Versuk never saw his team get down mentally. "I didn't see panic in our offensive guys' faces," he said. "When we would come back in the huddle after a kickoff - we always huddle up on the sidelines on the first play - I didn't see any panic. I didn't see any panic or concern at all. And that's what I expect from those guys. The whole line is back, and we have a bunch of seniors there. (Brandon) Keyes (quarterback) is in his second year now, and he has a year in as the starter, so he's continuing to grow. It's been pretty special so far."