Shenandoah Valley-Panther Valley

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Shenandoah Valley (0-3, 0-3 AFL); Panther Valley (0-3, 0-3 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Schuylkill Haven def. Shenandoah Valley, 22-0; Mahanoy Area def. Panther Valley, 19-12IMPACT PLAYERS: Shenandoah Valley - Ian McCole is the quarterback who is a threat as much on the ground as he is through the air. Look for McCole to be the focal point of the Blue Devils' offense. Panther Valley - Dylan Moyer (Offensive Guard/Defense End) has been an anchor on the offensive line and has been applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long.FAST FACTS: Panther Valley was victorious over Shenandoah 34-21 last season ... Shenandoah holds the series lead, 7-3, over the past decade ... After giving up 82 points in the first two contests of 2014, the Panthers defense stepped up and allowed just 19 points in last week's loss against Mahanoy Area ... Look for Rian Shubeck of Panther Valley to make the difference in the contest on both sides of the line of scrimmage.QUOTABLE: "The kids are very excited to try and get a win on their homecoming game. We've been playing well at home and they're excited to go out there and try to get win number one. Our offensive line blocked well last week, and Shubeck and Suveg ran well behind it. We had a good team defensive effort last week; we made a few mental mistakes that led to points which you can't do if you expect to win the game." - Panther Valley head coach Matt Davis.Pleasant Valley-AllenWHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Pleasant Valley (0-3, 0-3 EPC); Allen (0-3, 0-3 EPC)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Whitehall def. Pleasant Valley, 41-21; East Stroudsburg North def. Allen, 28-12.IMPACT PLAYERS: Pleasant Valley - Eric Marbury is a transfer student from Pius X. Coach Pacchioni noted him as a "differnce maker" on defense and special teams. The Bears' coach also noted that his addition in the secondary makes the Bears' defensive backfield one of the finest in the EPC. Marbury is regarded as a humble kid who loves the game. Not only is he a big hitter, he can change the momentum of the game by returning kicks. Allen - Wide receiver Malik Talib had five catches for 54 yards last week against East Stroudsburg North. Allen will be looking to move the ball through the air, so expect Talib to have a bunch of passes thrown in his direction.FAST FACTS: Five of Pleasant Valley's remaining seven games are all former Mountain Valley Conference opponents ... After just 16 total touches in the Bears' first two games, Austyn Borre touched the ball 18 times and exploded for 228 total yards against Whitehall ... In 2013 our nine Times News football teams averaged just over 23 ponts per game, and despite the slow start, Pleasant Valley is averaging a respectable 24 points per game this season through an extremely tough initial portion of its schedule ... Allen has produced just 25 points in its first three games ... The Canaries put the ball in the air 28 times last week, so the Bears' secondary will surely be tested.QUOTABLE: "Our kids were battle-tested the last few weeks. They really made me proud with how they performed and executed. We have seven games left and our goal at the beginning of the year was to play some meaningful games into November. Every game from here on out is considered a championship game. Austyn (Borre) needed that game against Whitehall, it goes to show you that he can compete against the highest level of competition and give our offense a boost. The bottom line is they want to win. The kids are a resilliant group and want nothing more than to get that first win. If we did a few things right last Friday it could have been a little different, but that's football and we need to go out and execute this coming Friday against William Allen." - Pleasant Valley head coach Dave PacchioniLehighton-Blue MountainWHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Lehighton (2-1, 2-1 AFL); Blue Mountain (2-1, 1-1 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: North Schuylkill def. Lehighton, 28-25; Blue Mountain def. Pottsville, 41-0.IMPACT PLAYERS: Lehighton - Offensive lineman/Linebacker Connor Frey has been extremely reliable and sound on both sides of the ball for the Indians through three weeks of play. Blue Mountain - William Horn is the Eagles' feature running back and he'll receive a bulk of the carries against Lehighton. Last week against Pottsville, Horn rushed for 115 yards and found the end zone twice.FAST FACTS: These two teams have not played since 2002 when Blue Mountain won a 29-7 decision ...Despite last week's loss, Lehighton's 25 second-half points are the most they've score in the second half of a contest this season ... The Indians are noted as a power-run team, but showed its diversity last week as quarterback Tyler Cann completed 13 of 19 passes for 142 yards ... The Eagles are searching for consistency, as they were shut out two weeks ago by North Schuylkill and was victorious in a shutout last week against Pottsville ... The Lehighton front-seven will certainly be tested, as Blue Mountain attempted just two passes in last week's win ... Last season Lehighton ranked first in the Times News coverage area in defensive yards per game (251), and they gave up just 268 last week to the AFL preseason favorite Spartans ... The Eagles are 10-4 against Anthracite League opponents over the past decade.QUOTABLE: "Blue Mountain poses a great challenge for us this week. We certainly can't look back and dwell on last week. We need to learn from last week and continue to move forward with a positive mindset. It's a long season and many of our goals are still within reach. I was disappointed that we didn't come out stronger against North Schuylkill in terms of our run game. That being said, I was extremely pleased with the way our kids battled in the second half last week. I was impressed with their willingness to compete until the end of the game. We need to bounce back much quicker when we face adversity if we want to be successful." - Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.Jim Thorpe-Tri-ValleyWHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Jim Thorpe (3-0, 3-0 AFL); Tri Valley (1-2, 0-2 TVL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Jim Thorpe def. Tamaqua 7-6; Williams Valley def. Tri-Valley 28-12.IMPACT PLAYERS: Jim Thorpe - Kevin Vitti (Linebacker) contributed double-digit tackles last week and was responsible for blocking Tamaqua's extra-point try which helped preserve the one-point Olympian victory. Tri-Valley: Hunter Harner is the signal caller for Tri-Valley. He rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and he is finally healthy in 2014. Harner tossed a touchdown last week and rushed for 94 yards on the ground. Expect him to see a lot of work against the Olympians.FAST FACTS: Jim Thorpe has played just one Tri-Valley league oponent since 2004 (Line Mountain def. Jim Thorpe 62-32 on 9/9/11) ... Jim Thorpe is 0-5 against Tri-Valley since 1979 ... The last time Jim Thorpe started out 3-0 was in 2007 when the Olympians finished with an overall record of 9-3 and reached the District 11 semifinals ... Thus far in 2014, the Olympians have given up just six points in 12 quarters of action ... Tri-Valley finished 8-3 in 2013, however, Schuylkill Haven was Tri-Valley's only AFL opponent last season and the Bulldogs were defeated, 42-0.QUOTABLE: "Our offense stumbled last week and we really have to get it moving. The kids are comfortable in the offense and Shane (Snisky) has been willing to put in the time and work to get better. We're confident in him. Tri-Valley has an outstanding quarterback who had an all-star season last year. However, our defense played outstanding last week, giving up just over a 100 yards against Tamaqua and I believe they will continue to play well." - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark RosenbergerSchuylkill Haven-TamaquaWHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Schuylkill Haven (2-1, 2-1 AFL); Tamaqua (1-2, 1-2 AFL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Schuylkill Haven def. Shenandoah Valley 22-0; Jim Thorpe def. Tamaqua 7-6.IMPACT PLAYERS: Schuylkill Haven - Will Casella is the man for Schuylkill Haven. Last week he carried the ball 27 times for 180 yards. Casella had well over 300 carries last season, and with quarterback Ryan Fink's status unknown, look for Casella to continue putting up huge numbers. Tamaqua - Chance Sabol (Defensive Line) has been a difference maker defensively for Sam Bonner's Raiders.FAST FACTS: Schuylkill Haven is 2-0 on the road in 2014, and Tamaqua is unbeaten with a 1-0 mark at home ... the Raiders have finished at .500 or better in five of the last six seasons ... Although Tamaqua is just 4-6 against Haven over the previous 10 seasons, the Raiders have won the last three meetings against the Hurricanes ... Bud Moyer will look to get back on track this week, as he was held to 55 yards against a stout Olympian defense ... Moyer did, however, contribute defensively as he had a fumble recovery last week for a touchdown which was Tamaqua's only score of the contest ... Last week Tamaqua's Ernie Shilko attempted 17 passes which was a season-high for him.QUOTABLE: "Our defense played a heck of a game last week against a good Jim Thorpe team. We're lmited right now offensively and we can't give up many points, and we definitely have some stuff to clean up. A lot of little things caught up to us, fumbling snaps and getting an extra point blocked. Schuylkill Haven isn't fancy and they're going to do what they always do. They're going to pound the ball at you with a big back. Our defense has to play gap control defense and have a good game for us. We're looking to be solid on both sides of the ball and bounce back this week." - Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner.Wilson-NorthwesternWHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Wilson (0-3, 0-3 CL); Northwestern (3-0, 3-0 CL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Northern Lehigh def. Wilson 20-15; Northwestern defeated Pen Argyl 45-6IMPACT PLAYERS: Northwestern - Kicker Brandon Miller not only nailed six extra points in last week's victory, but he added a 41-yard field goal with plenty to spare even though the footing was rough and the ball was heavy from a soaking rain. Miller is proving to be an unsung hero of the team. Wilson - Quarterback Nick Maston was able to complete 10-of-15 passes for 63 yards last week in a loss to Northern Lehigh. Maston, a junior, opened the season with a four interception game against Palmerton, but rebounded nicely to throw for 151 yards against Southern Lehigh with two touchdown passes. Overall, Maston has completed 45 percent of his passes this season for 275 yards.FAST FACTS: In last season's meeting, Northwestern won 26-0, gaining 369 yards of total offense in the win. Frank Dangello threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns, with the big play coming on a 64-yard strike to Harry Hall … Former Central Catholic and Penn State quarterback Matt Senneca is in his first season as the coach of the Warriors. Senneca spent seven seasons as an assistant at Liberty and two more as an assistant at Parkland before moving to the college ranks to serve as Moravian College's wide receivers coach in 2013… Last season was the first winless season for the Wilson Warriors, who finished 0-10, which came just four years after they won the Colonial League championship in an undefeated season.QUOTABLE: "They're tough kids, they're big kids. Their lines - both offense and defense - are probably the biggest that we've faced this season, so that's going to be a challenge. Labatch carried the ball 35 times last week and was over 190 yards and he's a workhorse, so we'll have to prepare for him, because we know that's what they like to do and he's a tough kid." - Northwestern coach Josh Snyder.Palmerton-PalisadesWHEN: Friday Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Palmerton (3-0, 3-0 CL); Palisades (2-1, 2-1 CL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Palmerton def. Bangor 54-13; Palisades def. Catasauqua 36-20IMPACT PLAYERS: Palmerton - With Palisades using a pounding running game, it'll be important for the Bombers' linebackers to back up the Bomber defensive line to keep things in check. Included in that talented group is Evan Tayntor and Isaac George. Palisades - Last week in the win over Catasauqua, Christian Gretzinger scored four touchdowns, two on one-yard runs, one on a three-yard run and one from six yards out. He rushed for 269 yards. In the win over Salisbury the week before, he rushed for 186 yards.FAST FACTS: Palisades defeated Palmerton, 39-22, last year to take a 14-8 lead in the series ... The Pirates won 10 straight from 2000 through 2009 before the Bombers broke the string with back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011... The Bombers had a well-balanced offense last week against Bangor, surpassing 200 yards both on the ground and through the air ... Palisades has had winning seasons in eight of the last 10 years, a feat accomplished by only one other Colonial League school (Northern Lehigh).QUOTABLE: "Palisades is a good team and a tough venue to play a game. Friday night is going to be another great test for us to determine our growth as a team and program. I know our players will be up for the challenge." - Palmerton coach Chris Walkowiak.Notre Dame-No. LehighWHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.RECORDS: Notre Dame (0-3, 0-3 CL); No. Lehigh (2-1, 2-1 CL)LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Salisbury def. Notre Dame 27-13; Northern Lehigh def. Wilson 20-15IMPACT PLAYERS: Notre Dame - transfer Kyle Arrington from Bethlehem Catholic broke loose against the Roughies and leads the Crusaders with 176 rushing yards. Northern Lehigh - Steven Scheib and Brandon Smith have been solid for the Bulldogs at defensive end and Tout is counting on them to stop the Crusaders, who run a lot of counter-trey on offensive.FAST FACTS: Crusaders defeated the Bulldogs 33-22 last year to end a 15-game win streak in the series by Northern Lehigh ... Since 1979, Nolehi leads the series 18-14 .... Bulldogs have to shy away from bad penalties and turnovers this week ... Nate Farber scored all 20 of his team's points in last week's win at Wilson ... The Bulldogs trailed last week's game at halftime before rallying for the victory. The win snapped a streak of 15 straight games they had lost when trailing at the break.QUOTABLE: "I think our defense is playing well. We fed off of the fake punt we ran in the third quarter at Wilson. I'm feeling pretty positive right now that if we just take care of ourselves, we'll be alright." - No. Lehigh coach Joe Tout.