The Week 9 Times News Game of the Week is a matchup that most football enthusiasts throughout the area had circled at the start of the season. It pits the Times News area’s best offense in Tamaqua versus the area’s best defense in Jim Thorpe – a true game of chess that will take place on Friday night.

The game will have a huge impact on both the Schuylkill League Division 1 championship race and the District 11 3A postseason bracket.

The key matchup in this one will be the high-powered multi-faceted Raiders (8-0, 4-0) offense against the always tough Olympians’ (7-1, 2-1) Red Swarm defense.

Balance and playmaking ability, coupled with a strong offensive line unit has made the Tamaqua offense extremely effective. It all starts with the Raiders do-it-all weapon, Nate Boyle. Boyle, who lines up all over the field and leads the team with 19 touchdowns. The junior has rushed for 620 yards and has caught 30 passes for 462 yards.

If Boyle serves as the lighting rod for the Tamaqua offense, then veteran running back and Raiders all-time leading rusher Nick Breiner serves as the conductor. Breiner’s capacity to inflict his physicality on the opposition has been evident this season, as he’s rushed for 995 yards and 14 touchdowns for an impressive nine yards per carry.

Tamaqua’s rushing attack, however, isn’t all that has set it apart. A big reason why the Raiders have an average of 26.25 points per victory over Schuylkill League Division 1 foes this season is because of an efficient passing game. Raiders’ quarterback Brayden Knoblauch has thrown for 1,022 yards with 11 touchdowns, and wide receiver Matt Kistler (357 yards) has taken the next step to form an aerial attack that Tamaqua faithful have not seen in a very long time. Tamaqua’s high-octane running game, paired with its passing attack, makes it extremely hard for defenses to keep it out of the end zone.

“You look at what they have offensively, and they have playmakers all over the field. I think, obviously, you have to know where Nate Boyle is at all times, but they have a ton of weapons, which certainly makes it challenging for any defense,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “The trenches will be key. We must be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Tamaqua really fires off the ball well, so we know that will be a challenge for us as well.”

The Olympians will be looking to create as much pressure as they possibly can on the Tamaqua backfield. That pressure has helped them come away with some dominating statistics, so far, in 2018. Thorpe has given up a mere 3.9 points per game and just 76.3 yards per contest.

The Olympians defensive line is what has given most teams issues, with staple all-state defensive end Dylan Dailey and other disruptors in defensive tackle Ethan Mordaunt and defensive end Nate Rosahac causing chaos consistently. Dailey has been in the opposition’s backfield time and again this season, leading the team with 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. Mourdaunt has 19 tackles for loss, while Rosahac has accumulated nine. Thorpe middle linebacker Collin Jacobs has also been good at making plays behind the line of scrimmage, with 14 tackles for a loss.

Creating pressure and making the Raiders one-dimensional on the offensive side of the ball will be the goals for the Red Swarm defense come Friday night.

“This is the best, if not the best, defense we’re going to face all season long. Being a top defensive team is something those guys take pride in every year, and you can see that with they play the game,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “For us, we just need to continue to execute and play our game. I think what will be key for us is to not allow the big play. That obviously killed us last year. We need to put four quarters of good football together and play the best we can all the way until the last whistle blows.”

The big play Bonner is talking about is the hail mary play that the Olympians converted to win at Tamaqua a season ago. Thorpe was able to then beat the Raiders again later in the season in the District 11 3A playoffs.

There are more questions than answers heading into this huge matchup. Can the Olympians stop the Raiders passing attack after Thorpe has shown some weakness in defending the pass this season? Can the Raiders keep the vaunted Red Swarm defense from getting pressure on Knoblauch and its running backs? Who will emerge as the favorite to win the District 11 3A championship?

These are all questions that will be answered on Friday night, but one thing that’s not a question is that after the shows that these two teams put on last year, fans will certainly not be disappointed.