FB FRIDAY: Week 1 Preview, Spartans, Tornadoes square off

Aug. 26—FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — It's rare that the two best high school football teams in our area square off in Week 1.

That will be the case tonight in Fountain Springs.

Mount Carmel visits Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium tonight to take on North Schuylkill in a matchup of teams ranked in the PennLive.com preseason state rankings.

The Red Tornadoes, who went 10-3 and reached the District 4 Class AA championship game last season before losing to eventual state champion Southern Columbia, are ranked No. 5 in Class AA.

The Spartans, who went 11-2 and won the District 11 Class 3A crown before falling to Neumann-Goretti in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs, are No. 8 in Class 3A.

Both teams return veteran squads — especially up front — and enter the 2022 season with championship expectations. The 101st all-time battle between border rivals shapes up to be one of the best ever.

"It's always a great game, regardless of what a team brings back or what a team is actually doing," North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall said. "Number one, it's Week 1, so there a lot of excitement, there's a lot of energy, but there's also a lot of emotion, something that you have to be careful about."

In addition to the preseason hype and state-wide rankings, Mount Carmel and North Schuylkill are very similar in several aspects.

Both clubs return mammoth offensive lines.

Mount Carmel's front of Matthew Kelley (6-foot-4, 330 pounds), Nick Nestico (6-1, 280), Kelin Geary (6-0, 250), Noah Shimko (6-5, 290), Michael Langton (6-1, 260) and tight end Matt Scicchitano (6-4, 275) averages 6-2 1/2 , 281 pounds.

North Schuylkill's line of Steven Davis (6-2, 260), Robbie Weitz (6-0, 320), Brady Salukas (6-1, 265), Sander Stokes (6-3, 265) and Yerick Tlacuatl (6-1, 215) tips the scales at 6-1 1/2 , 265, while Aiden Zilker (6-3, 260) will also see time.

Both squads will feature new starting quarterbacks and new running backs carrying the football. Junior Cole Spears will start under center for Mount Carmel, while junior Trevor Minalda takes the reins from two-time Republican Herald Offensive Player of the Year Jake Hall for the Spartans.

Behind them, expect to see Xavier Diaz, Luke Blessing and Jacob Zarski carry for the Red Tornadoes. Jared Tinari and Ricky Halford will see the bulk of the carries for North Schuylkill until Jaxson Chowansky returns from injury.

Mount Carmel leads the all-time series 76-22-2, but North Schuylkill has won the last seven meetings, including 33-14 last season in a lightning-delayed contest at the Silver Bowl.

"They have a lot of players returning. They're solid up front and they're big up front," Hall said of Mount Carmel. "I like our matchups up front with them. But they have great skill; they have a lot of great skill guys returning, guys that can really run.

"They have a really good football team. Tough football team to prepare for, but that's our challenge Week 1."

Here's a look at the rest of the Week 1 schedule, with each team's 2021 record in parentheses:

TONIGHT

Pottsville (8-3)

at Jersey Shore (14-1)

Radio/TV: WPPA 1360 AM, 105.9 FM; www.wpparadio.com

Players to Watch: Pottsville — QB Tejay Allen. Jersey Shore — QB Brady Jordan

Breakdown: Tough opener for the Tide, as the Bulldogs return 10 offensive starters and eight starters on defense from a squad that won the District 4 Class 4A crown and reached the PIAA Class 4A semifinals last season. Pottsville needs to rely on its defense to keep the Tide in games until its newcomers on offense get acclimated to their new roles. Stopping Jordan, who passed for 2,099 yards and 20 TDs and rushed for 1,016 yards and 14 scores a year ago, will be task No. 1.

Blue Mountain (4-6)

at Jim Thorpe (7-5)

Players to Watch: Blue Mountain — RB James Seaman. Jim Thorpe — OL/DL Noah Rosahac

Breakdown: The Eagles pulled off a stunner last season with a 30-20 victory over the Olympians in the season opener at the Eagles' Nest in Orwigsburg. Can they do it again on the turf at Olympian Stadium? Containing Rosahac and Bryson Heydt up front will be the key for a young Eagles offensive line. For Jim Thorpe, getting its running game going is critical to the Olympians' success.

Marian (4-7)

at Schuylkill Haven (3-7)

Radio/TV: WLSH 1450 AM

Players to Watch: Marian — OL/DL Rawlin Melendez. Schuylkill Haven — RB Aiden Myers

Breakdown: The Colts will look to continue the momentum they built at the end of the season with four straight wins as Melendez anchors a veteran line that will look to clear holes for RB Matt Martin. The Hurricanes return a bevy of skill-position players, led by Myers, but break in a new line. Team that wins the battle up front will be the most successful. Haven won last year's matchup 21-6.

Tri-Valley (9-2)

at Minersville (6-5)

Live updates: Follow Republican Herald correspondent Chuck Curley on Twitter @ChuckCurley

Players to Watch: Tri-Valley — RB/DB Kameron Wetzel. Minersville — WR/DB Brett Polinsky

Breakdown: The Dawgs return a veteran squad that rolled to a 47-7 win over the Miners in last year's season opener. The running attack of Wetzel and Jacob Scheib is tough to stop. Minersville breaks in a new QB in its Air Raid offense.

Williams Valley (9-3)

at Upper Dauphin (9-2)

Players to Watch: Williams Valley — RB/DB Alex Achenbach. Upper Dauphin — RB/CB Brady Morgan

Breakdown: The Vikes and Trojans renew their border rivalry after a two-year absence. Both squads have high-powered offenses with several key returnees. The last time these two clubs met, in 2019, Upper Dauphin won 60-30. Expect lots of points in this one, too.

Wyalusing (2-8) at Nativity (5-6)

Live updates: Follow Republican Herald sports writer Eli Doyle on Twitter @iamelidoyle

Players to Watch: Wyalusing — QB Cade McMicken. Nativity — RB Sam Spolski

Breakdown: The Green Wave must replace 17 seniors lost to graduation but return a young and talented nucleus. How quickly those youngsters adapt to the varsity level will determine Nativity's success. Week 1 is a good measuring stick as Wyalusing features new starters at all the skill positions.

Tamaqua (3-7) at Northwestern Lehigh (11-1)

Radio/TV: WMGH 105.5 FM

Players to Watch: Tamaqua — RB/LB Warren Stewart. Northwestern Lehigh — QB/WR/DB Cade Christopher

Breakdown: The Blue Raiders return four starters up front and a talented running back duo of Stewart and Isaac Curvey, so controlling the line of scrimmage and establishing their ground game are keys to success for Tamaqua. The Tigers lost all-star QB Justin Holmes, but Christopher is one of seven returning starters on offense and six on defense for a squad that reached the District 11 Class 4A final a year ago.

Mahanoy Area (4-7) at Morrisville (2-9)

Players to Watch: Mahanoy Area — QB/DB Colm McGroarty. Morrisville — QB Keizon Rankins

Breakdown: The Golden Bears make the long trek to the Philly area to take on the Bulldogs, who play in the Bicentennial Athletic League. Establishing the line of scrimmage and being efficient on offense are keys for Mahanoy. Morrisville gave up 35.3 points per game a year ago.

Panther Valley (0-8) at Salisbury (2-8)

Players to Watch: Panther Valley — FB/DL Austin Hadley. Salisbury — QB Nick Beck

Breakdown: The Panthers and Falcons are meeting for the first time, according to available records, and both looking for rebound seasons. Panther Valley needs to transition the positive energy and excitement from preseason camp to the playing field, and a big night from Hadley will help that. Salisbury graduated four linemen, but returns seven starters on both sides of the ball.

Northern Lebanon (4-7) at Pine Grove (1-9)

Players to Watch: Northern Lebanon — TE/LB Luke Shaffer. Pine Grove — RB/DB Lane Lehman

Breakdown: The Cardinals begin the Dave Shiffer Era with a home game that was originally slated to be held at Northern Lebanon. The key for the Cards is to establish their running game behind a really big offensive line. Vikings, who reached the District 3 Class 3A playoffs a year ago, won last year's meeting 13-7.

Lehighton (1-9) at Palmerton (9-3)

Radio/TV: Blue Ridge Cable TV-13

Players to Watch: Lehighton — WR/DB Ian Rarick. Palmerton — QB/DB Matt Machalik

Breakdown: Indians are looking for a rebound season after struggling in 2021. The Blue Bombers, who reached the District 11 AA final a year ago, are a tough Week 1 matchup, paced by dual-threat QB Machalik, who rushed for 1,539 yards and scored 31 TDs while passing for 1,308 yards and nine scores.

Hamburg (7-4) at Halifax (1-7)

Players to Watch: Hamburg — QB Xander Menapace. Halifax — RB/LB Isaac Miller

Breakdown: The Hawks are coming off the first District 3 playoff victory in program history and return several key players from that squad. Protecting Menapace and giving him time to throw will be key to the Hamburg offense. Halifax gave up 48.4 points per game last season.

SATURDAY

Shenandoah Valley (2-7) at Col-Mon Vo-Tech (0-9)

Live updates: Follow Republican Herald correspondent Matt Beltz on Twitter @mattbeltz_

Players to Watch: Shenandoah Valley — WR Nick Ryan. CMVT — RB Toby Zajac

Breakdown: The key to success this season for Shenandoah Valley is to get players to step up and fill the leadership roles Owen Kosar and Joey Vevasis held last season. Getting the ball in the hands of Ryan as much as possible will help that process. The Rams are coming off a winless campaign in which they were outscored 436-82, but Zajac rushed for over 100 yards in season finale against Marian.

Shamokin (5-6) at Lewisburg (5-5)

At Bucknell University

Radio/TV: www.blackdiamondsports.net

Live updates: Follow Republican Herald correspondent Matt Beltz on Twitter @mattbeltz_

Players to Watch: Shamokin — QB Brett Nye. Lewisburg — RB/WR/DB Cam Michaels

Breakdown: Rematch of last year's season opener, which the Indians won 6-3. Expectations are high this season for Shamokin, with the return of Nye being a big reason why. Getting new running backs involved in offense is key to early season success.

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter