FB FRIDAY: Week 3 preview, Big schools begin league play
Sep. 9—LEHIGHTON — The Schuylkill/Colonial Football Cooperative schedule begins tonight for the two big-school divisions, and it provides a fresh start for three local teams looking for their first win of the season.
Pottsville, Lehighton and Jim Thorpe have opened the 2022 campaign with a pair of losses and will look to get into the win column tonight. The Crimson Tide and Indians square off at the Lehighton Multi-Purpose Stadium in a Gold Division contest while the Olympians entertain Salisbury in a Red Division matchup.
Other Schuylkill/Colonial games involving local teams have Blue Mountain traveling to Northwestern Lehigh, Pine Grove taking on North Schuylkill and Tamaqua hosting Notre Dame-Green Pond.
League play in the Heartland Conference and Mid-Penn Liberty division also begins tonight, with Mount Carmel traveling to Warrior Run, Shamokin hosting Miffinburg and Upper Dauphin facing Camp Hill.
Pottsville was outscored 104-12 in its first two games, losses to state powers Jersey Shore and Wyomissing. The start of league play gives the Tide a chance to flush the first two games and start anew.
"Even though we looked bad in the first two games versus two really good teams, they were exhibition games," Pottsville coach Tom McGeoy said. "Our goal to compete for a Gold Division title is still in reach, so it is kind of a fresh start for us. But we have to play a lot better, to even consider any of that."
Both the Tide (828) and Indians (853) have given up a ton of yards through two games. Pottsville surrendered 407 total yards to Jersey Shore and 421 to Wyomissing, while Lehighton gave up 414 yards in a loss to Palmerton and 439 in a loss to Tamaqua.
The Indians, however, have been able to move the ball on offense and score points, while Pottsville has struggled offensively.
Lehighton quarterback Brady O'Donnell leads the area in passing, completing 38-of-62 for 516 yards and four touchdowns. He's also rushed 20 times for 145 yards and three scores. Ian Rarick leads the area in receiving yards, hauling in 18 passes for 308 yards and two TDs.
"Lehighton's offense can be explosive at times," McGeoy said. "Their QB has done a really nice job throwing the ball, but we are even more impressed with how he has run the ball. He is definitely a threat. Plus they have good weapons around him.
"Lehighton has been unfortunate to get behind early in their two losses but they battled back in both behind some big plays on the offensive side of the ball."
Offensively, Pottsville has rushed for just 91 yards in two games while quarterback Tejay Allen is 18-of-28 for 123 yards and two interceptions.
McGeoy and his staff expected growing pains with the offense, considering the Tide had to replace all of their skill-position starters from a year ago and tight end Joey Palko suffered a broken hand during the preseason.
He's hoping a better performance on the defensive end jump-starts the offense, too.
"We have to be better in all phases of the game," McGeoy said. "If we are going to compete and win games, the defense has to start getting stops. We let up a lot of points in the first two games and have not put the offense in any good situations to score.
"If we can come out (tonight) and get a few stops early, maybe force a turnover, I think that will go a long way in helping our defense gain some confidence and get back to playing good defense. Saying that is easier than actually doing it. Lehighton will be a very tough test for us."
Here's a look at the rest of the Week 3 schedule involving local teams. All the games this week will be tonight:
Blue Mountain (1-1) at
Northwestern Lehigh (1-1)
Players to Watch: Blue Mountain — RB Payton Fasnacht. Northwestern Lehigh — QB Cade Christopher
Breakdown: The Eagles have struggled to run the ball so far, gaining just 98 yards in two games. Creating some holes for Fasnacht and the other backs will take some pressure off QB Will Jacobson, who was harassed all night last week by North Schuylkill and threw three interceptions. A balanced offense will be needed to upend the Tigers, who are coming off a loss to Northern Lehigh last week. Christopher ran for four TDs and threw for another in Northwestern Lehigh's Week 1 win over Tamaqua.
Pine Grove (1-1)
at North Schuylkill (1-1)
Players to Watch: Pine Grove — RB/LB Nick Wolff. North Schuylkill — WR/DB Joey Flail
Breakdown: The Cardinals move up to the Red Division and have the unenviable task of taking on defending division champ North Schuylkill in their league opener. The Spartans got the ball in Flail's hands more often last week and the results were very positive. Expect more of the same this week. The key for the Cardinals comes up front, where they need to contain the Spartans' fierce pass rush and create some running lanes.
Notre Dame-Green Pond (1-1)
at Tamaqua (1-1)
Radio/TV: WMGH 105.5 FM
Players to Watch: Notre Dame-Green Pond — QB Danny Darno. Tamaqua — WR/DB Connor Dillon
Breakdown: The Blue Raiders got a big game from Dillon both rushing (9-107) and receiving (4-134) in last week's shootout win over Lehighton and tonight face a Crusaders' team stinging from a one-point loss to Southern Lehigh. Darno has thrown for 424 yards and two TDs so far, with Josh Ludlow (8-189) his main target. Being able to run the football and control the clock are key for Blue Raiders.
Salisbury (0-2) at Jim Thorpe (0-2)
Players to Watch: Salisbury — RB Josh Brooks. Jim Thorpe — RB Salvatore Capria
Breakdown: The Olympians' 0-2 start might be the biggest surprise of the season so far. Tonight provides a perfect chance to right the ship, as the Falcons have struggled in losses to Panther Valley and Saucon Valley. Getting Capria, who rushed for 213 yards in the opener, going on the ground will be a big first step.
Schuylkill Haven (1-1) at Williams Valley (2-0)
Players to Watch: Schuylkill Haven — OL/DL Chase Williams. Williams Valley — OL/DL Ezriah Hite
Breakdown: The Hurricanes' big, young offensive line cleared the way for a rushing attack that produced 390 yards in a win over Nativity. They'll need to do the same tonight if Haven wants to challenge a Williams Valley squad that is clicking on all cylinders. Handling the Vikings' front, especially Hite, will be difficult.
Minersville (1-1) at Shenandoah Valley (0-2)
Radio/TV: WAVT 101.9 FM
Live updates: Follow Republican Herald correspondent Chuck Curley on Twitter @ChuckCurley
Players to Watch: Minersville — RB Luke Stevenosky. Shenandoah Valley — WR Nick Ryan
Breakdown: The Miners look to notch the 600th victory in program history as they take on a Blue Devils squad that has been outscored 89-22 in two games. Stevenosky had a big game last week, rushing for 118 yards and two TDs. Expect more of the same tonight. Getting the ball in Ryan's hands as much as possible is Shenandoah Valley's goal.
Mahanoy Area (2-0) at Panther Valley (1-1)
Radio/TV: WLSH 1450 AM
Players to Watch: Mahanoy Area — OL/DL David Sanchez. Panther Valley — WR Mergim Bushati
Breakdown: The Golden Bears have looked impressive so far, controlling the line of scrimmage behind Sanchez and his veteran linemates, racking up 604 yards rushing in two games. They should be able to control the line of scrimmage against the Panthers, who struggled to move the ball in last week's shutout loss to Tri-Valley.
Catasauqua (0-2) at Marian (1-1)
Players to Watch: Catasauqua — QB Christian Fye. Marian — QB/DE Bruce Hopeck
Breakdown: The Colts will look to start a new win streak when they entertain a Rough Riders' squad that has dropped decisions to Northern Lehigh and Palmerton. Marian needs to control the line of scrimmage, as Catasauqua has struggled to protect Fye in both games. The Colts have completed just 5-of-15 passes for 81 yards in two games.
Nativity (1-1) at Kutztown (0-2)
Players to Watch: Nativity — WR/DB Noah Dolbin. Kutztown — QB Jacob Lafferty
Breakdown: The Green Wave will look to bounce back from last Friday's loss to Schuylkill Haven when they travel to Berks County to take on the winless Cougars. Kutztown has given up 105 points in two games, losing to Fleetwood and York Vo-Tech. Getting the ball in the hands of Dolbin, who had five catches for 120 yards last week, will help Nativity's cause.
Line Mountain (0-2) at Tri-Valley (2-0)
Players to Watch: Line Mountain — RB/LB Nolan Baumert. Tri-Valley — QB Kole Miller
Breakdown: The Dawgs won last week without RB Kameron Wetzel, who was injured in season opener. Tonight they face old Tri-Valley League rival Line Mountain, which has been outscored 93-13 in losses to Penns Valley and Danville. A first-year starter, Miller has looked good under center so far for Tri-Valley.
Mount Carmel (2-0) at Warrior Run (0-2)
Radio/TV: www.blackdiamondsports.net
Players to Watch: Mount Carmel — RB Xavier Diaz. Warrior Run — RB/LB Stone Allison
Breakdown: After two impressive wins over North Schuylkill and Dunmore, Tornadoes begin a stretch of five Heartland Conference Division III games in which they will be heavy favorites. The Defenders, for example, gave up 75 points last week to Hamburg. Key for Mount Carmel is to stay in rhythm offensively and to stay healthy for big matchups later in season.
Mifflinburg (2-0) at Shamokin (1-1)
Radio/TV: www.blackdiamondsports.net
Players to Watch: Mifflinburg — QB Troy Dressler. Shamokin — DB Chase Pensyl
Breakdown: Not a good matchup for the Indians, who have struggled to score points in two games and face a Wildcats squad that has pitched shutouts over Midd-West (54-0) and Central Columbia (35-0). Dressler has thrown for 360 yards and five TDs in two games. Heartland Conference Division I opener for both clubs.
Eastern York (1-1) at Hamburg (2-0)
Players to Watch: Eastern York — QB Austin Billet. Hamburg — RB/LB Derek Ruiz
Breakdown: Hamburg AD Aaron Menapace gets kudos here, scrambling to find an opponent after Fairfield couldn't field a team for tonight's game. He found the Golden Knights, who beat Fairfield 24-7 last week to give new coach Bud Kyle his first win. Hamburg leads the area in scoring with 123 points in two games.
Camp Hill (2-0) at Upper Dauphin (1-1)
Players to Watch: Camp Hill — QB Drew Branstetter. Upper Dauphin — RB/DB Konner Walker
Breakdown: The Trojans will look to win their second straight when they host the Lions in their Mid-Penn Liberty opener. Camp Hill has opened the season with wins over Newport and York Catholic. Branstetter threw for 258 yards and three TDs vs. Newport, while linebacker Tommy Corbin had 13 tackles. Walker scored three TDs in last Friday's rout of Shenandoah.
Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter
