FB FRIDAY: Week 9 Game Preview Capsules
Oct. 19—Pottsville (3-5) at Southern Lehigh (8-0)
Radio/TV: WPPA 1360 AM, 105.9 FM
Breakdown: Good news for Tide is that if the season ended today, they would play at Shamokin in the Eastern Conference Class 4A title game. Bad news is tonight they face one of the top teams in all of District 11 in the unbeaten Spartans in a Schuylkill/Colonial Gold Division game. Parrish McFarland rushed for 155 yards and two TDs in last Friday's rout of Wilson. He needs 177 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
Bangor (5-3) at Blue Mountain (6-2)
Breakdown: Interesting Schuylkill/Colonial Gold Division game between two teams in line to make the District 11 Class 4A playoffs. Eagles have been clicking offensively behind RB Payton Fasnacht and QB Tyler Miller and their defense has scored on three interception returns over the past two weeks. Bangor hasn't beaten a team with a winning record this season.
Salisbury (0-8) at North Schuylkill (6-2)
Breakdown: After suffering a tough loss last Friday at unbeaten Palmerton, banged-up Spartans get a chance to recuperate when they host the winless Falcons in a Red Division game. Salisbury has been outscored 346-89 so far this season. North Schuylkill should lock up a Class 3A quarterfinal home game with a victory.
Lehighton (2-6) at Saucon Valley (3-5)
Breakdown: A matchup of two struggling teams that should make the eight-team District 11 Class 3A field. Indians yielded 445 total yards and more than 40 points for the fourth straight week in a 54-12 loss to Southern Lehigh last week. Panthers gave up 288 yards rushing and threw two pick-6s in a 40-14 loss to Blue Mountain last week.
Pine Grove (2-6) at Notre Dame-GP (5-3)
Breakdown: Cardinals finally had the ball bounce their way last week with a shutout win over Salisbury. Pine Grove hopes to take that momentum into a road trip to red-hot NDGP, which has scored 42 and 63 points the past two weeks in routs of Northern Lehigh and Jim Thorpe. Cards RB Lane Lehman needs 103 yards to reach 1,000.
Jim Thorpe (2-6) at Northern Lehigh (3-5)
Breakdown: The Olympians actually led Notre Dame-GP 14-7 last Friday on two TD passes by Cole Lazorick before surrendering eight straight touchdowns. A more complete effort could see Jim Thorpe snap its three-game win streak. Bulldogs, who have dropped three of their last four, need a win to stay in District 11 Class A playoff picture.
Tamaqua (4-4) at Palmerton (8-0)
Radio/TV: WMGH 105.5 FM
Breakdown: The Blue Raiders will take a four-game win streak on the road, hoping to hand the Blue Bombers their first loss in this Red Division matchup. Led by QB Matt Machalik, Palmerton is coming off a win over North Schuylkill in which it ran for 348 yards and had 537 yards of offense.
Minersville (7-1) at Schuylkill Haven (7-1)
Live updates: Follow Republican Herald sports editor Leroy Boyer on Twitter/X @pubsportsboss
Radio/TV: WAVT 101.9 FM
Breakdown: The Game of the Week pits the area's two teams with the best records as the Miners and Hurricanes square off for the Schuylkill/Colonial White Division title. A battle of two great ground attacks, with Luke Stevenosky (1,722 yards, 27 TDs) breaking records for the Miners and Aiden Myers (1,032 yards, 10 TDs) and Niko Carestia (772 yards, 11 TDs) running wild for the Hurricanes. Minersville won this game in a shootout 47-39 last year, with QB Dante Carr passing all over the place. Expect Rotary Field to be rocking.
Pen Argyl (4-4) at Panther Valley (2-6)
Radio/TV: WLSH 1410 AM
Breakdown: Pen Argyl is a few plays away from being 7-1 and the Green Knights need a win to keep their District 11 Class AA playoff hopes alive when they visit Lansford. Panther Valley has lost its last four games, giving up 224 points (56 ppg) in that span.
Marian (5-3) at Tri-Valley (5-3)
Breakdown: It might be time to push the panic button in Hegins, as the Dawgs' season has unraveled in fourth-quarter losses to Nativity and Mahanoy Area the past two weeks. Marian, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from a loss to Williams Vallely. Both squads need a win to boost their District 11 Class A playoff hopes. The status of Tri-Valley RB Noah Porter (ankle) could play a big role in the outcome here.
Williams Valley (6-2) at Shen. Valley (2-6)
Live updates: Follow correspondent Chuck Curley on Twitter/X @ChuckCurley
Breakdown: The Vikings look to win their fourth straight and clinch the Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division title when they trek to Shenandoah to face the Blue Devils. Vikes' RB Alex Achenbach needs just 100 yards to go over 2,000 for the season. Shenandoah Valley gave up 297 yards rushing last week in suffering its third straight loss.
Mount Carmel (6-2) at Shikellamy (2-6)
Radio/TV: www.blackdiamondsports.net
Breakdown: The Red Tornadoes pulled off the upset of the season to date last Friday, compiling a whopping 507 total yards of offense in a 42-30 win over Southern Columbia. QB Cole Spears set the MCA single-game passing yardage record with 336 yards and Xavier Diaz had 10 catches to break the single-game receptions mark. Luke Blessing (983 yards) is on the verge of becoming Tornadoes' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2019.
Shamokin (4-4) at Nanticoke (5-3)
Radio/TV: www.blackdiamondsports.net
Breakdown: Indians venture north to Luzerne County take on a Trojans squad that has won four straight and averaged 43 points per game while doing so. Shamokin won for the third time in four games last week as RB Zakeem Clinton (13-70) returned to the lineup and QB Brad Latsha threw for a season-best 160 yards in a win over Central Columbia.
Big Spring (4-4) at Upper Dauphin (5-3)
Breakdown: Trojans welcome former Mount Carmel and Hamburg coach Joe Sinkovich to Elizabethville for a non-conference clash. Bulldogs compete in the Mid-Penn Capital Division, earning an overtime win over Camp Hill (29-28) and beating Boiling Springs while suffering close losses to Steel-High, Trinity and unbeaten West Perry (38-35). Trojans, who have lost QB Aiden Bingaman (knee) for the season due to injury, won this game in a shootout last year, 42-35.
Northern Lebanon (4-4) at Hamburg (4-4)
Breakdown: A Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 matchup of two teams going in opposite directions. Hawks have lost four of their last five, while Vikings have won two straight after competitive losses to Lancaster Catholic and Schuylkill Valley. Hamburg QB Tyler Shuey continues to fill up the stat charts, throwing for 2,163 yards and 20 TDs so far.
Saturday's game
Mahanoy Area (2-6) vs. Nativity (5-3)
Where/When: North Schuylkill, 6 p.m.
Radio/TV: WAVT 101.9 FM
Breakdown: The Green Wave look to shore up a District 11 Class A playoff berth when they host the red-hot Bears in a Saturday evening contest at North Schuylkill. Nativity's ground game has been clicking on all cylinders, rushing for 297 yards last week in a win over Shenandoah Valley that saw both John Borrell (17-147) and Sam Spolski (18-124) go over 100 yards. Golden Bears' ground game is potent as well, as Colm McGroarty ran for 160 yards and three scores in a win over Tri-Valley. One of the best games of the weekend.
— Compiled by Leroy Boyer
Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter
