Tamaqua will visit Lehighton

Lehighton is coming off a big road win over previously unbeaten North Schuylkill.

While Tamaqua is looking to bounce back after its first loss of the season to perennial Schuylkill League Football Division 1 power Pottsville.

A team looking to stay undefeated and a team looking to get back on track always makes for an intriguing matchup, especially when both teams are talented. Both teams will square off in our Times News Game of the Week on Friday.

Talent is a plenty in this game, with the Raiders and Indians both having extremely talented skill players. Whoever limits the big play figures walk away with a win.

Both teams have showed the ability to break off a big play at any time, but it was Lehighton last week that showed that big plays can propel a team to the win. The Tribe used scoring plays of 64 yards and 72 yards in the second half against North Schuylkill to help them come away with a “W” in a tough road environment.

Lehighton quarterback Cody Scherer was the catalyst on both of those plays, with the 72-yard score coming in the third quarter off a quarterback run down the right sideline and the 64-yard score coming in the fourth quarter off a bomb Scherer threw to top target Zack Crum, while rolling right. The Indians proved that they can come up with big plays when it matters.

Giving up the big play was an issue for the Raiders in their 42-12 loss to Pottsville last week, and it’s something head coach Sam Bonner knows can’t happen against a dangerous Tribe offense.

“First and foremost, we have to limit the big play, and that comes down to fundamentals,” said Bonner. “We really are emphasizing that this week, and we’ll be better. We also have to contain their quarterback and try and bottle up the run game. We know they’re going to get some yards, but once again we can’t give them the big chunks.”

The Raiders have a few game-breakers of their own in running backs Nick Breiner and Nate Boyle. Breiner has been the workhorse back for the Raiders on the season, rushing for 916 yards and 10 touchdowns. Boyle has been impressive as well, rushing for 455 yards and eight scores. Boyle also leads the team in receiving yards with 348. There’s a lot of long touchdown runs between Boyle and Breiner on the season, which is something Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll is well aware of heading into this matchup.

“Stopping their running attack is going to be key for us, we want to make them have to throw the football, not saying they can’t throw it, but what they do well is run the football,” said McCarroll. “We have to make sure we get a few guys to them before they even get going. It’s key for us to get pressure up front, into the backfield, that’s how you stop their backs.”

The quarterback battle between these two teams will be interesting to watch play out. Scherer has been one of the best in SLF this season, while Tamaqua has been using senior Thad Zuber and sophomore Brayden Knoblauch.

Scherer has been a true dual threat for the Indians, throwing for 758 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushing for 419 yards and eight scores.

The old football saying if you have two quarterbacks playing, then you have none, has not applied to the Raiders this season. Zuber leads Tamaqua with 516 yards and eight touchdowns. Knoblauch is not far behind with 473 yards and five touchdowns. The two have taken care of the ball too, combining to throw just three interceptions.

Each team also has a big go to target. 6-4 Casey Rother at tight end has 19 catches for 295 yards and five touchdowns, while lengthy wide out Zack Crum is a jump ball machine. Crum has 14 catches for 327 yards and five scores.

“We like our skill guys and we know they have playmakers too. Cody has been a real difference-maker for us all season long and Taquan (Bradley-Chambers) continues to show people each week he’s one of the best running backs in the league,” said McCarroll.

There’s a lot of good match-ups in this game, we just have to continue to do what we’ve been doing. If there are things we see out there that we think we can get a big play on or take advantage of, we have to execute.”

Offensively, for the Raiders, the addition of an exceptional passing game has made them more balanced this season. However, Bonner still believes that running the football with success and playing tough defense has to be their main goals going into every game.

“Balance is great to have , and our ability to throw the football is great, but we need to always first establish the run and play tough defense,” said Bonner. “That’s what we built this program on, that’s our reputation, and when we do those two things successfully, that’s when we’re playing our best football.”