When it comes to the three Eastern Pennsylvania Conference divisions, the Northampton County division is considered the best. The six teams are a combined 9-3 through two games, and the one 0-2 team, Freedom, is expected to bounce back soon.
But while Northampton County is strong, Monroe County has been much better than expected.
Pocono Mountain East and West are 2-0, and Pleasant Valley, which went through last season winless, is 1-1 and appears to be improved. The surprise is that East Stroudsburg South, a division and district champ last year, is 0-2.
But just like Freedom, the Cavaliers are expected to get their act together and start winning games soon.
Here’s where they all stack up in the latest EPC power rankings:
No. 18: Dieruff
Dieruff middle linebacker/receiver Alphy Deris practices Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, under coach Dave Lutte in Allentown. The Huskies hope to improve on their 2024 season, which they started 4-0 but then lost their next six games. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)
Record: 0-2, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 17th
Last game: Lost Pleasant Valley 34-7
Next game: At Pocono Mountain West, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Huskies haven’t had the start they wanted or many expected. They have given up 76 points in two games against teams they defeated a year ago. Alphy Deris had 12 tackles, including two for losses, against Pleasant Valley, but the offense was limited to 96 yards, just 29 in the passing game as the team’s losing streak stretched to eight going back to 2024.
No. 17: East Stroudsburg North
East Stroudsburg North athletic director Chuck Dailey, seen in 2012, was the first head coach in Timberwolves football history. He coached for 17 seasons, from 2000-2016. He led the program to its first district tournament appearance in 2011. (Emily Robson / The Morning Call)
Record: 0-2, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 15th
Last game: Lost to Wallenpaupack 41-6
Next game: At Allen, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Timberwolves have scuffled so far on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they have managed just 61 yards per game on the ground and 65.5 yards passing. Kendrick Sympson continues to be a standout with six catches for 107 yards and quarterback Wayne King has passed for 131 yards and run for 64.
No. 16: Allen
Zion Stokes runs drills Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, during an Allen High School football practice in Allentown. Allen football is trying to build off its late-season win over Dieruff last season which gave the Canaries 3 wins, which was much better than their 0-10 season in 2023. Third-year coach Joel Rupp is hoping for more improvement. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Record: 1-1, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 16th
Last game: Beat Martin Luther King 36-24
Next game: Host East Stroudsburg North, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Canaries rallied from a 24-10 halftime deficit in Philadelphia to get their first on-the-field win of the season. Senior quarterback Julian Pagan had four touchdowns — two rushing, two passing. TeShon Gaynair had a big day as a receiver. It’s the second straight Allen has opened 2-0.
No. 15: East Stroudsburg South
East Stroudsburg South coach Matt Walters, right, works at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers minicamp with the team’s special teams assistant Keith Tandy. (Contributed photo / Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Record: 0-2, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 12th
Last game: Lost to Northampton 48-19
Next game: At Whitehall, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The defending EPC Monroe County and District 11 5A champs have struggled out of the gate. Against Northampton, they gave up 372 yards rushing and 468 yards overall. Offensively, South got 137 yards rushing from Gianni Gonnella and 52 yards rushing and two TDs by quarterback Ivan Laubach, who also threw for 119 yards.
No. 14: Pleasant Valley
In a 2007 photo, current Pleasant Valley coach and former Upper Perkiomen player Blaec Saeger (21) makes a tackle during an Upper Perkiomen football practice. (Geoffrey Dunn / The Morning Call).
Record: 1-1, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 18th
Last game: Beat Dieruff 34-6
Next game: At Exeter Township, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Bears snapped a 12-game losing streak with an impressive win over Dieruff. They led 21-0 at halftime and 34-0 before a late Huskies score spoiled the shutout. Chris Ward ran for two touchdowns and Jaxson Haines threw for a pair as the Bears racked up more than 400 yards of offense.
No. 13: Stroudsburg
Record: 1-1, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 12th
Last game: Lost to Wilkes-Barre Area 48-42
Next game: Host Liberty, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: Stroudsburg ran for 288 yards and passed for 207 and scored 14 points in the second, third, and fourth quarters against Wilkes-Barre. But the Mounties couldn’t score in overtime.
No. 12: Emmaus
Emmaus senior Robert Edwards III got to see his future team play on Saturday at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium. Edwards has committed to the University of Richmond. He has been a stalwart on defense for three seasons for the Green Hornets. (Keith Groller).
Record: 0-2, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 7th
Last game: Lost to Bethlehem Catholic 35-14
Next game: At Reading 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Green Hornets continue to struggle defensively. They gave up TD runs of 66, 55, 25 and 87 yards against Bethlehem Catholic. Jerek Cooper ran for two TDs, but Emmaus was able to complete just two passes for 7 yards and had a pair of passes intercepted. Jay Santos led the offense with 23 carries for 146 yards.
No. 11: Allentown Central Catholic
Allentown Central Catholic’s Tate Shoemaker celebrates a touchdown Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, against Liberty at at BASD Stadium. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Record: 1-1, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 9th
Last game: Lost to Liberty 38-14
Next game: Host Freedom, 7 p.m. Saturday
Comment: The Vikings allowed 31 unanswered points after taking a 14-7 lead on Liberty. Coach Jake Reichard was eager to see how his team would respond to its first loss. Defense allowed 405 yards to the Hurricanes and managed just pass completions. Tate Shoemaker and Deon Johnson combined for 96 yards rushing and each scored a TD.
No. 10: Pocono Mountain East
The Pocono Mountain East band, seen in action last year at J. Birney Crum Stadium, is not the only Cardinals unit putting on a good show this year as the football team is 2-0. (Keith Groller)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 13th
Last game: Beat Honesdale 28-7
Next game: Host Scranton 7 p.m. Thursday
Comment: The Cardinals got another big performance from quarterback CeeJay Serfass, who ran for a pair of touchdowns, and hooked up with Justin Edwards for a 62-yard TD, and Amari Green added a rushing score.
No. 9: Pocono Mountain West
Pocono Mountain West’s Brady Behr (1) brings down Scranton’s Kamani Sterling at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Scranton Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 13th
Last game: Beat Lenape, New Jersey, 34-28
Next game: Host Dieruff, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Panthers have scored 72 points in two games after they scored just 115 all of last season. Sophomore Christian Stiehler ran for 144 yards on 25 carries, and added five catches for 25 yards. Brady Behr had eight receptions for 113 yards.
No. 8: Freedom
Freedom’s Michael Genao runs the ball down the field Friday Aug. 29, 2025, against Parkland at Orefield Middle School. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Record: 0-2, 0-0
Last week’s ranking: 8th
Last game: Lost to Parkland 18-7
Next game: At Allentown Central Catholic, 7 p.m. Saturday
Comment: While coach Jason Roeder isn’t interested in moral victories, the Patriots delivered a much more physical effort at Parkland and kept the game competitive deep into the fourth quarter. Were it not for a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, the game might have been closer. Lashawn Johnson carried 19 times for 119 yards and had his team’s lone touchdown.
No. 7: Whitehall
Coach Andy Marino interacts with his team Tuesday Aug. 12, 2025, during a Whitehall High School football practice in Whitehall. Whitehall football is looking for an improved season after going 5-7 last year and losing in the District 11 Class 5A title game to East Stroudsburg South. (Monica Cabrera/The Morning Call)
Record: 1-1, 0-0
Last week’s ranking: 5th
Last game: Lost to Nazareth 62-33
Next game: Host East Stroudsburg South, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Zephyrs continued to show offensive improvement with Tanner Dogmanits throwing for 214 yards and two scores and Jeziah Gregory running for 95 yards and a pair of TDs. But Whitehall gave up 684 yards of offense to explosive Nazareth. Up next is a special night as Saquon Barkley returns to his alma mater to be inducted into the Whitehall-Coplay Hall of Fame. The ceremony will happen at halftime. Coach Andy Marino wants his team focused on the game and not the famous alum.
No. 6: Liberty
Scenes from Liberty playing Allentown Central Catholic on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, during a football game at BASD Stadium. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Record: 1-1, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 10th
Last game: Beat Allentown Central Catholic 38-14
Next game: At Stroudsburg, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Hurricanes looked like the team they were expected to be as they shook off the loss to Pennridge and a 14-7 deficit to ACCHS by scoring 31 straight points. The Hurricanes had 405 yards of offense, including 233 on the ground. Adriaan Deleon led the way with 133 yards rushing while QB Antonio Fontanez ran for 75 yards and passed for 172.
No. 5: Bethlehem Catholic
Bethlehem Catholic’s quarterback Cayden Vassa practices Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Bethlehem during the second practice of the season. The Golden Hawks finished the 2024-25 season 6-7 under coach Tyler Ward. New coach Joe Bernard is returning to the team, where he coached 1982-84. (Oliver Lois Economidis/The Morning Call)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 6th
Last game: Beat Emmaus 35-14
Next game: At Berks Catholic, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Golden Hawks got a big offensive performance from Cayden Vassa in their win over Emmaus. The senior quarterback had a 66-yard run for a TD and a 55-yarder and had more than 250 yards rushing and four TDs. He also threw for a touchdown.
No. 4: Northampton
Northampton receiver Chase Kessler, 9, is tackled by Pennsbury linebacker Henry Garlist, 16, during the second half of a PIAA football game on Friday night at Falcon Field in Fairless Hills, Pa. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Last week’s ranking: 4th
Last game: Beat East Stroudsburg South 48-19
Next game: At Parkland, 7 p.m.
Comment: So far, so good for the Konkrete Kids who have been successful offensively in their first two games. Things will get tougher against an experienced and physical Parkland defense. Chase Kessler ran for 168 yards and three TDs in the win over South while Gavin Taff was 3-for-4 passing for 96 yards.
No. 3: Easton
Easton is off to a 2-0 start. (Oliver Economidis/The Morning Call)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 3rd
Last game: Beat Spring-Ford 36-3
Next game: Host Erasmus Hall of Brooklyn, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Red Rovers relied heavily on the running game at Spring-Ford with 44 carries for 331 yards while throwing the ball just five times. They completed four for 61 yards. Cole Ordway and Chris Martinez have combined for 562 yards rushing.
No. 2: Nazareth
The Nazareth Area High School football team practices Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, at the school. The Blue Eagles finished 7-4 last season. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 2nd
Last game: Beat Whitehall 62-33
Next game: At Wilson West Lawn, 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: Any thoughts that his college commitment carousel would cause distractions for quarterback Peyton Falzone have been wrong. Falzone has thrown for 559 yards and six touchdowns. He has also run for 163 yards and four scores. Marquez Wimberly has 256 yards rushing and three touchdowns while adding five catches for 71 yards and two scores.
No. 1 Parkland
Parkland’s TJ Lawrence runs the ball as Freedom’s Davyan Moore on Friday at Orefield Middle School. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 EPC
Last week’s ranking: 1st
Last game: Beat Freedom 18-7
Next game: Host Northampton 7 p.m. Friday
Comment: The Trojans have come as advertised so far this season with a staunch defense and an offense that will likely improve as the season goes along. TJ Lawrence continues to be a force on both sides of the ball. He leads the team with 182 yards and he’s also tied for tops in tackles with 15. Liam Spang also has 15, while Jaren Sanchez has 14 and Dom Martrich 11.
