Ah, October.
Playoff baseball. Cooler temperatures. Leaves change colors and then fall. Halloween decorations. Halloween parades. Halloween candy. Thanksgiving plans start being made. Christmas shopping lists begin to be compiled. Christmas commercials start popping up on TV.
And in Eastern Pennsylvania Conference football, October means nothing but divisional games.
The nonleague games and the cross-division portion of the schedule are over.
Over the final four weeks of the regular season, teams stay within their county. The EPC’s six Lehigh County teams play each other, the six Northampton County squads face off, and the Monroe County contingent does the same. East Stroudsburg North is in the Monroe mix even though it is located in Pike County.
The divisional games figure to be more competitive and compelling. Last week’s nine EPC games, which featured three all-Lehigh County matchups, were decided by an average of 40.2 points. The six Monroe-Northampton division games were even more one-sided, with the Northampton teams posting wins by an average of 47.3 points.
Those games can be tossed aside like Labor Day sales flyers sitting around the house.
Here’s a look at what figures to be a more exciting slate of games in Week 7, and all games this weekend are 7 p.m. starts:
Thursday night
Freedom (3-3, 2-1) at Bethlehem Catholic (5-1, 2-1)
The storylines: This starts the Christmas City series, which is always one of the biggest goals for Freedom. And the Patriots have dominated in Bethlehem in recent years. Freedom has used a more favorable schedule to get back to 3-3 after a 0-2 start. This game offers the Patriots an opportunity to showcase their improvement, while the Golden Hawks seek to make a statement as well after losing their first division game to Easton a few weeks ago. Freedom won last year’s meeting.
Players to watch: Neither team had their leading playmakers last week as Cayden Vassa was on the sidelines for Becahi’s rout of Pocono Mountain East, and Freedom’s Lashawn Johnson did not play in his team’s rout of East Stroudsburg South. Junior Axel Burkart stepped in and did a nice job at QB for the Golden Hawks with 354 yards passing and four TDs last week. Junior Michael Stofanak has evolved into a quality QB for Freedom and is coming off a 9-for-10 passing effort for 189 yards against South.
Keith Groller’s pick: Freedom 24-21
Friday night
Easton (6-0, 3-0) at Northampton (3-3, 1-2)
The storylines: Both teams feature explosive offenses. The Red Rovers have averaged 40.8 points per game, and the Konkrete Kids, 38.7. But the Red Rovers have the second-best defense in the league, allowing just 11.8 points per game. Both teams are likely to make the 6A tournament, but need every win they can get to improve their seeding. The Red Rovers are the 10th-ranked team in 6A and have won their three league games by an average of 41 points. They had their way with Northampton last year, 42-14, but the Konkrete Kids seem to have found something after snapping a three-game losing streak with a 54-0 rout of Pocono Mountain West.
Players to watch: Cole Ordway is not only the leading passer in Easton history, but he’s also a leading candidate for league offensive player of the year honors. He has thrown for 698 yards and 14 touchdowns, and has run for 738, the second-highest total in the league, and 13 scores. Northampton’s Chase Kessler has rushed for 688 yards and seven scores, and Zander Rickert has added 400 yards and five TDs. Kids’ QB Gavin Taff has thrown for 825 yards and nine TDs.
Keith Groller’s pick: Easton 42-28
Emmaus (2-4, 1-2) at Whitehall (5-1, 3-0)
The storylines: The Green Hornets are in the unusual position of having to fight for a District 11 6A playoff berth over the final month of the season. They hurt themselves with penalties, turnovers, and breakdowns against ACCHS. They have been held to 20.7 points per game — the 13th lowest average in the EPC. The Zephyrs are on the opposite end of the spectrum, averaging a league-high 45.5 points per game, and have won four straight after a Week 2 loss to Nazareth.
Players to watch: Emmaus defensive standout Robert Edwards III has 41 tackles, including two sacks. The Zephyrs have the league’s No. 1 passer in Tanner Dogmanits, who has thrown for 1,299 yards and 15 TDs. Whitehall also has two of the league’s leading receivers in Talon Dogmanits (26 catches, 484 yards, 8 TDs) and Bryce Medina (23 receptions, 309 yards, 1 TD). Jeziah Gregory fuels the ground game with 683 yards and 12 TDs.
Keith Groller’s pick: Whitehall 21-14
Liberty (5-1, 3-0) at Nazareth (5-1, 2-1)
The storylines: Another game with high-powered offenses capable of changing the scoreboard often. The Hurricanes average 39.7 points per game, while the Blue Eagles tally 40.5 per contest. Liberty has won five straight after an opening-night loss to Pennridge. Nazareth bounced back from its mercy-rule loss to Parkland with a convincing win over Pleasant Valley, and both got an extra day off since they played Thursday night games last week. Nazareth is third in the District 11 6A power rankings, and Liberty is right behind in fourth, so while both are secure in making the 6A field, this one could have a huge bearing on seeding.
Players to watch: Liberty has the No. 2 passer in the league in Antonio Fontanez, who has thrown for 1,257 yards and 22 touchdowns. Zyaire Davis has caught 21 passes for 491 yards and seven scores, while Jake Pukszyn has snared 20 passes for 375 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Nazareth sophomore Cooper Madson is starting to settle in at QB. He has completed 37 of 57 passes for 558 yards and four TDs, and three receivers — Tanner Zelachowski, Mat Leluga, and Luke DiPietro have 19 or more receptions. Both teams also have stars on defense. Nazareth’s Cooper Wenrich has a league-leading 76 tackles, while Liberty’s JJ Pujals is third with 48.
Keith Groller’s pick: Nazareth 34-27
East Stroudsburg South (1-5, 1-2) at Pocono Mountain East (3-3, 0-3)
The storylines: Both teams are in the District 11 5A semifinals, no matter what their record ends up being. This matchup could be a playoff preview, and perhaps both coaches may want to conceal a few things for a potential rematch at the end of the month. But both need to win now to build some momentum, especially the Cardinals, who began 3-0 and now have lost three straight.
Players to watch: East’s leading players, Justin Williams and Amari Green, were sidelined by injuries against Becahi, but are expected back for this one. Green has 499 yards rushing and five touchdowns, while Williams has 29 receptions for 553 yards and six scores. South quarterback Ivan Laubach has dealt with an injury all season. He had four passes, all incompletions. Backup Greyson Fuller, a sophomore, completed 7 of 21 passes for 46 yards but had three interceptions.
Keith Groller’s pick: Pocono Mountain East 28-20
Parkland (6-0, 3-0) at Dieruff (1-5, 1-2)
The storylines: Tim Moncman has been able to keep his state-ranked Trojans focused and motivated through a soft patch of the schedule. “I won’t allow it to happen,” he said of a potential letdown. Several rivalry games are ahead against ACCHS, Whitehall, and Emmaus and there will be no problem getting his kids pumped up for those games. The Huskies are coming off a competitive showing against Whitehall. They fought back to get a 20-20 tie in the third quarter before the Zephyrs pulled away to a 39-20 win.
Players to watch: TJ Lawrence had just eight carries against Allen, but rushed for 59 yards and three TDs. Quarterback Finn Coen completed 10 of 15 passes for 153 yards against Allen. On defense, Liam Spang leads the way with 37 tackles. Michael Car has six tackles for loss, including four sacks. Dieruff’s Riyell Wann ran for 108 yards and a touchdown and Derwyn Deris had four receptions for 44 yards and ran for 94 and a TD.
Keith Groller’s pick: Parkland 49-0
Stroudsburg (2-4, 1-2) at Pocono Mountain West (4-2, 1-2)
The storylines: Both teams were shut out last week and suffered mercy-rule defeats. The Panthers lost to Northampton 54-0, while the Mounties fell to Easton 62-0. So, the first goal is put last week behind them and regroup for a more competitive performance. The game is important, too, since the two teams find themselves on the District 11 6A playoff bubble, and this one could be the deciding factor.
Players to watch: Stroudsburg quarterback Jackson Mitchell completed just five passes and had three intercepted against Easton. Keyen Johnson had 14 carries for 53 yards and has 773 yards rushing this season. West’s Christian Stiehler, a sophomore, is eighth in the league in rushing with 659 yards and has 51 tackles on defense. Brady Behr, a senior, has 20 catches for 315 yards and four TDs.
Keith Groller’s pick: Pocono Mountain West 21-16
Pleasant Valley (2-4, 1-2) at East Stroudsburg North (0-6, 0-3)
The storylines: The Bears are in the 5A playoffs regardless of what happens over the rest of the season. The Timberwolves are still looking for their first win, and a few victories could catapult them back into the 4A playoff race. But North has scored just 22 points all season.
Players to watch: PV’s Chris Ward has rushed for 295 yards and six TDs, while QB Jaxson Haines has thrown for 478 yards and three scores. The Timberwolves have a few defensive stalwarts in Micah Alicea, Nick Tuzzio, Justice Edwards, and Brandon Roca, who all have 34 or more tackles for a unit that has allowed a respectable 27.2 points per game.
Keith Groller’s pick: Pleasant Valley 21-6
Saturday’s game
Allen (3-3, 0-3) at Allentown CCHS (3-3, 2-1)
The storylines: The Canaries are trying to snap a three-game losing streak and put themselves in position to get back in the 6A playoff chase. The Vikings are hoping to prove they are on the right track after a gritty win at Emmaus and also prove they can win a game at J. Birney Crum Stadium, where they are 0-2 so far this season. The Vikings have played a lot of close games, and average 23.7 points per game while allowing 22.8. The Canaries have allowed 44.3 points per game during their three-game slide.
Players to watch: The Canaries’ Julian Pagan has thrown for 631 yards and seven TDs, while TeShon Gaynir still leads the defense with 21 tackles and six sacks. The Vikings continue to get quality QB play from Patrick Cahill, who is now fifth in the league with 964 yards passing and nine TDs. Tahir Edmondson, who caught the 91-yarder for a TD against Emmaus, has 28 catches for 380 yards and four TDs.
Keith Groller’s pick: Allentown CCHS 41-14
Note: Keith Groller’s picks were 8-1 last week and 51-16 on the season.
