The second half of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference football regular season begins this weekend, starting with three Thursday night games, and consider the schedule an appetizer for the main course yet to come.
To be blunt, there are going to be more attractive games on the schedule over the season’s final four weeks.
There are just two matchups of teams with winning records. One comes Thursday night at Orefield Middle School, where unbeaten and state-ranked Parkland meets a 3-2 Allen team that benefited from a forfeit and favorable opposition to get off to a 3-0 start. The other is Saturday afternoon at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, where 4-1 Becahi hosts 3-2 Pocono Mountain East.
This is the final weekend where one division plays the other. In this case, it’s the Monroe County Division, which features East Stroudsburg North from Pike County, playing the Northampton County Division squads.
Last year, those six games produced a 6-0 record for the Northampton County teams, and the six games were routs, decided by an average of 36.2 points.
Expect similar results this weekend.
Here’s a look at the nine matchups (all games are 7 p.m. starts except for Saturday’s Pocono Mountain East-Becahi game is a noon kickoff):
Thursday night’s games
Allen (3-2, 0-2 EPC) at Parkland (5-0, 2-0)
The storylines: The Canaries have hit a rough patch of schedule after getting on-the-field wins over Martin Luther King of Philadelphia and East Stroudsburg North. Allen did have some good moments in a 51-13 loss to Freedom last week, but the Trojans are at another level. Parkland coach Tim Moncman insisted there will be no letdown after his team’s 42-6 win over Nazareth and that kind of attitude is what has made him one of the area’s most successful football coaches.
Players to watch: Look for the Trojans’ Finn Coen to continue his progression after he threw for 89 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 66 yards at Nazareth. TJ Lawrence also remains a force in the backfield. He ran for 103 yards on a modest 12 carries last week. Liam Spang ran for 31 yards and made nine tackles on defense. Allen got 230 yards passing from Julian Pagan against Freedom. Jaylen Walker had two catches for 84 yards, including a 71-yard TD reception.
Keith Groller’s pick: Parkland 56-12
East Stroudsburg North (0-5, 0-2) at Liberty (4-1, 2-0)
The storylines: The Timberwolves are looking for their first win under new coach Kenn Cundiff, who got the job late after two resignations. North has scored just 22 points in its first five games. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are third in the league in scoring, averaging 38.2 points per game. Liberty has the league’s top passer in Antonio Fontanez, who has thrown for 1,171 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Hurricanes also have three of the league’s top 15 receivers. With Nazareth, Easton, Bethlehem Catholic, and Freedom to follow on the schedule, a top priority in this one for Liberty will be to get out of it healthy.
Players to watch: North’s Justice Edwards and Nick Tuzzio have combined for 73 tackles. Liberty’s JJ Pujals, William Reese, and Adriaan Deleon are in the top 12 in the league in tackles.
Keith Groller’s pick: Liberty 49-0
Nazareth (4-1, 1-1) at Pleasant Valley (2-3, 1-1)
The storylines: The Blue Eagles are coming off their first loss of the season, and while it was disappointing to lose, especially under the mercy rule, there were lots of positives. Look for sophomore Cooper Madson to be more polished in his second start. He is now 26 of 42 passing on the season for 327 yards and a touchdown. Marquez Wimberly only had six carries against Parkland, but figures to get the ball more against PV. The Bears had their most impressive win of the season, routing East Stroudsburg South 35-6.
Players to watch: Nazareth sophomore Luke DiPietro is one of the league’s top four receivers with 23 catches for 345 yards. Wimberly has 508 yards rushing on the season, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. PV’s triple-option attack is led by Chris Ward, who has run for 251 yards and six TDs.
Keith Groller’s pick: Nazareth 55-20
Friday’s games
Allentown Central Catholic (2-3, 1-1) at Emmaus (2-3, 1-1)
The storylines: First-year Vikings coach Jake Reichard goes back to the place where he coached the last six seasons as an assistant. Both teams are struggling and are hungry for wins. ACCHS is coming off a tough-to-take 28-24 loss to Becahi, while Emmaus was routed by Easton. Both teams are likely to make the district playoffs, but this is the time both teams need to build some momentum if they’re going to last in the postseason.
Players to watch: Central got decent rushing production from Deon Johnson and Tate Shoemaker against Becahi. They combined for 109 yards. Patrick Cahill, under great pressure much of the night, completed 11 of 22 passes for 165 yards. Luis Martinez was his top target with four catches for 93 yards and a score. Emmaus had 110 yards rushing at Easton led by Aiden Issler’s 46.
Keith Groller’s pick: Emmaus 21-20
Whitehall (4-1, 2-0) at Dieruff (1-4, 1-1)
The storylines: The Zephyrs are coming off one of the most amazing wins of the season, rallying from a 28-0 deficit to beat Northampton 56-49. The offense, led by Tanner and Talon Dogmanits, is averaging a league-high 46.8 points per game. While coach Dave Lutte was pleased with the attitude and effort against Liberty, the Huskies struggle to match up with the EPC’s elite. Dieruff has scored just 53 points in five games.
Players to watch: Tanner Dogmanits is fourth in the EPC in passing with 1,106 yards and 13 TDs. He has thrown just three interceptions in 91 attempts. Dieruff’s Yahveh Rosario and Kory Byrd have 26 tackles apiece.
Keith Groller’s pick: Whitehall 48-6
Easton (5-0, 2-0) at Stroudsburg (2-3, 1-1)
The storylines: The Red Rovers continue to be one of the most dominant teams in local football. They average 36.6 points per game and allow just 14.2. The Mounties are coming off a 40-34 overtime win over Pocono Mountain East and find themselves on the District 11 6A playoff bubble. This one reminds fans of two legendary coaches, former Easton leader Steve Shiffert and former Stroudsburg boss Fred Ross, who happen to be good friends.
Players to watch: Easton’s Cole Ordway leads the league in rushing with 738 yards and an average of 11.7 yards per carry. He has also scored a league-best 13 touchdowns. Stroudsburg’s Jackson Mitchell has thrown for 911 yards, and Keyen Johnson is second in the league in rushing with 720 yards and an average of 6.7 yards per carry.
Keith Groller’s pick: Easton 56-19
East Stroudsburg South (1-4, 1-1) at Freedom (2-3, 1-1)
The storylines: The Cavaliers, fresh off a District 11 5A championship, have struggled in part due to injuries. After getting their first win of the season over Allen, they slipped back and were overpowered by Pleasant Valley last week and now face a Patriots team that is starting to get its footing after a rough start.
Players to watch: South, which is usually one of the highest scoring teams in the league, is averaging just 19.2 points per game. With the health of quarterback Ivan Laubach in question, expect Gianni Gonnella to get the ball a lot. He is averaging seven yards per carry. Freedom will also likely keep it on the ground with Lashawn Johnson racking up big numbers. He has 683 yards and seven scores in the first five games.
Keith Groller’s pick: Freedom 45-14
Northampton (2-3, 0-2) at Pocono Mountain West (4-1, 1-1)
The storylines: The Konkrete Kids have lost three straight, but all were competitive games against quality teams. They have had to regroup after last week’s deflating loss to Whitehall when they squandered a 28-0 lead. They are among the league’s best offenses with 35.6 points per game, but allow 33.6 on defense. Pocono Mountain West bounced back from a 45-13 loss to Whitehall with a shutout win over East Stroudsburg North and want to prove they belong in the District 11 6A mix.
Players to watch: Two sophomores are worth a look in this one. Northampton’s Chase Kessler has 569 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, while Pocono Mountain West’s Christian Stiehler has 604 yards on the ground and has 44 tackles on defense.
Keith Groller’s pick: Northampton 46-20
Saturday’s game
Pocono Mountain East (3-2, 0-2) at Bethlehem Catholic (4-1, 1-1)
The storylines: The Cardinals have lost two straight as the schedule has toughened after a 3-0 start. The Golden Hawks got a much-needed win over rival ACCHS and showed a lot of resiliency. Becahi, like all Northampton County teams, has a tough four games to end the regular season, so a victory here would be big for the Golden Hawks, who are in contention for the top seed in District 11 4A.
Players to watch: Cayden Vassa moved from quarterback to tailback against Central and Axel Burkart came on to play QB. That combo worked well and might be the way coach Joe Bernard goes the rest of the season. No matter who is the quarterback, they need to keep getting the ball to Carter Vassa, who is second in the league with 27 receptions for 366 yards. East’s Ceejay Serfass has emerged as one of the league’s top QBs with 1,113 yards and and 12 touchdowns.
Keith Groller’s pick: Becahi 35-14
Note: Keith Groller’s picks were 7-2 last week and are 43-15 this season.
