Photo by Justin Reed / Skook News

North Schuylkill is playing its best football when it matters most.

The Spartans are gonna need it.

That’s because when the District 11 Class 3A playoffs begin tonight, third-seeded North Schuylkill (7-3) will visit No. 2 Notre Dame-Green Pond (9-1) for a high-charged battle in a loaded 3A bracket. The game will air live on T-102 101.9 FM with pregame at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff at 7.

At the same time, top-seeded Northwestern Lehigh (10-0) will host No. 4 Saucon Valley (8-2) in the other semifinal.

In Week 3, North Schuylkill put that blemish on Notre Dame-Green Pond’s record by pulling out a 31-29 victory. That game was played Sept. 6, a lifetime ago in the journey of a football season.

Also at 7 this evening, Tamaqua (6-4) will entertain Pequea Valley (5-5) in the Eastern Conference Class 3A Championship Game.

Let’s break down each game involving local teams.

North Schuylkill at Notre Dame-GP

Running back Luke Miller has been the Spartans’ main weapon this season. He’s rushed 202 times for 1,283 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 441 yards and four scores. He also has four interceptions on defense.

Quarterback Caden Mengel has completed 94-of-151 passes for 1,342 yards with 13 TDs and three interceptions.

Top receivers include Michael Mogish (24-268, 3 TDs) and Landen Smith (15-365, 4 TDs).

Kicker Gavin Mentzer has made 8-of-11 field goals and 32-of-33 extra points, and his kickoffs consistently reach the end zone for touchbacks.

The Spartans have played a tougher schedule than NDGP, with North Schuylkill defeating Mount Carmel, Notre Dame, Blue Mountain and Pottsville, among others. North Schuylkill has won four in a row, outscoring its opponents 171-49.

The Crusaders counter with junior quarterback Matt Bodnar II, who has completed 230-of-321 passes for 3,793 yards with 36 TDs and seven interceptions.

A pair of sophomores are in the backfield, but they don’t carry the ball much. Aaron Gordon (49-283, 6 TDs) and Jonathan Striba (46-294, 7 TDs rushing, 46-691, 6 TDs receiving) share the workload.

Bodnar has plenty of other options in the pass game. Senior Carmine Diaz (54-1,001, 12 TDs) and junior Alex Clark (39-783, 8 TDs) lead the way.

Defensively, senior Christian Rivituso paces the team with 123 tackles, and sophomore Drew Boyd has picked off five passes.

“Offensively, Green Pond likes to get skill players in space and get them the ball with the pass game,’’ North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall said. “Defensively, they will give different looks, play man coverage and are quick to the perimeter.’’

Pequea Valley at Tamaqua

The Braves will have a long road trip today, traveling 68 miles to Tamaqua. The bus ride will take an estimated 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Pequea Valley is located near Kinzers, about 13 miles east of Lancaster.

Tonight marks the final game for Tamaqua’s 12 seniors, who will try to go out by winning a championship.

“I think it’s awesome,’’ Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner said. “We had some tough games at the end of the season, but we have an opportunity to finish on a win and get a win for the seniors who have worked so hard for it. … Our seniors appreciate getting to play one more game together.’’

The Braves’ victories have come over Renaissance Academy, Jenkintown, Columbia, Hamburg and Kutztown. They’ve lost to Morrisville, Berks Catholic, Schuylkill Valley, Annville-Cleona and Lancaster Catholic. They run a wing-T attack on offense and play a four-man front on defense.

Tamaqua, meanwhile, has played a much tougher schedule. The Blue Raiders started the season 6-0 with wins over Pen Argyl, North Schuylkill, Pottsville, Jim Thorpe, Salisbury and Bangor. Tamaqua then stumbled down the stretch, falling to Southern Lehigh, Lehighton, Northwestern Lehigh and Blue Mountain. The Blue Raiders have been outscored 72-7 over the past two weeks.

They’ll look to get the offense going again behind senior quarterback Luke Kane, who has completed 85-of-155 passes for 1,121 yards with 8 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has rushed 92 times for 635 yards and 11 scores.

Senior running back Bradley Whalen complements Kane by carrying 121 times for 693 yards and four TDs.

Senior Victor Schlosser is the big-play threat, catching 55 passes for 671 yards and 6 TDs.

When Tamaqua was going right, its line play dominated opponents. Taking control of the line of scrimmage and getting their running game going are keys for the Blue Raiders.