Marian and Tri-Valley are no strangers to each other on the gridiron.

The Colts and Dawgs tangled twice over the final four weeks last season, with Tri-Valley winning 16-6 in the regular season Oct. 20 in Hegins and Marian claiming a 14-6 win in the District 11 Class A semifinals Nov. 4 in Hometown.

Friday night they’ll square off again in the T-102 Game of the Week when the Colts trek to Hegins to take on the Dawgs in the Schuylkill/Colonial Cooperative Blue Division opener for both teams. Pre-game on 101.9 FM begins at 6:45 p.m.

Lehighton opened Week 2 of the local high school football schedule Thursday night with a 33-7 victory over Bangor in a Schuylkill/Colonial Red Division game. You can read that story here: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2024/08/30/lehighton-rolls-past-bangor-for-1st-win-of-season/

Other games on the schedule for Friday night: Jim Thorpe at Pottsville, Mahanoy Area at Williams Valley, North Schuylkill at Tamaqua, Southern Lehigh at Blue Mountain, Minersville at Shenandoah Valley, Panther Valley at Schuylkill Haven and Pine Grove at Nativity.

For a preview of Pottsville’s home opener against Jim Thorpe, visit https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2024/08/30/pottsville-looks-to-bounce-back-against-jim-thorpe-in-home-opener/

Both Marian and Tri-Valley enter Friday’s clash on the heels of impressive Week 1 victories.

The Colts gave new head coach Billy O’Gurek his first career win with a 35-0 home rout of Hanover Area. Tri-Valley made a long road trip to York worthwhile with a 36-16 win over York Catholic.

“I told our team this week, it was a good opener because Hanover had some athletes that were going to test us and seeing how we responded to the challenge was encouraging,” O’Gurek said. “A little early season jitters to start off. We missed on a couple pass plays early on, but once we settled in, we played really well.”

Added Tri-Valley coach Jeff Sampson: “It was very satisfying to travel so far (2 hours) and pick up a win. Our team needed a first week win to establish confidence for this week’s game against Marian.”

A big key to Marian’s victory over Hanover Area was the Colts’ ground game as sophomore Rory Dixon rushed 21 times for 191 yards and a score. All total, the Colts rushed for 224 yards on 39 carries.

Getting Dixon going against the Dawgs will be key. Dixon was limited to 63 yards on 28 carries in the first meeting last season as Marian was held to 57 yards rushing. In the Colts’ playoff win, Dixon rushed 25 times for 82 yards.

“I thought it was neat to see how Rory has already evolved from last season,” O’Gurek said. “He’s a year older and stronger, but he set his blocks up well Friday night and when he got to the second level he was tough to bring down. Some spin moves and stiff arms that you didn’t really see from him last year as a freshman, but he’s going to be a great player for us for a long time and will continue to be one of the focal points of our offense.”

Tri-Valley also had a strong running game in its season-opening win with 193 yards, getting contributions from several different sources. Freshman Parker Hatter was the leader, stepping up when some of his teammates were hampered by cramps. Hatter finished with 77 yards on 14 carries, scoring two touchdowns.

“He provides us with depth at both halfback, fullback and slot,” Sampson said of Hatter. “Cramps to some of our other players forced him into action sooner than what I would have liked but I thought he did a nice job. I’m sure he is going to only improve in the weeks to come.”

Mistakes ultimately decided both of last year’s contests and no doubt will play a role in Friday’s showdown.

In the regular-season meeting, Tri-Valley stuffed a two-point conversion and foiled a fake punt attempt that led to a late clinching touchdown. In the Colts’ semifinal win, Tri-Valley lost three fumbles and threw an interception.

Expect another slobber-knocker Friday.

“They knocked us out of the playoffs, which still looms in our players’ minds,” Sampson said. “Very well-coached team with talent and experience. We need to work both the run and the pass and control Dixon and their tight end (Michael Gelatko).

Game Breakdowns

Marian (1-0) at Tri-Valley (1-0)

Radio/TV: WAVT 101.9 FM

Last week: Marian defeated Hanover Area 35-0; Tri-Valley topped York Catholic 36-16

Key Players: Marian – RB Rory Dixon, LB Charlie Hower. Tri-Valley – QB Blake Schwartz, WR Lucas Schwartz

Last season: Tri-Valley won 16-6 in regular season; Marian won 14-6 in District 11 Class A semifinals

Breakdown: An early season Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division showdown between two District 11 Class A teams with playoff aspirations. Marian got a big game from Dixon in its season opener and will need a similar effort vs. the Dawgs. LB Jah Bushati had 14 tackles and Hower tallied 10 in shutout win over Hanover Area. … Blake Schwartz didn’t have to throw it much against York Catholic, but he will need to make some plays in the passing game against the Colts. Tri-Valley will need to control the line of scrimmage against a veteran Marian unit and be able to balance the run and pass.

Mahanoy Area (0-1) at Williams Valley (1-0)

Last week: Mahanoy Area lost to Catasauqua 47-34; Williams Valley beat Upper Dauphin 21-7

Key Players: Mahanoy Area – RB Michael Oblas, RB/LB Kyler Quick. Williams Valley – RB Fletcher Thompson, WR Kian Krzyzanowski

Last season: Williams Valley 49-41

Breakdown: The Vikings will honor former NFL great Gary Collins prior to this Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division game by retiring the No. 44 jersey he wore when he played for the Williamstown Rams. … Mahanoy Area rushed for 301 yards and tallied 34 points in a losing effort last week, as both Quick (13-116) and Oblas (10-103) ran for more than 100 yards against the Rough Riders. The Bears will need to be productive on offense to win this one. … The Vikings are coming off a hard-fought rivalry win over Upper Dauphin, a game in which Thompson rushed for 92 yards and a score. Williams Valley dropped some passes that could have been big gains, although Krzyzanowski had four catches for 60 yards and a TD. … This has been a tight game the past two seasons as Mahanoy’s Colm McGroarty and Williams Valley’s Alex Achenbach put on great shows for the fans. Both have graduated, so new stars must emerge.

North Schuylkill (1-0) at Tamaqua (1-0)

Radio/TV: WMGH 105.5 FM

Last week: North Schuylkill beat Mount Carmel 37-30; Tamaqua defeated Pen Argyl 38-7

Key Players: North Schuylkill — RB Luke Miller, C Julian Lapointe. Tamaqua — RB/WR Victor Schlosser, C/LB Luke Frohnheiser

Last season: North Schuylkill 38-15 in regular season and 55-15 in District 11 Class 3A quarterfinals.

Breakdown: Another matchup in which the two teams faced each other twice last season. Unlike Marian/Tri-Valley, North Schuylkill dominated both of its games with Tamaqua last season. … In this Schuylkill/Colonial Red Division contest, both teams enter on the heels of impressive victories. The deciding factor in this one will come up front. North Schuylkill’s offensive line, which manhandled Mount Carmel, is much bigger than Tamaqua’s line, although the Blue Raiders did very well against Pen Argyl. Tamaqua will need to give QB Luke Kane time to throw and provide its skilled players like Schlosser enough time to make big plays. The North Schuylkill defense did give up 266 yards passing to Mount Carmel.

Southern Lehigh (1-0) at Blue Mountain (1-0)

Radio/TV: PennSports Radio

Last week: Southern Lehigh beat Quakertown 31-13; Blue Mountain downed Schuylkill Haven 19-14

Key Players: Southern Lehigh — QB Colton Sams, TE Andrew Olesh. Blue Mountain — RB Tyler Stahley, LB Reese Miller

Last season: Southern Lehigh 41-12

Breakdown: An interesting clash between two of the top contenders in the Schuylkill/Colonial Red Division. The Spartans entered the season with senior Chris Fritts as the QB, but sophomore Sams got the start against Quakertown and shined, throwing for 228 yards. Olesh, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound tight end committed to play at Michigan, set up one score with a 77-yard reception and finished with 153 yards receiving and a touchdown. … The Eagles’ defense shut down Schuylkill Haven’s running game in Blue Mountain’s opener but will be tested on the perimeter by Southern Lehigh’s weapons. Another solid game from Stahley will be needed to balance the offense.

Minersville (1-0) at Shenandoah Valley (0-1)

Last week: Minersville pounded Halifax 39-0; Shenandoah Valley lost to Col-Mon Vo-Tech 48-17

Key Players: Minersville — WR/DB Logan Hutsko, C/LB A.J. Halford. Shenandoah Valley — RB Jonnuel Reyes, RB/LB Jeremy Thomas

Last season: Minersville 48-7

Breakdown: The Miners trek to Shenandoah for a Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division game looking to establish their running game. QB Dante Carr passed for 270 yards and ran for 120 in a win over Halifax, but Minersville got just 71 yards out of its running backs. Halford paced the defense with 11 tackles. The Blue Devils hung with CMVT for a half but continuously struggled on defense, giving up 453 yards rushing.

Panther Valley (0-1) at Schuylkill Haven (0-1)

Radio/TV: WLSH 1410 AM

Last week: Panther Valley lost to Salisbury 28-6; Schuylkill Haven lost to Blue Mountain 19-14

Key Players: Panther Valley — WR/DB Brady Jones, QB Brody Breiner. Schuylkill Haven — RB/LB Colton Reber, WR/DB Leyden Hertz

Last season: Schuylkill Haven 73-8

Breakdown: The Panthers moved the ball in their season opener against Salisbury but couldn’t capitalize on scoring opportunities. They’ll need to take advantage of every opportunity in this Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division game. … The Hurricanes’ offense was stifled in a season-opening loss to Blue Mountain as Haven rushed for only 105 yards. Expect that number to be much greater against the Panthers. Reber, who scored Schuylkill Haven’s only offensive touchdown, had 15 tackles defensively from his linebacker spot.

Pine Grove (0-1) at Nativity (1-0)

Live updates: Follow T102SportsNow content editor Leroy Boyer on X @pubsportsboss

Last week: Pine Grove lost to Northern Lebanon 10-0; Nativity blanked Holy Redeemer 52-0

Key Players: Pine Grove — WR/CB Teagan Schneck-Haines, TE/DB Robbie Schaeffer. Nativity — QB Ben Kreitzer, RB/WR Mike Stank

Last season: Did not play

Breakdown: The Cardinals and Green Wave tangle for the first time since 2010, when the two schools competed in the Twin Valley Conference. Pine Grove won that game 47-14. … Friday, they meet in a Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division game at Saint Clair’s Veterans Memorial Stadium. Pine Grove battled Northern Lebanon to a scoreless draw for more than three quarters in its opener before falling late. The Cardinals only had 75 yards of total offense (26 rushing, 49 passing) and a more productive effort will be needed on that side of the ball. … Nativity had no problems with Holy Redeemer. The Green Wave rushed for 380 yards in the opener but will be tested up front by Pine Grove’s line in this one. Stank returns to the Nativity lineup after missing the opener due to a college visitation.