Rain not a factor this weekend predictions

The skies opened just before kickoff last Saturday, delivering a brief but drenching rain onto the field.

The perception let up, but continued sporadically during the game. Yet, the players endured the elements and enjoyed juice boxes and cupcakes afterward.

You see, while my son’s U6 soccer team was able to brave the rain last Saturday, Wyoming Valley West and Abington Heights’ high school football teams couldn’t.

Then somebody pulled the plug too late to avoid a 30-mile trek to Clarks Summit.

“You’d think they would tell the guy who tapes the game,” said the Abington Heights guy who tapes the game.

There is a 30 percent chance of rain showers today and Saturday, probably not enough to postpone games ... U6 soccer games that is.

Crestwood (1-1) at Pittston Area (0-2) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Pittston Area’s rush offense, which has gone 10 games without a 100-yard rusher.

Huddle up: Pittston Area was shut out 28-0 by Scranton last week, but Crestwood should be concerned. The last two times the Patriots were blanked, they followed up with strong games – losing by three and winning by three.

Crestwood starts a five-game stretch that will define it season since Coughlin and Hazleton Area are up after that. The Comets are favored tonight, but after that you just don’t know.

Delaware Valley (2-0) at Wyoming Valley West (0-2) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Valley West’s defensive front, which wore down late against Abington Heights.

Huddle up: Eight years ago, Delaware Valley finished 0-10, including a 49-0 drubbing by Wyoming Valley West.

So how have the Warriors become a major player in District 2 Class 4A? Well, former Penn State tight end Keith Olsommer has methodically raised the program to a new level. Plus, the district tucked in the upper right corner of the state has seen its enrollment increase from 520 to 760.

GAR (2-0) at Coughlin (2-0) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Coughlin’s Justin Koslosky and GAR’s Ryan Womack, two of the best tailbacks in District 2.

Huddle up: Coughlin is the Rodney Dangerfield of Class 3A football. While three other District 2 Class 3A teams are state ranked, the Crusaders can’t even receive honorable mention recognition.

My message to the Crusaders is, who cares what someone 100 miles south of here thinks? State rankings are for the birds (I’d use stronger language, but this is a family newspaper). What happens on the field is what matters.

GAR has done enough to opener with two victories, but it will take an even bigger, much bigger, effort to win tonight.

Hazleton Area (2-0) at Pleasant Valley (1-1) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Hazleton Area tailback John Nahay, who is coming off a career-best 140-yard rushing performance.

The Cougars have outscored Pleasant Valley 97-7 in the last three meetings. They’ve dominated Mountain Valley Conference teams since 2005, winning all nine matchups.

Plus, Pleasant Valley hasn’t won consecutive games since opening the 2007 season with wins over Nazareth and Williamsport, two teams that were a combined 1-19 a year ago.

If Hazleton Area doesn’t turn in a bumbling performance against quarterback Anthony Bumbulsky, the Cougars will be just fine.

Holy Redeemer (0-2) at Hanover Area (1-1) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Hanover Area receivers Jack Danko and Tomas Cabrera, each of whom is averaging well over 20 yards per catch.

Huddle up: Redeemer looks better than last year, yet the record is the same at this point of the season. The reason is simple – the offense can’t find any consistency. Looks good for a few plays, looks bad for a few. Wash, rinse, repeat.

The Royals’ defense is good enough to make things interesting for a while. But like against GAR and Old Forge, if the offense doesn’t click only a moral victory will be achieved.

As for Hanover Area, it’s hard to get a handle on just how good the Hawkeyes are. We’ll know more in a few weeks.

Meyers (0-2) at Nanticoke (0-2) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Meyers tailback Tyler Marino, the team’s leading rusher the past two games.

Huddle up: Nanticoke was the gift that kept giving last week, turning over the ball seven times to Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech. The results – not like it takes a genius to guess – were no points and 41 yards of offense.

Meyers’ offense finally found the end zone for the first time for what seemed an eternity. Still, scoring 13 points and allowing 41 isn’t what the Mohawks had in mind versus Hanover Area.

Meyers will find the end zone a few times tonight. Can’t say for certain Nanticoke will.

Lake-Lehman (2-0) at Northwest (1-1) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Northwest’s offense, which hasn’t scored in the first half this season.

Huddle up: So Lake-Lehman scored 74 points last week. To put that in perspective, the school’s boys basketball team topped that just twice last season in 25 games.

Of course, opponent Holy Cross helped out by allowing the football equivalent of uncontested layups throughout the first half.

Don’t expect close to that many against Northwest, which is coming off its second consecutive nailbiter with GAR. The Rangers are a tough bunch, but Lehman should find a way to win by at least a few TDs.

Williamsport (1-1) at Stroudsburg (0-2) 7 p.m. today

Huddle up: After defeating Dallas in its opener, the clock struck midnight for Williamsport as Central Mountain scored 46 first-half points last week.

Stroudsburg would be good at the craps table as the offense has rolled sevens the past two weeks. That won’t cut it on the gridiron, though, so Williamsport looks like the every-so-slight favorite.

Wyoming Area (1-1) at Berwick (2-0) 7 p.m. today

Keep an eye on: Berwick WR Zach Powell, who has two touchdowns of over 50 yards.

Huddle up: This game would have been worth twice the price of admission – maybe even three times – last year. Not so now, so don’t pay a penny more than what the sign reads.

Wyoming Area looked rather ordinary in its 27-14 loss to Valley View. The Warriors lack home run hitters on offense and don’t have that omnipresent thumper on defense. Both have been staples of the program throughout the decade.

Berwick is playing better than expected considering so many key players from last season are now either in college or the working world. But are the Dawgs really the eighth best Class 3A team in state according to the rankings? Probably not, but it won’t matter either way tonight.

Tunkhannock (1-1) at Dallas (0-2) 1 p.m. tomorrow

Keep an eye on: Dallas’ defense, which has allowed four touchdown runs of 41 or more yards.

Huddle up: The teams lit up the scoreboard last year, but don’t look for a similar game.

Dallas needs to replace a few fuses, getting shut out for the first time in 35 games in a 41-0 loss to Coughlin. The Mountaineers failed to reach double digits for a second consecutive game. The last time they did that was 17 games ago.

Tunkhannock appears to be a lot like its teams of the recent past. They’ll beat the teams they should, they’ll lose the games they should and will likely not pull off an upset.

That’s not to say the Tigers won’t want to add a little more tarnish to Dallas’ season. And they just might.

Hun School (0-0) at Wyoming Seminary (1-0) 1:30 p.m. tomorrow

Huddle up: Seminary had an easier time than expected with the East Coast Knights last week, crowning them 38-0. The key to success this season is staying healthy since injuries were the Blue Knights’ main problem in 2007.

I think I’ll avoid the visiting sideline in this game. I don’t want those pesky Huns to keep asking me, “What’s in your wallet?”