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Better late than never.
Local high school football kicks off with eight games tonight and two more tomorrow. Sept. 4 is the latest the Wyoming Valley Conference season has started this decade. (The 2004 and 2005 seasons started Sept. 3).
Of course, a late start means a late finish – Nov. 7 to be exact. Then there are district and state playoffs and the PIAA championship games the week before Christmas.
But before worrying about winter coats, we’ll get a week or more of nice Friday night weather.
Here is a glimpse at this weekend’s games. Last year’s record is in parenthesis.
CRESTWOOD (2-8)
at BERWICK (11-3)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Crestwood 31-17 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: Berwick’s brand new secondary
Huddle Up: This was a pretty good game last year until things unraveled for Crestwood in the third quarter. The Comets surrendered two safeties and a TD in a span of about six minutes, turning a four-point game into a semi-rout.
That Berwick team had a lot of questions going into the game, and this year’s team does as well as graduation has hit hard. The Dawgs, though, have the backfield of Lou Hampton and Alec Ladonis back and will ride them until the defense matures.
Crestwood QB Nick Aigeldinger had a difficult task last season – making his first career start as a freshman against one of the nation’s most storied programs. He’ll be better and Comets should be as a whole, but not good enough to upset the Dawgs at the Crispin Field pound.
DALLAS (2-8) at
WILLIAMSPORT (2-8)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Williamsport 21-7 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: The line play for both teams
Huddle Up: Williamsport broke a 10-game losing streak when it defeated Dallas last season. The game, though, was better known for the bench-clearing brawl in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, there was no Don Zimmer moment for either Dallas coach Ted Jackson or Williamsport coach Tom Gravish, both of whom were peacemakers and not instigators as some misguided people thought.
Anyway, this has the makings of a good game. The skill positions are a bit shaky for both, but the lines are experienced and should determine the winner.
LAKE-LEHMAN (9-2)
at HANOVER AREA (7-5)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Hanover Area 26-18 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: Lehman’s offense, which lost several key players
Huddle Up: Lehman started its 2008 by defeating Hanover Area and ended it with a loss to the Hawks in the District 2 Class 2A playoffs. In between, the Black Knights ran roughshod over their opponents, save for the GAR game.
Lehman certainly doesn’t have the same quick-strike offense, losing just about everyone who crossed the goal line. The Black Knights, though, have a few guys who might be able to ease the departures.
Hanover Area could start a nice little run here with a victory. The Hawks may need to do so because the schedule get quite tough come October.
MEYERS (2-9)
at COUGHLIN (7-4)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Coughlin 37-0 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: Coughlin’s running game, which lost its top two rushers
Huddle Up: Strange game here where the visiting team actually has a longer road trip than the home team. All Meyers has to do is walk out of its school, cross the field to the visitors sideline and pretend its somewhere else.
It really doesn’t matter which sideline the Mohawks patrol; they are simply overmatch as a Class A team going against 3A Coughlin, which has been penciled into the postseason by a lot of observers.
The Crusaders’ first real test comes next Saturday at Dallas. This game serves as a chance to work out some of the kinks.
NORTHWEST (8-3) at
LOURDES REGIONAL (7-5)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Northwest 12-0 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: Northwest’s Bret Rukowski, a 1,000-yard rusher last season
Huddle Up: Northwest starts its defense of the All-American Conference title for a final time. The Rangers are going back to the WVC in 2010.
The AAC served Northwest well as it rebuilt a sagging program. At the same time, it built a nice rivalry with Lourdes, which finished runner-up to Northwest the past two years after winning the championship in 2006.
Northwest goes for its third consecutive shutout of the Red Raiders.
TUNKHANNOCK (4-6)
at PITTSTON AREA (6-5)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Tunkhannock 21-14 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: Pittston Area’s revamped defensive line vs. Tunkhannock’s run offense
Huddle Up: Pittston Area won just about every statistical battle in last year’s game but the most important – the final score. In fact, Tunkhannock led 21-0 midway through the fourth quarter before the Patriots woke up.
Pittston Area has been notorious for starting the season slowly, going 2-8 in its first two games over the last five years. Meanwhile, Tunkhannock has gone 10 years without a winning season, the longest streak in the WVC. So the 48 minutes could be a microcosm of the season.
WYOMING AREA (4-6)
at NANTICOKE (0-10)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Wyoming Area 41-0 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: How much Wyoming Area reveals of its new offensive scheme
Huddle Up: Both teams are young, but that’s where the similarities end.
Wyoming Area gained valuable experience last season against six opponents that wound up in the postseason. Nanticoke is relying heavily on sophomores, making a win here out of the question and snapping a 21-game losing streak unlikely.
Wyoming Area will be employing a new offensive wrinkle this season, but coach Randy Spencer won’t need to tip his hand against Nanticoke. Heck, he was reluctant to say much in the preseason even though the word has really … umm … spread about what the Warriors plan.
WYOMING VALLEY WEST (7-4) at SCRANTON (6-4)
7 p.m. today
Last meeting: Scranton 26-20 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: A player to break out offensively on either team.
Huddle Up: Talk about a quality matchup. Six of the last seven times these teams have played the game has been decided by a touchdown or less. Valley West has won just two of them.
Expect another good game, but how it develops is anyone’s guess. These teams combined have lost over 5,300 yards of offense to graduation. That’s converts to over three miles, so it’s uncertain how well either team will move the ball.
Pat Keating makes his debut as Valley West’s coach at the nicest facility in District 2.
HAZLETON AREA (10-2) at ABINGTON HEIGHTS (10-2)
1 p.m. Saturday
Last meeting: Hazleton Area 18-17 in OT in 2008
Keep An Eye On: The fatigue factor
Huddle Up: Abington Heights’ stadium, aka The Pit, is a quaint place. But it’s also in – you guessed it – a pit, so the breeze doesn’t really blow through it. The forecast is for a high near 80 degrees, but it feels much hotter at The Pit because everything its sort of jammed together. Look for a possible battle of attrition.
Hazleton Area finally snapped a four-game regular-season losing streak to the Comets last season. It’s a shame Abington dropped to Class 3A because games like this deserve to be played more than once a year.
HOLY REDEEMER (3-7)
at GAR (10-2)
7 p.m. Saturday
Last meeting: GAR 31-10 in 2008
Keep An Eye On: GAR’s line, which has been the talk of the preseason
Huddle Up: Not a marquee matchup by any means, but it’s the only game in town and much cheaper than a movie ticket.
Redeemer could have been a .500 team last year with a few breaks. But that passing game the Royals relied on has been gutted by graduation, so the offense could struggle at times.
Defending WVC Division 2A champion GAR lost the conference’s best tailback tandem – Times Leader Player of the Year Ryan Womack and speedster Godson Tandoh – to graduations. But coach Tony Khalife had an ace up his sleeve last year and could pull it out tonight.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
RADIO
7 p.m., WILK (910, 980 & 1300 AM; 103.1 FM) – Riverside at Old Forge
7 p.m., WHLM (103.5 FM) – Crestwood at Berwick
TELEVISION
7 p.m., Service Electric Cable – Meyers at Coughlin
7 p.m., WYLN – Crestwood at Berwick
7:30 p.m., PCN – Bethlehem Liberty at North Penn
INTERNET
7 p.m., www.dunmorebucks.org – Mid Valley at Dunmore
7 p.m., www.vvcougars.com – Valley View at North Pocono
7 p.m., www.redzonemedia.com – Northwest at Lourdes Regional