The Saucon Valley Jungle will be a rowdy place where the wild rejoice.
Is Saucon Valley ready for their home opener? Will the Jungle be rockin’ and rollin’? Can the Panthers improve to 3-0 with a win over the Palmerton Blue Bombers? Those questions and much more will be answered following Friday’s kickoff at 7 p.m.
The Blue Bombers are 0-2. In Week One, Palmerton was edged out by the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers 13-12. Last week the Blue Bombers ended up getting smoked by Southern Lehigh 49-7. The Panthers are coming off two mercy-rule victories over Bangor and Pen Argyl. The obvious assumption is for the Panthers to win…BIG!
Things Worth Watching:
Saucon Valley Panthers
When the Panthers have the ball…
Offensively, look for Saucon Valley to take advantage of an undersized Blue Bomber defensive line. It’s looking good for senior Nate “Bulldog” Kehs (#32) and junior Zach “Lightning” Petiet (#23) to add to their touchdown and rushing tallies. After two games these two Panther running backs have each rushed for 4 TDs. They are both averaging in the neighborhood of 12 yards per carry. Kehs has received the majority of the work so far with his 20 carries for 250 yards. Petiet is equally impressive though, with 110 yards on only nine carries. Look for this dynamic duo to run wild in the Jungle.
If the Bombers crowd the line of scrimmage and somehow manage to stuff the Panther run, Saucon Valley will lean on their passing attack which has proven very effective. Senior quarterback Brandon Holub (#12) threw three touchdown passes last week and will look for more. His primary target is junior Alstan “Primetime” Wolfe (#5). Wolfe has been nothing short of incredible. He is a proven big-play threat anytime he gets a touch. Enjoy the show when the ball goes his way. If it is not Wolfe being targeted by Holub then it will be senior Kory Kemmerer (#4) or sophomore Patrick Morrissey (#80). Kemmerer is as reliable as they come and Morrissey had a reception for a touchdown against Pen Argyl last week. Both have very good hands.
Palmerton has shown a 4-4 as their base defense. Aside from senior big man Jerry Zielinski (#74), who is listed at 6’2″, 265, the Bombers are very small up front. Soaking wet, the other defensive linemen struggle to tip the scales to average 200 pounds. Conversely, the Hogs average 257 pounds. When asked about the mismatch Coach Sams cautioned, “They may be small but they do fly aggressively to the football.” It will be a challenge, however, for Palmerton to keep pace and challenge the Hogs for four quarters.
When the Blue Bombers have the ball…
Palmerton Blue Bombers
Palmerton has a nice balanced attack from their no huddle offense. The Bombers have shown both a spread, zone read offense from the shotgun as well as an option attack that mimics the military academies. They have a decent running game behind a smallish offensive line. Their offensive line is made up of the same cast of characters that make up their defensive line. Again, it looks like a huge mismatch that heavily favors the Panthers. That being said, Palmerton likes their chances with senior Mike Stasko (#26) who measures 5’10”, 190. Stasko is only averaging 3 yards per carry this year, but did rush for over 1,200 last season averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Stasko is a very good receiver as well. Palmerton likes to get him into space on swing passes and throw him the ball. Those short passes often turn into big gains. Stasko averages 22 yards per reception.
The Blue Bombers also have an offensive weapon in senior dual threat quarterback Garrett Perschy (#7) who is listed at 6’2″, 210. He is very athletic and seems to want to run rather than stand in the pocket and throw the ball downfield. Perschy and the Bombers have an excellent quick pass game. Look for Perschy to take a very short drop and get rid of the ball quickly. He has completed over 66 percent of his passes this season and has thrown for 2,700 yards in his career. Things could get interesting if Perschy heats up and finds his groove against the Panther defense.
It may be worth keeping an eye on senior receiver Jared Mooney (#3). He looks very athletic and is listed at 6’1″, 191. Mooney is often the lone receiver in Palmerton’s 3×1 formations. He only has five catches so far this year, but has the ability to be a playmaker.
In regard to the Panthers possibly coming into this game a little overconfident and perhaps looking ahead Coach Sams responded, “This is definitely a trap game. Palmerton is an 0-2 team who lost by one point (Northwestern Lehigh) and were in the game with Southern Lehigh until the third quarter. We tell our players that we do everything one day and one game at a time. Our focus is now. Always work on what is important now.”
The Panthers have deep experience and great leadership. Many of these boys have played in some very big games and have a great feel for what needs to be done in terms of preparation. It is unlikely Saucon Valley will allow Palmerton to hang around too long. The Panthers will be lurking in the Jungle looking to make quick work of their Blue Bomber prey.
Saucon Source is very excited for this 2016 home opener. It should be a great night for some Panther football. Saucon Valley has an opportunity to improve to 3-0 and will be performing in front of their hometown crowd for the first time this season. We will be covering all the action and hope to see you there.
Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!
