H.S. FOOTBALL: Week 2 Elite Eight Power Rankings
· Yahoo Sports
The first week of the 2026 high school football season is in the books. Now heading into Week 2, the Republican Herald Sports Staff ranks the top teams in the Schuylkill League.
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1. Blue Mountain (Up 1)
2026 Record: 1-0
Week 1 Result: 48-0 win over Jim Thorpe
Week 2 Opponent: at Southern Lehigh
Blue Mountain was one of just a handful of Schuylkill League teams to take care of business in Week 1, defeating Jim Thorpe 48-0. They’ll now turn their attention to defending Class 4A state champions, the Southern Lehigh Spartans.
2. Schuylkill Haven (Down 1)
2026 Record: 0-1
Week 1 Result: 48-41 loss to Mount Carmel
Week 2 Opponent: at Tamaqua
Schuylkill Haven fell narrowly in a back-and-forth barnburner last Friday in Tamaqua. Now, the Hurricanes will look to get win No. 1 of the 2026 season out of the way on Friday night when they travel to Tamaqua.
3. Williams Valley (No Change)
2026 Record: 1-0
Week 1 Result: 15-14 (OT) win over Upper Dauphin Area
Week 2 Opponent: vs Southern Columbia
Upper Dauphin Area gave Williams Valley all they could handle but the Vikings found a way to come out with a rivalry win to start the season. Now, the biggest challenge of their season awaits, a matchup in Between the Pines against the defending Class AA champions, the Southern Columbia Tigers.
4. North Schuylkill (Up 1)
2026 Record: 0-1
Week 1 Result: 49-34 loss to Jersey Shore
Week 2 Opponent: vs Notre Dame-Green Pond
North Schuylkill, despite losing in Week 1 to Jersey Shore, impressed by posting 34-points on a potential state championship contender. The Spartans’ offense looks legit after one week but can their defense make the strides necessary to slow down a high powered Notre Dame-Green Pond offense this week?
5. Minersville (Up 1)
2026 Record: 1-0
Week 1 Result: 27-7 win over Halifax
Week 2 Opponent: at Jim Thorpe
Minersville’s offense looked just fine in Week 1 with Dante Carr gone. The Battlin’ Miners totaled 351 yards of total offense in a 27-7 win over Halifax with quarterback Derek Derenzo impressing both through the air and on the ground. They’ll now take on a Jim Thorpe team looking for redemption from last week’s blowout loss to Blue Mountain.
6. Marian Catholic (Up 1)
2026 Record: 1-0
Week 1 Result: 34-33 loss to Palmerton
Week 2 Opponent: at Panther Valley
Despite a tough loss, Marian showed last week that it could have a high-powered offense this season. The Colts totaled 343 yards, including 255 passing yards from quarterback Gregory Tirpak. Running back Tyler Price had over 220 yards from scrimmage, as well, with 115 rushing yards and 105 receiving yards. They’ll get a good, physical test this Friday against Panther Valley.
7. Tri-Valley (Down 3)
2026 Record: 0-1
Week 1 Result: 14-7 loss to Line Mountain
Week 2 Opponent: at Halifax
It was a tough Week 1 performance for Tri-Valley’s offense, which couldn’t get anything consistent going against Line Mountain. The Bulldogs will look to bounce back in week two on the road against Halifax.
8. Panther Valley (Up 2)
2026 Record: 1-0
Week 1 Result: 34-25
Week 2 Opponent: vs Marian Catholic
Panther Valley put together a strong performance offensive against a much-improved Mahanoy Area, rushing for over 300 yards on the ground. The Panthers are seeking their first 2-0 start to a season since 2017 against Marian on Friday night.
Just Missed
Tamaqua Area (0-1), Pottsville (0-1)