The last time Tri-Valley and Schuylkill Haven met, it was Week 10 of the 2025 season with the Bulldogs looking to spoil Schuylkill Haven’s perfect regular season.
Ultimately, Schuylkill Haven defeated Tri-Valley 55-20, finishing the regular season with a 10-0 record en route to a 12-1 season and a District 11 runner-up finish.
Now, on Friday night, the stakes will be a little bit different. Tri-Valley enters the contest with a 5-2 record, including 3-1 within the Schuylkill League, while Schuylkill Haven sits at 3-4 overall with an identical 3-1 mark in league play.
Both teams are well on their way to the District 11 playoffs. Tri-Valley currently sits in second place in Class A, trailing only Williams Valley. Schuylkill Haven, despite its slow start to the season, now sits in third in District 11 Class AA behind Northern Lehigh and Shenandoah Valley.
Both teams are vying for significant wins on Friday night. For Tri-Valley, a sixth win would clinch a winning season. For Schuylkill Haven, a win would get the Hurricanes to .500 for the first time this fall.
Here’s what Schuylkill League fans need to know about both teams prior to Friday’s showdown at Rotary Field in Schuylkill Haven:
Schuylkill Haven looks to get to .500
Since starting the season off with an 0-3 record, the Hurricanes have won three of their last four games, only falling to Williams Valley 12-6 on Oct. 2 over the last month. Otherwise, the Hurricanes have been dominant: a 43-16 win over Mahanoy Area, a 63-7 win over Nativity BVM, and a 48-20 win over Shenandoah Valley. All three wins came on the road.
Last week against Shenandoah Valley, the Hurricanes totaled 467 rushing yards in the game, including 18 carries for 283 yards and three touchdowns from senior Colton Reber. Junior Logan Goad tallied seven carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns of his own, while quarterback Bode Hinnershitz completed his only passing attempt of the game for 22 yards.
The last month of football has been what was expected out of Mike Farr’s team this season: a relentless offense led by a tremendous rushing attack, and a quality defense that has found its footing since a tough start to the season.
Reber, the engine of the Hurricanes’ offense, has four straight games of 100-plus yards after being kept to nine carries for 68 yards against Tamaqua and 12 carries for 94 yards against Blue Mountain. In those four games, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound tailback has amassed 67 carries for 688 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s averaging 10.2 yards per carry over the stretch.
Logan Goad has been excellent when used with 36 carries for 412 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 11.4 yards per carry. He also has two games of 100-plus yards, including eight carries for 114 yards against Mahanoy Area last month.
Quarterback Bode Hinnershitz has settled in taking over for the injured Bradyn Diehl, completing 9 of 16 passing attempts for 208 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception.
Tight end Noah Runkle, just a freshman, leads the Hurricanes in receiving yards with 10 receptions for 279 yards. Also getting in on the action through the air is Chase Yoder with 10 receptions for 206 yards and three touchdowns, while Reber and Goad have combined for 15 receptions for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns out of the backfield.
Defensively, the Hurricanes have tightened up.
After allowing over 1,000 over the first two games, Schuylkill Haven has kept opponents quiet on the ground and has held explosive plays to a minimum. The 20 points allowed to Shenandoah Valley in Week 7 were the most the Hurricanes have allowed since Sept. 11 against Blue Mountain.
Of course, a strong run defense will be needed if they hope to slow down Tri-Valley.
Tri-Valley eyes sixth win
When Tri-Valley fell to Line Mountain 14-7 in Week 1, it was a bit of a stunner from the outside.
But since that loss, the Bulldogs have been excellent, winning five of their last six games, the lone loss coming to Marian Catholic, 24-21. However, they were without key offensive cog Parker Hatter.
Hatter returned last week against Mahanoy Area, and all was sound in Hegins as the Bulldogs rushed for 228 yards and won, 41-16.
Hatter, with fresh legs, had 16 carries for 132 yards and a trio of scores. Through his five games played, Hatter has totaled 99 carries for 803 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 8.1 yards per carry. The only game in which he didn’t rush for at least 80 yards was against Minersville, where he left in the first half with the upper-body injury that kept him out of the Marian Catholic loss.
While Hatter leads the way, he’s far from the only offensive weapon for Tri-Valley.
Landon Horoschak has 46 carries for 250 yards this season, while quarterback Trey Porter has 43 carries for 200 yards and four touchdowns. Fullback Donovan Keeth has been effective when asked to carry the ball as well, with 20 carries for 123 yards and five touchdowns.
The Bulldogs will not throw the ball too much. Porter has just 63 attempts through seven games, completing 30 for 585 yards and four touchdowns while throwing five interceptions. Doyle Flory leads the team with nine receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown. Hatter also has four receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. Lucas Schwartz is the only other Bulldog with over 100 receiving yards, tallying seven receptions for 133 yards and a score.
While the Bulldogs are very good offensively, averaging 29.2 points per game, their defense has been their calling card. They’ve allowed just 92 points through seven games, an average of 13.1 points per game.
Through seven games, the Bulldogs have only allowed more than 20 points twice, and have kept opponents to 10 points or less in three games, including a 25-0 win over Halifax, a 49-10 win over Shenandoah Valley, and a 31-6 win over Minersville.
The Bulldogs will lean on that defensive unit once again this week as they look to slow down a Schuylkill Haven offense that has found its groove over the last month.