GAME OF THE WEEK: Eagles, Hurricanes meet in a pivotal Week 3 matchup
· Yahoo Sports
Throw out the stats. Throw out the records. It’s rivalry week.
Visit tr-sport.click for more information.
Schuylkill Haven and Blue Mountain will meet Friday night at Rotary Field for the latest edition of their “Backyard Brawl” rivalry, one of the fiercest in the Schuylkill League.
A unique rivalry matchup as defined by the school district boundaries themselves.
While anything can happen in a rivalry game, both Blue Mountain’s and Schuylkill Haven’s starts to the season, set up a matchup that could be crucial in the big picture of their respective season.
For Blue Mountain, the Eagles are looking poised to be a potential District XI championship contender this fall. A win on Friday night would propel them into the heart of league play with legitimate momentum despite a week two loss.
For the Hurricanes, a win over their archrival would get the season back on track after a disappointing 0-2 start to the season.
How they got here
The Eagles through two weeks of the 2026 season look to be the Schuylkill League’s solidified top team. After a 48-0 drubbing of Jim Thorpe in Week 1, the Eagles fell narrowly to Southern Lehigh in Week 2, 45-36.
Now, they’ll look to get back on track against the Hurricanes.
Blue Mountain’s offense is a completely balanced attack. In the passing game, quarterback Cohen Kirby has been efficient through the first two weeks with a 70% completion percentage and averaging 11.7 yards per passing attempt. He has six touchdowns to one interception.
Wide receiver Chase Guers will garner much of the attention. He’s been strong to start the season with 10 receptions for 153 yards and three scores. But junior Kole Luckenbill has emerged as another dangerous pass catcher with 12 receptions for 268 yards and three scores so far this season.
That’s not to mention a dangerous rushing attack, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 168 yards on the ground over the first two games. Junior Brody Foose is averaging 7.3 yards per carry this season with 29 carries for 211 yards and two scores. Sophomore Sonny Amato has been excellent with nine carries for 58 yards while freshman Dalton Daubert is averaging six yards per carry early in his career as well.
Defensively, the Eagles are rather young and with that, busted assignments and coverages have happened, especially last week against Southern Lehigh.
Nonetheless, the talent is there for Blue Mountain and the Eagles’ defense should be among the best in the Schuylkill League throughout the course of the season.
Through two games, they’ve caused quite a bit of chaos already with 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, five additional quarterback hurries, and have forced three turnovers in the process as well.
For Schuylkill Haven, it would be a lie to say otherwise that it’s surprising to see the Hurricanes with an early 0-2 mark. But plenty of season remains, and it wouldn’t be surprising by season’s end if the Hurricanes and Eagles are the top two teams in their respective divisions.
But for Schuylkill Haven to get there, there will be plenty to clean up in the coming weeks.
The Hurricanes defense has struggled through two games, allowing 88 points; 48 to Mount Carmel in week one and 40 to Tamaqua in Week 2.
They’ve been especially susceptible on the ground, allowing 948 rushing yards over their two losses. Facing a talented tailback like Foose, who has a strong combination of both physicality and athleticism, will be another tough test for the Hurricanes.
If the Hurricanes can get their defense moving in the right direction, the offense has been more balanced early in the season than over the past several seasons with a new quarterback under center.
Junior Bradyn Diehl is leading the offense. A strong-armed passer, Diehl has been impressive through his first two starts, completing 16-of-25 passing attempts for 404 yards and six touchdowns to just two interceptions.
Freshman tight end Noah Runkle has looked the part in his first two varsity games with four receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Chase Yoder has been explosive in the passing game as well with five receptions for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
While the passing attack is as dangerous as it has been in quite sometime for the Hurricanes, the rushing attack is still their bread-and-butter.
Senior Colton Reber has been excellent this season with 380 yards and four touchdowns. He also has four receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.
After 399 all-purpose yards against Mount Carmel in Week 1, Reber had a quieter Week 2, albeit still a strong performance with 127 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on 10 touches.
Hurricanes looking to avoid a rare 0-3 start
Sitting at 0-2, the Hurricanes’ season is far from over and a manageable schedule remains the rest of the season. However, an 0-3 start would be a difficult pill for Schuylkill Haven to swallow.
It would also be quite rare territory for the Hurricanes, who haven’t started a season 0-3 since 2019, a season in which they finished 5-6. They also did so in 2017.
But that 2017 season is a strong example of that despite the slow start, the Hurricanes are still very much in control of their season.
In that 2017 campaign, Schuylkill Haven lost its first four games of the season to Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Tamaqua and North Schuylkill. But after the 0-4 start, the Hurricanes ripped off eight straight wins, winning a District 11 Class 2A championship in the process.
Blue Mountain coach Chuck Kutz has prepared his players to expect a motivated Schuylkill Haven team after its slow start.
“Haven’s going to come out fired up and say, ‘We need to get a W,’ Kutz said.
The Eagles if they hope to hold off the Hurricanes will have to win in the trenches.
“I know that offensively, they’ll say, ‘We win the line of scrimmage, we control the football, and we keep the ball out of their hands.’ So that’s, again, a challenge for us—we have to control the line of scrimmage.”
Blue Mountain looks to reclaim bragging rights
Last year, Schuylkill Haven snapped a six-year skid to Blue Mountain in the Backyard Brawl with a last-second 34-27 win in Week 1.
But otherwise, in the rivalry matchup, it’s been Blue Mountain dominance for much of the last two decades with the Eagles winning 14 of 19 total matchups. The Hurricanes picked up wins in 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2025.
Overall, Blue Mountain has won 40 of 65 total matchups between the two programs.
But then again — throw out the records. Throw out the stats. It’s rivalry week, and it’s time for another Backyard Brawl.