This weekend is the second round of the annual Pioneer Athletic Conference football fight … just the second round. Perkiomen Valley’s Scott Reed is well aware of that, so is Pottsgrove’s Rick Pennypacker.

So forgive the ol’ fellas if they don’t think their teams can deliver a knockout blow tonight.

Yes, both Perkiomen Valley and Pottsgrove have been mentioned over and over as the PAC-10 heavyweights this season. Yes, both punched their way to wins over credible challengers a week ago. And, yes, as long as they stay healthy, both have the ability to poke, prod and punch their way through the next – or final – seven rounds of the regular season.

So, yes, the Vikings and Falcons absolutely want to knock each other off their collective feet tonight.

But they’re also well aware that the bell rings again next week, the week after that, the week after that… all the way through the first weekend in November, then one final time Thanksgiving morning.

“Our team, and that includes every one of the players as well as all the coaches, know that whoever we play each week is the biggest game of the season,” Reed said. “That never changes. We prepare for the team we’re playing that week, and we prepare for it as the biggest game of the season.”

“This is like any other game for us,” Pennypacker added. “Yes, Perkiomen Valley is very good and, yes, this is a very big game. But all it means right now is that one of us gets a leg up on the other by being 2-0. Don’t forget, there are still a lot of games left to play.”

Though neither would admit it, Reed and Pennypacker probably spent a few extra hours with their defensive coordinators.

Understandably so.

The Vikings, who have been quite generous defensively – allowing 120 points in their first three games – will have to deal with Pottsgrove’s much-improved heavyweights up front and quick-as-lightning lightweights behind them. Quarterback Terrell Chestnut, as well as fullback Preston Hamlette and tailback Maika Polamalu, can flat out fly. Chestnut has gone 76, 61 and 77 yards for three of his five touchdowns; Hamlette went 94 yards for one score; and Polamalu, in addition to a 37-yard reception that ended in the end zone, shuffled through the defense for 63 yards and a touchdown that put last week’s bout with Phoenixville out of reach.

“(Pottsgrove) has a lot of marquee football players,” Reed said. “They have talent. They can move the ball, and they can score.”

Don’t think it’ll be any easier for Pottsgrove’s defense, either, because Perkiomen Valley lines up with one of the area’s most balanced – or most dangerous, if you prefer – offenses.

Lynwood Snowden, who showcased his speed in both the 100 and 200 meters during last spring’s PAC-10 Track and Field Championships, brought a kickoff back 90 yards in the season-opener, has run for four touchdowns and caught a pass for another. In other words, he’s a concern every time he touches the football. So is quarterback Zach Zulli – The Mercury’s Player of the Year last season – who has peppered opposing secondaries by completing 64 percent of this attempts for 671 yards and seven touchdowns – four going to Paul Thomas.

“They can score, and they can score in bunches,” Pennypacker said of the Vikings. “Zulli is one of the best high school quarterbacks I’ve seen in a long time, and with all the formations and all the motion they show you, you can’t afford any mental mistakes. Seriously, we could get blown out if we’re not careful in this one.”

Even though Pennypacker will go with an incredible number of underclassmen tonight – eight sophomores and nine juniors among the 22 lining up on both sides of the ball – Reed still sees the overall makeup of the Falcons’ youth movement.

“People have a tendency to think about running backs and receivers when you talk about speed, but Pottsgrove’s defense is very fast,” Reed said. “They get to the football very quickly, and that’s from all positions.

“They’ll be a big challenge for us. They’re very aggressive, and they fly to the football.”

* * *

Zulli needs just 26 yards passing tonight to become the area’s third quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard career mark. The others were Upper Perkiomen’s Jeff Moyer (4,161) and Daniel Boone’s Chris Bokosky (5,297). … The Falcons had beaten Perkiomen Valley seven straight times before falling 35-7 last year in Graterford.

BUSTIN’ IN BERKS

Daniel Boone, coming off what was unquestionably one of head coach Dave Bodolus’ most disturbing defeats – 48-47 in overtime to winless Columbia – opens its Inter-County League Section One card tonight against visiting Twin Valley.

The Blazers put up 440 yards and those 47 points against Columbia, so it wasn’t like they really missed quarterback Jon Monteiro, who was sidelined with a thigh bruise. Monteiro is expected to be back tonight, and Bodolus hopes the defense comes back, too. And not the defense that surrendered 451 yards and 48 points last Saturday night.

Twin Valley moved up from Section Two to Section One this season, the program’s 13th since opening up back in 1996 under former Owen J. Roberts standout Tim Kier.

PROFILE OF COURAGE

Perkiomen School’s visit to George School on Saturday will feature two outstanding quarterbacks – the Indians’ Abdul Smith and the hosts’ Justin Cancelliere.

Cancelliere, who like Smith also lines up in the secondary and returns kicks, has shown remarkable courage since losing almost his entire family in a plane crash midway through his freshman year. His mother, stepfather, three sisters and the family babysitter were killed when their plane crashed while attempting to land in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Cancelliere was actually supposed to accompany them on the flight, which originated out of Trenton, N.J., but he instead decided to stay at his father’s home to enjoy Super Bowl weekend.

“You’ve just got to keep your head up,” Cancelliere told the Bucks County Courier Times last month. “A lot of times it’s, “Ah, I feel like quitting. Why am I here?’ You ask why, but you need to look past that and think, ‘You’re still alive. You need to make your family proud. You’re living their legacy.’

“You’re the only left to represent your family, so you’ve got to represent them well and stay positive.”

Cancelliere plays three sports and is an excellent baseball player.

MILESTONES AND MORE

Pottstown was 48-48-1 at home in PAC-10 games before winning last week’s outing with visiting St. Pius X. Upper Perkiomen is 48-48-1 at home in PAC-10 games going into tonight’s game with the Trojans. Both teams will be looking to take the lead in their PAC-10 series, which is currently deadlocked at 11-11. The Indians will also be playing the 600th game in the history of their program, which kicked off in 1952 following the jointure of neighboring East Greenville and Pennsburg high schools. … Owen J. Roberts, which picked up some well-earned respect with last week’s decision over Upper Perkiomen, goes for its 100th Pioneer Athletic Conference win Saturday afternoon against Methacton, which is looking for its first.

DISTRICT BIGGIES

North Penn, No. 2 in the state and 3-0, hosts Central Bucks South (2-1), while No. 9 Neshaminy (2-1) entertains unbeaten Abington (3-0) in a pair of quality AAAA matchups. … An undefeated pairing has AAAA Upper Dublin (3-0) at AAA Upper Moreland (3-0). …Two other games – Garnet Valley (3-0) at Strath Haven (2-1) and Conestoga (2-1) at Ridley (3-0) – will also go a long way in setting up the early playoff points standings.

STATELY NOTES

Beaver Falls, Dunmore and Jeannette occupy the top three spots, respectively, in the state’s Class AA rankings. Former No. 1 West Catholic dropped to No. 4 after being upset 27-26 by La Salle College High School. Jeannette is the only team in the state that has yet to be scored on. The Jayhawks have blanked East Allegheny (43-0), Brownsville (41-0) and South Allegheny (45-0), and could make it four in a row at Waynesburg (1-2) tonight. … In Class AAA, No. 2 Erie Strong Vincent (3-0) travels across town tonight to take on No. 5 Erie Cathedral Prep (2-1). … McKeesport, which dropped a narrow 14-7 outing to powerful Colerain, Ohio, in its opener, jumped five spots to No. 3 in the AAAA state rankings behind No. 2 North Penn and No. 1 Gateway. The Tigers picked Plum apart 55-0 two weeks ago. Last Friday night, they took a 48-0 lead after one quarter and scored on eight of their first 14 plays from scrimmage en route to a 67-7 laugher over Connellsville. McKeesport and Gateway, by the way, meet in their WPIAL Foothills Conference final on Oct. 24. … If defense isn’t your thing, how about unranked William Penn High out in York? The Bearcats lead the state in scoring (167 points) after three romps over Reading (49-13), Lancaster McCaskey (57-20) and Susquehannock (61-10).

It's never been too awfully difficult to figure out who's who in Pioneer Athletic Conference football. Old-fashioned research - like checking team rosters from the previous year to see who's coming back and who isn't, a few off-the-record (of course) chats with coaches and players, and peeking in on summer practices as well as a scrimmage here and there - more often than not separates the good from the, dare we say it, not so good.

This season?

Let's see, put 'em all in alphabetical order - Boyertown, Methacton, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, St. Pius X, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen. Reverse the order if you'd like. Scribble the names of all those teams on a slip of paper, them into a hat, give it a flip-flop, and empty 'em on the kitchen table.

Go ahead.

Just don't dare claim to have an answer as to who is going to be on top of the standings when the show ends around noon Thanksgiving Day.

Quite simply, the 23rd season of PAC-10 football kicks off this evening with more uncertainty than any before it.

All that research, at least a few months of it, hasn't revealed any clues. And as ridiculous as it may sound, coaches - a good number of them at least - have mentioned upwards of seven teams they personally feel are capable of winning the title. Most admitted their respective scrimmages were up-and-down (inconsistent, or good and bad, as some mumbled). And after two weeks of non-league tests, no one is exactly gushing over their preseason report cards.

A few fanatics from around the football neighborhood have already put their collective feet over the chin strap, under the facemask and squarely into their mouths by claiming this could be a bad season for the PAC-10.

But, in all likelihood, because of the uncertainty - or dare we say parity - it may very well unfold as one of the best.

The opening-night card isn't going to tilt this season's seemingly level playing field, mind you. Not yet, at least. And it isn't going to reveal any unconquerable, goliath-like lineup(s), either. One week, or one game, a season doesn't make.

But it sure is a good one. Five games, five legitimate toss-ups ... and most of them have their own interesting storylines.

The headliner, if there is indeed one, is Methacton's visit to Boyertown. The Warriors are making their Pioneer Athletic Conference football debut and, naturally, would like to make a good first impression. The Bears are thinking otherwise, of course. They'd like nothing more than to end an eight-game losing streak that dates back to last season, give new head coach Mark Scisly his first win, and give the Warriors a loss to dwell on during the long bus ride back to Fairview Village.

Phoenixville and Pottsgrove will both attempt to right their respective ships after splitting their two non-league games. Each team has a potential Player of the Year, the Phantoms with Anthony Nattle and the Falcons with Terrell Chestnut, both of whom strut their stuff on both sides of the ball. And even though it doesn't play into anything, keep the number 550 in mind - this is the 550th game in the history of Pottsgrove's program, and Phoenixville is looking for the 550th win in the history of its storied program.

St. Pius X will take a short hike over to Pottstown and, for the first time in five years, look for a win in its PAC-10 opener. George Parkinson, the first head coach with three consecutive seasons on the Lions' sidelines since Dave Bodolus (1995-2001), and the Lions had last week off. But don't think they lost any of the enthusiasm or confidence from their impressive opening-night shutout of Simon Gratz down in Philadelphia. The Trojans, meanwhile, are expected to be a little healthier than they were against both Blue Mountain and Upper Dublin. And they also have Kenny Baker, another genuine Player of the Year candidate, who can break a game wide open all by himself with his quickness and speed.

Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley meet in Graterford to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a series that has become as good a rivalry as there is locally. It's also a series that has gone in reverse since Spring-Ford dominated the early meetings (by taking seven of its first eight PAC-10 wins by shutouts and four more in consecutive seasons - 1990-93). Perkiomen Valley has won eight of the last nine meetings, though. Both struggled the past two weeks, but both have two of the area's top quarterbacks. The Rams have Trevor Sasek, who is threatening to rewrite the school's record book, and the Vikings have Zach Zulli, who is threatening to rewrite the school's and area's record books.

And the final entry on the PAC-10 card has Upper Perkiomen at Owen J. Roberts, perhaps the two teams with as much to prove as anyone tonight. The Indians were nearly flawless in a rout of Allentown Allen and totally outplayed at Downingtown West. OJR got burnt by big plays against Downingtown West, then came up with their own to singe West Chester East. Indians head coach Keith Leamer hasn't lost any of his five games against OJR, but will have to deal with two of the league's best linemen in the Wildcats' Sam Morgan and Nelson Munoz and two of the league's most promising underclassmen in Ryan Brumfield and Scott Syrek.

MORE, MORE, MORE

Daniel Boone, the area's only 2-0 team, is at home tonight for the first time this season and entertains Columbia - a team that gave up 576 yards and 61 points in a loss to York Suburban last weekend. If that trend continues, the stat-fanats may need a calculator to add up Nate Greene's yardage on the ground and quarterback Jon Monteiro's yardage through the air.

Perkiomen School finally kicks off its season tonight at Tower Hill down in Wilmington, Del. Head coach Kevin Manferdini can ill afford any injuries this season because of lower numbers in camp. He has two promising senior guards in Eric Pfeiffer and Robert Faraco, who'll lead a charge up front for Abdul Smith, who has already committed to Rutgers University and is, without doubt, as good a candidate for Player of the Year honors as anyone.

SUNDAY SPECIAL

The Hill School will be the area's last team to step onto the field this season. The Blues' scheduled matinee for today against visiting Germantown Academy was pushed back to noon Sunday. The change was agreed upon by both schools after GA's opener with Cardinal Dougherty got washed out Saturday night and, because of scheduling conflicts, was pushed back to Monday afternoon.

See Sunday's edition of The Mercury for a preview of the Blues' opener.

DISTRICT FEATURES

Three big games on the District 1 docket tonight feature Pennsbury (2-0) at Glen Mills (2-0) and Strath Haven (1-1) at Conestoga (2-0), while the showcase event is St. Joseph's Prep (2-0) visiting North Penn (2-0). The teams are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the state's AAAA division. There are a couple more interesting matchups on Saturday, too, with Quakertown (2-0) visiting Cheltenham (2-0) and Henderson (2-0) traveling to Malvern Prep (1-0).

AROUND THE STATE

West Wayne ended the state's longest active losing streak at 41 games last weekend with a 21-6 win over Susquehanna Community. The Wildcats, who compete in the District 2-Class AAA bracket, hadn't won a game since Nov. 7, 2003. Going into tonight's games, Montgomery (District 4-A) and Allegheny-Clarion Valley (District 9-AA) own the state's longest active losing streak at 24. ... On the flip side, defending Class AA state champion Jeannette (District 7), which has swept 18 straight games, boasts the longest active winning streak in Pennsylvania. District 6-AA power Tyrone has won 34 consecutive regular-season games since a narrow 7-6 setback to Phillipsburg-Osceola four years ago.

CELEBRITY GAME

There were a few famous faces in the stands last week when Oaks Christian put a 35-7 thumping on Bakersfield Christian out in California. Former San Francisco 49er quarterback and Hall of Famer Joe Montana was there to watch his son, Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana. Seated nearby was NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Getzky and Hollywood star Will Smith, both keeping an eye on their sons who play for OC as well. On the other side of the field, former No. 1 NFL draft pick and journeyman quarterback David Carr was watching his son, Derek Carr, who was calling the signals for Bakersfield Christian.