ELYSBURG - After Southern Columbia's 42-21 win over Central Columbia last week, Tigers coach Jim Roth praised the defense on its game.
The Tigers limited the Blue Jays to three first-half rushing yards and picked off a pair of Central passes.
Tonight, against Mount Carmel (4-1, 2-0), Roth believes the defense will need an even bigger game against the Red Tornadoes' offense.
"They have a difficult offense to prepare for," Roth said. "Assuming Kyle Karycki is back, they have two outstanding running backs. (Treyvon) White and (Christian) Kelley are good receivers. (Dominic) Farranoto is a good quarterback. They have balance on offense."
Mount Carmel showed its strength on offense last week against Danville.
The offense piled up 329 yards, including 145 through the air, on its way to a 44-13 win. Blake Panko, the other running back in the Red Tornadoes' scheme, had 55 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
But Roth is concerned with the variety of the Red Tornadoes offense and not just one player.
"You can't prepare for one phase," Roth said. "They're running some options effectively. It's a unique angle that we don't see often. You have a lot to prepare for. The quarterback can run the ball, so there's a lot to defend in preparing for a team like this."
While the Red Tornadoes may run a varied offense, the Tigers have an offense that's difficult to stop too.
Matt Jeremiah, Hunter Thomas and Blake Marks offer three different options in the backfield. Combined, the trio has 18 rushing touchdowns on the season - and Marks missed the first game.
But that doesn't mean Roth believes the running game won't have any difficulties against Mount Carmel.
"They're playing a very agrresive run defense," Roth said. "They're playing a lot of six-man front. Their linebackers move around, planting and stunting. Offensively, we have to prepare for moving and changing defensive fronts, so again, on both sides of the ball it's difficult to prepare for."
There is some good news for the Tigers, though. Lineman Josh Yoder, who plays both sides of the ball, is returning after missing the last two games.
Yoder will rejoin a defense that Roth said he believed had its best game of the season last week, but is still expecting a bigger challenge this week.
"Central came in with one main running back, Mount Carmel has two that have been successful, along with a quarterback that can run," Roth said. "We have to continue to do the same thing that we did against Central Columbia. Pursue the football and tackle well."