Each week is an important measuring point for high school football teams.

After completing the first month of the season, Delaware Valley and Wallenpaupack are at critical junctures in their Lackawanna Football Conference Division I schedules.

No. 6 Delaware Valley (1-3) is involved in an intens  chase for one of two spots in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs. Ninth-ranked Wallenpaupack (3-1) won its last three games, putting it right in the thick of both the LFC Division I and District 2 Class 4A races.

On Friday, the Warriors travel to face Wallenpaupack at 7 p.m. in a matchup that has intensified through the years.

“We had a pretty good week of practice,” Delaware Valley linebacker Dylan Bannon said. “Everybody has to lock in, and we have high hopes for Friday.”

As he does every year, the Warriors’ head coach Keith Olsommer set up a challenging nonleague schedule that included District 11 powers Bethlehem Catholic, Northampton and East Stroudsburg South. The Warriors went 1-2 in those games, losing to Bethlehem Catholic and Northampton by a combined four points.

After a win over East Stroudsburg South, Delaware Valley dropped a physical battle with Scranton Prep, 14-7.

The early schedule has taken its toll. The Warriors are without starters Philip Leslie, a 320-pound senior lineman, and NCAA Division I tight end prospect James Dabney. Devin Estevez, the team’s leader on offense and defense, left last week’s game injured.

Still, Delaware Valley had the ball, rallying until Scranton Prep linebacker Finn Mulligan secured the win with an interception.

“We are going to come in and play hard,” Bannon said. “We have to clean up the small mistakes that we have been making. We have been playing pretty well on defense.”

Delaware Valley is averaging 224.5 total yards per game. Estevez has 309 rushing yards and Lucas Purdon has provided 72 yards on 17 carries.

Quarterback Lucas Petersheim has 432 yards passing and six touchdowns, and Nick Vilord leads with 12 receptions for 89 yards.

Linebacker Dylan Bannon had 12 tackles against Scranton Prep and leads the team with 51 stops. Anthony Boo has 39 tackles, while Jason Westridge and Jace Stahli each have 23.

“They played four tough teams,” Wallenpaupack running back/linebacker Edward Kiesendahl said. “The District 11 teams are formidable.” (Delaware Valley) played many close games, and the defense looked stout.

“The biggest thing and key matchup will be our big guys up front against their defense. That matchup will decide this game. If we can create offense, we will be all right. We all have to do our 1/11th, and we will be OK.”

Wallenpaupack turned to the ground game to bounce back from a season-opening loss to Honesdale.

Kiesendahl leads the team with 536 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Anthony Kiesendahl, Edward’s brother, has 281 yards rushing. Quarterback Jake Rafferty has 269 yards passing and 148 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

Freshman Billy Motz has a team-leading 23 tackles, Edward Kiesendahl has 22 and Tyler Preston has 21 with 3.5 for loss. Jaxton Pouliot has three interceptions for the Buckhorns, who have yielded 58.5 passing yards in the last two weeks.

“We have been focused on being a team and a family,” Edward Kiesendahl said. “The team chemistry has been up, and that has made things so much more fun.”

6-DELAWARE VALLEY AT 9-WALLENPAUPACK

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Wallenpaupack HS Stadium

Records: DV 1-3, WAL 3-1.

Last: Delaware Valley, 35-21 (2025)

The buzz: Delaware Valley leads the series, 22-10, winning the last seven. Wallenpaupack beat the Warriors, 24-13, in 2018. Delaware Valley defeated East Stroudsburg South, 13-10, in Week 3. Wallenpaupack beat ESS, 35-13, in Week 2. Wallenpaupack is averaging 47.0 points in its last three games. Delaware Valley ran for 151 yards last week in a 14-7 loss to Scranton Prep.

SCOUTING REPORT

Delaware Valley: The Warriors are battling injuries. The loss of Leslie and Dabney removed two multi-year starters. Last week, leading rusher Devon Estevez went down and did not finish the game in a loss to Scranton Prep. Purdon gave the team a burst of energy in the running game against the Cavaliers. Defensively, led by Bannan, the Warriors were physical and got timely turnovers to give themselves a chance against Scranton Prep. They forced two turnovers.

Wallenpaupack: The Buckhorns are leaning heavily on their strong offensive line, led by Niko Bowers, to run the ball and control the game’s pace. Brothers Edward and Anthony Kiesendahl are running with power and speed. Rafferty is an effective passer, but has also become a weapon in the running game. Wallenpaupack has dominated its opponents defensively in the last three weeks. The Buckhorns have 17 tackles for loss and three sacks this season. They shut out Scranton last week.