Central Catholic came away with the biggest win of the week while Nazareth continues to be the most fun team to watch.
Seven takeaways from the Week 4 action of high school football:
Tragedy at Warren Hills
We’d be remiss if we didn’t start off by sending our thoughts and prayers to the family of Evan Murray, the Warren Hills football team and community. The senior quarterback died Friday night doing what he loved alongside his teammates-turned-brothers.
Monday, the Morris County Medical Examiner revealed Murray died from a lacerated spleen and that there was no evidence of head trauma.
By all accounts, Murray was a standout person, on and off the field. His aspiration, according to the team's football program, was to "be successful." Based on the outpouring of love and support from those that knew him, it's clear he achieved that.
The Blue Streaks are scheduled to play Voorhees Friday night, though it hasn’t been determined whether on not they will play the game. If they do, it’ll be with heavy hearts.
RELATED: 'Brothers forever.' Teammates, coaches mourn Warren Hills QB
Vikings make statement
Central Catholic came away with the biggest win of the weekend, taking down Easton Saturday night in Allentown.
The Vikings had a great game plan to beat the Red Rovers, limiting the run early on defense while finding success on offense with a lot of short passes and strong runs. They came up short against Parkland in Week 3 but came right back with their first win over Easton since 2005.
With the win, this Friday’s game between Freedom and Central Catholic now becomes one of the most important games of the early season. The Patriots are still unbeaten while the Vikings are hoping to stay in the race for the division.
Nazareth keeps the magic going
The Blue Eagles continue to be one of the most fun teams to watch, but they did it in a different way Friday at Emmaus – behind quarterback Travis Stefanik. The junior brought his team back from a 28-14 deficit to win 49-36.
Stefanik finished with a monster game, completing 15-of-22 passes for 235 yards and five touchdowns while taking 18 carries for 202 yards and two touchdowns. That may end up being the best single-game performance of the year when all is said and done.
All of a sudden, Nazareth is 3-1 and looks to have a good shot at making the postseason.
Liberty rebounds
Nice bounce-back win by the Hurricanes Friday night, showing no ill signs coming off their loss to Nazareth as they got back to work with a 42-7 mercy rule win over Whitehall.
Senior quarterback Doug Erney looked like himself again and is now getting a nice addition to the offense from his running backs. Freshman Nasir Legree has run for back-to-back 100-yard games and Gunner Anglovich provides a solid 1-2 punch.
The Liberty secondary also turned in a big game, picking off Zephyrs quarterback Gianni Sinatore three times and returning to the lock-down form the defensive backs take pride in.
Phillipsburg getting it done
Speaking of rebounds, the Stateliners also had a big one Friday night in their home opener, beating Watchung Hills 46-19.
Manny Romero continued to put up strong numbers, running for 115 yards and a touchdown while returning a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. Ja’Quan Jones added 117 yards and two scores, which could turn into a dangerous combination out of the backfield.
That typical Phillipsburg defense looks to be coming into form, too, getting stingy when it matters most.
How about Palisades?
The Pirates quietly took down a previously unbeaten team up in Palmerton, handing the Blue Bombers their first loss, 14-13 in overtime.
The difference was a blocked extra point in overtime, which allowed Palisades to win it on Jared Colletti’s three-yard touchdown run and his successful PAT.
But the big story is the Pirates’ defense. Palmerton had averaged 41 points through its first three games, but scored just seven in regulation Friday night. If Palisades can keep that type of effort up, it can stay in any game.
Two teams emerging in Colonial League
Sticking in the Colonial League, it’s looking more and more like Saucon Valley and Notre Dame are on a collision course for a Week 9 showdown.
The Panthers cruised to another win last Friday and have an important test this week against Northwestern. If it can get past the Tigers, Saucon Valley will have matchups with Pen Argyl, Bangor and Wilson
The Crusaders, meanwhile, took Northern Lehigh’s best shot Friday and still won. They’ll take on Palmerton this week before games with Bangor, Pen Argyl and Palisades.
If both teams continue to play like they have been, all signs point to 8-0 Saucon Valley vs. 8-0 Notre Dame on Oct. 30. That will be a good one.
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.