The Emmaus football team has spent the last two games on the road, and have come away with their first two losses of the season. The Green Hornets can't be any happier to be back at East Penn School District Stadium this weekend for a matchup against Northampton (2-3).

Emmaus (3-2) will look to bounce back from a tough loss at Easton, a game which may have slipped away. The Green Hornets led 8-0 late in the fourth quarter, but squandered the lead and lost 15-14 in double overtime.

"We played pretty well defensively, we just didn't finish," said head coach Joe Bottiglieri. "We played well for 46 minutes, but you have to play well for 48 minutes."

The Konkrete Kids may not be as strong on paper as Easton, but their offense goes off for big yards and puts points on the board. They are led by junior quarterback Nick Cook and senior wide receiver Kyle George. The two connected for the only two touchdowns of the game for Northampton in a loss to Central Catholic last weekend.

"We have to approach this game like any other game," said Bottiglieri. "We have to play a complete game, focused and finish for 48 minutes. The other thing in the mind of our players is that no matter how we play, if we don't get a win, it doesn't matter. You can learn from a loss, but the fact of the matter is that we lost two in a row now. We have to get back on track. They're looking at this game as a must win game.

The first half of the season is over, and we have to start the second half with a win. They have a great quarterback who can throw the ball and a great group of receivers. The players are ready for the challenge."

Emmaus had a solid defense effort, limiting Easton to only eight points in regulation, but the offense will have to rack up some more points if they are to put the game out of reach. That starts with the running game. The Green Hornets have plenty of backs who can step up and eat up some yards.

"We definitely have to do a better job of executing on offense," said Bottiglieri. "We had the ball with five minutes to go [last week] and couldn't put together first downs. That's what we needed to do to run the clock. We have to be more consistent on offense and get more first downs, and more importantly get more points. We have to come away with touchdowns."

The Lehigh Valley Conference is a circus. It is still up for grabs, with any team being able to step up and grab hold. Emmaus sits at 3-2 after nearly beating unbeaten Easton, and after the Red Rovers, Nazareth (4-1), Whitehall (3-2), and Parkland (3-2) are all within striking distance of the Green Hornets.

"Every game is almost like a playoff game," Bottiglieri said. "If you win it puts you in good shape, if you lose it puts you behind the eight ball. What we need to do is win the games in front of us starting this week. Just take each game one at a time and whatever happens, happens. Each week teams knock each other off, so if you can string together a bunch of wins that's critical, and that's what we need to do."