Wyalusing (0-1) football returns to the gridiron for a rare Thursday night contest as they welcome Muncy (0-1) for an NTL Small School tilt.

It was a tough start for the Rams, falling to Athens 44-0, but coach Jeff Hindman feels they're a better team after it.

"The biggest thing we learned that week one is over," said Hindman. "That game is behind us and we can’t dwell on it. We protected the ball, didn’t have turnovers and that’s a big positive especially with the pressure that Athens put on our younger guys. It’s a long season and we have nine more games to go. As a coaching staff, we found the areas that we need to focus on and get better every week."

The Indians are coming off a 14-7 loss to Warrior Run in their opener, so they have some things they'll be working on this week, too.

"Muncy has a good football team and they played a tough game last week," Hindman said. "Their defense is disciplined and everyone flys to the ball. They can force turnovers so we’re looking for the same ball security we had against Athens. Offensively, they have a good receiver group and quarterbacks who can sling the ball around the field. We have to focus on limiting big plays downfield and contain the quarterback when he wants to scramble. We’re both looking to bounce back after Week one and get back on track."

Things haven't been easy for the young Rams in the early going. A shortened camp week due to things beyond their control, a tough scrimmage with Lackawanna Trail, a hard opener against Athens, and now a short week going into perennial Class A power Muncy.

"The short week is always tough, losing a day of practice," said Hindman. "As a coaching staff, we really had to focus in on a few key areas and make the best use of the time we have. But I also think the short week helped us stay focused on Thursday, we didn’t have time to let it linger in our minds."

KEYS TO THE GAME

Muncy - Muncy only had 52 yards rushing last week against Warrior Run. It'll help balance their offense if they can do a little better than their 2.7 yards per carry.

Wyalusing - The Rams need to get their ground game going this week, too. They showed some promise in the second half of the Athens game, and they'll see if they can turn that promise into production.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nathan Rogers, Muncy, WR - Rogers had seven catches for 141 yards and one touchdown in the loss to Warrior Run. Athens gave Wyalusing a preview of what to expect this week defensively, and they'll have their hands full with Rogers.

Jacob Gromley, Wyalusing, RB - Gromley showed some nice power running in the second half of the Athens game, and will certainly get his chance this week to expound that.