After the 38-7 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over Central Catholic last Friday night, Emmaus head coach Joe Bottiglieri didn't want to rejoice too much.

With a new and modified conference schedule this year, every week is a tough matchup. With two consecutive road games at Freedom this Friday night, and at Easton next weekend, Emmaus (3-0) will look to continue its current play that has lifted them to an undefeated mark.

The win over Central was the first for the seniors and the first for the Emmaus program over the Vikes since 2008. The Green Hornets are also off to their best start since 2008 when they started the season 8-0.

"The kids were excited," said Bottiglieri. "They were pumped up, and rightfully so they were happy about it. It has been a while since we beat them. It's been a great series over the years since I've been here though. Anytime you beat a good program like Central, you've got to be feeling good."

A key component to the successful play of this Emmaus football team has been the defense. They have only given up a total of seven points through 12 quarters of play.

"The defense has improved each week," Bottiglieri said. "There are some areas we need to improve on, like tackling and the mental mistakes. But they play aggressively and they play hard. They're playing with some pride right now. We're pretty proud of what they're doing. Even with all of the new players, they've performed above expectations."

The defense will need to be alert of the arsenal that Patriots quarterback Brian Uliana brings to the table.

"He's an outstanding quarterback who started all 11 games for them last year," said Bottiglieri.

Uliana also has some big boys in front of him to give time to find his receivers.

"They're always a tough, physical team," said Bottiglieri. "This year is no different. They're big and strong on the lines. Their skill level is really good. They lost a couple of good players last year, but replaced them. It's going to really be a challenge and our kids need to be focused all week in practice. We're going to have to be on the top of our game Friday night for sure to come away with a win."

Wyl Miller, Jake Maehrer, Tom Bisko, Dan Velasco, and Prosper Jolo all accounted for 390 total rushing yards and the five scores. Along with senior fullback Kevin Nguyen, the Green Hornet offense is strong in their own right, and have seemingly moved the ball at will.

"If we can establish the run and move the chains and accumulate some points, that's what we want to do," Bottiglieri said. "We want to keep the ball out of Uliana's hands. We need to keep our offense on the field, and that's the best defense we could have."