It's no secret that Northampton's football team has a tough three-game stretch to open the football season.

It was the same last year and it's the same this year, as Stroudsburg, Nazareth and Parkland round out the first three weeks of their 2013 agenda.

So, as the Konkrete Kids sit at 0-2 following a 44-23 loss to Nazareth last week, they have to face the wrath of a Parkland team that just got whipped by Easton 24-0 last week.

"I think we have the toughest opening three games of anyone in the LVC," said head coach Jeff Brosky. "These are all playoff-type teams and our kids can learn to adapt to the level of play to be successful. It's good for the kids."

Northampton let a 16-12 halftime lead dissipate in the second half, starting with a 19-point Nazareth third quarter to fall behind.

Shabbar Bokhari gave the momentum back to Nazareth (2-0) to start the second half, by ripping off a 45-yard run down to the K-Kid five-yard line. Blue Eagles' running back Jordan Gray finished the drive off with a three-yard score 20 seconds into the second half to shift the tone of the contest.

Gray ran for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while Bokhari added 131 yards and two touchdowns.

"I think the Bokhari kid hurt us more than Gray did," Brosky said. "That first run of the second half really hurt us and changed the game."

Northampton's top rusher came from the hands of quarterback Nick Cook, who ran 72 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Cook was also 4-for-8 for 88 yards and a TD, along with an interception.

The Kids will need a balanced effort this week against Parkland (1-1), who found themselves blanketed against an aggressive Easton team last week.

"They basically smothered them," said Brosky of Easton's defense last week. "They didn't allow the Parkland offense to do anything they wanted. It was impressive."

So, the question is if Northampton can replicate that game plan this week at Parkland?

"To catch Parkland two weeks in a row is going to be tough," said Brosky. "I think we need to play a solid game and get better, just like we got better against Nazareth. We held Parkland scoreless for almost three quarters last year. We just got kind of worn down later in that game."

And that's the fear for Northampton again this week, as the possibility of falling into an 0-3 slide can damage morale.

"I think it makes our team morale stronger and we're more focused every week," said Brosky. "The kids are working hard. We just need to tackle better and fix our mistakes from a week-to-week basis. We're going to try our best and see what happens."