We’re now within a month of the high school football regular season kicking off in Pennsylvania.

Earlier this week, we looked at the best early season matchups from Weeks 0-2. Here are the best midseason (Weeks 3-6) games to look forward to:

Week 3: Union/A-C Valley at Otto-Eldred

This game was a nail-biter a season ago, and with each team returning a fair amount of firepower, there’s no reason this year’s contest won’t be a good one, too.

The Falcon-Knights escaped with a 32-26 win over O-E in Rimersburg last season, but Union/ACV is replacing starting quarterback Luke Bowser. Heir apparent Tanner Merwin attempted just three passes a season ago, according to the team’s stats on MaxPreps.

Meanwhile, O-E returns nearly every one of its offensive playmakers, including quarterback Cole Sebastian (the team’s leading passer and rusher) and two of his top three receivers in Ethan Smith and Jake Merry, from last season.

This could be the perfect springboard for the Terrors to get on a run this season if they’re successful against their visitors. O-E’s first three games of the year are home games against Port Allegany (Week 0) and Cameron County (Week 2) and a really tough road contest at Redbank Valley, last year’s District 9 Class A runner-up, in between.

Should the Terrors take wins against Port A and Cameron County to begin the year and then manage to knock off Union/ACV, they would be especially well positioned to make the Class A district postseason.

Week 4: Otto-Eldred at Smethport

Between the two teams, it’s realistic to think each could enter with one loss or fewer. And with that, this sets up to be a mammoth game for the District 9 Small School North and D9 Class A standings.

Smethport took last year’s game in Duke Center, 36-22, and this year’s game figures to be another good one as both schools feature returning firepower. O-E’s has been previously mentioned, while Smethport only has to figure out replacements for two playmakers: Bryant Johnson and Hunter Lent.

Aside from that, the Hubbers return starting quarterback Noah Lent for his junior campaign. As a sophomore, he completed 68-of-149 passes for 699 yards and 11 touchdowns. Where he made his biggest mark, though, was on the ground. Lent led Smethport in rushing last season with 827 yards and seven touchdowns on 198 carries.

Second-leading rusher Braedon Johnson is back for his senior campaign after rushing for 668 yards and four touchdowns on 125 carries in 2019. He was also the team’s leading receiver with 30 receptions for 360 yards and five touchdowns. Wideout Ryli Burritt enters his senior season after hauling in 15 receptions for 124 yards and three scores last year.

This game will make for a quality litmus test for each team as the season truly gets going.

Week 5: St. Marys at Karns City

This game resulted in a 55-20 blowout a year ago, as Karns City showed it was as good as anybody in the district.

But 2020 just might figure to be different for St. Marys. The Flying Dutchmen went 6-5 and made a trip to the postseason a year ago after going winless in each of the previous two years.

And, as mentioned in a column earlier this week, the Dutch aren’t rebuilding or even reloading. They’re equipped with virtually all their skilled players — quarterback Christian Coudriet, running back Jacob Kline and receivers Bryce Walker, Michael Fitzgerald and Terry Williams — from a year ago and that figures to only make them even stronger in 2020.

With that notion, Karns City is one of the better tests to see just how far Chris Dworek’s team has come. The Gremlins came within an eyelash of last year’s D9 Class A championship game, pushing Ridgway to the brink before the Elkers won 34-27 in DuBois.

But much of KC’s firepower is gone, as quarterback and lead rusher Anthony Komenski graduated, as did second-leading rusher Hunter Rowe.

St. Marys faces Ridgway to open this season, so between that opener and this matchup, the Dutch will have plenty of opportunity to prove they’re contenders as the 2020 season begins.

Week 6: Ridgway at Central Clarion

It’s a rematch of last year’s District 9 Class AA championship. What more needs to be said?

The Elkers fell behind by 14 at halftime of last year’s D9 championship game before their defense forced five Clarion turnovers in the second half to rally for a thrilling 56-35 victory.

But as mentioned earlier this week, Ridgway is replacing a lot of talent. Quarterback Paul Gresco, receiver/running back hybrids Jake Wickett and Matt Dush and receiver Austin Green have departed the program, as have Robert Briggs and Greg Simon, who anchored the vaunted Elker defense.

But if there’s a program that’s proved it can maintain consistency while retooling, it’s Ridgway, who seemingly always manages to fill those holes with D9 championship-caliber players. Gabe Watts will almost certainly be among those to take the reins this year after rushing for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.

Central Clarion (a co-op between Clarion, Clarion-Limestone and North Clarion) loses its star back from last year, Austin Newcomb, but returns quarterback Calvin German, running back Cutter Boggess and receiver Ethan Burford.

This game will be one of a few tough tests for the Elkers in the first half of 2020, and could provide a good look at whether or not Ridgway will be competing for its fifth consecutive D9 title.