Northwestern Lehigh outgained Blue Mountain 506 to 226 yards and produced the game’s only two turnovers, but did not secure its 20th consecutive victory until it converted a third-and-long situation late in last Friday’s game.
Southern Lehigh only had a 367-282 advantage in total yards and lost time of possession, but never was really in danger of losing during the second half of its 20-point victory at North Schuylkill.
They are two of the latest examples of how statistics can sometimes be deceiving.
All that really matters, as everyone knows, is the scoreboard.
Some other statistics of interest from Week 4 in the Colonial-Schuylkill League:
• Palisades’ Lincoln Cook is up to 1,164 career receiving yards. The junior is chasing Brad Patterson’s school record of 1,581 set in 2003-06. Cook’s 444 yards this season are second in District 11 to Pocono Mountain East’s Justin Williams (476). His 28 catches are most among all District 11 receivers.
• Southern Lehigh’s Sean Steckert took over the District 11 rushing lead with his 222 yards against North Schuylkill. He has 716 yards this season, passing Easton’s Cole Ordway and North Schuylkill’s Luke Miller. Steckert also is 11 yards shy of 3,000 for his career. The school record is 3,813.
• Northwestern’s Shane Leh threw for 246 yards against Blue Mountain, bringing his career total to 4,046 yards.
• Palisades’ Jack Trickel has 2,621 passing yards and 22 TDs in his career. School record for passing yardage is 3,661 and TDs at 31.
• Northern Lehigh’s Garrett Smoyer reached the 2,000-yard mark in passing against Palisades. The junior has 2,038 his career.
• Catasauqua’s Aiden Reilly is 74 passing yards shy of 2,000 for his career.
• Northwestern’s Mason Bollinger has 84 career receptions for 1,332 yards and 14 TDs. The school records are 97, 1,601 and 16, respectively.
• Notre Dame-GP’s Jonathan Striba is 15 receiving yards shy of 1,000 for his career. Northern Lehigh’s Chris Frame is 65 yards shy of that mark.
Colonial-Schuylkill League football Week 4 stat heroes
(in alphabetical order)
Mason Bollinger, Northwestern Lehigh: Caught a 26-yard touchdown pass, made a 15-yard reception on third-and-10 late in the game and ran for another first down to keep Blue Mountain from getting the ball back.
Manny Bolmer, Catasauqua: Rushed for a touchdown, made four tackles and returned an interception 87 yards for a score in a victory over Salisbury.
Ryan Bonham, Wilson: Rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown against Pen Argyl.
Brody Breiner, Panther Valley: Threw for 46 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 118 yards and a score, made four tackles and had three pass break-ups in a win over Pine Grove.
Chris Crespo, Pen Argyl: Caught a 44-yard touchdown pass and made five tackles in a victory over Wilson.
Lincoln Cook, Palisades: Caught seven passes for 75 yards and gave the Pirates the lead for good by returning the second-half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in a win over Northern Lehigh.
Lucas Croizier, Lehighton: Rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown in a shutout of Palmerton.
Joshia Cubera, Salisbury: The freshman made a team-high seven tackles against Catasauqua.
Rory Dixon, Marian Catholic: Ran for 140 yards and three scores in a victory over Shenandoah Valley.
Chris Frame, Northern Lehigh: Rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes and made a team-high seven tackles against Palisades.
Spencer Gothard, Jim Thorpe: Caught three passes, all for touchdowns including the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, and sealed the win over Tamaqua with an interception.
Terrence McDowell, Tamaqua: Ran for a career-high 273 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries against Jim Thorpe.
Lincoln Rehrig, Bangor: The freshman completed nine of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, made two tackles and had a pass breakup against Pottsville.
Aiden Reilly, Catasauqua: Ran for two touchdowns and threw for another against Salisbury.
Damian Rodino, Marian Catholic: Made 14 tackles, three for loss, against Shenandoah Valley.
Braden Rohn, Saucon Valley: Threw for 169 yards and a touchdown, ran for a score, made five tackles and had one pass break-up against Notre Dame-GP.
Sean Steckert, Southern Lehigh: Rushed for 222 yards and three touchdowns in a win at North Schuylkill.
Jack Trickel, Palisades: Completed 13 of 17 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 50 yards, made three tackles and intercepted a pass against Northern Lehigh.
Evan Wagstaff, Northwestern Lehigh: Made 11 tackles and recovered a fumble late to preserve a victory over Blue Mountain.
Jacob Walkowiak, Palmerton: Registered a team-high nine tackles against Lehighton. He leads the Blue Bombers this season with 30 stops.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
