Here is a roundup of Friday night’s top Lehigh Valley high school football games in Week 8.
Freedom 35, Northampton 14
Northampton opened the scoring when quarterback Chase Kessler ran in from 19 yards out to give the Konkrete Kids a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Freedom answered in the second, as Lashawn Johnson powered into the end zone to tie the game. Just before halftime, Michael Stofanak connected with Davyan Moore on a 20-yard touchdown strike to give the Patriots a 14-7 advantage.
The momentum carried into the third quarter, when Stofanak and Moore hooked up again, this time on an 81-yard bomb to extend Freedom’s lead to 21-7. Johnson added his second rushing touchdown of the night minutes later, making it 28-7.
Northampton’s Keegan Hackett closed the gap late in the third with a 1-yard score to make it 28-14. Freedom added one more score and secured the win over Northampton.
Pocono Mountain East 28, Pleasant Valley 0
Pocono Mountain East built an early lead behind a dominant first half from Amari Green. After Pleasant Valley turned the ball over on its opening drive, East took advantage of the short field despite a trio of penalties that backed them up to 1st-and-29. Green capped the drive with a fourth-down direct-snap touchdown to put the Cardinals up 7-0 late in the first quarter.
Another Pleasant Valley fumble gave East the ball back just before the quarter ended, and Green struck again midway through the second period, lowering his shoulder for his second rushing score. He also came up big on defense, intercepting a pass from Pleasant Valley quarterback Jaxson Haines to stall another Bears possession.
East led 14-0 at the break, controlling the tempo through turnovers and steady play on both sides of the ball. In the second half, Green added one more touchdown rushing, as well as a scoop and score to make it 28-0 and the Cardinals took home the Old Oaken Bucket in the rivalry series.
Lehighton 27, Tamaqua 16
Lehighton jumped out to an early lead against Tamaqua, striking less than a minute into the game when Ryder Crozier ran it in for a touchdown to make it 7-0. Quarterback Jayse Lawrence added another score on a quarterback keeper later in the first quarter, giving the Indians a 14-0 advantage with 8:29 remaining.
The third quarter saw Lawrence connect with Blake Roberts for a touchdown to extend Lehighton’s lead to 20-0. Tamaqua finally got on the board when Terrance McDowell carried it in for a touchdown and added a two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 20-8 with 10 seconds left in the quarter.
Lehighton responded in the fourth quarter with another Roberts touchdown, pushing the lead to 27-8. McDowell broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run later in the quarter, and with the extra point, Tamaqua closed the lead to 27-16 with 6:41 remaining. However, the Indians were able to close out the victory.
Northern Lehigh 42, Catasauqua 12
Grady Newhard opened the scoring for Northern Lehigh with a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. A 61-yard reception by Chris Frame led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Frame, with a successful two-point conversion giving the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead by the end of the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, Northern Lehigh added a 4-yard touchdown run with a Newhard two-point conversion and a 13-yard TD run by Newhard for his second score of the game. Catasauqua responded just before halftime with a 6-yard touchdown run set up by a kick return from Manny Bolmer, cutting the deficit to 28-6 at the break.
Northern Lehigh’s defense came up with an interception in the end zone early in the third quarter. Garrett Smoyer connected with Colin Karetsky on a 41-yard touchdown pass, making it 35-6 after the PAT. In the fourth quarter, Newhard scored his third rushing touchdown, and Catasauqua added a late 15-yard TD run by Aiden Reilly to finish the scoring.
Northwestern Lehigh 50, Jim Thorpe 7
Northwestern Lehigh struck first on a 13-yard touchdown run by Braxton Lakatosh following a 64-yard rush that set up the score, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead. Mason Bollinger broke free for an 85-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 14–0. Then, Shane Leh connected on a 7-yard touchdown pass with Shane Hulmes to make it 21-0 by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Chase Sukanick added a 45-yard rushing touchdown to push the lead to 28-0. Lakatosh returned later with a 72-yard touchdown run, and senior lineman Colton Popp carried the ball 36 yards into the end zone, putting Northwestern ahead 42-0.
Jim Thorpe’s Ben Remmel added a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, and the Tigers closed out a 50-7 victory.
