Shane Leh had enough time in the pocket last Friday night to watch his Northwestern Lehigh offensive linemen doing the thankless work they are asked to do during every game.
“I kept looking over after every play and seeing Maddox Hurdle pancaking people,” the senior quarterback said, “pile driving people to the ground. That was awesome to see. That was all the O-line. You have to give credit to them.”
Hurdle, Colton Popp, Devin Rex, Nolan Koehler and Braidon Berk allowed Leh and the rest of the Tigers’ skill players to rack up 470 yards of offense and score touchdowns on their first five possessions in a 50-0 victory at Lehighton.
That is the norm so far this season for the Northwestern offense, which is averaging 430 yards per game.
Leh completed 15 of 19 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns against Lehighton. More impressive, though, was the fact that Leh never hit the ground. His jersey was void of any turf marks, further proof that Northwestern’s offensive front, which includes four first-year starters, is making progress with line coach Dave Kerschner.
“You could see that we’re not real big up front on either side of the ball,” head coach Josh Snyder said. “But with our gap schemes on offense, they do a nice job of pulling and trapping and sealing off people. Our backs are pretty sneaky and patient and wait for the blocks to happen.”
Popp, Michael Boring and Fritz Scheirer have done the bulk of the work on the defensive front in Northwestern’s 3-0 look, but Snyder and his staff have mixed and matched to keep everybody fresh and make the most of their strengths in specific game situations.
Boring is fourth on the team with 29 tackles and second with four tackles for loss in his first year as a starter. Scheirer is a menace on special teams as well as on opponents’ obvious passing downs.
“They don’t have a lot of experience,” Snyder said, “but they’re gaining experience, gaining confidence. That’s just going to continue to happen and work in our favor down the road.”
That group of linemen will be tested on both sides of the ball Friday night against a much bigger, more experience bunch from North Schuylkill, which would love to get a little payback for two losses last season including in the District 11 Class 3A championship game.
The Tigers’ line play will have a lot to do with the outcome against the Spartans (3-2), whose losses are to 5-0 Southern Lehigh and 5-0 Notre Dame-Green Pond.
“One thing you know is that the North Schuylkill kids are big, tough, physical, gritty, grindy kids,” Snyder said. “They are coming into our place looking for a win. We’re just trying to play the best game of our year up to this point.”
Colonial-Schuylkill League football Week 5 stat heroes
(in alphabetical order)
Matt Bodnar, Notre Dame-GP: Completed 22 of 32 passes for 357 yards and six touchdowns in a victory over Catasauqua.
Brody Breiner, Panther Valley: Completed 16 of 20 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 202 yards and three scores.
Preston DiGrazia, Lehighton: Registered several tackles, including one for loss, against Northwestern.
Cadeo Estronza, Catasauqua: Made seven tackles and intercepted a pass against Notre Dame-GP.
Caiden Faust, Pen Argyl: Rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 104 yards and a score, made three tackles (one for loss) and returned an interception 34 yards for a TD in a victory over Palisades.
Michael Garey, Palmerton: Rushed for a career-high 135 yards and two touchdowns and made eight tackles, one for loss, against Northern Lehigh.
Elijah Garriga, Salisbury: Made 10 tackles, one for loss, against Tamaqua.
Jon-Erik Ingram, Bangor: Had a career-high 10 tackles against Blue Mountain in his first game back after missing the previous three.
Carter Kilhefner, Palisades: Registered 11 tackles, including two for loss against Palisades.
Braxton Lakatosh, Northwestern Lehigh: Ran for 106 yards and a touchdown and made a team-high nine tackles in a shutout of Lehighton.
Cole Lazorick, Jim Thorpe: Rushed for 63 yards and threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns against North Schuylkill.
Terrence McDowell, Tamaqua: Ran for 227 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Salisbury.
Braden Rohn, Saucon Valley: Completed 12 of 15 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 30 yards and a score and made three tackles in a win at Wilson.
Christian Samayoa, Wilson: Registered a team-high seven tackles, including a sack, against Saucon Valley.
Garrett Smoyer, Northern Lehigh: Threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 68 more and a score in a comeback win over Palmerton.
Sean Steckert, Southern Lehigh: Ran for 263 yards and four touchdowns in a comeback win over Pottsville.
Jake Tom, Marian Catholic: Rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes for 104 yards and a score, and made two tackles, one for loss.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/23/northwestern-lehigh-football-teams-offense-pancaking-its-opponents/
