When Lehigh takes the field at Goodman Stadium on Saturday for its noon game against Georgetown, and Lafayette enters Fitton Field in Worcester, Mass., to play Holy Cross an hour later, it’s officially stretch run time for the 2025 season.
It will be November, the last day of daylight saving time, and the start of the most important part of the season. The dog days of August, even the warmth of September sunshine and Halloween parades, are now memories.
The nonleague games and byes are over, too, and for the Mountain Hawks and Leopards, who are both 3-0 in the league and potentially three wins away from a winner-take-all showdown on Nov. 22 at Lafayette, there has to be a sense of urgency.
Lehigh is back home for the first time since a 31-13 win over Yale on Oct. 4.
The administration has done what it can to enhance the gameday experience for home games at Lehigh, and there should be a large crowd for an 8-0 team that is ranked seventh in FCS football and has won 13 straight regular-season games — the longest streak in the FCS.
But on a day that Liberty and Freedom are playing a District 11 playoff game a few miles away and Penn State-Ohio State are on national TV, the Mountain Hawks have plenty of competition to grab the attention of the area football fan.
“You look back and any time you have a Family Weekend or a Homecoming game, you get a good crowd, and now the goal is to get better crowds when it isn’t Family Weekend or a rivalry game,” Lehigh coach Kevin Cahill said. “We’ve got a couple of home games here, and we’re putting a pretty good season together and a good product on the field for people to come and enjoy. It is a good atmosphere for people to come and watch a football game.”
Whether there are 150 people in the stands or 15,000, the mindset of the Mountain Hawks stays the same.
“We try to focus on the process, and if we do that, the outcomes we want will come,” Cahill said. “We’ve gotten a little bit away from that, and we’re trying to rein that back in. We need to get back to focusing on the process and forgetting about the score, the yards, the outcome. We just want to focus on playing the way we need to play.”
Cahill said he’s having fun with this group.
“They’re fun to be around and our players have a lot of energy and are very enthusiastic,” he said. “They genuinely like each other, and it’s fun to come to work and let them take over. They’re hungry, too. We have a good record, but know we’re still not playing to the best of our ability. They are eager to continue to improve.”
Stateliner standout
If there’s one Lafayette player who should feel right at home when the Leopards play at Fisher Stadium, it’s freshman Matthew Scerbo. That’s because Scerbo is a Phillipsburg, New Jersey, grad who has ended his last four football seasons on College Hill playing against Easton on Thanksgiving in arguably the greatest rivalry in high school sports.
Scerbo had an amazing high school career, earning all-state and American Silver Conference Player of the Year honors. He finished as the ‘Liners’ all-time leader in receptions (131), receiving yards (2,274), and touchdowns (24). P’burg was 32-6 during his career. He also left an indelible mark on the school in basketball, becoming the all-time leading scorer with more than 1,700 points.
If Lehigh and Lafayette should meet with a league title on the line on Nov. 22 and there are 13,000 people in the stands at Fisher Stadium, Scerbo will feel right at home.
“Coming here for the Easton-P’burg game every year, I definitely always thought about coming here [to play collegiately],” Scerbo said. “Lafayette was always an option.”
Scerbo, who plays for a fellow Stateliner in coach John Troxell, has become an important option for the Leopards’ offense as a wide receiver. He has caught seven passes for 91 yards and has had TD catches in each of the last three games, including one in Lafayette’s last game at Oregon State. He has fit in immediately with a talented, established receiving corps that includes former Nazareth star Mason Kuehner.
“We have a tight-knit group and a great bond together,” Scerbo said. “Even outside football, the bond is always there. On the field, the older guys help out the younger guys. We have a lot of playmakers within that receivers group, but it’s all genuine love for one another.”
As for his expectations as a freshman, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Scerbo said: “Early on, I was just trying to get on the travel squad. So, now it’s a blessing to see where I am at. Everyone has bought in, and we’re in a stretch of games now where all of our goals are right in front of us. Every game is so important now, but we’re not looking too far ahead. We want to get the job done every week.”
Because of getting to play so close to home, Scerbo said he has a lot of family at each game. He still keeps track of what his alma mater is doing.
“They are looking pretty good going into the playoffs as a No. 1 seed,” he said. “I check out how they’re doing every week on my phone. I was able to get to one of their games. P’burg is special. We’re usually underdogs and not the biggest at all. But we have a lot of guys who care about football and who want to get it done. As a kid, that’s all you want to be … a Stateliner.”
Lafayette (5-3, 3-0) at Holy Cross (1-7, 1-2)
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.
The storylines: Lafayette is coming off its bye week and a 45-13 loss at Oregon State, a game the Leopards led 13-10 at halftime. Holy Cross lost to Colgate, 29-28, in its last game, which followed a 28-22 win at Richmond. The Crusaders have lost five games by five points or fewer.
Players to watch: Lafayette’s defense had an interception in three straight games. Jalen Edwards and Kevin Dodard have two picks apiece, while Jaylon Joseph has forced two fumbles. Leopards quarterback Den DeNobile ranks second in school history in completion percentage at 65.6%. DeNobile has completed 152 of 235 passes this season (64.7%) with 12 TDs and five interceptions. After missing several games due to injury, Kente Edwards returned to the backfield at Oregon State and gained 41 yards on 13 carries. Holy Cross is led by junior running back Jayden Clerveaux, who has 405 yards on 99 carries. He was a first-team all-league choice in 2024.
Keith Groller’s pick: Lafayette 23-21
Georgetown (5-3, 2-1) at Lehigh (8-0, 3-0)
When/where: 12 noon at Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem
The storylines: Lehigh is trying to get to 9-0 to start a season for the first time since 2012. The Mountain Hawks have used a traditional formula of running the ball well and defending rushing attacks well. They have also done a good job of pressuring the opposing quarterbacks with 26 sacks, including 11 in the last two games. Georgetown, which is still in league title contention, is on a three-game winning streak and knows how to win close games. The Hoyas’ last three wins were all decided by seven points or less. Lehigh is looking for its 22nd win in 24 games against Georgetown since the Hoyas joined the league in 2001.
Players to watch: Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson was the Patriot League offensive player of the week after throwing for a career-high 267 yards at Fordham. Luke Yode has 840 yards rushing and averages 6.7 yards per carry. Jaden Green has 583 yards and 6.1 yards per attempt average. Geoffrey Jamiel leads the receivers with 47 catches for 724 yards. A 65-yard interception return by Naiteitei Mose with 12 seconds left gave Georgetown a win over Bucknell. Hoyas quarterback Dez Thomas II has thrown for 936 yards and five TDs. Savion Hart leads the team with 534 rushing yards.
Keith Groller’s pick: Lehigh 30-13