Northwestern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh are not friendly rivals. The coaches won’t be exchanging Christmas cards.
But the Tigers and Spartans made history together around 9:30 p.m. Friday. They became the first pair of Colonial League football teams to reach the state final in the same season.
Northwestern Lehigh won its 31st consecutive game to reach its third PIAA Class 3A final in a row by scoring the last 42 points in a 48-13 victory over District 3 champion Trinity.
Southern Lehigh reached its first state final in program history by winning for the second consecutive Friday night in dramatic fashion. A Sean Steckert touchdown run in the final minute gave the Spartans a 28-24 victory over District 12 champion Cardinal O’Hara.
It was a stellar night for the Colonial League and District 11.
“Unbelievable,” senior Shane Leh said. “I don’t know how we did it.”
Leh, the starting quarterback the last three years, torched Trinity’s secondary for 196 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-14 passing. That came on the heels of a 16-of-18 effort for 224 yards and five scores in the previous week’s win over District 2 champion Scranton Prep.
“He just puts the ball in good spots for me,” junior receiver Michael Lagowy said. “He makes my job easy. It feels amazing getting back to the state final.”
This is the first year since 2005-06 that District 11 has multiple state finalists in the same season. Wilson, Liberty and Pottsville each made it in those two seasons when there were only four classifications.
The only other year when District 11 had two teams in the state finals was 1990, when Marian Catholic (Class A) and Bethlehem Catholic (3A) made it.
It did not come easy Friday.
Southern Lehigh raced out to a 21-0 lead, was up 21-10 at halftime and in the Cardinal O’Hara red zone to start the fourth quarter with a four-point lead. But a fumble recovery and return for a touchdown gave the Lions the momentum and lead.
The Spartans responded with a game-winning, 15-play drive that took 6 minutes, 30 seconds and was not without drama.
There was a third-down conversion in which it looked like quarterback Colton Sams was sacked.
“You know, you coach not just all the kids,” coach Phil Sams said, “but I get a special bond with Colton because of the fact that he’s at home with me. That third-down play, I thought we were done for. I thought he’s sacked, and we’ve got fourth and forever. What am I going to call?
“All of a sudden I see him get out, pop, and he throws it to Otto [Young], and we get a key first down.”
There also was a fourth-down conversion, a controversial no-fumble call and, eventually, a Steckert touchdown run after he left the game for the second week in a row with an injury.
Who could blame the senior running back? He had 40 carries on his way to 210 yards and three touchdowns.
““Every time I get hit,” Steckert said, “I just think about going to that state championship game and playing one more week with my brothers, man. That’s all we want. A state chip’s cool, but playing one more week with our brothers is all we want.”
Northwestern Lehigh trailed for the first time since the first quarter of a Week 9 win over Tamaqua. But, much like that contest, Trinity’s lead last Friday was brief.
The Tigers scored in three plays to get even with the Shamrocks, then scored five consecutive times to start the second half.
Northwestern Lehigh’s offensive timing was off until it fell behind. Then, almost magically, things fell back into place. Coach Josh Snyder’s club ran 26 offensive plays after trailing 13-6. It amassed 342 yards and scored on six of those snaps.
The Tigers’ run the last four years into the state playoffs has created a confidence level that gets them through difficult situations. That was evident again Friday.
“It wasn’t a good feel for me as a play caller,” Snyder said of the first-half struggles offensively. “Our kids didn’t make a lot of great plays on offense. We had each other’s backs, though. I thought it was critical to go down and score with about two minutes left [in the first half] and then getting the ball coming out [of halftime].
“I was nervous because it was a little too quiet at halftime. We did some X’s and O’s, but nothing major. Our kids have played in so many big football games, so there was a calmness.”
Morning Call freelancer Derek Bast contributed to this story
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
PIAA football finals schedule
at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field
THURSDAY
Class A final, 1 p.m.
District 6 champion Bishop Guilfoyle (13-2) vs. District 7 champion Clairton (14-1)
Class 4A final, 7
District 11 champion Southern Lehigh (14-1) vs. District 3 champion Twin Valley (14-0)
FRIDAY
Class 2A final, 1
District 4 champion Southern Columbia (14-1) vs. District 10 champion Farrell (12-2)
Class 5A final, 7
District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt (12-2) vs. District 12 champion Roman Catholic (11-3)
SATURDAY
Class 3A final, 1
District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh (15-0) vs. District 7 champion Avonworth (14-0)
Class 6A final, 7
District 12 champion LaSalle College (12-1) vs. District 7 champion Pittsburgh Central Catholic (13-1)
