Northwestern downs Lehighton in 4A quarters

Lehighton ate up over eight minutes of clock on its first drive, resulting in a touchdown that gave the Indians a quick lead over No. 1 seeded Northwestern.

But when the Tigers were able to get their hands on the ball, their offense took control and never looked back. The top-seeded Tigers scored 47 unanswered points to down No. 8 Lehighton on Saturday night, 54-14, at Northwestern High School in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinal round.

Lehighton’s offense, which ran 14 plays on its opening drive with many in the wildcat formation, caught Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder off guard a bit.

“We had a bunch of film on Lehighton, and we saw that they did a little bit of wildcat early on, but hadn’t really done it in the last couple of weeks,” Snyder said. “When they came out into, we just had to settle in. They did a nice job converting on a couple of fourth downs on that drive.”

After settling in, it didn’t take long for the Tigers to regain control. Nick Henry’s 14-yard touchdown run capped a seven-play drive and tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter.

But Northwestern’s offensive explosion came in the second quarter.

After a three-and-out from Lehighton on its second drive, Jayden Allen scored from 28 yards out on Northwestern’s third play of its next series. About five minutes later, quarterback Deven Bollinger’s 1-yard sneak into the end zone put the Tigers ahead 20-7 with 6:30 left in the first half.

“I think we really buttoned up things and made some plays on defense to keep them a little bit on their heels, and make them uncomfortable,” Snyder said. “I was really excited with how we responded on offense.

“On our first drive, we came right down the field and tied it up. We got a stop and then punched another one in.”

Northwestern wasn’t done. The Tigers got the ball back before halftime hit, and they took advantage. Bollinger hit Justin Holmes for the first of three touchdown connections between the two for a 26-7 advantage at intermission after the missed two-point conversion.

“We wanted to get them off the field and get our offense on the field right away,” Holmes said. “But when they scored [on that first drive], we knew we had to score back and get it done.”

The Tigers methodically drove down the field in 13 plays on its first drive of the second half. Bollinger, who led the Tigers with 87 yards on the ground, scored from two yards out to increase Northwestern’s lead to 33-7.

Lehighton would be forced to punt once again, and the fast-paced Tiger offense took advantage. Two plays later, Bollinger hooked up with Holmes for a 52-yard bomb that found pay dirt.

A 41-yard pick-six from Connor Snyder put the mercy rule into effect with 3:03 left in the third quarter after Lehighton quarterback Lucas Sangiuliano’s pass was intercepted in Indian territory.

“Together as a team, I think we played great,” Holmes said. “The defense did a great job getting the offense on the field. And then the offense went out there and executed.

“The running game was doing really well, which opened up the passing game. And then Deven found a way to get me open.”

Bollinger hit Holmes on the first play of the fourth quarter on another deep touchdown—this one for 63 yards—to cap the Tigers’ scoring. Holmes finished with 194 receiving yards, just a few yards shy of the school record he set earlier this season against Wilson.

“The back half of the season, I think we really settled in and got comfortable with some of the newer faces,” Snyder said. “And Holmes obviously coming back from injury was big…I think we were pretty efficient tonight on the ground and in the air.”

WHO’S NEXT ... The Tigers will take on No. 2 seed Central Catholic in the 4A semifinals next week. Start time is set for Saturday at 7:10 p.m. at Northwestern. Central Catholic downed Saucon Valley, 42-18, in its quarterfinal round contest. “The Class 4A is no joke—in our district or in the state,” Snyder said. “We’re one of the smaller 4A teams in the state…We’re going to enjoy this tonight. We were over at Central Catholic last night to watch them play Saucon Valley. We’ll get together and put a game plan together.”

CLOSING IN ... Bollinger is nearing two milestones in this, his senior season. With his 256 passing yards against Lehighton, Bollinger’s passing yard total for the season is up to 1,933. He’s also at 940 rushing yards for the season.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN ... Henry injured his ankle during Northwestern’s first offensive series of the second half and did not return. Snyder is hoping that Henry, who has nearly 900 rushing yards this season, is able to suit up against the Vikings.