District 11 Football: North Schuylkill settles for silver after falling to NW Lehigh in 3A final
North Schuylkill head coach Wally Hall talks with his players after the Spartans were defeated 36-7 by Northwestern Lehigh in Friday's District 11 Class 3A championship game at Lehighton (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
LEHIGHTON — One by one, North Schuylkill’s coaches stepped up to a semicircle of Spartans down on one knee — two standing on crutches at the edge of the group, several others wearing jerseys and street clothes.
The coaches made heartfelt speeches, passionately telling those young men what they mean to them and to the program, how proud of them they are, how thankful they are to know them and coach them.
And what they need to do and how they will help them return to the district final next season and turn the result on the scoreboard the Spartans’ way.
“A ton of work needs to be done to get back next year and flip the score. …. There’s a tremendous amount of work to be done,’’ North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall told his team.
It’s just that North Schuylkill entered Friday’s District 11 Class 3A final missing a half-dozen starters to due to injury. It’s just that Spartans starting quarterback Caden Mengel went down with an injury in the first quarter. And it’s just that Northwestern Lehigh is a tremendous football team.
The Tigers unleashed a ferocious defense and a slew of big plays to defeat North Schuylkill 36-7 on a blustery night at Lehighton Multi-Sport Stadium.
With the win, Northwestern Lehigh (12-0) advances to the PIAA Championships round of 16, with games to be played Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. The Tigers will host the District 12 champion, Conwell-Egan or Simon Gratz, at a District 11 site and time to be announced.
North Schuylkill (8-4) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end as 13 Spartans seniors wrapped up their careers. Those seniors, though, rallied the team when they were 3-3 after six weeks and carried them all the way to a silver-medal finish in the district.
“The leadership was tremendous all year,’’ Hall said. “We did not have any selfish guys on the team. Any team that’s won a lot starts with the senior class, and I’m proud of them.’’
Led by linemen Bryer Reichard and Jackson Huber and linebacker Shane Hulmes, the Tigers held North Schuylkill to no points and just 43 yards of total offense in the first half.
On Northwestern Lehigh’s first play from scrimmage, quarterback Shane Leh kept the ball on a sweep around right end and raced 73 yards for a touchdown.
The next time the Tigers had the ball, they marched 99 yards for another TD. The drive took 12 plays and milked 6:55 off the clock. Eli Zimmerman capped it with a 1-yard plunge, the first of his three touchdowns on the night, for a 13-0 lead after the first quarter.
The only score in the second quarter came from the Northwestern Lehigh defense, which swarmed Angel Ortiz in the end zone for a safety and a 15-0 lead at halftime.
The Tigers pulled away with a huge third quarter, extending their lead from 15-0 to 36-0.
A 36-yard Eli Zimmerman scamper set up a 3-yard run by Mason Bollinger for the first TD of the half.
Zimmerman, a combination of speed, elusiveness and strength, weaved his way to a 73-yard touchdown run and raced 31 yards for another score. For the game, he carried 11 times for 216 yards and three TDs. He also caught two passes for 26 yards.
In the second half, North Schuylkill found some success with senior Michael Mogish running the ball. Mogish, also a talented receiver, moved to quarterback when Mengel went down and responded with 131 yards rushing on 19 carries. He scored North Schuylkill’s touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“Gutsy play, just played hard on both sides of the ball,’’ Hall said of Mogish. “He works extremely hard, he’s not a selfish player, and he just wants the best for his team.’’
Added Mogish: “We had a lot of guys go down. It was just a next-man-up mentality. I’m so proud of this team, these younger guys stepping it up. I couldn’t ask for more. It was a great season. We just played our hearts out tonight and left everything on the field.’’
