Around District 11 with Pam and Guy: Northwestern Lehigh Tigers Last Team Standing

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News

Guy Smith | November 29, 2023

2023.21. We always enjoy feedback from readers at RTRYFBAR@aol.com.

As we head into the second to last week of the 2023 high school football season in Pennsylvania, 46 of the 47 teams in District 11 have put away their shoulder pads for this season. The 3A Northwestern Lehigh Tigers are the last of our teams still chasing gold.

It truly was a week of giving thanks for Pam and Guy. Besides being blessed with the chance to still have Thanksgiving Dinner with Pam’s 96-year-old stepfather, we were able to take in not one, not two, not three, but four high school football games.

We were blessed on Wednesday as we were able to support the SCFCA All-Star game at Schuylkill Haven. We think this is a great event, and have decided that we are all-in every year. We were blessed on Thursday morning to see a truly historic game, the 100th meeting between ancient rivals Catasauqua and Northampton. We were blessed on Friday to see one of our D11 teams, the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers, advance to the state semi-finals. And we were blessed on Saturday to be able to visit a new stadium for the first time when supporting our other remaining D11 team, the Nazareth Blue Eagles.

After four straight days of high school football, there was no high school football or local racing on Sunday. Thus, it was time to head back to the rink for the first time this season, for a UCHC college ice hockey rivalry game between Wilkes University Colonels (College Alma Mater #4 for Guy) vs. the King’s College Monarchs.

GAME 54. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME (NORTH VS. SOUTH), SCHUYLKILL HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL. We have decided that this is a game we want to support annually, because it seems like a good event, for a good cause, run by good people.

When we woke the day before Thanksgiving in 2021, we had never even heard of this event. In the morning Guy was reading PA Football News website and first learned of it. We had nothing planned for that evening so he said to Pam: “Can we?” And Pam answered: “Of course.”

But last year we decided to try a different game on Thanksgiving eve, that being Cardinal O’Hara vs. Marple-Newtown. Then Pam got COVID and Guy decided not to explore new territory alone that night, so he returned to Haven for the SCFCA All-Star game.

After two straight years, the game is no longer a novelty to us and is now a tradition and another way for us to support District 11 schools, coaches, and players.

Admission was $5 and it’s nice to be able to pay cash to enter the game. The main refreshment stand is not open for this game, and this year they didn’t have the funnel cake truck either. However, the grill was fired up on the visitor side, so that’s where we sat. Excellent chili, great burgers, and satisfactory fries were all enjoyed. The only downer was that being the only refreshment stand open, lines were much longer than usual.

We had never been to Schuylkill Haven for football when we started writing the blog in 2021, but in the past three years it has become a favorite of ours and this was our sixth game there. The place throws a good vibe, a nice and clean facility, a school that takes pride in their team, and a community that supports their own in a positive way. This is true of a number of the Skook schools, and we are very happy to have been introduced to so many of those teams in the past few seasons.

This is a game to celebrate the senior players and cheerleaders from each of the schools in the county. It’s not really about who wins and who loses. But it’s still nice to see a competitive game. The North team led most of the way, but the South came back near the end for a two-score victory.

It was good football. Not a bad way to spend a November weeknight.

GAME 55. THANKSGIVING MORNING, NOVEMBER 23, 2023. NORTHAMPTON KONKRETE KIDS @ CATASAUQUA ROUGH RIDERS. 100TH MEETING. We certainly have very mixed feelings about this game. Our ties are all to Catasauqua. Pam grew up and graduated from Catty High. Guy did his high school student teaching there under former head football coach Dale Edwards. And after we got married, we lived there for a decade, just a couple blocks from the stadium.

We love history and have a great affinity for the tradition of Thanksgiving morning football. Guy first went to a Turkey Day game in 1967, when his dad took him to see the Allentown vs. Bethlehem game while mom stayed home to cook the turkey. Pam grew up going to the Catty game, and Guy first went to that one while student teaching there in 1981. In fact, during the week leading up to the game that year, Coach Edwards let me set up the old 16mm projector and show old black and white Catty vs. Northampton game films that I found buried deep in one of his closets, during class.

The game means so much to the communities, and there are so many activities leading up to it. It’s such a great event, and it’s amazing to get to the 100th meeting (in 98 years as the first two years they played twice, in addition once during the regular season). It is especially more precious now as there are only two Thanksgiving games left involving D11 teams.

Unfortunately, as hard as it is to say, this game might have run its course. Catasauqua is a landlocked 2A school and on the low end of 2A numbers. There is no room for expansion. Northampton is a huge 6A school that just keeps growing. The game has turned into a mismatch, with the Roughs having little chance to be competitive. It would take an exceptional Catty team and an off-year for Northampton for this to turn out any differently than it has for nearly a decade.

Still, the game continues. Why? Most likely because people continue to support it in droves, and it is thus a big money maker for the schools. On Thursday the place was packed, and it resulted in huge numbers in ticket sales, program sales (sold out well before game time), commemorative shirt sales, and of course concession stand sales.

It was especially great to see old favorite “Phil’s Fresh Cut Fries” back where they belong. I believe this was their first time back since the stadium was refurbished. For fresh cut connoisseurs, you can also find Phil’s at the Stroudsburg games. Welcome home, Phil!

Northampton rolled to an easy win, as expected. Those looking for a competitive game left disappointed as usual. However, you have to believe that the majority of the people left happy. Obviously, the Northampton half of the crowd were pleased with the outcome. And the Catty fans that are realistic knew of the outcome and found other reasons to savor the tradition of Turkey Day football in their community.

Rumors have persisted for years that the 100th meeting would be the last between the two schools. This year being the 100th, the drum beat that this was the finale got louder and louder. Reporter Brian Ptashinski wrote that this year’s game was to be the last. But no official announcement has been made, at least that we know of, so we will just have to wait to see if Easton vs. Phillipsburg will end up being the last fowl standing for D11 come 2024.

GAME 56. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24. PIAA 3A QUARTER FINAL. SCRANTON PREPARATORY SCHOOL CAVALIARS @ NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH TIGERS. We have no idea how the sites are determined for the PIAA playoff games. Some games are played on neutral fields, others at school home stadiums. For this one, the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers got to play at their home field. We’ll take it.

We had just been to the stadium several weeks earlier when the Tigers dismantled 5A powerhouse Southern Lehigh. We had also seen Scranton Prep, a private Jesuit school, crush Wyoming Valley West, late in the season as well. It looked like a good matchup, but we felt the Tigers had a real good chance.

It was cold, with the temperature already in the mid 30s when we arrived an hour before kickoff. And it was windy, which pushed the real feel temps into the 20s. Normally, we would likely have sat on the visitor side because that was the side of the entrance, and there was a lot more room. But we made the very good decision to sit on the home side protected from the wind. It was so cold even the Tiger mascot was wrapped in a blanket.

The Tigers got off to a pretty slow start. Prep took the opening kickoff and drove down the field via their run game. It looked too easy, making us un-easy. The lone bright spot was that the defense stiffened in the red zone and Prep turned the ball over on downs. The first offensive possession for the home team was very concerning, as the Tigers lost two yards on three plays and punted. Then on the next offensive play, Prep ran right up the middle and took it all the way to the house.

After that the game tide turned 180 degrees. From then on, it was pretty much all Tigers. They scored 27 unanswered points and Prep never sniffed the end zone again. Prep had virtually no effective passing game. It just goes to show, when you get to this point, teams tend to die on their one-dimensional hill. The final was 27-6 and truthfully, the Tigers could have had a couple more TDs. Massive kudos to the NWL coaching staff for making near perfect adjustments after the first three series.

It’s great to have a D11 team still playing in the second last weekend of the season.

GAME 57. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25. PIAA 6A QUARTERFINAL. NAZARETH BLUE EAGLES VS. ST. JOSEPH PREP HAWKS @ NORTHEAST SUPERSITE. We understood the likely outcome of this game, as you might as well call St. Joe’s 7A because they are in a class by themselves. But we chose this game over NCAA college national playoffs because we wanted to support our D11 team, as well as visiting a new stadium.

We had not heard many bouquets about these Philly “Supersites” and prepared for the worst. Partially because we had set the bar low, we were not all that disappointed. We were able to park in the school lot, and parking was one of our concerns. There were plenty of seats on both sides, and the Nazareth team brought a lot of community support, which was great to see.

On the other hand, there was no play clock, half the scoreboard didn’t work, you couldn’t understand a word of the antiquated public address system from the visitor side, and one of the goal posts uprights sure didn’t look to be “up right” to us (and we did inspect it from several angles). Quite frankly, this facility should not be hosting state playoffs in our opinion.

The refreshment stand was sub-par even for JV games in our area, with cold and rubbery hot dogs the only hot food available, and those were sold out by halftime. We were surprised that for spectators to get to the visitor side, you had to walk right on the all-weather track.

It was a beautiful day for afternoon football, but the game was for all intents and purposes over soon after it began as Prep jumped out to an early and easy four touchdown lead. The Nazareth fans got frustrated, and started yelling at the officials, calling for retaliation, and calling the Hawks cheaters. We really get uncomfortable when spectators from one team accuse the refs of being crooked, or the kids of being cheaters. We don’t buy that it’s “all a part of the game.” We don’t care for the rules that allow Prep to be what they are, but Prep doesn’t make those rules. It is wrong to blame the kids playing for their school taking advantage of the rules as they are currently written. And as much as we love the Nazareth school, team, coaches, and players, in all honesty they were not going to win the game no matter who was out there officiating.

Nazareth was behind from the start and was mercy ruled. However, they kept battling their best, and the 21 points they scored was the most given up to Prep this season by any Pennsylvania team, and second most only to the 24 scored by powerhouse Lakeland, Florida on their home field. Nazareth has great coaches, had a great season, finished 12-2, and won the D11 big school championship. Can’t ever take that away from them. Congrats to them for all they accomplished.

Who would have ever thought that our December calendar would currently have no fewer than NINE football games remaining? This week we plan on following the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers to our alma mater Kutztown University for their Friday evening game against Wyomissing. And Saturday to Slippery Rock for the NCAA D2 national quarter finals game against Kutztown. Very much looking forward to both.

GUY & PAM’S “BLOG YEARS” SCORECARD: 2021 – 2023 (92)

PIAA District 11 Schools (48)

1-48. All 47 D11 schools plus a second stadium for Executive Education, who played multiple home games at two locations (Muhlenberg College and Lafayette College) not already included for another D11 team.

D11 Alternative JV Game Sites (7). 49. Allentown Central Catholic Vikings JV (Percy Ruhe Park), 50. Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks JV (High School), 51. Blue Mountain Eagles JV (East Field), 52. Freedom Patriots JV (FHS Turf Field), 53. Lehighton Indians JV (Old Football Stadium), 54. Nativity BVM Green Wave JV (High School), 55. Pocono Mountain West Panthers JV (Old/West Stadium Grass Field).

D11 Related–Special Events, Sub Regional, or Former EPC teams (6). 56. Easton Red Rovers @ Lafayette College (Thanksgiving Day Game), 57. New Hope-Solebury Lions: D1-3A (Sub Regional), 58. Abington Heights Comets: D2-5A (Sub Regional), 59. Wyoming Valley West Spartans: D2-5A (Sub Regional), 60. Hazleton Cougars: D2-6A (Sub Regional) 61. Phillipsburg Stateliners (Former EPC).

All Star Games with D11 Players (6). 62. Colonial vs. Schuylkill League All-Star Game, 63. Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic, 64. PSFCA East vs. West Small School All Star Game, 65. PSFCA East vs. West Big School All Star Game, 66. PSFCA Pennsylvania vs. Maryland Big 33 Game, 67. Schuylkill League All-Star Game.

Out of District Playoff Game Sites with D11 Teams (6). 68. (G) Dunmore High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs), 69. Bald Eagle High School (Allentown Central Catholic Vikings), 70. Steelton-Highspire High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs), 71. (G) Governor Mifflin High School (Pleasant Valley Bears), 72. (G) Delaware Valley High School (Whitehall Zephyrs), 73. Northeast High School Supersite (Nazareth Blue Eagles).

Pennsylvania State Finals (6). 74. 1A State Championship, 75. 2A State Championship, 76. 3A State Championship, 77. 4A State Championship, 78. 5A State Championship, 79. 6A State Championship.

NCAA D2 PSAC Colleges (9). 80. Bloomsburg Huskies, 81. Clarion Golden Eagles, 82. East Stroudsburg Warriors, 83. Edinboro Fighting Scots, 84. Kutztown Golden Bears, 85. Lock Haven Bald Eagles, 86. Millersville Marauders, 87. Shippensburg Raiders, 88. West Chester Golden Rams, 89. Mansfield Mountaineers (former PSAC).

NCAA Bowl Games / National Playoffs / or NFL (5). 90. (G) D3 Delaware Valley Aggies, — D2 Kutztown University Golden Bears, 91. (G) D3 Susquehanna River Hawks, 92. New York Jets, 93. New York Giants.

GEFA 8-Main Semi Pro (4). 94. Wilkes Barre Warriors (The Bog), 95. Snyder County Spartans (East Snyder Park), 96. Dauphin County Comanche (Koons Park), 97. Lancaster Cyclone (Manor Middle School).

Other / Not Classified (5). NCAA D1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights, NCAA D 1AA Lehigh Mountain Hawks, WFA Harrisburg Havoc, Selinsgrove High School (PIAA Playoffs), Fleetwood High School Tigers.

D11 Related / PSAC Missing (9). WILKES-BARRE WOLFPACK: 2022-23 D2-6A Subregion team, WILLIAMSPORT MILLIONAIRES: 2022-23 D4-6A subregion team.PSAC CALIFORNIA VULCANS, PSAC GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS, PSAC INDIANA CRIMSON HAWKS, PSAC MERCYHURST LAKERS, PSAC SETON HILL GRIFFINS, PSAC SHEPHERD RAMS (WV), PSAC SLIPPERY ROCK THE ROCK.

Active Missed for Now (6). Nazareth Blue Eagles JV (Played a game at the middle school in 2021 when the main field was used for a varsity soccer playoff game), Cardinal O’Hara (North Schuylkill Playoff Game 2021), Berks Catholic (Pine Grove Playoff Game 2022), Trinity (Executive Education Playoff Game 2022), South Philly Supersite (Northwestern Lehigh Playoff Game 2022), Germantown Supersite (Whitehall Playoff Game 2022).

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews