District 2/11 Class A Playoff Preview: Northern Lehigh vs. Lackawanna Trail

Tagged under: District 11, District 2, News, Playoffs

Phil Myers | November 17, 2022

The District 11 Class A champion Northern Lehigh Bulldogs face off against the District 2 Class A champion Lackawanna Trail Lions at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium, Saturday 11/19 at 1pm

Northern Lehigh (11-1), under Head Coach Joe Tout, head into this week’s game fresh off of a 40-15 victory over Tri Valley.  On the season, the Bulldogs’ only loss was to Class 4A stalwart North Schuylkill.  Senior QB Nick Frame has thrown 138 attempts, with 64 completions for 1,056 yards and 10 TD’s to go with 5 interceptions.  On the ground, Frame also leads the Bulldogs in rushing yards with 923 and 8 rushing TD’s.  Senior RB AJ Jimenez-Wittong has 764 rushing yards and 13 rushing TD’s.  The Bulldogs also have a number of other ball carriers that can tote the rock:  Senior John Abidelli (342 yards, 7 TD’s), Junior Jack Tosh (313 yards, 1 TD) and Senior Izaiah Ramos (298 yards, 5 TD’s) just to name a few.  On the receiving end, Senior Austin Smyth leads the team with 18 catches for 429 yards and 5 TD’s.  On Defense, the Bulldogs are only giving up an average of just under 16 points per game and have 2 shoutouts on the season.

Lackawanna Trail (8-4), under head coach Steve Jervis, won the District 2 Class A title when they avenged a regular season loss by defeating Old Forge 24-21 on 11/4.  They are coming off a 40-7 victory over Jenkintown last Thursday night.  Junior QB Stephen Jervis leads the Lions in passing with 85 completions for 585 yards and 9 TD’s to go with 5 interceptions.  Their running game is led by Senior Lukas Gumble with 852 yards and 13 TD’s.  Much like Northern Lehigh, the Lions have several others who are effective in the run game:  Junior Hunter Patterson (474 yards, 4 TD’s), Sophomore Demetrius Douglas (449 yards, 5 TD’s) and Sophomore Max Kimmel (314 yards, 2 TD’s).  Through the air, Kimmel also leads the team with 219 yards and 4 TD’s.  On Defense, the Lions give up just under 18 points per game.

While neither team is putting up many pass attempts, both running games are strong enough to make this an interesting contest.  Northern Lehigh has also won 7 in a row coming into the game, while Lackawanna Trail is playing much more consistent football lately, winning their last 5 in a row.

Be sure to check out our up-to-date Playoff Brackets here:  https://pafootballnews.com/brackets/

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