Around District 11 with Pam and Guy:  Southern Lehigh Gets First State Championship

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

Guy Smith | December 8, 2025

This past weekend we put a wrap on the 2025 high school football season here in Pennsylvania with the six state championship games at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.  As fans, there are still a number of things we liked better about having the games at Hershey, but we have become very comfortable with the setup at Cumberland Valley and are happy to be there.

Guy retired in 2015 and one of his first retirement goals was to attend all (four at that time) state championship games in person for the first time.  Nothing could wipe the grin off his face watching Bishop Guilfoyle defeat Farrell in that Friday afternoon game.  Both would be back in the finals this season.  That year we also got to see a District 11 team in the big school game, as Parkland was the last before the nine-year St. Joseph Prep juggernaut.

We have been going to all the games ever since, Pam attending only one of the six last year as she was recovering from knee replacement.  This year we dialed it back a bit and only went to four of the six games, skipping the two night games with no public school representation.  Guy had to be in Syracuse, NY Sunday morning to cover an indoor go-kart race at the State Fairgrounds.  Getting home at midnight from football and back on the road for a solo trip no longer works very well since reaching Medicare age.

The great news is that District 11 had two teams playing for championships.  This is the first time since 2006 when we had more than one school in the finals.  That year we had three: Wilson, Pottsville and Liberty.  Wilson won their game.  In fact, since the state playoffs began in 1988 there were only two other times when D11 had more than one team playing.  In 1990 D11 had their best year with both Marian Catholic and Bethlehem Catholic winning championships.

This year, Southern Lehigh made their first state final appearance in the Thursday night 4A game, while Northwestern Lehigh made their third straight trip to the 3A championship game on Saturday afternoon.

One note of interest is that Saturday was the first weekend of December, and there were still four local (within two hours give or take) football games we wanted to attend on Saturday afternoon.  With a D11 team playing, the high school championship game got the nod.  But we would also have gone to NCAA D1 Villanova @ undefeated Lehigh, NCAA D2 Frostburg State @ Kutztown, and the all-PA NCAA D3 Susquehanna @ Eastern.

Pennsylvania College Teams Still Playing

D1 FBS.  University of Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) plays East Carolina on December 27 in the “Military Bowl” in Maryland.

D1 FBS.  Penn State University Nittany Lions (6-6) plays Clemson in the “How the Mighty Have Fallen Bowl,” err, I mean the “Pinstripe Bowl” on December 27 in NYC.

D1 FCS.  Villanova Wildcats (11-2) q defeated unbeaten Lehigh 14-7 to advance to the quarterfinal round.  They play in Texas at Tarlton State this Saturday.

D2.  Kutztown University Golden Bears (14-0).  Defeated Frostburg State, putting up over 50 points for the third week in a row since the tournament started.  They are seeded number two of the four teams remaining, and are hosting a semifinal game for the first time this Saturday against Harding University of Arkansas.  Harding is also undefeated.

D3.  The Susquehanna River Hawks defeated Eastern University by a shutout score of 29-0.  They are now in the quarterfinals, traveling to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on Saturday.

Lehigh and Eastern both lost and have been eliminated from the playoffs.

District 11 State Champions (Since 1988)

1988 Bethlehem Catholic.  1990 Bethlehem Catholic and Marian Catholic.  1991 Schuylkill Haven.  1993 Allentown Central Catholic.  1994 Mount Carmel.  1998: Allentown Central Catholic.  2002 Parkland.  2006 Wilson.  2008 Liberty.  2010 Allentown Central Catholic.  2024 Northwestern Lehigh.  2025 Southern Lehigh.

Thirteen state champions, ten different schools.  Allentown Central Catholic the most with three.  Bethlehem Catholic the only other team with more than one.

We have been trying to figure out why Mount Carmel was in District 11 in 1994 as they are in Northumberland County.  How many years were they a part of District 11?  When and why did they leave?  Asking around, received conflicting answers.  Nothing definite.

District 11 vs. the State.  We went 1-1 in the state finals with Southern Lehigh winning and Northwestern Lehigh losing their games.  The season record for the D11 teams vs. the state was 42-20.  A record to be proud of.

Undefeated.  Only two teams in the state are undefeated.  The Avonworth Antelopes finished as the only undefeated high school team in the state at 15-0.  Kutztown University is in the NCAA D2 national semifinal and is 14-0.

Fifteen Wins.  No PA high school team won 16 games this season.  Teams with 15 Wins: 4A Southern Lehigh, 3A Avonworth, 3A Northwestern Lehigh, 2A Southern Columbia, 1A Clairton.  Of just five schools, two were from District 11.  Congratulations to 4A Southern Lehigh for being the largest school with 15 wins, to Northwestern Lehigh for three consecutive 15-win seasons, and to Easton for being the only 6A school with 14 wins.  A mighty impressive performance by District 11.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON, DECEMBER 4.  1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL.  CLAIRTON BEARS VS. BISHOP GUILFOYLE MARAUDERS.  At one time we would have always rooted for the “East” team.  But the lines are now blurred, so as long as no D11 team is involved we will always choose a public school vs. a private school.  With that in mind we headed to the visitor side to caucus with the Clairton assembly.  It was a lot colder on that side in the shade, but that’s where we felt most comfortable cheering.

Clairton was a 1A state power about 15 years ago, winning state titles for four consecutive years from 2009-2012.  Bishop Guilfoyle has five titles in the years since the Clairton run, including last year.  Twice in their five title games they defeated Clairton.  This is familiar ground for these two powerhouses in the smallest school classification.

The game was fairly close in the first half, only 14-3 at the break.  The beginning of the end of the Guilfoyle dream was near the end of the second quarter when down 14-0 and having first and goal, they settled for a field goal.

The Marauders got the ball to start the second half only down two scores.  A quick pick six put them down three scores, and they pretty much packed it in after that.  By the end of the third quarter, the Bears were up 35-3.  The Guilfoyle offensive line was absolutely owned.

Not sure what Clairton’s thinking was in the fourth quarter.  Instead of straight running plays to eat clock, they kept running trickish stuff and passing, accruing an embarrassing amount of penalty yards.

A shoutout from us for the Bears cheer squad.  They had to be among the best we have seen all season.  Not with showy mounts, but with engagement, enthusiasm and volume.  You were great.

No one scored in the final quarter, and Clairton had their first state title since 2012 when they beat Dunmore from District 2.  In our opinion, the better team won.

As this was the only day we were staying for the night game, we headed to the Appalachian Brewing Company for dinner, one of our annual stops since the games have moved to Cumberland Valley.

THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 4.  4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL.  TWIN VALLEY RAIDERS VS. SOUTHERN LEHIGH SPARTANS.  Twin Valley was one of only three unbeaten teams out of the dozen playing for state championships.  They brought a nice turnout of fans to the game, as did Southern Lehigh.

Southern Lehigh entered the game with one loss, to 3A Northwestern Lehigh.  Twin Valley had been blowing out their opponents, having scored 60 or more points five times.  They had one close game, the somewhat controversial four-point win over Aliquippa.  Southern Lehigh had tasted defeat in a one score loss.  They also had to play from behind in the previous two games, coming back with game-winning touchdowns in the final minute against both Shamokin and Cardinal O’Hara, three- and four-point victories.  Perhaps tasting defeat and coming within a minute of being eliminated twice worked in their favor.

Twin Valley got the ball first and drove down the field with ease, opening an early 7-0 lead barely two minutes into the game.  That looked far too easy!  But Southern Lehigh came back with a nice drive of their own to tie the score.  It was 7-7 at the end of the first quarter and 17-14 Southern Lehigh at the half.  The difference was that that Twin Valley missed their FG attempt.  The encouraging news for the Spartans was that they scored on all three possessions, with Twin Valley scoring on two of four.

Southern Lehigh scored to open the third, then an interception was followed by another TD and a 30-14 lead.  The Spartans had the Raiders stopped, but an incomplete pass on fourth down was negated by a totally unnecessary pass interference error which kept the drive alive and eventually ended in a touchdown.  30-21.  In the fourth quarter, the Spartans got two more with the final score being 43-21.

On defense, Twin Valley couldn’t stop Southern Lehigh.  And on offense, they looked sort of lost having to play from behind.  Their passing game wasn’t up to championship standards, only 4-10 with three picks.

In one of the most incredible statistics we can recall, Sean Steckert of Southern Lehigh ended the game with 301 yards rushing, the second most ever in a state final of any classification.  What made it so amazing is that the entire team ended with 301 yards rushing.  The QB had two yards, but another player lost two.  The Spartans were not just a one trick pony, going an impressive 14-18 through the air for 146.

Southern Lehigh won the first state football championship in school history in their first trip to the final.  For Twin Valley it was runner up, also in their first championship game.  Southern Lehigh scored on seven of their first eight possessions.  Once again, we felt the better team won.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5.  2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL.  FARRELL STEELERS VS. SOUTHERN COLUMBIA TIGERS.  We have never seen Southern Columbia play a game on their home field.  Seeing them in person has been limited to state playoff games.  We have always respected their program, their coaches, players and fans.  Community support for the school is admirable.  It is always a pleasure to watch them play.

They have become our favorite team outside of District 11.  We are constantly disappointed in the way they are treated by the envious fans of other teams in the state.  What turned us into full-blown supporters of the team was a game a few years ago when they traveled to our district to play Northern Lehigh at Lehighton.  By halftime, it was clear Southern Columbia was the better team and would win the game.  As the players crossed from the locker room to return to the field for the second half, adult Northern Lehigh supporters screamed “Recruiters!” and “Cheaters!” at the players.  Adults screaming at kids!  KIDS!  We were embarrassed for our district.  We see the jealous posts online all the time, often outright lies.  But when we saw adults verbally abusing kids in person, that crossed way over the line for us.  Guy had to repeat his mantra “Don’t hold it against the players or coaches for their fans’ actions” several times that evening.  So much for the note they read before each game about negative comments towards referees, coaches or players not being tolerated.  We think no school should have to play above their actual size classification solely because of success.

Guy Jumps on the Soapbox.  I guess I was raised in another era.  When I was a kid and we lost a game, which we all do, my Pop would tell me to be the best you have to beat the best.  And if you can’t beat the best, work harder and get better.  I can only imagine if I had said to Dad: “Well, what if instead of working harder, we just passed a rule so that we don’t have to play the best anymore?  Wouldn’t it be easier to become champions that way?”  I can just see his reaction.  Pop would have been so disgusted with me, he would have turned away and not even been able to look me in the eye to hide his disappointment.  Every time I see people comment that Southern Columbia should be “forced” to move up and play larger schools in a higher classification than their school enrollment because their teams can’t beat Southern, I think of my Pop and how I wish I could call him and thank him for the way he raised me.  And I thank goodness I wasn’t raised by those commenters.

Southern was not supposed to be champs this year.  Last year they didn’t make it out of districts, and finished with a record of 7-5.  This year they started 0-1.  Looking at the state rankings on PA Football News, they began the season ranked seventh in 2A, and throughout the season they slowly rose in the rankings.

After the initial loss, Southern ran the table and came into the state final with a record of 14-1.   The Steelers came in with a 13-2 record that was even more impressive than that.  They lost their opener by a single point, and their other loss was to an out of state powerhouse.

Obviously Southern Columbia knows how to seal the deal.  They came into the game with 14 state championships, the most of any school.  What many may not realize is that they also lost eight state title games.

Farrell is no stranger to the title game.  They lost to District 11’s Marian Catholic way back in 1990, but won 2018 and 2019 championships in 1A.  They also won championships in 1995 and 1996, both years defeating none other than Southern Columbia when the game was played in Altoona.

Southern scored on their first drive, but Farrell came right back with a kickoff return to the house and briefly held the lead before their offense ran a play.  However, their defense couldn’t stop the Tigers Wing-T, and Southern scored on every first half possession.  Meanwhile, Farrell had nothing to show for their offense, only one first half first down and negative yards rushing while having the ball just five and a half minutes of 24.  At the half it was Southern 28-8.

It looked like the game was over but Farrell had a little spark in the third quarter, scoring a TD on a 4^th and 12 pass and holding Southern scoreless.  However, Southern put it away with two TDs in the fourth quarter, before giving up one in the closing seconds with their starters pulled.

Coach Roth won his 15^th state championship 43-22, eighth in nine years, for his 521st win, the most all-time in Pennsylvania and number four or five nationally, all at Southern Columbia.  And with Garcia number four still a sophomore, there may still be more to come from the greatest coach in the state.

Once again, we believe that the better team won, as it should be.

Not staying for the night game, but still wanting to support the local businesses that support the games, we stopped at DaVinci’s Pizza, the local establishment that supplies pizza slices at the game.  Large thin crust pepperoni, please.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6.  3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL.  AVONWORTH ANTELOPES VS. NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH TIGERS.  This was perhaps the most anticipated game of the six.  By Saturday afternoon these two were the only unbeaten high school teams left.  Avonworth was 14-0 and pretty much the consensus top 3A team in the state this year.  But Northwestern Lehigh was 15-0, the defending state champions, riding a 31-game winning streak, playing in the final for the third straight year, and with a record of 46-1 over that time period.  And to top it off, this was a rematch of last year’s championship game that was decided in overtime!  Sounds like something straight out of a script for Friday Night Lights!

The team we were rooting for won all three games we attended so far.  Could our faves go four for four?

As usual, the community support for Northwestern Lehigh was stellar.  Deciding that at our final game here, we would support Cumberland Valley by eating at their refreshment stand, we sampled the homemade chili, fries from the marching band truck, onion rings, and homemade cookies.  We thought them all tasty and fair value for money.

Northwestern Lehigh got the ball first and went three and out.  Avonworth scored on their very first offensive play on a long pass.  Northwestern drove down the field and tied the game at seven.

And that was about all she wrote for the defending champs.  Avonworth connected with two more long passes, both great leaping catches with tight defense.  The Tigers were only down 14-7 at the end of Q1 and still had hope.  However, it already looked to us like Avonworth was the better team.  They added another TD and a field goal, and the Lopes were up 24-7 at the half.  It was very hard to see how Northwestern Lehigh could make up that deficit against a team of this caliber.

One distasteful episode was that during the game, Northwestern Lehigh was referred to as “Northampton Lehigh” as well as “Northern Lehigh.”  The latter was particularly offensive because Northern Lehigh is their bitter rivals.  Northwestern Lehigh was the defending state champions and deserved a little more respect than was shown by referring to them by three different school names.

The Tigers had a nice drive going early in the third quarter, then fumbled it away in the red zone. Avonworth got a bit sloppy and didn’t score in the third, which ended with the score still 24-7.  Avonworth added another seven in the fourth, and the final score was 31-7.  After Northwestern’s early touchdown drive, they never found the end zone again for the rest of the game.  Although they didn’t play up to their usual level and can play much better, once again we are confident that the better team won.

Again, congratulations to Avonworth for being the only undefeated team in Pennsylvania this season.

Horizon.  We thought our season was over after Saturday’s game.  But Kutztown University rolled to three straight 50-point playoff wins to roar into the national semifinal.  The final four were reseeded and as number two the Golden Bears got a home game on Saturday.  One more game in this sport for 2025.

2025 District 11 Varsity or JV Teams Seen at Home or Outside D11.  1) Minersville Battlin’ Miners.  2a) Freedom Patriots (varsity field.)  2b) Freedom Patriots (JV field.)  3) Stroudsburg Mountaineers.  4) Whitehall Zephyrs (both varsity and JV).  5) Pocono Mountain East Cardinals.  6) Pleasant Valley Bears.  –) Holy Cross Crusaders (D2SR).  7) Allentown Central Catholic Vikings.  8) Pen Argyl Green Knights. 9) Jim Thorpe Olympians.  10) Saucon Valley Panthers (both varsity and JV).  11) Bangor Slaters.  12) Pine Grove Cardinals.  13) Wilson Warriors (both varsity and JV).  14) Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes.  15) Executive Education Raptors.  16a) Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks (JV field).  16b) Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks (varsity field).  17) Parkland Trojans.  18) Panther Valley Panthers.  19) Southern Lehigh Spartans.  20) Catasauqua Rough Riders.  21) North Schuylkill Spartans.  22) Nativity BVM Green Wave.  23)  Minersville Battlin’ Miners.  24)  East Stroudsburg South Cavaliers.  25) Marian Catholic Colts.  26) Shenandoah Valley Blue Devils.  27) East Stroudsburg North Timberwolves.  28) Blue Mountain Eagles.  29) Pocono Mountain West Panthers.  30) Liberty Hurricanes.  31) Northern Lehigh Bulldogs.  32) Norte Dame Green Pond Crusaders.  33)  Easton Red Rovers. 34) Williams Valley Vikings.  35) Northwestern Lehigh Tigers

Season Finished: Did Not See Varsity or JV at Home or Outside D11 (12).  Dieruff Huskies.  Emmaus Hornets.  Lehighton Indians (saw away).  Mahanoy City Golden Bears (saw away).  Nazareth Eagles (saw away) Palisades Pirates (saw away).  Palmerton Blue Bombers.  Pottsville Crimson Tide (saw away).  Salisbury Falcons.  Tamaqua Blue Eagles (saw away) Tri Valley Bulldogs (saw away) William Allen Canaries (saw away).

2025 Pennsylvania College Teams.  1) Keystone College Giants.  2) Kings College Monarchs (JV & Varsity).  3) University of Pennsylvania Quakers.  4) Muhlenberg Mules. 5) Villanova University Wildcats.

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