Cardinal O’Hara vs Southern Lehigh – PIAA Class 4A Semifinal Game Preview and Prediction
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Davin Ridall | November 28, 2025
It’s the final week of November, and Thanksgiving has come and gone. As we enter Black Friday, we’re now in the state Semifinals ladies and gentlemen, and this week I’ll be heading back to Whitehall to bring you coverage between Cardinal O’Hara (10-4) and Southern Lehigh (13-1).
Last Week’s Matchups
Cardinal O’Hara: 28-6 Win at North Pocono
Southern Lehigh: 30-27 Win vs Shamokin
Last Week’s Cardinal O’Hara Stat Leaders
Passing: #11 John Welde – 10/16, 130 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing: #3 Amahj Gowans – 20 CAR, 106 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving: #6 Emilio Martinez – 3 REC, 51 YDS
Tackles: N/A
Last Week’s Southern Lehigh Stat Leaders
Passing: #5 Colton Sams – 10/15, 154 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing: #3 Sean Steckert – 29 CAR, 217 YDS, 2 TD
Receiving: #6 Darius Roman – 2 REC, 30 YDS
Tackles: N/A
Cardinal O’Hara (10-4) 2025 Schedule
| 08-22 | vs Audenried Charter (6-4) | W, 49-0 |
| 08-29 | @ Archbishop Wood (4-7) | W, 28-20 |
| 09-05 | vs Archbishop Ryan (8-3) | W, 17-14 |
| 09-12 | vs Upper Darby (3-7) | W, 19-0 |
| 09-19 | vs Smyrna (DE) | W, 34-14 |
| 09-26 | @ Bonner Prendie (6-5) | L, 10-22 |
| 10-03 | vs Roman Catholic (10-3) | L, 7-33 |
| 10-10 | vs Father Judge (3-8) | W, 42-14 |
| 10-17 | @ La Salle College (11-1) | L, 17-54 |
| 10-25 | @ St. Joseph’s Prep (5-5) | L, 3-38 |
| 10-31 | vs Archbishop Ryan (8-3) | W, 44-21 |
| 11-08 | vs Bonner Prendie (6-5) | W, 24-3 |
| 11-15 | vs West Philadelphia (4-6) | W, 34-6 |
| 11-21 | @ North Pocono (13-1) | W 28-6 |
Southern Lehigh (13-1) 2025 Schedule
| 08-22 | vs Quakertown (4-6) | W, 35-14 |
| 08-29 | vs Blue Mountain (7-5) | W, 28-0 |
| 09-05 | @ Lehighton (5-6) | W, 21-20 |
| 09-12 | @ North Schuylkill (8-4) | W, 35-14 |
| 09-19 | vs Pottsville (3-8) | W, 35-17 |
| 09-26 | @ Jim Thorpe (4-7) | W, 47-27 |
| 10-03 | @ Tamaqua (4-8) | W, 49-6 |
| 10-10 | vs Bangor (0-11) | W, 48-0 |
| 10-17 | vs Saucon Valley (5-6) | W, 56-20 |
| 10-24 | @ Northwestern Lehigh (14-0) | L, 28-36 |
| 10-31 | vs Bangor (0-11) | W, 56-0 |
| 11-07 | vs Blue Mountain (7-5) | W, 55-14 |
| 11-14 | vs Bethlehem Catholic | W, 49-28 |
| 11-21 | vs Shamokin (13-1) | W, 30-27 |
What to Know About The Game
If you read my preview from a week ago where I also covered Cardinal O’Hara when they played North Pocono, the Lions are a very run heavy team. After rushing for 106 yards on 20 carries last week, their running back Amahj Gowans has now eclipsed 2000 rushing yards on the season. Last week was bit of an unusual game for Cardinal O’Hara as it took a little while for the rushing attack to get going, which forced the passing attack to have to pick up some slack which they did, throwing for 130 yards in that game which is the second highest passing yards total for the team this season. Southern Lehigh also has an extremely talented running back on their squad, Sean Steckart, who has rushed for just over a whopping 2,700 yards this season and 38 touchdowns. Along with that rushing attack, the Spartans also have a very balanced passing attack to go with it, led by Colton Sams, currently sitting at 2,394 passing yards and 33 passing touchdowns. Southern Lehigh’s only loss this season was an 8 point road loss at the hands of Northwestern Lehigh, who is currently undefeated and on their way to possibly winning a second consecutive 3A state title.
Final Thoughts
Although Cardinal O’Hara has played extremely well down the stretch, I think the Lions defense is going to struggle to contain this high powered offense that Southern Lehigh has. Cardinal O’Hara will likely try to play ball control football in this contest and if the defense plays like it did last week they’ll be in good shape. Ultimately though, I do believe Southern Lehigh wins this game, especially with the motivation they likely have thanks to their victory over Shamokin last week.
My Prediction
Cardinal O’Hara – 20
Southern Lehigh – 34
Game Information
Cardinal O’Hara (10-4) at Southern Lehigh (13-1) – Friday 11/28 – Zephyrs Stadium (Whitehall) – Kickoff at 7 PM – Follow @DavinRidall_PFN & @PaFootballNews for game coverage – Follow @ScipScip for game photos
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