PIAA Class 3A State Semifinal Preview: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Danville
Tagged under: District 11, District 4, pfn, Playoffs
Cody Brady | November 28, 2024
Danville(13-0)
Head Coach: Carl Majer
Scoring 38.7ppg
Allowing 10.2ppg
Opponents Record: 69-67
Record vs .500 or better: 7-0
The Danville Ironmen make their second trip to the state semis in school history this Friday night. After being denied a berth in the semifinal by District 3 nemesis Wyomissing in three of the last five years, the Ironmen took out their frustrations on Bermudian Springs in a 27-7 victory. Senior quarterback Madden Patrick threw for 146 yards, while fellow senior Bo Sheptock carried 27 times for 131 yards and three scores. Patrick is just four touchdown passes shy of 100 for his career. Sheptock has averaged over 8 yards per carry and has found the end zone 34 times this season. The Ironmen will need to value each possession against a powerhouse in Northwestern Lehigh, and cleanup some turnover issues from last week. The Ironmen defense has been stout all season long and will rely on stars such as Cameron Kiersch and Landon Kehoe. Kiersch leads the team with 154 tackles, 18 of which have gone for a loss. Kehoe has sacked opposing quarterbacks three times and has 17 TFLs to his name. Danville’s defense has come up with 29 turnovers thus far.
Northwestern Lehigh(14-0)
Head Coach: Josh Snyder
Scoring 43ppg
Allowing 5.6ppg
Opponents Record: 84-67
Record vs .500 or better: 10-0
The Tigers went to the state title game last year, falling to WPIAL champions Belle Vernon 38-7. This year, they have unfinished business and are on the verge of heading back to Cumberland Valley. Northwestern Lehigh enters this week after shutting out Scranton Prep 31-0. At halftime, the Tigers led 7-0, but an injury to Prep’s quarterback changed the course of the contest dramatically. Now in his junior season, quarterback Shane Leh continues to put up impressive numbers. He averages over 15 yards per completion and has thrown 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions. The fast-paced no-huddle offense that the Tigers runs frequently puts their opponents off-balance. The ground game is led by Eli Zimmerman, who has rushed for over 2,062 yards and 23 scores, averaging 13 yards per carry. Defensively, Northwestern has Bryer Reichard, Shane Hulmes, and Jared Meck, who have combined for 43 tackles for loss and 15 sacks.
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