PIAA Class 3A Title Game Preview: Northwestern Lehigh

Tagged under: District 11, News, pfn, Playoffs

Cody Brady | December 5, 2025

NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH vs. AVONWORTH

PIAA District 11 – Class AAA
League: Colonial
Head Coach: Josh Snyder

OVERVIEW

It’s a title game rematch in 3A, as the Tigers of Northwestern Lehigh faceoff with Avonworth once more. Last year’s 36-33 overtime thriller saw Eli Zimmerman win it on a 10-yard touchdown run. He is gone, but many of the same faces remain. The Tigers have not lost a regular season game since 2022 and are 46-1 in their last 47 games.

How they got to the title game:

2025 Northwestern Lehigh Schedule

Key Players:

QB Shane Leh: Last year, he passed for over 1,500 yards. This season, he’s thrown for 2,516 yards, 31 touchdowns and only been picked off twice. He also averaged 5 yards per carry when he is on the run and has scored four times there.

RB Shane Lakatosh: It’s impossible to replace Eli Zimmerman and his nearly 2,700 yards from last season, but a large chunk of the run game has fallen to Lakatosh, who has responded excellently. He has amassed nearly 1,300 yards and scored 16 times. He averages nearly 11 yards per carry

RB Chase Sukanick: The other major ball carrier this season is Sukanick, who averages 8 yards per carry and found the end zone 13 times.

WR Mason Bollinger: With the passing game more opened up this year, Bollinger is averaging over 15 yards per catch and has scored six times through the air. He also has 39 carries for 263 yards and seven touchdowns, so the Avonwroth defense will need to keep an eye out for him.

Look out for:

WR/LB Brady Zimmerman: 41 catches for 919 yards and 11 scores makes this junior a prime target for Leh. He is another dynamic threat with eight scores on the ground.

WR/LB Michael Lagowy: Another talent who is used to beating secondaries, Lagowy is another wideout who averages over 15 yards per catch and has scored seven times.

TE/DB Shane Hulmes: One more multi-purpose threat for this powerful offense, Hulmes has 12 touchdowns on the year. Defensively, he leads the team in sacks, with 8 and has 17TFLs.

Keys to winning-Offense: 

Offensively, Northwestern Lehigh has expanded on their pass game quite a bit this year. This squad has numerous weapons who have outpaced even last year’s scoring. Averaging 46 points per game, the Tigers look to get the ball into numerous playmakers hands, such as Lakatosh, Zimmerman, Bollinger, Sukanick and more. If Northwestern strikes early and often, the balance on offense will be hard to beat.

Keys to winning-Defense:

The Tigers defense has been stout all season, allowing 21+ points just three times. One of those came against 4A title contender Southern Lehigh, whom they dispatched 36-28. Shane Hulmes anchors the defense with his team leading 10 tackles per game and 17 TFLs. Opposing QBs have been sacked 35 times and opponents have been tackled in the backfield 95 times. Mike Lagowy has picked off five passes. Overall, the defense has secured 22 turnovers. Avonworth will need to watch out for the rush from Fritz Scheirer, Ethan Steigwealt, Evan Wagstaff and Michael Boring.

Starting Lineup:

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