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Strong Second Half and Stellar Steckert Effort Lift Southern Lehigh to First Title

Tagged under: District 11, District 3, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

| December 5, 2025

A nip and tuck first half for the Spartajs ajd Raiders took a turn in favor of Southern Lehigh early in the second half. Four plays in, Colton Sams fired deep over the middle to Otto Young for a 40-yard touchdown. It took two more for Adam Fritts to pick off Maverik Foster over the left side and give the ball right back to the Southern Lehigh offense. And then Sean Steckert went to work with a 17 yard gain before scoring from five yards out to give Southern Lehigh a two score lead. From there, it was a dominant defensive effort that brought the state title to Center Valley for the first time ever, 43-21.

Twin Valley got the ball first and flexed their muscle immediately. On their first plsy, Drew Engle cruised ahead for 40 yards, down to thee Spartans 30. Four plays later, Lucas Myers went in from 19 yards out, giving the Raiders an early 7-0 lead. Just shy of three minutes later, Sean Steckert showed he could do the same, plowing through the middle of the line for a 48 yard gain and 11-yard touchdown. With 7:07 to go in the first, the game was tied at 7-7.

The teams then exchanged lengthy drives that ate up the majority of the half. Twin Valley chewed up 12 minutes, cominging the efforts of Myers and Engle to move into the red zone. However, the Spartsns stood tall and forced a short field goal attempt. That kick never had a chance, and the Southern Lehigh defense finally got off the field with a big momentum boost.

In near mirror fashion, the Spartans moved down the field over the next 15 plays. None of those plays went for longer than 14 yards. Darius Roman nearly had a diving catch in the back of the end zone, but the ball fell incomplete. Southern settled for a 24-yard field goal and 10-7 lead with 3:11 to play in the half.

Two plays later, the track meet was back on. Dom Summers got loose over the middle and accelerated through the secondary 64 yards for the house call, putting Twin Valley back on top 14-10. But Southern Lehigh was not phased. Facing a 4th and 2 call, coach Phil Sams went to his bread and butter–Sean Steckert. Steckert broke to his left and got around the edge, going 26 yards to the end zone. That score would put the Spartans ahead 17-14, a lead they would never relinquish.

Steckert ran for 156 yards in the first half, eclipsing, by far, the 89 he needed for 3,000 on the season. A full interview with him is included below, as he commented on the individual accomplishment. His 301 yards on the night set the record for most rushing yards in a 4A title game.

The tone of the game changed significantly in the third quarter. Otto Young has received a greater role as the Spartans playoff run has gone deeper, and tonight was no different. His 40-yard touchdown grab gave Southern Lehigh some needed breathing room and really put the pressure on Twin Valley to respond. Adam Fritts’ interception kept Engle and company off the field and allowed Steckert to get right back to work, extending the lead to 30-14 with just over six minutes to play in the third.

Drew Engle got his squad back in it shortly after. His 26-yard run was the longest since his first play of the game, which later allowed him to find the end zone from seven yards out. Curiously enough, the Raiders opted for the extra point, rather than trying to bring the game within 30-22 with a two-point try. The third quarter ended with the same 30-21 Southern Lehigh lead.

The fourth quarter opened on a Spartans 4th & 1, which quickly became 4th & 6 after an illegal procedure penalty. Sams hit Kawczenski on a 9 yard pass to get the first down. Two plays later, Otto Young broke throuogh traffic over the middle one more time, scoring from 30 yards out to put Southern Lehigh well into the driver’s seat 36-21.

From there, Ben Grundy and Adam Fritts exchanged interceptions on back to back plays before Steckert capped the scoring with a short touchdown run. Jack Pavis slammed the door with another interception, allowing Sams to kneel out the remainder of the game and deliver the school’s first state championship in football.

In defeat, Engle ran for 175 yards and a touchdown, providing the majority of the offense for the Raiders. Southern Lehigh dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for just shy of 29 minutes.

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