Christopher is Northwestern’s ‘stud’
Cade Christopher took the shotgun snap and rolled around the right side in the Northwestern end zone.
The senior quarterback turned the corner, then took off for a 54-yard gainer that shifted field position and momentum in the Tigers’ favor for good in last Friday night’s District 11 Class 3A championship game against two-time defending champion North Schuylkill.
Christopher made a habit this season of coming and going as fast as the first-half snow squall that moved through Lehighton Area School District’s Multi-Purpose Stadium.
He rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns against a stellar Spartans defense and has 1,821 yards this season, second-highest total in program history.
There have been many times the last 13 weeks when Christopher appeared to be stopped in the backfield or for a modest gain, but found a way to leave the defense chasing him from behind on his way to one of his 27 touchdowns, other long gainers, game changers or back breakers.
Christopher offers only one explanation for his apparent Houdini moves.
“The line opened those holes right up for me,” he said. “I just followed those boys and picked up those first downs. All credit goes to them.
“If the hole is not there, I just wait to find a hole, pick up extra yards when I can. But most of the time they open up the holes. I just am patient until they open up the holes.”
Northwestern’s offensive line of Blaine Snyder, Josiah Gornicz, Jared Meck, Cam Shields and Ben Walters plus tight end Lucas Miller have been solid throughout the season.
There also has been selfless efforts in the running game from the other skill players, including Dalton Clymer, Austin Sosnovik, Mason Bollinger and Devon Hildebrand.
The Tigers have outrushed opponents this season 3,922 to 1,588. Coach Josh Snyder’s club will need to continue that trend Saturday against District 12 champion NeumannGoretti in a PIAA 3A quarterfinal to keep its season alive.
Christopher rushed for at least 100 yards nine times this season, including four of at least 206 yards. He’s also thrown 11 TD passes, returned two kickoffs for scores and one punt for a touchdown, plus intercepted two passes.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has been pretty good since an injury wiped out his freshman season. His first six varsity catches as a sophomore went for touchdowns. He also ran for a score and threw a TD pass that year.
Last season, he rushed for 528 yards and seven touchdowns, caught 34 passes for 670 yards and 11 TDs and threw two scoring passes.
His contributions started before the first snap this season when he accepted the move to quarterback. He will be a college wide receiver, but Northwestern needed him at quarterback. He transitioned without hesitation or complaint.
“Any team that’s winning a district championship has a stud,” Snyder said. “Cade is ours. He’s our playmaker. The ball is in his hands 90% of the time. At this point in the season, he’s feeling it. The team is feeding off of him. He’s making plays in the passing game and running game.”
“He’s probably one of the best in the state. We had to move him to quarterback because we didn’t have one. He didn’t moan about it. He’s a team kid. How he goes, we go.
“And a lot of times, he goes pretty good.”
Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com