Northwestern tradition highlights Week 9
There are many area high school football traditions.
What Josh Snyder does at Northwestern is one of my favorites. He and his coaching staff reward a senior lineman or two for their dedication to the program and leadership within the team by giving them a chance to carry the ball in a game.
Three-year starters Blaine Snyder and Ben Walters got a bonus treat when they both scored their first varsity touchdown in last Saturday’s win at Wilson.
Snyder got two carries and Walters got one. The two-way starters got to celebrate with their teammates in the end zone, but this time the ball was in their arms instead of a skill player’s.
The genuine emotion generated is a cool spectacle.
Milestones
Northwestern’s Shane Leh, Marian Catholic’s Bruce Hopeck and Lehighton’s Brady O’Donnell reached the 1,000yard mark in passing in Week 9 games.
Mahanoy Area’s Colm McGroarty and Pine Grove’s Lane Lehman reached 100 tackles. Lehman and Schuylkill Haven’s Aiden Myers reached 1,000 rushing yards. And Pen Argyl’s Damian Tyminski is the first to reach 50 receptions.
Several other area football players had stellar performances in the nextto-last game of the Colonial-Schuylkill League regular season.
Here is the Week 9 honor roll:
Week 9 stat standouts
(in alphabetical order by team)
Greg Campbell, Bangor: Rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown, passed for 50 yards and made five tackles in a loss to Blue Mountain.
Chad Beller, Catasauqua: Made a team-high nine tackles, including five for a loss, in a win at Palisades.
Cole Lazorick, Jim Thorpe: Rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns and had 54 passing yards in a victory over Northern Lehigh.
Rory Dixon, Marian Catholic: Ran for 146 yards and a score in a loss to Tri-Valley.
Jack Tosh, Northern Lehigh: Made a team-high 12 tackles in a loss at Jim Thorpe.
Blaine Snyder/Ben Walters, Northwestern:
The senior three-year starters each scored his first career touchdown in a win at Wilson.
Josh Ludlow, Notre Dame-GP: Ran for two touchdowns and caught a scoring pass in a victory over Pine Grove.
Rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Catasauqua.
Matt Machalik, Palmerton: Rushed for 196 yards and three TDs, passed for
John Haubert, Palisades:
101 yards and a score, made two tackles and intercepted a pass in a victory over Tamaqua.
Brad Jones, Panther Valley: Made a career-high 24 tackles in a loss to Pen Argyl.
Caiden Faust, Pen Argyl: Returned from a three-game absence to score two rushing touchdowns in a victory at Panther Valley.
Jared Rohn, Saucon Valley: Rushed for 70 yards and two TDs and registered a team-high 12 tackles in a win over Lehighton.
Cade Sawyer, Southern Lehigh: rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns and made six tackles — two for a loss — in a win over Pottsville. Damon Sell, Tamaqua: Returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown in a loss to Palmerton.
Elijiah Meixsell, Wilson: Recovered two fumbles and made four tackles in a loss to Northwestern.