Saucon Valley looks to stop Northwestern Lehigh in Friday night’s Colonial League showdown
It was wet and it was cold Friday night. But, that did not stop the Saucon Valley Panthers from remaining unbeaten in the face of the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers and the outer bands of Hurricane Joaquin.
The Panthers, once again, leaned on the “Hogs” (Stephen Good, Christian Carvis, Ryan Meyers, Trey Polak, Cody Zrinski) and their unstoppable ground attack to register 26 first downs and 436 total yards. Evan Culver followed those Hogs on the way to 283-yards on 32 carries. Culver finessed and powered his way to four scores setting a new Saucon Valley High School record of 45 career touchdowns.
Saucon Valley’s Evan Culver (#3) stretching for extra yardage against the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers
The Panther’s fullback, Mike Paolini, also followed the Hogs and once again kept a defense from keying solely on Culver by adding 12 carries for 76 yards. Paolini’s running ability cannot be ignored by opponents as he averaged over 6-yards per carry against a tough Northwestern Lehigh defense.
Saucon Valley got things started after receiving the opening kickoff and crafting a 9-minute drive to score the game’s first touchdown on an Evan Culver 2-yard run. The Tigers responded with a 23-yard touchdown run by Harry Hall two minutes later.
Early in the 2nd quarter Culver was at it again when, on a 2nd & 9, he started off right tackle and cut back to his left breaking free for a 47-yard dash to extend the Panther lead to 14-7.
The Tigers looked to answer and marched right back. However, on a 2nd & 2 from deep in Panther territory at the 7-yard line Tiger quarterback Dylan Snyder and running back Harry Hall mishandled the exchange. The Tiger mishap was alertly recovered by Saucon’s Mike Kane. The Panthers capitalized on the turnover with another Culver touchdown with just over 3 minutes remaining in the half.
Northwestern Lehigh, starting in Panther territory following a 48-yard kickoff return, converted another Harry Hall touchdown with :36 seconds remaining in the 1st half. The Tigers clawed their way back and cut the Panther deficit to 21-14 at halftime.
Northwestern’s Dylan Snyder handing off to Harry Hall
On the opening possession of the 2nd half Northwestern Lehigh picked up where they left off and cashed in on a 12-play drive that evened the score at 21 with 6:53 remaining in the third quarter. Tiger quarterback Dylan Snyder was able to squeeze into the Panther end zone with a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Panthers responded by driving all the way to the Tiger 1-yard line. However, on 2nd and goal, Saucon quarterback Zach Thatcher had trouble on the snap with the slick ball and lost possession to the Tiger defense. The lost fumble cost the Panther’s valuable points but a major momentum shift was avoided when Saucon’s defense stiffened and forced the Tiger’s to their first punt of the night.
After regaining possession at their own 40-yardline following the punt, the Panthers reclaimed the lead after seven plays. Evan Culver powered over the left side behind Cody Zrinski and Ryan Meyers for a two yard touchdown run. However, the extra point was blocked leaving the door open for the Tigers to steal the victory. The Panthers held a fragile 27-21 lead with 7:58 remaining in the game.
Culver and the Hogs doing their thing
At crunch-time the Saucon Valley defense was up to the challenge and squashed any anxious thoughts of a disheartening 28-27 loss. Sacks and pressures by Abe Lugo, Cody Zrinski and the rest of the Panther front seven coupled with great downfield pass coverage by Alstan Wolfe, Kory Kemmerer and the rest of the Panther secondary brought the Tiger threat to a close. The Panthers held on for a great 27-21 victory.
Saucon Valley remains unbeaten with a 5-0 record in the Colonial League. The Panther’s next game will again be at home when they host the Pen Argyl Green Knights on Friday night. This game will be part of Saucon Valley’s 2015 homecoming festivities. Saucon Source is filled with school spirit and we hope you are too. It will be a great week in Saucon Valley!
Panther quarterback Zach Thatcher tries the left side of the Tiger’s defense on the way to a 27-21 Colonial League victory
