Although the Saucon Valley Little Panther 110-pound youth football team lost their semifinal playoff game against the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs Saturday, 33-12, the 110s finished their season 8-2 overall, and have a lot to be proud of.
110 player Constantine Donahue
Saucon Valley jumped to a quick 6-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage after receiving the opening kick-off.
Constantine Donahue went off tackle and bounced it outside for a 54-yard touchdown.
The Saucon defense played tough and stopped Northern Lehigh the first few times the Bulldogs had the ball on offense.
After stopping the Bulldogs on 4th down, Saucon took the ball downfield and Jared Rohn punched one in from the two-yard line.
Jared Rohn of the 110 team
Both of Saucon’s PAT kicks were missed, making it 12-0, Saucon Valley, at the end of the first quarter.
Northern Lehigh fought back, however, and scored late in the second quarter. Saucon Valley still led 12-6 at the half.
To their credit, the Bulldogs didn’t give up and staged a remarkable comeback in the second half, ultimately winning the game, 33-12.
It’s important to note in looking back at the 2016 season that the 110 team improved dramatically in their year-over-year standings. After finishing 1-7 last season, the Little Panther 110s improved to 7-1 this regular season and earned the third seed in the Colonial Youth Football League playoffs.
After beating Southern Lehigh 20-6 in the first week of post-season play, to go to 8-1, they earned their birth in Saturday’s semifinal game against #2 Northern Lehigh.
Northern Lehigh finished their regular season 8-0 and improved to 10-0 with Saturday’s win. They will face the winner of the Catasauqua (#1 seed) vs. Wilson (#4 seed) game, which was played Sunday in Williams Township.
Note: Information in this article was contributed to Saucon Source.
