Panther Pregame Football Focus Homecoming Edition: Saucon Valley v. Solehi (Brought to You by Braveheart Highland Pub)

Homecoming 2017 brings the Southern Lehigh Spartans into town for a rivalrous Friday night football fight. Like Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh holds a 3-1 record. The Spartans have victories over Northern Lehigh, Palmerton and Notre Dame. Last week, the Spartans stumbled and fell to undefeated Palisades 35-17.  Beyond the enormous tensions and bragging rights that accompany this intense rivalry, it is a high-stakes game. With the Palisades Pirates currently unbeaten, a second loss for either the Panthers or Spartans will all but eliminate them from the Colonial League title hunt. This has the makings of a must-see, Homecoming classic!

Things Worth Watching:

When the Panthers have the ball…..

Expect to see a base 4-3 defense from Southern Lehigh. They will likely mix-up their coverages, but don’t be surprised to see them leaning on “Cover-0” where the Spartans play man-to-man on the Panther receivers and crowd the line of scrimmage with seven or eight defensive bodies. Southern Lehigh will likely sell-out and try to suffocate the Panther offense with overwhelming pressure. The Spartans will look to stuff the run and and pounce on Alstan Wolfe before the Panther quarterback has a chance to throw the football.

The Panthers, of course, no matter what scheme the Spartans utilize, will try and establish their potent running game. Saucon has been averaging about 300 yards per contest led by senior, Zach “Lightning” Petiet (#23). Through four games “Lightning” has struck for ten touchdowns and is averaging of 8-yards per carry. Petiet doesn’t need a whole lot of room to do his thing. He is lightning-quick and will be looking forward to breaking through the Spartan defense adding to his 2,418 career rushing yards. When Petiet needs a breather, junior Ian Csicsek (#28) is a very capable back-up and performing well.  Csicsek has three TDs on only eleven carries. Like Petiet, Csicsek averages eight yards per attempt.

Dual-threat quarterback Alstan Wolfe (#5) is another Panther having a great season running the football. Wolfe also averages 8-yards per carry and has scored 6 TDs on the ground. He has a knack for creating big, super-freaky plays. Wolfe has the speed, power and agility to make defenders miss. Like Petiet, Wolfe is a threat to hit the end zone on any given play.

Wolfe can also make plays with his arm. He has completed 18 of 34 throws for 386 yards. He averages 97-yards passing per game and has thrown for 4 TDs. His favorite targets are shaping up to be Steven Rose (#34) and Patrick Morrissey (#80). Rose is a senior who has eight grabs for 160 yards and 2 TD’s. At 6’2″, 215 Morrissey, a junior, is a sizable target with good hands who has four catches for 94 yards.

Southern Lehigh is a seriously formidable opponent. “Our focus is to be patient.”, Coach Sams said regarding the Spartan defense. “They are tough and fast. They will make plenty of stops and we have to just keep grinding.”

When the Spartans have the ball…..

Southern Lehigh runs a “Wing-T” offense that operates from the shotgun. They run this scheme as well as anybody and are averaging 33 points per game. Relying on speed, misdirection and a little trickery to complement their talented skill players, this offense manufactures big numbers. They show a lot of formations offensively to try and throw you off with motion and misdirection. It is a fun offense to watch operate and a difficult one to defend.

The Spartans are led by junior quarterback Logan Edmond (#15). Edmond stands 6’0″, 175 and is 41 of 70 for 639 yards with 8 TD passes this season. He has thrown for over 2,300 yards and 25 touchdowns so far in his career. He is not too much of a run threat, but he is athletic enough to hurt you with his feet. Coach Sams commented, “We need to get a pass rush and stay in our lanes against Edmond. He is very shifty and smart behind center.”

With the system that they run Edmond will spread the ball around, but the headliners for the Spartan offense include a stable of talented seniors.

Luke Strauss (#29) is a 5’11”, 185 running back who is tough as nails and has speed. He has rushed 48 times this season for 243 yards and a couple of TDs. Strauss averages five yards per carry and has the ability to break tackles and make big gains.

Fullback, Mike Sisselberger (#9) is listed as a 5’10”, 250. He has only carried twenty-one times this season, but averages 11-yards per attempt. Sisselberger is a bruiser who has three TDs to his name and is someone to keep an eye on.

A couple other seniors who are playmakers include Nathan Derby (#2) and Eli Price (#81). Derby measures 5’7″, 150 and has 13 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Price goes 5’11”, 170 and brings 12 catches for 291 yards and 5 TDs to the table. Both have reliable hands, but Price is much more dangerous running after the catch.

The Panthers certainly have their work cut out for them. Even without the spectacle of Homecoming, this game would be electrifying. It will be an energized, playoff atmosphere on another splendid September night. Two rival schools will be center-stage and battling with a whole lot at stake. The high school football atmosphere doesn’t get much better than this!

Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!