The Panthers found their stride to defeat the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers in the 2018 District XI semifinals.
Not many people outside the Saucon Valley area had much faith that the Panthers could defeat the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers this past Saturday night. Afterall, the Tigers crashed Saucon’s homecoming festivities and thumped the Panthers 49-28 back on October 12th. But, with an opportunity to get a little revenge and the prospect of advancing to the 2018 District XI championship, Saucon Valley focused their efforts and roared their way past the Tigers in dominant fashion. The Panthers (10-2) defeated the Tigers (9-3) 42-21 and will now advance to the District XI final for the fifth consecutive season.
The Panthers tackled well and played good defense against the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers.
The Panthers won the toss and deferred their option to receive the ball to after halftime. Northwestern Lehigh took the opening kickoff back to the 28-yardline. The Saucon Valley defense was looking tough and for the most part able to stuff the Tigers. However, just when it seemed as if the Panther defense was in total control, the Tigers exploded for a 62-yard touchdown. Northwestern Lehigh quarterback Deven Bollinger hit Justin Rodda in stride on a deep crossing route for the score. Connor DeWit’s PAT was good and a little over two minutes after the action started, the Tigers sprung out to a 7-0 lead.
Ian Csicsek had another great night running the football for the Panthers.
Saucon Valley came right back and crafted a seven play series that brought reward. After a 23-yard option run by Dante Mahaffey, the Panther scoring drive ended with an Ian “Sizzler” Csicsek’s 14-yard touchdown. Saucon ran a counter play and Csicsek powered in for the score. Sean Cypher’s PAT was good and with 6:47 remaining in the 1st quarter, Saucon Valley tied the score 7-7.
The Tigers had to work very hard for every yard.
The Tigers answered in four minutes to reclaim the lead with another explosive play near the end of the 1st quarter. Again, through the air, Bollinger went big and found Ryan Haas on a deep fade down the Tiger sideline. Haas was able to get behind the Panther defense for a 58-yard catch and run. Connor DeWit added his extra-point kick to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead.
Curtis Clifford (#38) was back in black while off and racing in the 2018 District XI semifinal game.
The Panthers responded with a dominant effort and simply took control of the 2nd quarter. The Saucon Valley defense stepped-up and limited a high-octane Tiger offense while getting their own offense in gear. It was all Panthers as they cashed in on two touchdowns. The first was a 21-yard dash by Curtis Clifford and the second a 7-yard run by Ian Csicsek to close out the first half scoring. Saucon Valley took a 21-14 advantage into the locker room at the break.
The Panthers picked up right where they left off after halftime. With the defense playing a rock-solid game, Saucon cashed in on a couple more TD runs by Csicsek. “Sizzler” popped a 20-yard run for a score in the opening minutes of the third quarter. He then hit pay-dirt from six yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter. With 11:55 left to play Saucon built a 35-14 lead over Northwestern.
For the most part, it was a suffocating Panther defense that showed up against the Tigers in the 2018 District XI semifinal.
With 8:47 left in the game the Tigers Deven Bollinger scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to make the score 35-21. However, the Panthers responded about four minutes later when Csicsek broke free for a 31-yard scoring dash to make the final score 42-21. With the win, the Saucon Valley Panthers got their revenge against the Tigers and also advanced to the District XI Championship where they will find the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks waiting.
Saucon Valley quarterback Dante Mahaffey directing traffic in the District XI semifinal.
Panther Flash Stats!…..
- Csicsek carried 37 times for 260 yards and had 5 TD’s. He has 2,729 on the season (2nd all-time for SV).
- Curtis Clifford ran 3 times for 59 yards and a touchdown.
- Dante Mahaffey rushed 10 times for 84 yards.
- The Panthers had 25 first downs and 450 yards of total offense.
- The Panther defense limited the Tigers to 13 first downs and only 35 rushing yards.
- Patrick Morrissey became Saucon Valley’s all-time career leader with 12.5 QB sacks.
Up Next: SATURDAY night Saucon Valley (10-2) will battle the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks (9-3) at Nazareth in the 2018 District XI championship final. It will surely be another great challenge for the Panthers. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!
Note: Photos by Chris Christian. Click here to purchase these and other photos from Saturday night’s game.
