Quarterback Dante Mahaffey gets a little help from his Panther Pals against the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers.
What started as a much-anticipated showdown between the Saucon Valley Panthers (2-1) and the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers (4-1) did not disappoint either fanbase throughout the first half of play on Friday night in New Tripoli. However, what started as a competitive scrap turned lopsided and ugly as the the second-half unfolded.
The Panthers opened up all scoring on their first possession. Riding a 13-yard run by sophomore Josh Torres and a 32-yard throw and catch from junior Dante Mahaffey to classmate Ty Csencsits, Saucon Valley found themselves knocking on the Tigers’ endzone door. On 3rd & Goal from the 13-yardline, Mahffey capped a nine play drive with a quarterback-keeper around right end. Jakob Christopher’s PAT was good and the Panthers sprung out to a 7-0 lead.
Mahaffey scored Saucon’s first touchdown with a 13-yard run.
After the two teams traded punts, the Tigers struck. Northwestern Lehigh put together eight plays including a 34-yard pick-up by quarterback Justin Holmes. The Tigers game- tying touchdown came when senior running-back, Nick Henry took the plunge from one yard out. After one quarter of play the score was knotted, 7-7.
Sophomore linebacker Ty Pfizenmayer (#34) and the Panther defense had their hands full with the Tiger offense.
The Saucon Valley offense sputtered and was forced to punt. Northwestern took advantage and embarked on a nine play drive that included eight runs. The Tigers found paydirt from two yards out on fourth down. The point-after was good and Northwestern Lehigh took a 14-7 lead.
The Panthers again went three-and-out. And, once again, the Tigers took advantage by completing a 72-yard drive for a TD. From his running-back position, Nick Henry started right and cut back left to score on a 26-yard run. The PAT was no good, but Northwestern increased their lead 20-7.
Mahaffey, who threw for 157 yards and a TD, scrambles as he looks to make a big play.
Saucon Valley started their next possession at their own 34-yardline and made the most of it. Featuring a 31-yard pass and catch between Mahaffey and Csencsits, the Panthers found themselves at the Northwestern 35-yardline. A couple plays later, Mahaffey threw a beautifully placed ball to sophomore Alex Magnotta who high-pointed a spectacular catch in the back of the Tiger endzone. Christopher connected for the extra-point and Saucon Valley was in the game trailing 20-14 at the halftime break.
However, it ended up being a dark and ugly third quarter for the Panthers. The Tigers exploded for points. TD passes of 61, 41 and 25 yards combined with a Cade Christopher pick-six interception stunned Saucon Valley and they fell into a deep 49-14 hole.
Junior running-back Damian Garcia follows junior Jack Marouchoc for a score.
Saucon Valley would cash in on a Damian Garcia 10-yard touchdown run and a 63-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Travis Riefenstahl to freshman wideout Constantine Donahue, but it was too little too late. The Panthers were mauled by the Tigers 55-28.
Up Next: Saucon Valley (2-2) will host Palisades (4-2) on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Good luck Panthers, The Source is with you!
In case you missed it, here is Friday’s livestream……
(Check out some more great photos by Lisa Pfizenmayer!)
