Victory Parade Planned for State Champion So. Lehigh Football Team

A victory parade to celebrate the Southern Lehigh Football Team’s first-ever PIAA 4A state championship is planned for Saturday afternoon in Coopersburg.

The parade will begin at Liberty Bell Elementary School, 960 W. Oxford St., at 3 p.m. The route will be along W. Oxford Street, Liberty Street and W. State Street and end in the center of town near the cow statue near Main and State streets. Following the parade, a medal ceremony for the players will be held in the town square.

Southern Lehigh Youth Football Association players and cheerleaders will also be participating in the parade, with lineup to take place from 2:15 to 3 p.m. at the school. Everyone attending is being encouraged to wear Spartan colors (blue and white) and Southern Lehigh gear as part of the celebration. 2025 Southern Lehigh state championship gear is available for purchase.

The Spartans defeated the Twin Valley Raiders 43-21 at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg Thursday to capture the historic championship.

A game report published by MaxPreps.com noted that senior running back “Sean Steckert was a one-man wrecking crew as he rushed for 300 yards and four TDs while picking up 8.1 yards per carry.”

“Southern Lehigh was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 300 rushing yards,” the report said.

The Spartans’ head coach is Phil Sams, who previously served as head football coach at Saucon Valley.

Throughout the post-season, the football team received considerable community support as they pursued the championship, with Upper Saucon Township Police as well as local fire and EMS personnel providing an escort when the team departed Center Valley for last week’s title game.

The current forecast for the afternoon of the parade is for sunny skies with temperatures in the mid 30s.