HS Football: Pottsville faces major test at Southern Lehigh

Pottsville captains Brody Herndon (4), Cole Cesari (76), JuJu Bainbridge (5) and Brody Baddick (52) head out for the coin toss against Bangor on Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo by Jocelyn Barrett / Danie Mae Photography)

POTTSVILLE — For the third time in 12 months, Pottsville and Southern Lehigh will clash on the gridiron.

The Crimson Tide know all about the Spartans. In turn, the Spartans know all about the Crimson Tide. In other words, they’ve met.

Southern Lehigh took both of those meetings last season, but neither one came easily. The Spartans won the regular-season clash 34-25 and took the rematch 41-34 in the District 11 Class 4A semifinals. Pottsville led that one 34-13 at one point.

Now, as we enter Week 5, it’s time for yet another Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division battle, this one hosted by Southern Lehigh in Center Valley.

(The game will air live on WPPA 1360 AM and A-106/105.9 FM, beginning with pregame at 6:45 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m.)

Pottsville (2-2, 2-1 Red) is coming off one of its best performances of the season in a 44-13 victory over Bangor. The Crimson Tide checked some boxes, including getting their rushing game going. Senior JuJu Bainbridge rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. For the season, Bainbridge has carried 68 times for 389 yards and four scores. Pottsville also forced two turnovers and held Bangor to minus-16 yards rushing in the first half.

Quarterback Andrew Allen has completed 40-of-69 passes for 470 yards, with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Two of those TD tosses came last week, to Christian Alvarez (9-93, 2 TDs) and Max Clews (8-106, 1 TD). Nick Huda (10-111, 1 TD) has been active in the passing game as well.

The coach said linebacker Alan Kushwarra may return from injury this week. Safety Brett Holley will be out as he serves the second game of a two-game suspension for an incident near the end of the Tamaqua game.

“It was a good week for us,” Pottsville coach Mike Brennan said. “I know Bangor struggled, but we did things cleaner. We were much better. It was good for us to bounce back. … We’ve carried that right over into this week’s practice.

“We know the task at hand this week,” Brennan added. “We played them twice last year. They are very good. Like a lot of teams, they’re a lot bigger than us physically. That’s challenge No. 1. They’re extremely skilled, especially at the quarterback, receiver and running back spots. They played 15 games last year, so they have a lot in their favor. We’re traveling to Center Valley, and it’s certainly a challenge for us to continue our momentum and move forward.”

Southern Lehigh (4-0, 3-0 Red) enters the game as the second-ranked team in the state in the Class 4A rankings by pennlive.com. The Spartans are coming off a 34-14 victory over North Schuylkill last week. They’ve outscored their opponents 118-48 so far this season.

“We’re very familiar,” Brennan said. “You really do begin to gain a perspective on how they try to do things, and I feel like we have that grasp on Southern Lehigh. I’m sure they have the same grasp on us.”

If you’re going to contend against Southern Lehigh, you need to find a way to contain senior running back Sean Steckert. The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder has power and speed, racking up 221 yards and three TDs on 35 carries last week against North Schuylkill. Steckert also had 149 yards and two TDs against Lehighton and 142 yards and two TDs against Blue Mountain.

In two games against Pottsville, Steckert has been a major factor. In the regular-season game, he carried 38 times for 228 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 92 yards, including a 53-yard score. In the district semifinals, Steckert carried 37 times for 223 yards with four rushing touchdowns and TD receptions of 46 and 11 yards.

“He’s a guy they’re not afraid to use 30 times a game,” Brennan said of Steckert. “So you have to get used to tackling him, get off blocks and put lots of jerseys on him. He’s certainly a very physical runner, and he’s very athletic.”

Southern Lehigh, though, is much more than Steckert. Junior quarterback Colton Sams passed for more than 3,000 yards last season and he’s off to a fast start this season as well. Against North Schuylkill, Lehighton and Blue Mountain, Sams completed a combined 33-of-49 passes for 493 yards. His top targets are Darius Roman and Luke Kawczenski.

The Spartans also feature an offensive line that averages — averages — 6-2 and 263 pounds. The road grader of the bunch is Carter Gilbertson, a 6-4, 336-pounder. Lucas Sutyak (6-3, 292) brings plenty of beef, and Southern Lehigh features a lot of Steckert week after week.

“He has an extremely quick release,” Brennan said of Sams. “He’s got weapons in 6 (Roman) and 80 (Kawczenski). They have the ability to hurt you both ways, on the ground and in the air. It’s very challenging for a defense. You have to try to slow them down, get them off schedule and find ways to get stops.”