Pottsville's Andrew Allen (3) kicks out of the hold of Brody Herndon (4) on Sept. 12, 2025, against Bangor. (Photo by Jocelyn Barrett / Danie Mae Photography)

CENTER VALLEY — For three quarters, the Pottsville Crimson Tide went toe-to-toe with one of District 11’s top teams. But when the fourth quarter hit, Southern Lehigh proved why it’s still unbeaten.

Behind a monster performance from senior running back Sean Steckert, the Spartans pulled away late to defeat Pottsville 35-17 on Friday night in a Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division game at Spartan Stadium. The loss drops the Crimson Tide to 2-3 on the season, while Southern Lehigh improves to 5-0.

Steckert, a punishing and explosive runner, finished with 222 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries — including back-breaking runs of 62 and 66 yards. He scored twice in the decisive fourth quarter, part of a 21-0 Spartan surge that flipped a three-point Pottsville lead into a comfortable Southern Lehigh win.

After both teams exchanged punts on their opening drives, Steckert broke the scoring open with 2:38 left in the first quarter, slicing through the Tide defense for a 62-yard touchdown. Southern Lehigh led 7-0 after one.

Pottsville answered immediately on the first play of the second quarter. Senior JuJu Bainbridge, who had a strong first half, ripped off a 31-yard touchdown run to even the game at 7. Bainbridge finished with 118 yards and a score on 20 carries before exiting in the third quarter with an apparent injury.

Steckert responded with his second TD of the night — a 6-yard run — to make it 14-7 midway through the second quarter. Pottsville answered with its most methodical drive of the night, a 17-play, eight-and-a-half-minute possession that chewed up most of the second-quarter clock. Though the drive stalled at the Spartan 28 after a third-down loss, junior quarterback Andrew Allen came through with a 45-yard field goal — the longest of his career — to cut the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.

Despite controlling time of possession (Southern Lehigh ran just 13 plays in the first half), the Tide trailed 14-10 at the break.

Game Summary

Southern Lehigh 35, Pottsville 17

Po (2-3, 2-2)         0          10          7          0  —    17

SL (5-0, 4-0)          7          7          0          21  —    35

SL — Steckert 65 run (Tantaros kick)

Po — Bainbridge 31 run (Allen kick)

SL — Steckert 6 run (Tantaros kick)

Po — FG Allen 44

Po — Clews 36 pass from Allen (Allen kick)

SL — Steckert 64 run (Tantaros kick)

SL — Steckert 24 run (Tantaros kick)

SL — Kawczowski 86 pass from Sams (Tantaros kick)

Team Statistics

Po-SL

First Downs —- 17      8

Rushes-Yards — 28-141      25-220

Passes —- 18-31-0      5-8-0

Passing Yards —- 175      116

Total Yards —- 316      336

Fumbles/Lost —- 0-0      1-0

Penalties — 5-30      4-30

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Pottsville — Bainbridge 20-118, Eroh 4-10, Allen 2-6, Clews 1-5, Durham 1-2. Southern Lehigh — Steckert 24-222, Sams 1-(-2).

PASSING: Pottsville — Allen 18-31-0, 175. Southern Lehigh — Sams 5-8-0, 116.

RECEIVING: Pottsville — Alvarez 4-47, Durham 4-46, Clews 3-44, Huda 5-26, Strencosky 1-12. Southern Lehigh — Kawczenski 2-89, Young 3-27.

INTERCEPTIONS: None.