HS Football: Pottsville, Lehighton look to rebound in Red Division battle

Pottsville plays Bangor on Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo by Jocelyn Barrett / Danie Mae Photography)

POTTSVILLE — Two teams struggling to find their way will clash tonight in a Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division game.

Pottsville (2-3, 2-2 Red) pushed Class 4A state power Southern Lehigh last week before fading late and falling 35-17. More importantly, the Crimson Tide lost star senior running back JuJu Bainbridge to serious injury (more on him later).

Meanwhile, Lehighton (2-3, 1-2 Red) has a strong 35-0 win over Palmerton and a narrow 21-20 defeat to Southern Lehigh on its resume. Last week, though, Northwestern Lehigh blew out the Indians 50-0.

So, who will rebound back to .500 on the season? Who will sink further down the standings? Who will overcome adversity? We’ll find out when the Tide and Indians strap up their helmets on the artificial turf at Lehighton Multi-Purpose Stadium.

(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.)

For the Tide, they have to find a way to move on after Bainbridge, arguably the team’s best player, suffered an apparent leg injury during the Southern Lehigh game. Basically, Bainbridge has been Pottsville’s running game, carrying 88 times for 497 yards and six touchdowns. Before the injury, Bainbridge had 20 carries for 118 yards and a TD against the Spartans. The Tide also will feel the loss of Bainbridge at linebacker on defense and on special teams returning kickoffs.

“He’s out until further notice,” Pottsville head coach Mike Brennan said.

“JuJu Bainbridge is the heart and soul of it all,” Brennan added. “He’s a quiet leader. He’s a tremendous worker. He’s an extremely productive football player for us. Everyone loves JuJu. Everyone’s hurt (that he’s out) but also JuJu’s with us every day and we’re working hard. The kids understand that we all have to pull the rope in the same direction, and we all have to pull the rope a little harder to be successful. That’s part of being a good football team, and we clearly have great kids that understand that.”

Junior Brody Eroh and freshman Brody Walchak have spelled Bainbridge in limited action in the backfield.

“Brody Eroh is the next man up. … He’s had some quality carries over the course of the year,” Brennan said. “He’s a tremendous worker and has good speed.”

Pottsville will get Brett Holley back at safety this week. Holley served a two-game suspension for an incident in the Tamaqua game. Holley’s return will allow Eroh to slide into Bainbridge’s linebacker spot.

At the same time, Pottsville must get more out of its passing game to offset the loss of Bainbridge. Quarterback Andrew Allen has been effective at times, completing 58-of-100 passes for 645 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. His go-to receivers are Nick Huda (15-138, 1 TD), Max Clews (11-153, 2 TDs), Christian Alvarez (13-158, 2 TDs) and Donovann Durham. Alvarez and Durham had four catches apiece last week.

Lehighton counters with a balanced attack led by senior quarterback Jayse Lawrence. On the season, Lawrence has completed 40-of-81 passes for 580 yards with five TDs and four interceptions. He can also hurt opponents with his legs, carrying 32 times for 128 yards and two scores.

Running back Lukas Croizier (84-590, 4 TDs) is the featured back, while Blake Roberts (13-98), Caden Meek (11-187, 1 TD), Ty Nansteel (9-189, 4 TDs) and Kyden Hauser (7-106) share the pass-catching duties.

“They’re bigger than us, like everyone is,” Brennan said. “They have athletes. Not only is their size impressive, but they have good athletes. … They have a nice football team. They’re reeling from last week, but coming home for a home game, they feel like it’s an opportunity to right the ship, and we feel like it’s an opportunity to right our ship.”

Barring something unforeseen, both Pottsville and Lehighton will be part of the eight-team District 11 Class 4A field. As of now, 0-5 Wilson Area is the No. 8 team. Pottsville ranks fifth, and Lehighton is sixth. The top four: Bethlehem Catholic, Southern Lehigh, Allentown Central Catholic and Blue Mountain.

Remember, though, half of the regular season remains. Those ratings can change a lot in five weeks.

“We played extremely well last week,” Brennan said. “We feel like we’re developing into a good football team.

“We feel like we’re taking those steps as a program and as a team to come together and get better,” the coach added. “We feel like it’s a battle of wills. We’re very similar to one another. Our situations are almost identical right now, and now we’re battling for district playoff leverage. … It’s not going to be an easy football game. … We’re going to have to play really well.

“We’re certainly not satisfied, and our kids aren’t either, but the work ethic in the weight room is tremendous, the practice intensity is outstanding,” Brennan continued. “Our attention to detail, our attention to film in our meetings. All the things we’re doing are what successful teams do. It’s just a matter of carrying it over to Friday night for those 48 minutes to reflect what a good football team we’ve become. We understand the challenge ahead, and we have nowhere to go but to fight our way out of it.”