Luke Miller, North Schuylkill (Photo by First Class School Imaging)

NEW TRIPOLI — Northwestern Lehigh hasn’t trailed at halftime in nearly two years.

Faced with that situation Friday night, the defending PIAA Class 3A champions showed exactly why they’re still the team to beat.

After falling behind by two touchdowns midway through the second quarter, Northwestern stormed back with 43 unanswered points — including 36 in the second half — to beat North Schuylkill 49-18 in a Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division clash on Homecoming night.

The Tigers (6-0, 4-0 Red) extended their win streak to 22 games, a run that includes last season’s perfect 16-0 championship campaign capped with an overtime state title win. They finished with 552 yards of offense, including 403 rushing, while their defense blanked the Spartans after the break.

North Schuylkill’s Luke Miller rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, powering the Spartans (3-3) to leads of 12-0 and 18-6. A 1-yard plunge by Cadyn McGraw with 9:11 left in the second quarter gave North Schuylkill its second 12-point margin of the first half.

Northwestern cut it to 18-13 before halftime on a 1-yard score by Brady Zimmerman with 4:37 to play, then seized control with a 73-yard surge to open the third quarter. Braxton Lakatosh broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run, and Chase Sukanick hit Shane Hulmes on a nifty two-point conversion play to give the Tigers their first lead, 21-18, with 9:52 remaining in the third.

On North Schuylkill’s very next snap, seniors Ethan Steigerwalt and Hulmes stuffed Miller for a two-yard loss, a play that set the tone for a second half in which the Spartans never regained momentum.

“It came down to making adjustments,” Northwestern Lehigh head coach Josh Snyder said. “We weren’t taking care of our gaps in the first half. We made some personnel changes, and our kids responded. To see them be calm and business-like at halftime and then execute like that … that’s one of the best turnarounds from half to half I’ve been a part of.”

Northwestern’s defense forced three interceptions, a punt and a turnover on downs in the second half, limiting Miller to just 64 rushing yards after intermission.

The offense, meanwhile, was relentless. Zimmerman scored twice — on a 1-yard run before halftime and a 28-yard pass from quarterback Shane Leh in the third. Zimmerman finished with 88 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while also catching three passes for 59 yards and another score.

Leh, who was crowned Homecoming King at halftime, completed 11-of-15 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

Sukanick added scoring runs of 10 and 74 yards in the fourth quarter and led all rushers with 161 yards on 10 carries, averaging more than 16 yards per attempt. Lakatosh contributed 120 rushing yards on 14 carries and also picked off a pass on defense.

The pick stopped North Schuylkill’s first drive of the second half, which ended unsuccessfully despite the final five plays coming from inside the Tigers’ 20-yard line.

Wideout Michael Lagowy added seven receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown, while also intercepting two passes in the second half as Northwestern forced North Schuylkill out of its ground game.

“In the locker room at halftime we came out and we said we need to get them uncomfortable and make them do what they don’t want to do, which is throw the football,” Lagowy said. “Our linebackers and defensive linemen made amazing plays getting them behind the sticks, and they had to throw the ball — which is what they did not want to do.”

Senior Mason Bollinger chipped in a 3-yard rushing score, showing the depth and arsenal of weapons that the Tigers have on offense.

“Our motto is pound the rock,” Zimmerman said. “Even when we’re down, coach tells us to keep grinding, keep pounding, and we’ll end up in the end zone. That’s exactly what we did tonight.”

Snyder credited his team’s ability to stay composed and spread the wealth.

“Our line got stronger as the game went on,” he said. “Chase and Braxton kept fresh legs, Brady made plays all over, Shane distributed the ball, and Michael came up with big interceptions. Our kids play for each other, and that’s what makes this group special.”

The Tigers haven’t lost since the 2023 state final, which is also the last time they were down after two quarters, and Snyder believes Friday’s comeback only strengthened their championship DNA.

“These kids believe they can win every game because they’ve done it before,” Snyder said. “And when you overcome adversity like we did tonight, that belief only grows stronger.”

“It’s a real thing at Northwestern that you have to have pride in your team and pride in never quitting,” Lakatosh said. “We really showed that tonight. We didn’t play for ourselves; we played for our team, and that really pushed us to be better in the second half.”

Lagowy summed it up best: “We’re a tough football team. We’ll play anybody, anywhere, anytime.”

UP NEXT … Northwestern travels to Pottsville (2-4), while North Schuylkill hosts Bangor (0-6).

Game Summary

Northwestern Lehigh 49, North Schuylkill 18

North Schuylkill    12    6      0      0   –   18

Northwestern        6     7     15     21    –  49

NS — Miller 63 run (run failed)

NS — Miller 30 run (run failed)

NW — Lagowy 8 pass from Leh (kick failed)

NS — McGraw 1 fun (pass failed)

NW — Zimmerman 1 run (Sukanick kick)

NW — Lakatosh 46 run (Hulmes pass from Sukanick)

NW — Zimmerman 28 pass from Leh (Sukanick kick)

NW — Sukanick 10 run (Sukanick kick)

NW — Bollinger 3 run (Sukanick kick)

NW — Sukanick 74 run (Sukanick kick)