Southern Lehigh kept its unbeaten season alive Friday night, defeating North Schuylkill 34-14 at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.
The Spartans (2-2) entered the matchup looking to rebound from last week’s setback against Notre Dame-Green Pond, but the high-powered Spartans of Southern Lehigh (4-0) proved too much.
First Half Momentum
Southern Lehigh struck quickly in the opening quarter. Senior running back Sean Steckert broke free for a 27-yard touchdown run to give the Spartans the early lead. Quarterback Colton Sams then connected with Young for a 29-yard scoring pass, putting Southern Lehigh up 14-0.
North Schuylkill answered when Luke Miller raced 50 yards to the end zone, and quarterback Caden Mengel found Brody Souchak on a two-point conversion to close the gap to 14-8.
But Southern Lehigh regained control before halftime, with Steckert punching in a 14-yard run that extended the lead to 21-8 at the break.
The visitors stretched their advantage in the third quarter when Sams found Darius Roman deep for a 46-yard touchdown strike. Though the conversion failed, Southern Lehigh built a 27-8 cushion.
North Schuylkill fought back as Mengel scrambled 18 yards for a score, but the Spartans’ rally fell short. Steckert sealed the win in the fourth quarter with his third rushing touchdown of the night, a 2-yard plunge that put Southern Lehigh up 34-14.
The loss marked North Schuylkill’s second straight defeat, dropping them to 2-2 on the season. They’ll look to bounce back at home next week against Jim Thorpe.
Southern Lehigh remains perfect at 4-0 overall. They will return home to host Pottsville Area in a pivotal matchup.
