Northwestern Lehigh absolutely leaned on its championship pedigree to snatch a 28-16 win against Valley View last Friday night in a nonleague season opener. Sophomore signal-caller Trey Snyder, making his first start, was slinging it, racking up 230 yards and three touchdowns on 18 of 24 passing, despite throwing one pick. The Tigers, who have been to the last three PIAA Class 3A finals and even snagged the title in 2024, showed everyone exactly why they’re consistently in the hunt.
Clutch Plays Define Northwestern Lehigh’s Championship Mentality
When the chips were down in the fourth quarter, Northwestern Lehigh just kept making play after play. They were up 21-14 after three, but Valley View was knocking on the door, fourth-and-goal inside the 1-yard line. Rhys Trotter and Luke Rennells combined for a massive stop on Brady Bachman, preserving that lead like absolute studs. Then, after a safety cut the lead to 21-16, Michael Lagowy snagged a deep pass attempt from Dempsey at the Tigers 27. Talk about a momentum swing!
That interception kicked off a ridiculous near seven-minute, 11-play drive that just chewed up the clock and Valley View’s hopes. Senior tight end Harrison Wertman made a juggling, one-handed grab down the middle for 27 yards on a third-and-6. Are you kidding me? Later, facing fourth-and-5, Snyder hit senior Brady Zimmerman for 22 yards. Zimmerman was a beast all night, with five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, plus a third score on the ground. And he sealed the deal with a 6-yard run for the clinching touchdown with just 2:22 left in the game. Freshman Grayson Smith tacked on his fourth extra point. Valley View coach Scot Wasilchak summed it up perfectly, saying the Tigers “found a way to win. That’s why they’re in the state title game every year.”
Valley View’s Heart and Sophomore QB Colin Dempsey
Don’t sleep on Valley View’s fight though. Their junior starting quarterback, Caleb Brown, went down on the game’s second play, which just stinks. Sophomore Colin Dempsey was thrust into action and absolutely showed out, going 11-for-17 for 215 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Junior Cash Roe was a monster receiver, pulling in six catches for 152 yards and a touchdown, while senior Ben Evans added four receptions for 63 yards and another score. Coach Wasilchak praised his team for hanging in there, calling it “impressive.”
Dempsey himself acknowledged the tough situation, saying Brown “was supposed to lead the team… It stinks to see him go down that fast.” But he added, “They put me in and I just tried to do my best, do what I could do. Our wide receivers did awesome, our offensive line did great, love those boys. They gave me enough time to do what I did.” Both coaches were impressed, with Valley View’s Wasilchak noting the moment wasn’t too big for Dempsey and Northwestern Lehigh’s Josh Snyder saying Dempsey “was just slinging it around. He was pretty impressive.” Snyder even predicted, “That football team is going to win a lot of games up here.”
What a season opener for both squads. Northwestern Lehigh just showed everyone why they’ve got that championship gold, proving they can make the clutch plays when it counts. For Valley View, that grit from Dempsey and those receivers, even after losing Brown, means they are going to win a ton of games, just like Coach Snyder said. This season is just getting started, and you know these teams are going to bring it every single week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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