Lehigh Valley football: Colonial-Schuylkill season stat leaders, District 11 playoff picture

Northwestern Lehigh and Freedom are the last two unbeaten teams in District 11 at 7-0 with three weeks left in the regular season.

The Tigers and Patriots, two of the state’s top-ranked teams in their respective classifications, also sit atop their district playoff brackets entering Week 8.

Northwestern shut out Pottsville to stay in first place in Class 3A. Freedom handled Bethlehem Catholic to take over the top spot in 6A. Liberty fell from the unbeaten ranks and the first position in 6A after losing to Nazareth.

Tamaqua was the other unbeaten that suffered its first loss in Week 7, getting handled by Southern Lehigh 43-7.

Here’s a look at how each class looks ahead of this weekend’s games:

Class A

Lackawanna Trail (6-1) and Nativity BVM (6-1) stay at 1-2 after convincing wins. Tri-Valley (5-2) sits in third with games left against 2A schools Mahanoy Area, Minersville and Schuylkill Haven. Marian Catholic still is in fifth and on the outside looking in with remaining games against Williams Valley, Pine Grove and Nativity. It likely will need two more victories to get in.

Class 2A

Williams Valley leads but it will be tough for the Vikings to hold off Schuylkill Haven if both 6-1 teams win out. The Hurricanes have games left against Pine Grove, Nativity and Tri-Valley, who have a combined 11 wins. The Vikings have games remaining vs. Marian Catholic, Shenandoah Valley and Pine Grove, who have five total victories.

Northern Lehigh is in third place in the race for eight berths with games left against Catasauqua, Salisbury and Saucon Valley. Executive Education, Minersville, Pen Argyl, Catasauqua and Mahanoy Area are 4 through 8. Palisades is ninth and will need to win two games and maybe get help to make the field.

Class 3A

Northwestern and Notre Dame-GP are 1-2, followed by Tamaqua and Saucon Valley, which jumps ahead of North Schuylkill for the fourth and final berth.

The Panthers have games left against Pen Argyl, Southern Lehigh and Northern Lehigh. The Spartans play Blue Mountain on Thursday followed by Lehighton and Pottsville.

Class 4A

Southern Lehigh, Blue Mountain, Bethlehem Catholic and Central Catholic are the top four right now and would host district quarterfinals if the playoffs started this weekend.

Pottsville, East Stroudsburg North, Lehighton and Jim Thorpe are the next four with winless Bangor and Wilson also eligible.

Blue Mountain has three tough games remaining against North Schuylkill, Pottsville and Tamaqua. Southern Lehigh has Bangor, Saucon Valley and Northwestern left. Bethlehem Catholic faces Nazareth, Liberty and Northampton, so the Golden Hawks could vault into better position with a couple victories.

Class 5A

East Stroudsburg South and Whitehall will be the top two seeds with Pleasant Valley and Pocono Mountain East meeting this weekend with the winner getting their first victory of the year.

Class 6A

Freedom moves to No. 1 and Easton jumps to No. 2 after beating Northampton and Liberty dropping to third after its loss to Nazareth. The Hurricanes have a tough stretch ahead: Easton, Bethlehem Catholic and Freedom.

Parkland (6-1), which is fourth, has Central Catholic, Whitehall and Emmaus remaining.

Nazareth (5-2) and Emmaus (5-2) are fifth and sixth, respectively.

Northampton, Stroudsburg and Dieruff are battling for the last two berths. The Konkrete Kids have a brutal finishing stretch: Freedom, Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic.

The Mountaineers have games against East Stroudsburg North, East Stroudsburg South and Pleasant Valley to finish up.

Season stat leaders

Jim Thorpe’s Cole Lazorick became the third area quarterback to reach 1,000 yards passing after throwing for 205 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Catasauqua. … Palisades’ Jack Trickel needs 17 yards to be the next 1,000-yard passer. Catasauqua’s Aiden Reilly, who missed two games before returning last week, needs 88 yards to hit the mark. … Jim Thorpe generated four turnovers in its first four games. It produced four in last week’s win over Catasauqua. … Northwestern’s Bryer Reichard had four tackles for loss in last Friday’s victory over Pottsville to move into fourth in that category with 10. He also is tied for first in fumble recoveries and tied for second in sacks. Tigers teammate Eli Zimmerman also climbed multiple charts. The senior is now the leading rusher among the area’s 17 league teams with 995. He also intercepted his third pass to move into a tie for third, one of ahead of many, including younger brother Brady Zimmerman. Eli Zimmerman also moved into a tie for the scoring lead with 102 points.

District 11 football playoff standings

(Entering Week 8)

CLASS A (top 4 advance in subregional)

1. Lackawanna Trail (6-1); .692489

2. Nativity BVM (6-1); .583775

3. Tri-Valley (5-2); .527441

4. Old Forge (3-4); .434857

5. Marian Catholic (4-3); .420581

6. Holy Cross (3-4); .371786

CLASS 2A (top 8 advance)

1. Williams Valley (6-1); .671862

2. Schuylkill Haven (6-1); .663528

3. Northern Lehigh (5-2); .575164

4. Executive Education Academy Charter School (4-3); .466995

5. Minersville (4-3); .424708

6. Pen Argyl (3-4); .417236

7. Catasauqua (3-4); .389018

8. Mahanoy Area (2-5); .358456

9. Palisades (1-6); .301138

10. Shenandoah Valley (0-7); .226510

CLASS 3A (top 4 advance)

1. Northwestern (7-0); .753176

2. Notre Dame-GP (6-1); .718317

3. Tamaqua (6-1); .681653

4. Saucon Valley (6-1); .612956

5. North Schuylkill (4-3); .599871

6. Salisbury (3-4); .430160

7. Palmerton (2-5); .305537

8. Panther Valley (1-6); .303106

9. Pine Grove (1-6); .208023

CLASS 4A (top 8 advance)

1. Southern Lehigh (6-1); .736480

2. Blue Mountain (6-1); .695941

3. Bethlehem Catholic (4-3); .643047

4. Central Catholic (3-4); .578079

5. Pottsville (3-4); .512812

6. East Stroudsburg North (3-4); .490117

7. Lehighton (2-5); .408235

8. Jim Thorpe (2-5); .406247

9. Bangor (0-7); .282845

10. Wilson (0-7); .233154

CLASS 5A (all 4 advance)

1. East Stroudsburg South (5-2); .653187

2. Whitehall (2-5); .496187

3. Pleasant Valley (0-7); .310153

4. Pocono Mountain East (0-7); .263303

CLASS 6A (top 8 advance)

1. Freedom (7-0); .856542

2. Easton (6-1); .820663

3. Liberty (6-1); .800733

4. Parkland (6-1); .796847

5. Nazareth (5-2); .769403

6. Emmaus (5-2); .728262

7. Northampton (4-3); .685548

8. Stroudsburg (4-3); .633644

9. Dieruff (4-3); .578989

10. Allen (2-5); .456357

11. Pocono Mountain West (1-6); .311726

Colonial-Schuylkill season stat leaders

(Among 17 area teams entering Week 8)

RUSHING

Pos. Player, Team; Att.; Yards; Avg.; TDs

1. Eli Zimmerman, Northwestern; 70; 995; 14.2; 13

2. Rory Dixon, Marian Catholic; 159; 918; 5.8; 10

3. Jameson Trainer, Palmerton; 123; 873; 7.1; 11

4. Sean Steckert, Southern Lehigh; 119; 789; 6.6; 13

5. Caiden Faust, Pen Argyl; 145; 717; 4.9; 7

6. Jared Rohn, Saucon Valley; 102; 702; 6.9; 13

7. Brad Whalen, Tamaqua; 96; 629; 6.6; 4

8. Grady Newhard, Northern Lehigh; 98; 610; 6.2; 8

9. Mason Soos, Pen Argyl; 114; 593; 5.2; 7

10. Luke Kane, Tamaqua; 55; 480; 8.7; 8

11. Lukas Croizier, Lehighton; 95; 442; 4.7; 3

12. John Haubert, Palisades; 110; 393; 3.6; 3

13. Braden Rohn, Saucon Valley; 61; 378; 6.2; 3

14. Jordan Bradshaw, Catasauqua; 76; 366; 4.8; 3

15. Victor Schlosser, Tamaqua; 31; 305; 9.8; 4

16. Chris Frame, Northern Lehigh; 59; 281; 4.8; 2

17. Riley Waldron, Bangor; 77; 270; 3.5; 0

18. Jonathan Striba, Notre Dame-GP; 39; 262; 6.7; 5

19. Brody Breiner, Panther Valley; 58; 259; 4.5; 0

20. J’son Johnson, Wilson; 58; 230; 4.0; 1

PASSING

Pos. Player, Team; Comp; Att.; INTs; TDs; Yards

1. Matt Bodnar, Notre Dame-GP; 160; 223; 5; 27; 2,615

2. Colton Sams, Southern Lehigh; 73; 114; 3; 15; 1,480

3. Cole Lazorick, Jim Thorpe; 102; 165; 9; 10; 1,170

4. Jack Trickel, Palisades; 77; 151; 9; 7; 983

5. Aiden Reilly, Catasauqua; 53; 92; 6; 10; 912

6. Braden Rohn, Saucon Valley; 54; 89; 4; 11; 847

7. Luke Kane, Tamaqua; 59; 96; 5; 8; 800

8. Jayse Lawrence, Lehighton; 66; 115; 6; 8; 800

9. Garrett Smoyer, Northern Lehigh; 42; 70; 4; 10; 771

10. Shane Leh, Northwestern; 47; 86; 3; 13; 745

11. Jameson Trainer, Palmerton; 63; 114; 5; 6; 633

12. Jaxson Kreider, Bangor; 60; 126; 12; 4; 625

13. Mason Soos, Pen Argyl; 35; 71; 7; 4; 415

14. Jeramy Cressman, Wilson; 28; 77; 4; 3; 376

15. Dylan Rodino, Marian Catholic; 25; 62; 4; 3; 352

RECEPTIONS

Pos. Player, Team; Catches; Yards; Avg.; TDs

1. Justin Yescavage, Jim Thorpe; 39; 477; 12.2; 3

2. Victor Schlosser, Tamaqua; 38; 536; 14.1; 6

3. Carmine Diaz, Notre Dame-GP; 37; 678; 18.3; 9

4. Jonathan Striba, Notre Dame-GP; 34; 407; 12.0; 3

5. Jack Robertson, Saucon Valley; 29; 482; 16.6; 7

6. Aaron Curran, Jim Thorpe; 29; 294; 10.1; 2

7. Lincoln Cook, Palisades; 28; 441; 15.8; 3

8. Andrew Olesh, Southern Lehigh; 27; 556; 20.6; 3

9. Josh Louk, Jim Thorpe; 27; 282; 10.4; 3

10. Alex Clark, Notre Dame-GP; 25; 657; 26.3; 7

11. Manny Bolmer, Catasauqua; 22; 543; 24.7; 8

12. Vince Taglieri, Palmerton; 21; 278; 13.2; 3

13. Mason Bollinger, Northwestern; 20; 298; 14.9; 3

14. Joe Roth, Lehighton; 20; 280; 14.0; 4

15. Luke Kawczenski, Southern Lehigh; 19; 449. 23.6; 6

16. Drew Boyd, Notre Dame-GP; 19; 203; 10.7; 3

17. Alex Farensbach, Bangor; 17; 141; 8.3; 1

18. Blake Roberts, Lehighton; 16; 175; 10.9; 1

19. Brady Jones, Panther Valley; 16; 161; 10.1; 0

20. Chris Frame, Northern Lehigh; 15; 401; 26.73; 5

21. Max Woerner, Palisades; 15; 183; 12.2; 1

22. Michael Gelatko, Marian Catholic; 15; 151; 10.1; 2

23. Cale Young, Palmerton; 15; 116; 7.7; 0

SCORING

Pos. Player, Team; TDs; 2pts; PATs; FGs; Points

1. Sean Steckert, Southern Lehigh; 17; 0; 0; 0; 102

1. Eli Zimmerman, Northwestern; 17; 0; 0; 0; 102

3. Jared Rohn, Saucon Valley; 14; 0; 0; 0; 84

4. Jack Robertson, Saucon Valley; 8; 1; 19; 0; 69

5. Manny Bolmer, Catasauqua; 11; 0; 0; 0; 66

5. Jameson Trainer, Palmerton; 11; 0; 0; 0; 66

7. Seth Kern, Northwestern; 4; 0; 35; 1; 62

7. Caiden Faust, Pen Argyl; 10; 1; 0; 0; 62

9. Rory Dixon, Marian Catholic; 10; 0; 0; 0; 60

9. Victor Schlosser, Tamaqua; 10; 0; 0; 0; 60

11. Jason St. Leger, Salisbury; 9; 0; 0; 0; 54

11. Carmine Diaz, Notre Dame-GP; 9; 0; 0; 0; 54

13. Grady Newhard, Northern Lehigh; 8; 1; 0; 0; 50

14. Jonathan Striba, Notre Dame-GP; 8; 0; 0; 0; 48

14. Luke Kane, Tamaqua; 8; 0; 0; 0; 48

16. Alex Clark, Notre Dame-GP; 7; 2; 0; 0; 46

17. Mark Talpas, Notre Dame-GP; 0; 0; 42; 1; 45

18. Mason Soos, Pen Argyl; 7; 1; 0; 0; 44

19. Chris Frame, Northern Lehigh; 7; 0; 0; 0; 42

19. Mason Bollinger, Northwestern; 7; 0; 0; 0; 42

TACKLES

Pos., Player, Team; Tackles

1. Christian Rivituso, Notre Dame-GP; 97

2. Jah Bushati, Marian Catholic: 77

3. Jared Rohn, Saucon Valley; 75

4. T.J. McLain, Bangor; 72

5. Kalet Wilson, Notre Dame-GP; 63

6. J’son Johnson, Wilson; 62

7. Brady Zimmerman, Northwestern; 61

8. James Mack, Palmerton; 59

8. Andrew Gilbert, Saucon Valley; 59

10. Charlie Hower, Marian Catholic; 56

11. Landon Moll, Northern Lehigh; 54

11. Max Woerner, Palisades; 54

13. Chris Wellington, Catasauqua; 51

14. Josh Louk, Jim Thorpe; 50

14. Tyler Koch, Tamaqua; 50

14. Zeandros Johnson, Wilson; 50

17. Kaden Quinones, Northern Lehigh; 49

17. Austin Casal, Notre Dame-GP; 49

17. Joe Griffith, Saucon Valley; 49

17. Dariuz Lightner, Southern Lehigh; 49

21. Michael Gelatko, Marian Catholic; 48

22. Jared Meck, Northwestern; 47

23. Nuallan King, Pen Argyl; 46

24. Isaac Raber, Northern Lehigh; 44

24. Grady Newhard, Northern Lehigh; 44

24. Tyler Price, Marian Catholic; 44

24. Chase Smith, Palisades; 44

24. Caleb Grim, Saucon Valley; 44

24. Josiah Hernandez, Saucon Valley; 44

TACKLES FOR LOSS

Pos. Player, School; TFL

1. Tyler Koch, Tamaqua; 14

2. Nuallan King, Pen Argyl; 12

3. Brad Whalen, Tamaqua; 11.5

4. Bryer Reichard, Northwestern; 11

5. Matt Fotta, Catasauqua; 10

5. Landon Moll, Northern Lehigh; 10

5. Marco Tessitore, Panther Valley; 10

5. Brady McCabe, Tamaqua; 10

9. Jah Bushati, Marian Catholic; 9

9. Jameson Trainer, Palmerton; 9

9. Elijahlee Torres, Saucon Valley; 9

12. Charlie Hower, Marian Catholic; 8

12. William Slattery, Northern Lehigh; 8

12. Jeremy Phelps, Panther Valley; 8

15. Jacob Hehn, Tamaqua; 7.5

16. Isaac Raber, Northern Lehigh; 7

16. Brett Bruckman, Notre Dame-GP; 7

16. James Mack, Palmerton; 7

16. Andrew Gilbert, Saucon Valley; 7

16. Caleb Grim, Saucon Valley; 7

21. Shane Hulmes, Northwestern; 6

21. Jared Meck, Northwestern; 6

21. Austin Casal, Notre Dame-GP; 6

21. Luke Frohnheiser, Tamaqua; 6

SACKS

Pos. Player, School; TFL

1. Charlie Hower, Marian Catholic; 6

2. Bryer Reichard, Northwestern; 5

2. Nuallan King, Pen Argyl; 5

4. Matt Fotta, Catasauqua; 4

4. Chase Hower, Marian Catholic; 4

6. Brad Whalen, Tamaqua; 3.5

6. Jacob Hehn, Tamaqua; 3.5

8. Michael Gelatko, Marian Catholic; 3

8. William Slattery, Northern Lehigh; 3

8. Jared Meck, Northwestern; 3

8. Brett Bruckman, Notre Dame-GP; 3

8. Austin Casal, Notre Dame-GP; 3

8. Rocco DeCesare, Pen Argyl; 3

14. Bryan Tobin, Southern Lehigh; 2.5

15. Tuari Wright, Catasauqua; 2

15. Taven Ying, Catasauqua; 2

15. Ethan Moore, Jim Thorpe; 2

15. Aidan Milkovits, Marian Catholic; 2

15. Landon Moll, Northern Lehigh; 2

15. Kalet Wilson, Notre Dame-GP; 2

15. Silas Day, Palisades; 2

15. Marco Tessitore, Panther Valley; 2

15. Darius Roman, Southern Lehigh; 2

15. Declan Coleman, Tamaqua; 2

15. Isaiah Davis, Tamaqua; 2

15. Luke Frohnheiser, Tamaqua: 2

15. Damian Jazowski, Tamaqua; 2

15. Tyler Koch, Tamaqua; 2

15. Brady McCabe, Tamaqua; 2

15. J’son Johnson, Wilson; 2

FUMBLE RECOVERIES

Pos. Player, School; Fumble rec.

1. Bryer Reichard, Northwestern; 3

1. Nuallan King, Pen Argyl; 3

3. Jace LaBar, Bangor; 2

3. Josh Louk, Jim Thorpe; 2

3. Jah Bushati, Marian Catholic; 2

3. Chris Frame, Northern Lehigh; 2

3. Isaac Raber, Northern Lehigh; 2

3. Rocco DeCesare, Pen Argyl; 2

3. Danny Reagan, Southern Lehigh; 2

No one else with more than 1

INTERCEPTIONS

Pos. Player, School; INTs

1. Lucas Lerch, Pen Argyl; 4

1. Victor Schlosser, Tamaqua; 4

3. Colin Karetsky, Northern Lehigh; 3

3. Eli Zimmerman, Northwestern; 3

3. Max Woerner, Palisades; 3

3. A.J. Moren, Salisbury; 3

3. Jack Robertson, Saucon Valley; 3

3. Elijah Miller, Saucon Valley; 3

3. Sean Steckert, Southern Lehigh; 3

10. Josh Louk, Jim Thorpe; 2

10. Michael Johnson, Marian Catholic; 2

10. Chris Frame, Northern Lehigh; 2

10. Brady Zimmerman, Northwestern; 2

10. Drew Boyd, Notre Dame-GP; 2

10. Silas Day, Palisades; 2

10. Braden Rohn, Saucon Valley; 2

10. Cooper Ansbach, Tamaqua; 2

TURNOVER MARGIN

Pos. Team; TOs forced; TOs committed; Difference

1. Northwestern; 15; 4; plus-11

1. Saucon Valley; 19; 8; plus-11

3. Southern Lehigh; 13; 6; plus-7

4. Salisbury; 12; 7; plus-5

5. Pen Argyl; 13; 9; plus-4

6. Notre Dame-GP; 13; 10; plus-3

6. Tamaqua; 12; 9; plus-3

8. Marian Catholic; 11; 10; plus-1

9. Lehighton; 9; 9; even

10. Palisades; 12; 13; minus-1

11. Northern Lehigh; 12; 14; minus-2

12. Panther Valley; 6; 10; minus-4

13. Palmerton; 7; 12; minus-5

13. Wilson; 4; 9; minus-5

15. Jim Thorpe; 8; 14; minus-6

16. Catasauqua; 6; 14; minus-8

17. Bangor; 6; 16; minus-10

Morning Call senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com