FOUNTAIN SPRINGS It was a play they haven't used all year.

In fact, it was a play that was used against them the previous week.On Saturday, in the District 11 Class AA semifinals, it turned out to be the play of the game.Leading 7-0 late in the first quarter, Northern Lehigh faced a third-and-nine deep in its own territory. But by taking a page out of Palmerton's (and Central Catholic's) play-book, the Bulldogs not only converted but extended their lead.Quarterback Dylan Hofmann hit a wide-open Caleb Johnson, who was lined up as a tackle, over the middle and the senior receiver went 85 yards for a touchdown and a two-score advantage. With that added momentum, Northern Lehigh cruised to a surprisingly easy 28-0 win over North Schuylkill to advance to Saturday's championship game."That (play) was key," said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout, whose team will now face Pen Argyl in the title game. "We had trips, and the inside trip was a lineman, so he was not eligible. He was a lineman on the line and our tight end (Johnson) was the backside tackle ... We didn't pick up on it (when Palmerton did it to us) and we thought that's a heckuva play, we should try that. We couldn't have imagined it going that long."We thought maybe they would cover it because they saw Palmerton do it to us, but they didn't and it worked. Their safety shifted over and Caleb was free. That was Central Catholic's play from the state final last year. The kids really executed it."While the Spartans had plenty of time to rebound from the early deficit, it was clear that doing so would be a monumental task."We felt like they hadn't seen a defense as good as ours this season," said Tout. "And our kids really hit today. When you're up by a score you feel good, but to be up two scores early .. We've only given up 7.9 points per game this year so statistically when you're up by 14 you have to feel really good."The Spartans (10-1) actually drove inside Northern Lehigh's 35 on four different occasions, but they never reached the red zone as the Bulldogs' defense tightened up every time."Our defense is one of the best around," said Dalton Johnson, who stopped one of those drives with an interception. "We had good pass coverage and we also got a good rush on their quarterback so he didn't have much time back there."Not only didn't North Schuylkill's Ryan Henning have much time, but the signal-caller was getting hit from all angles.The Spartan signal-caller was sacked three times but was constantly picking himself off the ground after throwing passes."They're physical and they come to play," said North Schuylkill mentor Rick Geist. "They came out and beat us up. Their kids are strong and you can tell."We just ran out of gas this season. Injuries have taken their toll. They took it right down the field on us to start the game. We're just not healthy. I don't even know if we were healthy, it would have mattered."As Geist said, Northern Lehigh (10-1) set the tone early with its opening drive.After a three-and-out by the Spartans, Tout's club marched 84 yards in 11 plays to gain the game's first score.Kirk Bender carried five times for 38 yards during a drive where the Bulldogs gained at least four yards on every play. Nolehi registered six first downs in the series and never faced a third down. Trevor Yashur, who gained 117 yards on the day, finished the impressive trip down the field with a nine-yard scoring run."The start, that drive, Steve (Hluschak) called a great series," said Tout. "The philosophy we went with today was that we were going to throw a lot of different formations at them, and that's what that first drive was."We came out with a lot of emotion. We had that great drive, and the defense was playing outstanding."Northern Lehigh never really gave the Spartans a chance to come back as the Bulldogs opened the second half with another score.A 44-yard scamper by Hofmann led to his seven-yard touchdown toss to David Getz that pushed the margin to 21-0 just 2:18 into the third quarter.Danny Marsh capped the scoring early in the fourth frame with a three-yard run that capped off an 80-yard drive."This was unbelievable," said senior offensive lineman Kyle Wasilkowski, who helped Nolehi finish with 287 yards on the ground. "We had a heckuva week of practice. We worked hard, really hard. I thought it was going to be a close score, but we just dominated them."