(EDITOR’S NOTE: Rod Heckman has been a member of the Times News Sports Department since September 1988. In the next few weeks, he will be sharing some of his most memorable moments for each of our 10 area schools. Today’s edition features Northwestern).

By Rod Heckman

rheckman@tnonline.com

I was hired at the Times News prior to the 1988-89 school year to follow Northampton sports.

But a year later, we stopped covering the Konkrete Kids. Our company had started a weekly newspaper there and it was decided they would take care of all things Northampton.

After that, I unofficially became the Northwestern beat writer.

That lasted for a while - a long enough time for me to experience what I still consider my most memorable moments while attending Northwestern sporting events.

Nov. 11, 1995

Snyder’s run propels Tigers to D-11 title

Most people who were in attendance that day simply call it “The Run.”

If I go up to BRC 13’s Bob Capasso and say “The Run,” he knows exactly what I’m talking about.

I can honestly say it’s the most memorable football play in my 30-plus years with the Times News, and possibly my all-time favorite among all sports.

What some might not remember are the circumstances around it, including the play right before it.

Brett Snyder was having an all-state season, having led the Tigers to a 9-1 record and a share of the Colonial League Championship. He had rushed for just over 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns entering this game - the District 11 Class 2A title matchup against Catasauqua.

Northwestern’s offense had sputtered in the first half and trailed the Rough Riders 7-0 entering the third quarter.

Midway through the frame, the Tigers faced a fourth down and five at midfield. Their coach Bob Mitchell, hardly the gambling type, called for a fake punt. Snyder was the team’s punter, and after picking up key blocks at the line from John Werley and Bill Carmody and one downfield from Josh Perich, he gained 26 yards for a first down to set up his famous run.

On the next play, Snyder slipped away from a pair of tacklers, spun free from some others and carried a pair of defenders into the end zone for a game-tying 24-yard touchdown.

My colleague at the time, the late Joe Plasko, described it this way - “a sensational effort that saw the 6-1, 190 pounder lay waste to Catty tacklers as if they were nothing but bowling pins.”

That run not only electrified the Northwestern crowd, but also the team as the Tigers pulled away for a 23-7 victory and the program’s first district title.

Snyder went on to play at Lehigh University, but later was diagnosed with ALS. The star athlete fought the disease the same way he ran for that touchdown against Catasauqua.

He lost his fight a little over a year ago, but those close to him know he is in the true “end zone.”

Nov. 17, 1990

NW field hockey team wins state title

Thirty years ago, I knew nothing about field hockey.

Quite honestly, I’m still unsure about plenty of the rules of the game.

As a fledgling writer in 1990, I definitely lacked confidence when I was assigned to cover Northwestern’s field hockey team - which I did eight times that year.

But one of the things I remember most about that season was the understanding of Tigers head coach Cathy McCullough. She helped, as best she could, explain some of the nuances of the sport. She invited me to call her anytime I had questions about rules or something that happened in a game.

That 90 team was a dominant one. They ended up 22-0 and gave up just five goals, posting 17 shutouts.

In the state title game, played at Ursinus College on a chilling Saturday morning, the Tigers fell behind Radnor less than seven minutes into the contest. But nearly three minutes later, Natalie Nestor fed Jodi Dellicker for the game-tying goal.

The two clubs remained tied at 1-1 through the rest of regulation and two overtime periods. After the first series of five shooters apiece in the shootout, the teams were still knotted.

But in sudden death, Northwestern sophomore goalie Mel Ritter stuffed a Radnor player, who also sent her rebound attempt wide. That set the stage for fellow sophomore Jamie Carey, who worked her way around the goalie and backhanded the ball in front of the net. From there, she poked it home for the game-winner and the state title.

After handing out gold medals and then receiving hers, I recall McCullough doing some kind of jig to the delight of her players. She also got doused with the contents of the water bucket.

It was a day for Tiger players - and this writer - to remember forever.