Northwestern has made waves with big splashes all season.

The Tigers have flooded scoreboards with more points and filled stat sheets with more yards than any other team.

And they’ve done it in a hurry.

“Offensively, this year we’ve been all about big plays,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder. “We’ve scored 32 or 33 touchdowns over 30 yards, we have seven passing touchdowns over 50 yards.”

Northwestern’s offense leads the area with 44.4 points and 429.5 yards per game.

The third-seeded Tigers (7-1) have scored at least 35 points in each of their eight games this season, and have scored over 50 on three occasions, including a 54-19 victory over Lehighton in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals two weeks ago.

At the eye of the storm tonight will be top seed Allentown Central Catholic in the Class 4A championship game at Whitehall, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.

“We’re not really driving the ball the length of the field like Central does,” said Snyder. “Our athletes like to get out in space; we’re built on speed and we stretch the field from side-to-side.

“They sort of play in a box and, although they’re spread, they want to run the ball. So we’re pretty similar defensively, but offensively I would say we’re pretty different.”

Quarterback Justin Holmes is second in the area in passing (59-of-124, 1,333 yards) and rushing (962) yardage. The junior has thrown for 18 scores against seven picks and rushed for 13 touchdowns in his first season as the starting quarterback.

“Offensively, we’ve really been clicking,” said Holmes. “The passing and running game definitely work hand-in-hand. If we get the passing game going, it really opens up the running game in the second half, and vice versa.”

Holmes was a dynamic wide receiver for Northwestern a year ago when he was the second-leading receiver in the area with 810 yards and 12 TDs. After the graduation of record-setting quarterback Deven Bollinger and the entire offensive line following the 2019 season, Holmes has kept the Tigers’ offense operating at a high level.

The Tigers can spread the ball around to a number of different playmakers. Running back Nick Henry has rushed for 632 yards and 10 touchdowns on 103 carries, along with 292 yards receiving and two scores on 17 grabs.

Wide receiver Cade Christopher has 13 catches for a staggering 374 yards (28.77 yards per catch) with seven touchdowns.

Northwestern reached the final when Wilson was forced to withdraw from the tournament before their semifinal matchup.

The Vikings (5-2) received a forfeit against Bangor in the quarterfinals before defeating Becahi 38-17 in the semis.

ACC quarterback Matt Rauscher was 7-of-7 for 52 yards, while also adding 47 yards on nine carries in the win.

Running back Jayden Williams did a lot of the heavy lifting against the Golden Hawks, carrying the ball 21 times for 170 yards and three scores.

Defensively, Northwestern has allowed 293.5 yards and 26.1 points per contest. Its only loss of the season was a 56-35 setback to Berks Catholic in Week 2, when the Tigers surrendered 374 yards on the ground and 513 total.

The Vikings’ two losses this season were to Nazareth (33-20) and Emmaus (24-7), top teams in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference with a combined record of 11-1.

“They’re a tough matchup for anybody, obviously,” said Snyder. “Just look at their record and even their losses were against good, tough opponents that they played really well. I think everything starts for them on the line of scrimmage. Defensively, with (junior defensive lineman Lavon) Johnson at nose guard, I haven’t seen anybody be able to block him yet. So that’s obviously going to be a challenge for us.

“Their defense is very aggressive. There’s not really a weak link among them. They fly to the football, they tackle really well. So we’re going to have to try our best to keep them off-balance; change tempo, change formations, change personnel packages and get one on them here or there.”

Johnson forced a fumble last week that resulted in a touchdown. ACC is allowing just 14.7 points per game this season, and scoring almost 32.

Northwestern and Central have split their meetings the last two seasons. The Vikings won last year’s battle 23-22 in the district semis.

Whatever the outcome, tonight will be the final time this group of talented Tigers will play together with District 11 opting out of the state playoffs.

“We’re just trying to soak everything in,” said Snyder. “It’s not often that you can see the finish line. But we know that Thursday’s it. That’s the last game, and win or lose, that’ll be it.

“But it’s something we can hang our hat on for these seniors and their careers, so we’ve been able to enjoy that.”

They’re hoping to go out with the program’s first district title since 2014.

“We’re just excited to get out there, and hopefully get a win,” said Holmes.