Over the last few years, the Lehighton golf team has made a name for itself in the Schuylkill League.

Last Monday, head coach Mark Maholick watched his Indians shine once again at the Schuylkill League championships.

That’s because the Indians made it back-to-back Schuylkill League team titles, posting a team score of 349. Senior Aaron Miller also enjoyed a special day, shooting a 78 on the Donald Ross designed Schuylkill Country Club course to place first.

The Indians finished the regular season at 12-0.

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STRONG RUN

… As the season winds down, the Northwestern boys’ cross country team remains undefeated, and looks to be on pace to have another stellar postseason. The Tigers have won back-to-back Colonial League and District 11 titles, and also placed first at the DeSales Invitational earlier this fall, led by reigning Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year Sam Bower, who took first in the meet. Northwestern’s top five runners finished in the top 26 places. Nathan Vincent (seventh), Cole Chukoskie (ninth), Gavin Nelson (24th) and Joe Chukoskie (26th) rounded out the Tigers top five.

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THREES A CHARM

… Over the last week, there were several hat tricks scored across the area. Northwestern’s Matt Johnson started the week with the first of eight different occurrences with three goals in a 5-2 win over Notre Dame of Green Pond. In girls’ soccer action, Northwestern’s Olivia Motolese finished with a hat trick in a 9-0 win over Pen Argyl on Tuesday, while Pleasant Valley’s Lexi Weaver hit the milestone in a 4-2 win over PM East. On Friday, Pleasant Valley’s Heather Todaro had a hat trick for the Bears’ field hockey team in a 6-0 win over ES North. A pair of girls’ soccer players also had big games that day in Palmerton’s Brianna Moore and Jim Thorpe’s Mackenzie Yuhas. Moore and Yuhas both finished with four goals in separate victories. Moore’s came in a 9-2 win over Notre Dame, while Yuhas’ came in a 11-0 win over Tamaqua. Yuhas’ teammate, Nicole Carroll, also had a hat trick in the win over the Blue Raiders. Moore ended the week with another hat trick in a 3-1 win over the Olympians.

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TIED UP

… Sometimes an overtime period - or two - isn’t always enough to produce a winner. On two separate days, soccer games ended in ties. On Tuesday, the Pleasant Valley girls’ soccer game against Stroudsburg finished with the scoreboard reading 0-0. Bears’ goalie Sam Merklin finished with three saves. On Thursday, the Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe boys’ soccer teams played to a 1-1 tie. TJ Dudak scored the Olympians’ lone goal, while Jacob Schlier recorded the Blue Raiders’ lone score.

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STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

… Southern Lehigh has been a mainstay atop the Colonial League in field hockey for many years, but has received a challenge from a strong Palmerton program this season. The Spartans sit atop the 2021 standings with an 11-0 record, but the Bombers are second overall in the CL with a 9-1-1 mark. The Bombers (10-2-1 overall) have stayed in contention with strong performances week in and week out. Palmerton picked up wins against Pen Argyl (Monday, 2-0) and Moravian Academy (Wednesday, 3-0) but had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Northwestern on Friday afternoon. Over the weekend, the Bombers came out on top with a 3-1 win over Eastern Pennsylvania Conference team Whitehall. The Bombers have had solid individual performance from the likes of Sydney Frantz (four goals, two assists), Skylar Kohler (three goals), Ana Recker (goal), Emma Christman (goal), Erin Kistler (goal) and goalie Shannon Dougherty (two shutouts).

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OVERTIME THRILLERS

… The last week provided some thrillers in soccer action that needed an extra period to decide a victor. It started on Monday as TJ Dudak’s goal at the 93-minute mark lifted Jim Thorpe to a 2-1 win over Pottsville. Dudak also had an assist on JT’s lone regulation goal by Noah Geiser. On Saturday, Pleasant Valley’s Riley Green did the same for the Bears’ girls soccer team in a 1-0 overtime win over Bethlehem Catholic.

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MEMORIES LAST FOREVER

… It was a memory that the Jim Thorpe girls’ soccer team will remember forever when the Olympians knocked off perennial Schuylkill League power Pottsville for the first time in school history with a 3-2 overtime victory Tuesday. The Olympians’ Mackenzie Yuhas - who has been on a roll lately - provided the game-winner with a goal with 6:27 left in overtime. Yuhas finished off a perfect cross from teammate Nicole Carroll to stun the Tide, who have won the last two Schuylkill League titles, and hadn’t lost a single game in over a year.