North Schuylkill has already pitched two shutouts this season.

The Spartans added a third on Friday night.

North Schuylkill handed Northern Lehigh its first loss of the season en route to a 31-0 victory in a meeting of defending District 11 champions.

“Especially how our defense is playing, they are playing exceptional,” said North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall, whose team has won the last two Class 3A titles. “They’re working hard during the week, and doing a little extra with the coaches after practice, watching film, making sure we get aligned right and make sure our defensive calls are called correctly. And that’s what it’s about. Getting lined up and playing football.”

The Spartans (4-1) limited a Bulldog offense that was averaging over 40 points per game and 394.5 yards to 153 total yards and shut them out for the first time since 2018.

“They’re physical, they’re well-coached and they’re fundamentally sound,” said Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout, who led his squad to a 2A crown a year ago.

North Schuylkill moved the ball on the ground and through the air against a Northern Lehigh (4-1) team that had surrendered just 53 points all year. Quarterback Trevor Minalda completed 12-of-18 pass attempts for 146 yards and two scores, while also adding a rushing touchdown.

On the ground, Jared Tinari led the way with 130 yards on 22 carries as the Spartans rushed for 201 yards.

The Spartans hit a big play midway through the third quarter when Minalda found Zander McElhenny over the middle for a 54-yard touchdown with 3:44 to play in the period to make it 17-0.

The drive started after the Spartans stopped Northern Lehigh on fourth and one at the North Schuylkill 27-yard line with 5:58 to play in the third quarter.

Northern Lehigh went three-and-out on its next drive, and the Spartans marched 75 yards on 11 plays, with Minalda running it in from six yards out to make it 24-0 with 7:15 left in the game.

The Bulldogs couldn’t convert on fourth and seven from the North Schuylkill 37-yard line on their next drive, but Landon Moll came up with a fumble recovery for Northern Lehigh on the Spartans’ next series.

Quarterback Nick Frame, who also had an interception, raced 15 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive to put the Bulldogs’ at the North Schuylkill 40-yard line. After a two-yard run by Jack Tosh and an incompletion, Steven Davis put the finishing touches on the win with a 64-yard pick-six to make it 31-0 with 0:25 to play.

“They’re really disciplined, and that’s something we’ve been of course emphasizing during the week,” said Hall. “Not only discipline; the big focus is those guys doing their job, and that’s everybody on the team. Do your job, know what you’re doing, get lined up.”

The Spartans led 10-0 at halftime, finding the end zone for the first time when Minalda dropped a perfectly placed ball into the arms of Jack Dean for a 15-yard score with 1:17 left in the first half.

North Schuylkill held a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The drive started when Dean came away with an interception on the Bulldogs’ first play from scrimmage, giving the Spartans the ball at the Northern Lehigh 40-yard line.

Gavin Mentzer capped the seven play series with a 24-yard field goal with 7:08 to play in the opening frame.

Northern Lehigh punted on its next four possessions to close out the first half.

“I was worried for us heading in; I thought points might be tough to come by,” said Tout. “I thought defensively, we did some positive things. Offensively, we put a couple of good drives together, just not enough against them. They’re good. They’re strong. The difference was they whopped us up front. That’s the first time that’s happened this year.”

OUT OF ACTION

... Northern Lehigh’s Izaiah Ramos was out with an upper body injury. Tout hopes to have him back near the end of the regular season. Ramos leads the team with six touchdowns and is also a tremendous defender in the secondary for the Bulldogs.

ON A ROLL

... Since a 25-17 loss to Mount Carmel in the season opener, North Schuylkill has outscored its last four opponents 149-24. The only team to score on the Spartans during that time is Tamaqua, which lost 49-24 last week.

STREAK SNAPPED

... Before last night, Northern Lehigh hadn’t been shut out since falling to Southern Lehigh 42-0 on Sept. 28, 2018, snapping a run of 42-straight games.