SCHUYLKILL HAVEN – It was the kind of evening that star players live for - a chance to rise to the top.

Northern Lehigh sophomore Katelyn Barthold has demonstrated her talent throughout the season, and on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the District 11 Class 1A playoffs, she was that star player.

Barthold registered a hat trick before the first half ended, and the Bulldogs proved they had too much firepower for a perennially strong Minersville team to handle, cruising to a 5-0 victory and a berth in Thursday’s semifinals.

“I did have three goals in a game a few times, but tonight was special because of the importance,” Barthold said.

Barthold’s skills were just part of the story for fifth-seeded Northern Lehigh against the fourth-seeded Miners.

Victoria Hanna and Caitlin Kirk were also involved in the action, as both standouts added a goal and a pair of assists.

“We’ve been struggling with injuries all year, and tonight we were able to unlock our speed and use it,” Bulldogs head coach Jason Reinhard said. “Our three girls up top - Vicky Hanna, Kaitlyn Barthold and Natalie Moffitt - finally found a rhythm they’ve been missing.”

Northern Lehigh took advantage of its speed on Tuesday - and it was Barthold who led the way by constantly pressuring the opposition. Murray said Barthold’s speed is a game-changer, calling her “a legitimate track star.”

That showed right from the get-go when Barthold raced to the net and booted home the first score of the evening off a Kirk assist.

The goal came at the 24:14 mark, but that was just the beginning.

Just seconds later, Barthold was knocking at the door again. She booted home her second goal - with an assist coming from Hanna - at the 23:50 mark.

The Bulldogs would juice the net two more times before the first half concluded.

Kirk punched home the third tally with 21:55 remaining in the half. Barthold completed her first-half hat trick when she took a Hanna pass and made it 4-0 with 1:19 to go before intermission.

“She now has scored 41 career goals for us,” Reinhard said. “She can be a huge difference maker for us.”

It was Barthold’s 24th goal on the season, and it gave Northern Lehigh a commanding lead.

Up by four goals, the Bulldogs didn’t pull the throttle back as Hanna added another goal less than six minutes into the second half.

After that, Northern Lehigh stretched things out offensively, while keeping the Miners in check defensively to coast to the shutout victory.

“We were concerned coming in because right now, we have three starters on the bench with injuries,” said Reinhard. “Minersville is always tough … they’ve got tough kids, so we came in expecting this to be a tough fight.”

QUOTEABLE … “She never tires. She’s a 200-meter runner, and she finally is getting to play her natural position up top and you can see what she can do,” Reinhard said about Barthold’s performance.

FROSH COMING … Reinhard had high praise for freshmen Cassidy Snyder and Ella Tosh, whom he said both played well.

ATONEMENT … Barthold said she wanted to atone for last year’s first-round loss in the tournament. She got her chance, and definitely delivered.

NEXT UP ... Northern Lehigh will face top-seeded Pine Grove Thursday in the semifinals. The contest will take place at Lehighton with a start time of 5 p.m. The winner will advance to next Wednesday’s championship game.