Northwestern, the No. 2 seed, will host seventh-seeded Palmerton in a David vs. Goliath type match-up tonight to see who will advance to the District 11 3A semifinals.

Northwestern won its 26th consecutive game last week by defeating Southern Lehigh 36-28 to capture its fourth straight Colonial-Schuylkill Red Division title. It was the Tigers sixth straight win over the Spartans, which were ranked No. 1 in the state in 4A coming into the game. The Tigers are currently ranked second in the state in 3A.

Northwestern is vying for its fourth straight district championship.

The Tigers (10-0) led 36-14 with just over five minutes to play in their game a week ago, but the Spartans made it interesting by rallying late. The Tigers’ offense racked up 411 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Shane Leh threw for 226 yards and a touchdown, and Shane Hulmes led the Tigers’ rushing attack with five carries for 95 yards and a rushing score. Michael Lagowy had a big night, hauling in six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Leh leads an offense that averages 46.9 points per game, and 441.9 total yards per game. Leh has thrown for 1,685 yards with 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Braxton Lakatosh leads the Tigers in rushing with 909 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Tigers average 252.4 rushing yards per game.

Northwestern’s defense was once again stingy when it came to defending the run last week, facing off with one of the best running backs in all of District 11 in Southern Lehigh’s Sean Steckert. Steckert was held to 81 yards and 4.05 yards per carry. On the season, the Tigers’ defense has allowed 100.9 rushing yards per game, and just 3.41 yards per carry.

“Looking forward to getting into district play and facing off with Palmerton, which is a team we haven’t played in a number of years. They’re a spread team that wants to spread you out to run the ball. We’re going to need to control the line of scrimmage and make tackles and make plays,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder.

“It’s also nice to be one of those higher seeds and get a home game. We’re also on a short week, so our focus has to be intensified, and we’re also coming off a big win over Southern Lehigh last week, so it’s important that we lock in. It’s that time of year where you win and advance, or you lose and go home. But we will be gearing back up this week to go out there and compete. We’re excited.”

Palmerton (3-7), which has been hit hard by the injury bug this season and is missing numerous starters, is coming off a disappointing 26-7 loss to Catasauqua. The Bombers have struggled on offense at times this season, averaging 15.2 points per game and 227.7 yards per game.

Senior Vincent Taglieri has served as a spark for the Bombers offensive unit, leading them in both rushing and receiving yards. Taglieri has rushed for 469 yards and four touchdowns, and has caught 33 passes for 323 yards. Michael Garey (414 rushing yards, 5 TDs) Ben Negley (302 receiving yards, 4 TDs) and Alex Keiper (239 receiving yards, 2 TDs) have also helped out on the offensive end. T.K. Gursky leads Palmerton in the passing department with 613 yards and seven touchdowns.

“Every single week we preach about having a clean game. No penalties and no turnovers. We need to stop hurting ourselves. That will especially need to be the case this week against an opponent the caliber of Northwestern,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. “They have multiple weapons and multiple athletes all over the field on both sides of the ball. They’re fundamentally sound and aggressive.

“And they’re led by a veteran quarterback in Leh who is the ultimate field general. Big keys for us will be competing along the line of scrimmage and managing the clock. And defensively, we need to tackle and have good pursuit to the football. We also need to play with pride, and play physical fundamental football on every single snap.”