This year, Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout has been reminded again of his football team’s grit and determination, especially late in the season.

Looking to find their consistency, the Bulldogs (8-3) rallied for a four-game winning streak to close out the regular season before they edged Palisades (29-28) in a District 11 Class 2A quarterfinal overtime slugfest.

They have stayed the course despite losing playmaker Chris Frame for the season a few weeks ago.

Now, the Bulldogs will travel to meet top-ranked and undefeated Schuylkill Haven (11-0) in a semifinal matchup Saturday night. The Hurricanes have packed the potency of an average of 54.8 points and 475 overall yards per game.

However, Tout and his troops aren’t feeling intimidated.

“This group has been very resilient,” boasted the veteran coach. “What I’m most proud about with this group is the way that they’ve handled adversity that we’ve had later on this year.

“We lost Chris Frame, who has been our playmaker and one of our biggest leaders. Since then, we’ve had several players that have had the attitude of what do we need to do to overcome this, and several guys doing a little bit more has been the answer. I was not surprised one bit that we were able to overcome a 14-0 deficit against Palisades and move on to Schuylkill Haven.”

The Hurricanes have been led by running back Colton Reber, who has rushed for 2,268 and scored 31 touchdowns on the ground and 40 overall. Backfield mate Niko Castillo has also run for 724 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Quarterback Max Heim has thrown for 1,038 yards with 21 touchdowns and zero interceptions. They did lose running back Niko Carestia, who ran for 305 yards before he was sidelined. A year ago, Carestia piled up 2702 rushing yards.

Tout believes his schedule — mainly facing top-five, Class 3A-ranked Northwestern and Notre Dame of Green Pond — has made his team battle-tested.

“They’ve been very impressive this year and will be the biggest team that we faced, definitely the biggest running backs we faced,” added Tout. “However, we’ve played two teams that are ranked in the top five, and we just beat a very good Palisades team.

“We truly feel this is where playing our schedule prepares us for tough games in November. It is going to take a great effort. Our team is feeling good about ourselves.”

Bulldogs’ junior quarterback Garrett Smoyer, who has thrown for 1,552 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions along with 467 yards on the ground with seven touchdowns, likes his team’s current trajectory.

“I think we have come a long way this year, losing one of our key players in Chris Frame and bouncing back from that, winning five straight,” reflected Smoyer. “Against Schuylkill Haven, we need to match their physical play up front and stop their run game.

“Schuylkill Haven is a good team, and you need to give them credit. However, we have been playing the powerhouse Northwestern all these years, and they have helped prepare us for Haven. As a team, I think we are peaking, especially coming off that overtime win against Palisades.”

Tout is optimistic his club can handle Schuylkill Haven’s physical play.

“We are going to have to match Haven’s physicality, and we are going to have to tackle low and play well offensively,” noted Tout. “We feel like we can move the ball, and have to do it consistently and not have turnovers. If we’re able to do that, we like our odds in this game.”

Senior tackle Nate Kuhns also is confident that his team’s will can win out in the end.

“We are tough, and will battle back from anything,” stressed Kuhns. “We won’t back down, and will fight no matter what. I think we size up fairly well against them.

“Northwestern was a dominant team. I really do think we are peaking at this point, and it’s good to keep stacking up wins and getting momentum.”

Bulldogs’ senior running back Grady Newhard, who has rushed for a team-high 652 yards with 10 touchdowns, echoed the sentiments of his teammates.

“We played two very dominant teams this year in Northwestern and Notre Dame, which are some of the top ranked teams in 3A,” stated Newhard. “So, we are no stranger to a tough game.

“The Colonial League prepares us for games like these. We’re no stranger to being the underdog, and this game is no different. We’re going up to Schuylkill County with the mentality to win. We’re ready.”

Tout knows his team will be ready for the Saturday 6 p.m. kickoff.

“I cannot stress enough that we are impressed with a school like Haven, but we absolutely believe we belong here,” said Tout. “We have a team that’s capable of winning a district title.”

BULLDOG BITES ... The two teams last met in 2020, with Northern Lehigh winning 49-19 ... Schuylkill Haven is looking to get back to the district final for the third straight year, but the Hurricanes dropped both previous appearances to Williams Valley. Their last title was in 2018, the final of three straight ... Northern Lehigh last won a district title in 2022 ... Frame rushed for 496 yards with nine touchdowns, and caught 26 passes for 450 yards with four touchdowns.