MECHANICSBURG – Championship games are supposed to be rare. Northwestern Lehigh made them routine.

From 2023 through 2025, the Tigers reached three straight PIAA Class 3A state finals — all on the same stage at Cumberland Valley.

They lost to Belle Vernon in 2023, beat Avonworth in overtime in 2024 to win the school’s first title, and returned once more in 2025, falling to Avonworth Saturday afternoon.

Three years. Three finals. One field.

That wasn’t luck — it was learned.

Over that span Northwestern went 46-2, played 18 postseason games — the equivalent of a full extra season and then some. They finished 15-1, 16-0, and 15-1 during that stretch.

The Tigers have also won four consecutive District 11 titles after defeating previously unbeaten Notre Dame Green Pond this season.

The résumé says dominance.

The journey says growth.

From heartbreak to a championship, to sustained expectation

The 2023 final became the spark — a painful but formative loss to Belle Vernon.

A year later, the Tigers returned and finished the job, beating Avonworth in overtime for state gold.

In 2025, with a different roster and new roles everywhere, they came back again — as a program that no longer just reached Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field, but expected to.

“My sophomore year was the start,” quarterback Shane Leh said.

“We got punched in the mouth. Then we came back and beat Avonworth. We felt like we were building something really good.”

They didn’t just bounce back — they built.

The numbers prove it

Despite drastic roster turnover across all three seasons, production never dipped.

Season W-L Pts. PPG Ag. PAPG

2023 (Runner-Up) 15-1 670 42.0 194 12.1

2024 (State Title) 16-0 670 42.0 126 7.9

2025 (Runner-Up) 15-1 692 43.3 231 14.4

More pressure? More production.

In the postseason alone, Northwestern outscored opponents:

• 2023: 226-111

• 2024: 226-73

• 2025: 223-93

18 playoff games. A plus-398 point differential.

Three runs built differently — each ending under the same December sky.

Leh grew with the program —

and the program grew with him

No one embodied the arc better.

As a sophomore starter in the 2023 run, Leh threw for 1,724 yards, 23 TD and 7 INT.

In 2024’s title season: 1,583 yards, 24 TD, 5 INT.

In 2025 he delivered one of the best QB seasons in District 11 memory — 2,719 yards, 33 TD, 3 INT, plus 222 rushing yards and three more scores.

Touchdowns rose every year.

Interceptions fell every year.

Experience — composure — execution.

“A head coach and quarterback have a special bond,” coach Josh Snyder said.

“Ours was a treat.”

Selflessness powered

an evolving offense

Every year, the offense changed hands — and no one blinked.

2023 feature back: Dalton Clymer — 279 carries, 1,889 yards, 30 TD

2024 star: Eli Zimmerman — 2,656 rush yards, 26 TD + 276 receiving/4 TD

2025 breakout: Braxton Lakatosh — 1,328 yards, 16 TD (192 last year)

Also, Chase Sukanick jumped from 81 yards to 883 and 13 TD

Receiving roles reshaped too:

• Brady Zimmerman: 0 catches in ’24 — 919 yards, 13 TD

• Michael Lagowy: 780 yards, 5 TD (149 last year)

• Mason Bollinger & Shane Hulmes: versatile – and selfless – every season, combining for 1,004 yards & 11 TD this fall (673 yards/11 TD last year)

Different stars.

Same outcome — points.

Defense lost almost everything — and rebuilt itself anyway

After the 2024 championship, Northwestern graduated nearly its entire defensive core:

Jared Meck (100), Bryer Reichard (88), Jackson Huber (84), Josh Wambold (70), E. Zimmerman (56), Landen Matson (52), Seth Kern (38), and others.

In 2025, new leaders stepped forward:

• Shane Hulmes — 148 tackles (jumping from 116 his junior year)

• Lakatosh — 110

• Fritz Scheirer — 89

• Evan Wagstaff — 87

• B. Zimmerman — 85

• Michael Boring — 71

• Ethan Steigerwalt — 67

• Kemurry Morgan — 45

• Bobby DiGiacomo — 39

• Craig Snyder — 36

• Colton Popp — 21

Sacks: Hulmes 8, Steigerwalt 6, Scheirer 5, Wagstaff 5, Boring 4.5

INTs: Lagowy 5, Lakatosh 3, Leh 3, B. Zimmerman 2 (plus Leh & Morgan in final)

That’s not reloading — that’s developing. The program also maintained elite special teams play during that time.

“I mean, it means we set new expectations for the future of this program,” Lakatosh said. “We’re trying to create something here that’s not really common, and that’s build a legacy.”

And they never played alone

Before the 2024 season, Northwestern lost teammate Tucker Wessner.

His No. 53 jersey never left the sideline — in 2024 or 2025.

He would have been a senior this season.

They played for him.

Walked into CV with him.

Carried him through every snap of the era.

Scout-team kids —

title-game starters

Two years ago, many members of this 2025 roster were scout-team players feeding varsity looks.

This week, some walked off the field as three-time state final participants.

That’s program building.

Snyder credits the coaching staff — Dave Kerschner, Greg Mitchell, Josh Zimmerman, Ryan Hulmes, Rich Kulp, George Haddad, Chuck Groller, Paul Tomlin, Troy Walker, Josh Masters and Conner Snyder — for sustaining excellence through turnover, grief, and change.

This wasn’t just success.

It was a standard.

A team that once chased the championship stage learned how to return there.

A program that once hoped to compete, learned how to finish.

Three years — loss, win, loss — each part of the story.

Northwestern didn’t just win games.

It learned how to win — together.

And that may be the most lasting legacy of all.

“I’ve been playing with some of these guys since I was five years old,” Lakatosh said. “It’s going to be weird without football, but I’ll miss it a lot. We had a great run.”