When Northwestern advanced to the PIAA Class 3A state championship game last fall, the Tigers’ journey was a long one.

It was a process that began with late spring and early summer workouts.

In fact, that has become the blueprint for nearly every program across the state, including those in the Times News coverage area. This summer, the Tigers are back on that path, putting in work on and off the field, highlighted by their 7-on-7 passing scrimmages.

Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder believes his squad has taken the first steps toward another deep postseason run. Brady Zimmerman, Michael Legowy, Chase Sukanick, Fritz Schierer, Maddox Hurdle and Nolan Koehler have helped set the early pace.

Snyder was among a sampling of area coaches who have been working through the summer heat in preparation for the upcoming season.

“Summer is going great,” Snyder said. “We had one 7-on-7 that went well. Summer is a long process, but we are happy where we are at for sure. We have some very good returning starters.”

Marian coach Billy O’Gurek is a strong proponent of 7-on-7 competition, viewing it as an opportunity to gauge his team’s progress. He also has fond memories of participating in the events during his own playing days with the Colts.

“We traditionally have started our summer schedule with a 7-on-7 day at Wilson West Lawn,” O’Gurek said. “They host about 14 schools, most of them 6A. We’ve been participating in it since I was in school at Marian. It’s one of my favorite days of the season.”

O’Gurek is counting on returning 1,000-yard rusher Rory Dixon, along with Greg Tirpak, Tyler Price and Rocco Griguoli, to lead the way.

“All of those guys have shown great improvement so far,” O’Gurek said of his returning core. “We will use the remaining month or so to install our offense and defense and prepare for a tough opening schedule against Palmerton, Panther Valley and Tamaqua.”

Panther Valley head coach Mark Lavine also has a busy summer schedule and has been pleased with his team’s progress.

“Summer is going very well right now,” Lavine said. “Our attendance has been excellent, with between 25-30 kids there three days a week, which is about 90% of what we expect to have on the team this year.

“We have done a 7-on-7 with Palmerton, Bangor and Northampton and a joint practice with Tamaqua in which we did both 7-on-7s and 11-on-11. We have two or three more planned in July.”

The Panthers return most of their offensive and defensive line, including Carlos Maldonado, Jerry Harrison, Brody Vermillion and Jaydon Ramos. However, they are using the summer to replace several skill-position players, with Chase McArdle the lone returning starter in that group.

Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout has put together a busy but balanced summer schedule. Garrett Smoyer, Mason Rothrock and Chris Frame return as playmakers, while Landen Klimek, Dawson Newhard and Bill Kennedy anchor the line.

“We break our summer into two halves,” Tout said. “During the first three weeks we focused on having five 7-on-7 competitions. Once we come back from our week off, we will have four 11-on-11 competitions during our second three-week period.”

Tout has also been pleased with the turnout.

“Our attendance has been really good,” he said. “Right now I expect us to have between 40-45 players in grades 9-12. We’ve had between 30-35 players at our workouts.

“As far as our team is shaping up, we have a veteran group that has looked sharp so far. We are trying to balance our conditioning with the understanding that we are hoping to play well past Week 10.

“So the goal is to condition, but to keep our guys fresh as well.”

Palmerton coach Chris Walkowiak is using the summer to help build depth around a solid returning nucleus. His team’s 7-on-7 schedule has taken place in July after spending May and June focusing on schemes and fundamentals.

“There is a lot of summer left to start developing a depth chart, so we are using this time to get players reps at their primary position and a secondary position to develop depth,” Walkowiak said.

“We have a nice core nucleus of 15-16 players back for this season that gained a lot of playing experience last year. We will be relying on their experience and looking for them to continue their growth mentally and physically to contribute this season.”

Walkowiak said the coming weeks will help determine where players ultimately fit.

“It is very early,” he said. “Where they all play will depend on July and, more importantly, August heat camp along with our first scrimmage.”

Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger has seen encouraging signs, but knows there is still work to do.

“Summer has been good so far,” Rosenberger said. “Unfortunately, we are low on our numbers. We have had one 7-on-7 so far, and we have two coming up.”

Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll has shared a similar experience.

“The summer is going really well,” McCarroll said. “We are very involved in the weight room as well as 7-on-7s. We’ve had four activities so far and have another three or four still to come.”

McCarroll knows the summer is an opportunity to sort out both sides of the ball.

“The lineup is solid in some spots and very fluid in others,” McCarroll said. “Most of our offensive and defensive linemen return along with Lukas Croizier as a two-way starter.”

There are still key positions to fill.

“Otherwise, we are trying to find a new starting quarterback along with replacing wide receivers Caden Meek and Blake Roberts, who had a ton of experience,” McCarroll said. “Much of our secondary needs to be replaced as well. A lot of position battles are going on all summer, and we really like the kids who are competing for those spots.”

Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner also has an optimistic outlook for the Blue Raiders, who return plenty of skill-position talent.

The biggest competition is at quarterback, where Ace Schickram, last year’s leading receiver, and Kaden Krajcirik are battling for the starting job.

Terrence McDowell, who rushed for more than 1,700 yards last season, is back to lead the ground game.

Bonner has been impressed with his team’s work ethic after 7-on-7 sessions against Northern Lehigh and Panther Valley.

“The kids are working hard,” Bonner said. “We have been working out four days a week and lifting three days a week.

“They’re doing a good job, and we’re looking forward to the season.”