SHENANDOAH — There is nothing quite like the bright lights of a Friday night football game in the heart of Pennsylvania’s coal region.

Northern Lehigh seemed to thrive in that atmosphere Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Bulldogs coach Joe Tout knows all about the physical, hard-hitting style that defines coal-region football.

So when Northern Lehigh opened the District 11 Class 2A playoffs against Shenandoah Valley, Tout said his players felt right at home.

The Bulldogs answered every challenge as the Blue Devils tried to fight their way back into the game. Northern Lehigh eventually delivered the knockout blow and held off Shenandoah Valley’s dangerous passing attack for an impressive 42-23 victory.

The win sends Northern Lehigh into next Friday’s district championship game against perennial contender Schuylkill Haven.

The decisive sequence came unexpectedly.

The game was far from settled midway through the second quarter. Shenandoah Valley put together a 78-yard, 12-play drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by Mike Elchisak. The march was fueled by the passing combination of Ethan Bench and Gene Sinkus, including a 15-yard completion.

Bench finished 13-for-19 passing for 259 yards and two touchdowns, with Sinkus hauling in six catches for 160 yards.

After Sam Mentusky added the extra point, what had looked like a Northern Lehigh runaway suddenly became a competitive contest at 22-14.

Elchisak punished defenders throughout the night, finishing with 88 yards on 14 carries.

Northern Lehigh’s ground game had been dominant. Whether it was the explosive Chris Frame, who rushed for 200 yards on 11 carries, or quarterback Garrett Smoyer, who added 98 yards on seven attempts, the Bulldogs consistently controlled the line of scrimmage.

Elchisak’s touchdown energized Shenandoah Valley on both sides of the ball. The Blue Devils forced Northern Lehigh to punt for the first and only time all night and took over at their own 16-yard line.

Then everything changed.

Northern Lehigh’s Chase Gall intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Anthony Hanna converted the extra point, and suddenly momentum swung back to the Bulldogs.

Northern Lehigh then recovered an onside kick, with Hanna jumping on the loose ball.

Just like that, the Bulldogs had complete control once again.

“To me what flipped this game was Chase Gall,” Tout said of the interception return. “Chase is one of those blue collar (workers), a kid you can count on all the time. He gets that interception, we come back, we liked the onside kick, we saw some things on film and thought we could try it ... but you still have to execute. Anthony Hanna and the special teams unit orchestrated that to a T.”

One play after recovering the onside kick, Frame raced 48 yards for a touchdown.

From there, the Bulldogs never looked back.

“That hurt,” Shenandoah Valley coach Dave Bench said of the back-to-back touchdowns. “You don’t want to give up momentum ... the pick six and the onside, and the kids were pouting. Besides that pick six, they had two quick plays on offense and scored twice.”

Northern Lehigh came out firing.

Smoyer guided a 7-play touchdown drive to open the game, finishing it himself with a 23-yard scoring run. He then connected with Frame on the two-point conversion for an early 8-0 lead.

Shenandoah Valley answered immediately when Bench hit Sinkus for an 80-yard touchdown, but Northern Lehigh never flinched.

The Bulldogs scored on their next two possessions as Smoyer broke loose for a 66-yard TD and Frame added a 60-yard scoring run, giving Northern Lehigh a 22-7 advantage.

“It was there, our wide receivers coach said run it,” Tout explained about the two quick touchdowns.

Frame, who scored three touchdowns, repeatedly found running room along the edge.

“We got a few good (seal) blocks, and I got outside and outran their back,” Frame said. “The way we got downfield and blocked helped a lot. I just saw there was free space to run and just took off.”

Shenandoah Valley briefly gained some momentum when Joel Nunez tackled Smoyer in the end zone for a safety with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter. Nunez was also effective offensively, rushing for 58 yards.

But Northern Lehigh quickly answered. Frame capped another drive with a 16-yard touchdown run.

The second half ultimately belonged to the Bulldogs’ defense.

Northern Lehigh consistently pressured Bench and created problems for the Blue Devils’ passing game.

“What we did was have me (line) up wider and I was about to get a free (run),” said Northern Lehigh’s Bill Slattery, who repeatedly pressured Bench off the edge. “It was also about the D-linemen, they forced things (up inside) and I was able to avoid getting blocked.”

Shenandoah Valley managed one final scoring drive when Bench threw a perfect 36-yard TD pass to senior Todd Seiger.

“Our guys were not getting off blocks to fill in the holes,” Bench said. “We knew (Smoyer) was going to run the ball and with (Frame) they had two pretty good (threats). They just executed a lot better, and I thought we had playoff nerves.”

TWO HEADED ... This version of Northern Lehigh is built differently. The Bulldogs are battle-tested, having faced strong competition throughout the season. The combination of Smoyer and Frame gives opposing defenses plenty to worry about, and Mason Rothrock adds another weapon.

SUPER STANDOUTS ... Bench, who has thrown 42 career touchdown passes, continues to climb the school’s all-time passing charts. Sinkus, his favorite target, and Bench are both expected back next season.

THE DIFFERENCE ... Northern Lehigh’s coaching staff did an excellent job disguising coverages and often provided extra attention to Sinkus, arguably one of the top receivers in the region. Even so, the all-state candidate still caught six passes for 160 yards.

UP NEXT ... Northern Lehigh faces Schuylkill Haven in the District 11 Class 2A championship game Friday. It should be a dandy. The Bulldogs appear significantly stronger than they were a year ago.

No. Lehigh 42, Shenandoah 23

Northern Lehigh 22 13 0 7 - 42

Shenandoah Valley 7 7 2 7 - 23

NL - Smoyer 23 run (Frame pass from Smoyer)

SV - Sinkus 80 pass from Bench (Mentusky kick)

NL - Smoyer 66 run (Hanna kick)

NL - Frame 60 run (Hanna kick)

SV - Elchisak 7 run (Mentusky kick)

NL - Gall 20 pass interception return (Hanna kick)

NL - Frame 48 run (Hanna kick)

SV - Nunez safety tackle Smoyer in end zone

NL - Frame 11 run (Hanna kick)

SV - Seiger 36 pass Bench (Mentusky kick)