Legendary.

Northwestern’s football team included 12 seniors this season, and its accomplishments will forever be layered into the halls of Northwestern High School, Tiger Stadium and Chapman field, as these young men wrapped up their high school careers on Saturday.

Colin Macaulay, Shane Hulmes, Kemurry Morgan, Braxton Lakatosh, Mason Bollinger, Shane Leh, Ethan Steigerwalt, Evan Wagstaff, Michael Boring, Colton Popp, Braidon Berk and Craig Snyder, will go down as the winningest class in Northwestern football history.

They posted 31 consecutive wins, a four-year record of 57-5, four straight District 11 championships, three state championship appearances and a state title in 2024. It’s a run that is unrivaled throughout not only the Times News area, but also District 11.

“This senior class, they helped take our program to new heights,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder. “Elevated us to a totally different level. They’re not only good football players, but they’re a great group of young men. They will always be near and dear to me in my heart forever. Their legacy has been set from what they have been able to accomplish.”

Numerous senior players for the Tigers will also go down in the record books in several statistical categories.

Starting with Shane Leh, the signal caller has been the starter at quarterback for the past three seasons, compiling a record of 46-2. Leh finished the season with 2,655 yards with 31 touchdowns and three interceptions, breaking Deven Bollinger’s single-season passing yards school record. For his career, Leh has thrown for 5,971 yards and 78 touchdowns.

“It means the world to me to have been able to strap it up and play with all these guys for the last four seasons,” said Leh. “We’ve been able to accomplish some special things together, and we were a part of a special era of Northwestern football.”

Senior Mason Bollinger also cemented himself into the record books at Northwestern in the receiving department. Bollinger, who has been a Swiss Army knife type athlete for the Tigers, broke the all-time receptions record, as well as the all-time receiving yards record this season. On the season, Bollinger hauled in 44 balls for 602 yards and five touchdowns. For his career, he has a total of 118 receptions for 1,778 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns.

“I’ve been playing with a lot of these guys since NYA. From start to finish, it’s been great playing with all these guys,” said Bollinger. “It’s like a big family. We built a great bond with the community and with our coaches. It was a historical run. And hopefully the guys coming back next season can have another great year.”

Linebacker Shane Hulmes has started at middle linebacker for the Tigers in all three of their state championship game appearances, and has been one of their key leaders on the defensive side of the ball. Hulmes holds Northwestern’s all-time tackles mark with 413. On the season, Hulmes recorded 148 tackles — 17 for loss and eight sacks. For his career, Hulmes tallied 45.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks.

Hulmes was not only a heat-seeking missile on the defensive end, he was also an asset on offense, as he collected 838 total yards and 25 total touchdowns in his career as a short yardage running back and tight end in the passing game.

“This group of seniors means everything to me. One of our mottos is homegrown, and that’s what we are. I’ve been playing football with my best friends for my whole life,” said Hulmes. “Northwestern is a special program. I didn’t ever expect us to make three state championships, but it’s something I will always look back on when I’m older and I’ll cherish it and I’ll be grateful for it. And we put the time in. I don’t think we’ve ever been the biggest or the fastest team, but it shows in our preparation. We dedicate ourselves in the offseason in the weight room, and we play together and we play for each other and we play hard.”

Senior running back Braxton Lakatosh burst onto the scene this season after waiting his turn, playing behind some the best to ever carry the rock for the Tigers in Eli Zimmerman and Dalton Clymer. Lakatosh certainly made the most of his opportunity this season, rushing for 1,328 yards at 10.1 yards per carry and 16 rushing scores.

Lakatosh was also just as productive on the defensive side from his linebacker position, as he finished second on the team with 110 total tackles, and also came through with 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three interceptions.

Ethan Steigerwalt, Evan Wagstaff and Michael Boring were also exceptional for the Tigers on defense. Wagstaff led the trio with 87 tackles, Boring tallied 71 and Steigerwalt had 67. All three were also good at getting after the quarterback and getting push into the opponents’ backfield. Steigerwalt had six sacks and nine tackles for loss, Wagstaff had five sacks and 10 tackles for loss and Boring had 4.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Kemurry Morgan was also important on the defensive end for Northwestern, locking down one of the starting cornerback spots this season, collecting 45 tackles and coming up with an interception in the state championship game.

And last, but not least, Colton Popp and Braidon Berk were both staples this season in the trenches along the offensive line for the Tigers. Popp was the lone returning offensive line starter from the 2024 season, and Berk turned some heads as a starter up front.

These 12 seniors laid a foundation for future Tigers’ players for years to come.

They set the standard, and again helped put together a historic run that may never be duplicated.