Northwestern Lehigh is looking to exchange last year’s silver medal for a gold medal when the Tigers play Avonworth in the Pennsylvania 3A championship game. It all gets started at 1 p.m. at Cumberland Valley High School
Below is a preview from our friends at EasternPAFootball.com:
Class 3A Saturday 1 p.m. at Cumberland Valley HS
(D-7) Avonworth (12-3) vs. (D-11) Northwestern Lehigh (15-0)
Northwestern Lehigh reached the state finals for the first time in program history last year, having its perfect season scratched out by a 38-7 loss to Belle Vernon. Tigers’ senior tailback Eli Zimmerman knows the feeling of what it was like walking off that field last December and it is a feeling he does not want to relive. Over the last two years, no team playing in state championship week has had a better record than Northwestern Lehigh, which is 30-1 in that span. Prior to that, the Tigers lost to Neumann-Goretti, 38-6, in the 2022 state quarterfinals. Since then, it has been mirroring regular seasons of 15-0. Only this time, the Tigers, buoyed by Zimmerman, are looking to close this season with the first state football championship in school history. In fact, no Northwestern Lehigh fall team has lost. Both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams won their respective PIAA Class 2A state soccer championships with a combined 56-0 record. The Tigers are 15-0, bringing the school’s team record to 71-0, thanks to Zimmerman rushing for a single-game school record of 346 yards in the Tigers’ 31-14 state semifinal victory over previously undefeated District 4 champion Danville. This will be Avonworth’s second trip to the finals. The Antelopes’ first trip was not a pleasant one, steamrolled by Southern Columbia, 74-7, in the 2019 2A championship. Avonworth got here by beating District 6 champion Penn Cambria, 16-6, in the state semifinals. Avonworth brothers Luca and Nico Neal are problems are any defense. But can the Avonworth defense stop Zimmerman, who has rushed for 2,557 yards this season, which No. 25 in the nation?
| Team | Class | District | Record | Games Played (Playoffs) | Avg. Points Scored (Playoffs) | Avg. Points Allowed (Playoffs) | Avg. Points Scored (Season) | Avg. Points Allowed (Season) |
| Avonworth Antelopes | 3A | D7 | 12-3 | 5 | 26.6 | 12.0 | 28.8 | 19.6 |
| Northwestern Lehigh Tigers | 3A | D11 | 15-0 | 5 | 38.0 | 8.0 | 42.2 | 6.2 |
Avonworth Antelopes
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff | Result | Game Notes |
| 8/17 | New Castle (4A) | 10:00 am | Scrimmage | |
| 8/23 | @ Burrell (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 24-7 | |
| 8/30 | West Mifflin (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 28-22 | |
| 9/06 | Aliquippa (4A) | 7:00 pm | L 20-46 | |
| 9/13 | @ Thomas Jefferson (4A) | 7:00 pm | L 7-44 | |
| 9/20 | @ Hopewell* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 50-19 | |
| 9/27 | Central Valley* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 21-14 | |
| 10/04 | @ Quaker Valley* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 46-7 | |
| 10/11 | McGuffey* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 41-13 | Homecoming |
| 10/18 | North Catholic* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 48-28 | Senior Night |
| 10/25 | @ Beaver Area* (3A) | 7:00 pm | L 14-34 | |
| 11/01 | Greensburg-Salem (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 44-27 | WPIAL Class 3A 1st Round |
| 11/08 | @ Beaver Area (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 42-21 | Dist. 7 Class 3A Quarterfinal |
| 11/15 | @ Imani Christian Academy (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 14-6 | WPIAL Class 3A Semifinal @ West Allegheny |
| 11/23 | @ Central Valley (3A) | 5:00 pm | W 17-0 | WPIAL Class 3A Championship @ Acrisure Stadium |
| 11/29 | @ Penn Cambria (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 16-6 | PIAA Class 3A Semifinal @ Norwin HS |
Northwestern Lehigh Tigers
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff | Result | Game Notes |
| 8/17 | Pocono Mountain West (6A) | 9:00 am | Scrimmage | |
| 8/23 | Wilson Area (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 47-0 | |
| 8/29 | Northern Lehigh (2A) | 7:00 pm | W 56-7 | Mountain Road Rumble |
| 9/05 | @ Bangor* (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 55-7 | |
| 9/13 | @ Blue Mountain* (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 30-8 | |
| 9/20 | Lehighton* (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 42-7 | |
| 9/27 | @ North Schuylkill* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 49-7 | |
| 10/04 | Pottsville Area* (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 35-0 | |
| 10/11 | Jim Thorpe Area* (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 55-0 | |
| 10/18 | @ Tamaqua Area* (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 51-0 | |
| 10/25 | @ Southern Lehigh* (4A) | 7:00 pm | W 23-17 | |
| 11/01 | Saucon Valley (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 40-12 | Dist. 11 3A Semifinal |
| 11/08 | North Schuylkill (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 36-7 | Dist. 11 Class 3A Final @ Lehighton |
| 11/15 | Conwell-Egan Catholic (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 49-7 | PIAA Class 3A 1st Round |
| 11/23 | @ Scranton Prep (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 34-0 | PIAA Class 3A Quarterfinal @ Berwick HS |
| 11/29 | Danville (3A) | 7:00 pm | W 31-14 | PIAA Class 3A Semifinal @ Berwick HS |
