Northern Lehigh accumulated 367 yards and 6 touchdowns rushing Saturday afternoon while knocking Lackawanna Trail out of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A football playoffs with a 40-7 romp at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The District 2 champion Lions had a five-game winning streak and their season come to an end. Lackawanna Trail (8-5) also had its season ended by Northern Lehigh last year when both were Class 2A teams.
Lackawanna Trail’s young lineup had trouble with the District 11 champions up front.
Izaiah Ramos and quarterback Nick Frame each ran for more than 100 yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns for the Bulldogs (12-1).
Lackawanna Trail’s continued troubles with punt snaps led to the only score of the first quarter.
Northern Lehigh took over at the Lackawanna Trail 32 following the Lions’ first possession.
Ramos scored from the 3 with 2:06 left in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead.
After a 49-yard Ramos run on a reverse, Frame scored from the 10. A.J. Jimenez added the two-point conversion run for a 14-0 lead with 9:16 left in the half.
Lackawanna Trail cut the deficit in half just 18 seconds later.
Hunter Patterson ran straight ahead to cover 77 yards in a kickoff return and a dive off right guard.
Patterson returned the kickoff 22 yards to the 45.
Then, Alex Castellano made the block to create a seam up the middle and Patterson sprinted to a 55-yard touchdown.
Northern Lehigh took control with two touchdowns in the last 4:30 of the second quarter for a 28-7 halftime lead.
Ramos, who went over 100 yards in the first half and finished with 116 on just 12 carries, scored on a 2-yard run.
Bailey Smith’s interception then led to a 1-yard John Abidelli touchdown with 36 seconds left in the half.
Northern Lehigh’s defense took it from there.
The Bulldogs limited the Lions to 126 yards total offense in the game and just one first down in the second half.
Frame added a 37-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter and Jimenez scored from the 3 on a long drive that carried from the third quarter well into the fourth.
Northern Lehigh advances to play District 3 champion Steelton-Highspire (11-1), a 37-7 winner over Windber, in the state quarterfinals.
