With the start of each season comes a certain level of excitement and intrigue.

This fall is no different, with the much anticipated crossover between the Colonial League and Schuylkill League making its debut.

What was once a ‘What if?’ proposition will usher in a new era of football for both leagues.

“I believe the reality that this actually could be done, that schools were extremely interested in the possibility, and that we were able to secure some of the Schuylkill County schools that were not previously associated with the Schuylkill Football League were the things that got us over the hump,” said Northwestern Lehigh Athletic Director and Colonial League Football Chairperson Jason Zimmerman. “The work Kyle Spotts (Lehighton Athletic Director and Schuylkill League Football Committee Chairperson) did putting schedules together so we could see what it might look like on paper was huge.

“I still remember the night Kyle, Steve Toth (Schuylkill League President), Bryan Geist (Colonial League President), and I sat in my conference room and started to put it down on paper. We just felt in our gut we were on to something big that would benefit both leagues in so many ways.”

From that point on, Zimmerman said he was confident that things would work out and would benefit all the schools involved.

“It was extremely important for us to maintain our own identities yet come together in this joint scheduling initiative,” he said. “Subsequent meetings where we discussed division names, how we would award champions, etc. was just icing on the cake.”

The benefits

Formally announced in January 2019 after months of planning - and then delayed a year because of schedule adjustments caused by the coronavirus last fall - the new arrangement is an opportunity to rekindle old rivalries, and maybe establish some new ones.

“I think my colleagues will tell you I am always looking to keep things fresh among all leagues in District 11 while obviously making sure we do our part to keep the Colonial League running top notch programs for the student-athletes we serve,” said Zimmerman. “I am not sure I can put a date on it, but between guys like Kyle Spotts, Bryan Geist, Steve Toth, Josh Snyder (Northwestern head coach), Joe Tout (Northern Lehigh head coach), and Wally Hall (North Schuylkill head coach), we have flirted with the idea for the last decade. Football coaches are great to work with. Seldom times do they bring any concerns to the table and when they do they always want to become part of the solution.”

Zimmerman said those concerns will be helped or even alleviated by the new setup.

“Over the years, you get to talk to a lot of awesome coaches and you hear their thoughts,” Zimmerman said. “Things such as, ‘we are a smaller school and playing some of these big schools really isn’t doing any of us any good’ ... or ‘if we stay locked into our traditional league schedules, when we come to the District 11 and state playoffs, we simply don’t get to see different brands of football and we get exposed in the playoffs’ ... or ‘we are bordering school districts and don’t get the chance to compete against each other and give our communities a neat rivalry game to take in.’

“Thoughts and ideas of that nature you store in your mind and you try and figure out how we can solve some of these things, especially because they make so much sense.

“In the end, it was less about fixing something that was broken, and more about taking something that was good and making it better.”

Schedules

Lehighton’s new schedule won’t feature the likes of Marian or Panther Valley this season. But the Tribe will add Palmerton in Week 1, Northwestern in the fourth week of the season, and still close out the season against Jim Thorpe.

“I think it’s even more anticipated this year,” said Spotts. “A lot of people had the matchups circled last year, and this year it’s going to happen.”

While Marian opens with back-to-back Schuylkill League opponents in Schuylkill Haven and Minersville, the Colts will travel to Catasauqua before hosting Palmerton the next two weeks as part of the new crossover.

“It’s intriguing, playing Catasauqua and Palmerton,” said Marian head coach Stan Dakosty recently. “We have a history of scrimmaging Catasauqua, and back when I first started coaching we played Palmerton. We certainly like the new schedule ... playing more schools our size.

“Nothing is perfect, however. We certainly would like to keep our local rivals. This year we don’t have Mahanoy Area. Next year, if the schedule stays true, Panther Valley is not on our schedule - and that’s one of the great rivalries in Coal Region sports. So hopefully that’s going to change. But overall, the ability to play against other teams we haven’t played before or played in a long, it’s almost like an intersectional game in college, going to a different area - and that’s exciting”

Speaking of Panther Valley, the Panthers open with Northern Lehigh, while Tamaqua hosts Northwestern in Week 1.

For Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout, it will be a chance to play his alma mater to open the season.

“We’re excited to play some teams we’ve never played before, play some venues we’ve never been before,” he said. “Playing at Panther Valley, playing at Tamaqua this year, North Schuylkill, it’s a decade since we’ve been there. So from that end, I think there’s going to be some excitement. And for the fans as well.”

Delayed ... not derailed

While the contests didn’t take place as planned last year, the wait gave both leagues perspective as they worked through difficult circumstances.

“COVID sure did take the buzz and excitement out of a lot of things last year, including the new schedule, but we were delayed a year, so be it,” said Zimmerman. “More importantly, last year gave us a snapshot of just how well both leagues will work together. Both leagues were wrestling with revamping schedules based on reduced number of weeks, playing within their region, etc.

“It literally was a five minute conference call whereas much as we all wanted this new endeavor to start, we had bigger fish to fry in just getting our kids opportunities to play. Why force a square peg into a round hole. Ultimately, we agreed that our best approach was to delay and let each league navigate the COVID season independently.

“I think we would all make the same decision over again if forced. There were no hard feelings and even better, we leaned on each other to look at our proposed revamped schedules to make sure they were the best they could be under the circumstances. It was nice to have another set of eyes on it.”

New era

The curtain is ready to be lifted. And it’s time to unveil a new age in high school football.

“In our area in particular, a high school football game is an event in itself,” said Spotts. “With the band, cheerleaders, and all of those pieces ... what happened last year, nobody was really prepared for, but I think we made the best of it. So to look at the opportunity to get back to some normalcy with that is very exciting.

“When you add the merger of the two leagues that just increases the excitement. I know our opening matchup with Palmerton is already getting pretty hyped up between the two communities because it’s been a while. I know we played in some contingency games, but this is different. It’s a different feel being in Week 1. Everybody is excited.”

Spotts said the excitement has continued to grow as the countdown to opening night draws near.

“It’s exciting. It’s an event, and the hope to get back to where we were,” he said. “The kids deserve to have that as an opportunity.”

Zimmerman said he senses the same excitement around the Northwestern program.

“The feedback from our community is one where you are starting to hear a lot of buzz,” Zimmerman said. “More so, you can see the buzz on the practice field. I had the opportunity to hear one of coach Snyder’s speeches after a morning session and he talked to his players about new opponents, new venues, and how electric that is going to be.

“I do believe everyone is ready to put COVID behind us and are cautiously optimistic that our stadiums will soon be back to normal.”