Northwestern senior Dalton Clymer’s message to his teammates last week at halftime with the Tigers trailing 17-7 in the PIAA 3A semifinals was a strong one – “there’s no way this is the last time we’re taking off our Tigers’ gear.”

The message from Clymer was clear; Northwestern was going to come back and win the game and advance to the state championship. And when the clock on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter hit all zeros last Friday night, that’s exactly what the Tigers (15-0) had done.

The Tigers will now go after the first PIAA football championship in school history when they face Belle Vernon on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.

Clymer is one of just five seniors on the roster, along with Devon Hildebrand, Blaine Snyder, Ben Walters and Daniel Jenkins. The Tigers’ version of the “Fab Five” have all had a significant impact not only off the field, but also with their leadership as well.

• Clymer has rushed for 1,803 and 31 touchdowns, and also leads the team in tackles from his linebacker position with 128.

• Walters has anchored both the offensive line and defensive line for the past three seasons (80 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss).

• Hildebrand leads the Tigers in receiving, as he’s hauled in 47 catches for 629 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also collected 62 tackles and four interceptions on defense.

• Snyder has been a tackling machine ever since he stepped onto the field for Northwestern and was once again this season, collecting 122 tackles from his linebacker spot.

• Jenkins has been a force at cornerback for what has been a shutdown Tigers’ secondary unit. He has collected 39 tackles, four interceptions and nine pass break-ups.

“Going into the half last week, we didn’t feel good about the way we played. Still, the game was not out of our reach,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder. “We knew we had to go out there and lay it all on the line.

“When Dalton stood up and said that, basically that ‘we’re not going to go out like this;’ coming from one of the most respected guys on the team, you could see everyone standing at attention.

“We knew we were in for the fight of our lives, and we just kept fighting and we kept swinging. I can’t say enough about those guys - especially those five seniors. Not only are they all really good, but they’re everything you want in a teammate and in a leader.”

Forcing turnovers

Throughout Northwestern’s historic season, there have been many momentum swings in games that have allowed the Tigers to come away with victories - especially in their big games against teams like Southern Lehigh, Palmerton, Notre Dame Green Pond and throughout the state tournament.

Those shifts in momentum can usually be attributed to two things which Northwestern has been elite at this season – protecting the ball and creating turnovers.

“In all of our big wins, you can pinpoint a possession or a play that has changed momentum, and in most cases, it was a turnover that we were able to come up. That’s what we were able to do in the second half last week,” said Snyder. “Eli (Zimmerman) was able to come up with another big interception for us - his 10th of the season.

“That helped us get back to playing Tiger football in that second half and the momentum shifted really fast - our fans started roaring and we really came alive.”

The Tigers forced two interceptions last week against Wyomissing, and didn’t commit a turnover on offense, which helped them outscore the Spartans 26-7 in the second half. On the season, Northwestern has forced 40 turnovers, and is an impressive (+25) in turnover differential.

“When you protect the ball, and take away the ball like we have this season, it really puts you in a position where you can always be in attack mode. You can take chances on fourth downs, and you can put teams in uncomfortable situations consistently,” said Snyder. “That’s another thing we were able to do last week against Wyomissing. I don’t think they ever got comfortable. They threw the ball 17 times - which was a season-high for them - and that was a big reason for our success in the second half as well.”

Championship matchup

Next up for Northwestern will be the 3A state championship game, where it will take on last season’s 3A state champ in Belle Vernon. The Leopards are this season’s District 7 3A champion out of the WPIAL from western Pennsylvania. Belle Vernon comes into the gold medal game with a 12-1 record.

The Tigers will once again go up against a high scoring offense (40.7 points per game), as Belle Vernon has showcased throughout the season it’s good both on the ground and through the air.

The Leopards rushing attack averages close to 267 yards on the ground, and is led by dynamic Penn State commit Quinton Martin, who leads the way for BV with 1,027 yards rushing at almost 10 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns. Martin also has 733 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns on the season. Kole Doppelheuer has also been good at running the football for the Leopards, rushing for 782 yards and 13 touchdowns at 13 yards per carry.

Northwestern faced off with a Wyomissing rushing attack last week that was averaging over 312 rushing yards per game, but the Tigers held the Spartans 120 yards below their season average. Northwestern is also allowing just 10.4 points per game this season.

“They have a lot of weapons,” said Snyder. “They have a big and strong quarterback, who gets the ball out quick. They like to throw screens and short passes, and get the ball out to their athletes in space. They have Martin - the Penn State recruit - who they like to line up in a number of different spots, so it’s hard to double him up.

“They like to spread you out and try to create mismatches. What we need to do is make them drive the football. We have been good up front all year, so we’re looking forward to the challenge. Obviously, we also need to limit the big plays and make tackles in space.”

Like most teams that advance to a state championship, Belle Vernon has been good on defense as well this season, as the Leopards are allowing just 9.4 points per game over the season - and just 7.5 points per game in the postseason.

“They don’t give up a lot of points. They’re similar to us in that they like to get you out of sync, and they like to make you feel uncomfortable,” said Snyder. “Just like last week, we need to stay the course and take what they give us.

“We obviously would like to get our offense going sooner rather than later in the game. Find what is working for us and keep hitting it, mix in some play-action and take some chances.”

Making history

In just 48 hours, the Tigers will take the field to potentially forever etch their names in the Pennsylvania high school gridiron history books. It has already been a historic and memorable season for the Northwestern Lehigh football program and community, but a state gold medal would take its 2023-24 story to fairytale levels.

“You know, we put everything we have into this. The coaches, the players and so many other people,” said Snyder. “This is one heck of a run, and a great thing for the program as well and all the past players and coaches who have helped lay the foundation

“We have all worked so hard to keep making progress year after year, and it’s great to be a part of a program that just does things the right way. These are moments we will all remember for the rest of our lives. We all know how tough it is to get to this game, and we’re looking forward to getting out there and competing for a state title.”