Northwestern has proven throughout the season it can win in many different ways. The Tigers can lean on their run game, swing momentum on special teams, create turnovers on defense or manufacture explosive plays in the passing game, just to name a few. On Friday in the first round of the PIAA 3A state tournament, Northwestern did a little bit of everything – and did it quickly, scoring 28 points in the second quarter to defeat the Eagles 49-7 to advance to the state quarterfinals.

It took a quarter for Northwestern to settle in as it led 7-0 after the first. Eli Zimmerman would get the Tigers on the board with an 18-yard rushing score at the 4:39 mark.

Conwell-Egan would answer, putting together its best drive of the night to even the score at 7-7. The Eagles went 70 yards in 10 plays with talented running back Monty Zoryea shouldering most of the workload and capping off the drive with a nine-yard score on the first play of the second quarter.

However, like they have many times throughout the season, the Tigers would kick their performance into high gear. A strong kickoff return from Zimmerman would give the Tigers the ball at the Conwell-Egan 46-yard line. Eight plays later, Shane Hulmes would find the end zone from seven yards out to make it a 14-7 Tigers’ lead with 8:20 to play in the half.

A 21-yard hookup from quarterback Shane Leh to Hulmes would setup the eventual score. Leh rolled left on the play and made a nice throw to Hulmes who sat down and found an opening.

“We have been pretty good in the second quarter all season long with our point differential and we were able to do that again tonight,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder. “After their first score, our defense and our defensive coaches were able to settle in. We were changing some guys in and out and mixing up our personnel, and we got into a rhythm where we were able to call what we wanted to call. And our guys made a bunch of plays.

“And then once we started to build our lead, they started to throw the ball. We covered well, we tackled well and we got pressure on the quarterback. We started to win on first down and it kind of turned into a tough night for them.”

The Tigers’ defense didn’t just settled in, they dug in, forcing the Eagles to punt on consecutive possessions, with Hulmes coming through with two sacks during that span. The Northwestern offense would then take advantage, scoring back-to-back touchdowns off the forced punts to lead 28-7 with 1:36 left to go in the half.

An eight-play, 88-yard drive that featured 54 rushing yards from Zimmerman was finished off by a nine-yard touchdown run from Hulmes. That score was followed by a quick two-play, 64-yard drive that again featured big plays by Zimmerman – a 31-yard run and a short pass from Leh that turned into a 33-yard score – firmly putting the Tigers in control.

Trailing by 21, Conwell-Egan would then mishandle Northwestern’s kickoff at the 1:36 mark, and the Tigers’ Fritz Scheirer would recover the fumble, giving the ball back to Northwestern at the Eagles’ 16-yard line. It would take the Tigers just one play to cash in on a pitch and catch from Leh to Landen Matson to make it a 35-7 game at the break.

Northwestern scored 21 points in a span of about a minute and a half.

“I think we responded really well. They came out and they punched us in the mouth a little bit, but we responded, and we were able to score a bunch of points there right before the half,” said Hulmes. “It was also big to get some pressure on them in the second quarter. We knew what they were going to do protection wise, which was slide protect to the running back side, and that left me one-on-one with the running back, and I was able to take advantage of that and get a few sacks.”

The Northwestern defense continued to dominate in the third quarter, forcing a turnover on downs and two turnovers – a forced fumble and recovery, and an interception by Seth Kern – with Kern’s interception setting up a 32-yard Zimmerman rushing score to make it 42-7, putting the game into the mercy rule.

The Tigers would tack on another score in the fourth off a Kern 25-yard rushing score, and their defense would force two more interceptions from Brendan Miller and Braxton Lakatosh.

“We were able to capitalize on deferring to the second half. We take pride in trying to score right before the half and then also being the first team to come out and score in the third and we were able to do that, and then plus we got the extra one before the half off the turnover,” said Snyder. “Again, our kids made big plays. Overall, this was one of the better games that we played in all three phases this season, and we were able to come together and come up with a huge win.”

MAJOR MILESTONE… Eli Zimmerman once again put together a big night in the run game, rushing for 223 yards at 13.1 yards per carry, scoring two rushing touchdowns. He has now surpassed the 2,000-yard rushing mark on the season. After Friday night, he has tallied 2,063 rushing yards and 23 rushing scores.

DOMINANT DEFENSE… Northwestern held the Eagles to under 100 yards of offense and forced five turnovers.

NEXT UP… The Tigers will face off with District 2 3A champion Scranton Prep at a time and place to be determined next week.

Northwestern 49, Conwell-Egan 7

Northwestern 7 28 7 7 - 49

Conwell-Egan 0 7 0 0 - 7

NW - E. Zimmerman 18 run (Wambold kick)

CE - Zoryea 9 run (Austerberry kick)

NW - Hulmes 7 run (Wambold kick)

NW - Hulmes 9 run (Wambold kick)

NW - E. Zimmerman 33 pass from Leh (Wambold kick)

NW - Matson 16 pass from Leh ( Wambold kick)

NW - E. Zimmerman 32 run (Wambold kick)

NW - Kern 25 run (Wambold kick)