Twenty years later, the town of Slatington still fondly remembers its lone state medalist team in the sport of football.

In order to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic 2003 Northern Lehigh football team, the Slatington Historical Preservation Committee is proud to announce the publishing of We’ve Got the Bite & Bark.

This 50-page book chronicles the path the Bulldogs and head coach Jim Tkach took throughout the regular season to clinch their second consecutive Colonial League title, the second District 11 championship, and the first football state championship appearance in school history. Twenty years later, this squad still holds a number of school records.

Included in We’ve Got the Bite & Bark are box scores and game summaries from all 15 contests during the season; a pictorial history of the season; team and individual statistics; tournament brackets; and eight anecdotes. In addition short histories of football in Slatington during the Jim Tkach tenure, and also from 2004 through present will be included. Archives of local newspapers The Allentown Morning Call and The Lehighton Times News greatly helped in the research needed for this publication.

The softcover book, which is being published by Times News Publishing, will be available in August. Those interested in preordering a copy can send a check made payable to Slatington Historical Preservation Committee for $15 to 44 S. Walnut Street, Slatington, PA 18080. Those individuals who live out of the area and would like their book shipped to them could elect to do so with an added $5 cost. Once the publication is complete, follow-up contact will be made to inform interested individuals on how, where, and when to pick up their book, or when it will be shipped out for those out of the area.

A limited number of copies will be available for purchase at select Northern Lehigh home football games this fall.

Those individuals who would like additional information are encouraged to either message the committee on their Facebook page (Slatington Historical Preservation Committee), or call/email author Mike Hofmann Jr. at 610-306-0038 or mthofmannjr@gmail.com.

This book is the fourth in a series on Slatington sports history - following the successful publications Clad in Iron (2018), 10-0, Here We Go! (2019), and Beasts of the East (2021).