While the Colonial-Schuylkill football alliance is new, Northwestern Lehigh and Pottsville have a history together. Back in the days when Bob Mitchell coached the Tigers and into the first couple seasons under Josh Snyder’s tenure, the two teams scrimmaged each other often.

In 2006, Pottsville downed the Tigers 13-6 in the District 11 Class 3A championship game after Northwestern knocked off top-seeded Bethlehem Catholic in the semifinals. Last season, the teams were on course to meet in the district semis, but Wilson beat the Crimson Tide a round earlier to end their run and Northwestern went on to the championship game after the Warriors had to forfeit the game because of COVID.

Another connection? The two coaches, Northwestern Lehigh’s Josh Snyder and Pottsville’s Tom McGeoy played college ball together at Lehigh when Snyder was a senior. Now, the two teams are reunited by the new alliance and set for a showdown Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

“We’re not completely unfamiliar with their program. We had a near miss with them last season and lost to them in the district championship game a few years back,” said Snyder of this week’s opponent. “They’re obviously a good team and they’re a lot like us in that they can put a lot of points on the board, and they have a defense that is tough to move the ball against. They also have the ability to pile up points quickly.”

The Tide are led by seniors at their skill positions and in many other spots on the field. Travontai Davis averages 108 yards rushing per game and leads the team with 889 all-purpose yards. Davis is also tough to contain on special teams, with 216 kickoff return yards on the season, giving him a total of just under 150 yards per game between rushing, kick returns and pulling in the occasional pass from fellow senior Jazce Carabello-Snowell.

Carabello-snowell averages 125.5 yards passing per game and another 63 yards on the ground. His favorite targets are seniors Raeff Dicello and Amari Dunn. Dicello pulls in an average of 50 yards per game, while Dunn is a playmaker who averages just under 20 yards per catch and often dodges tacklers and moves through the secondary.

“They’re probably the most balanced and well-rounded offensive team that we’ve faced,” said Snyder. “Their quarterback can scamper around a little and they’ve got a ground game and receivers who can all make plays. We must play a good all-around game and stop what they do best, which is run the ball.”

Odds are that this is going to be a full-blown shootout between two big offenses, and it may come down to a few key stops by the defense to win this game.

The good news for Northwestern is that sophomore back Dalton Clymer showed that he is recovered from an early season injury and at 100-percent. Clymer gives the Tigers another option on the ground and returns their anchor to the linebacking corps, which could play a big role against Pottsville.

While both teams are undefeated in their division, the game also has implications for districts. Currently, Northwestern Lehigh holds the top spot in the class 4A district standings with a perfect 7-0 record with Pottsville just behind them at 6-1.

“Their only loss came against Wyomissing and they’re tearing up District 3, so there’s no shame in losing to a team like that,” added Snyder. “It’s possible that we’ll be seeing each other down the road again and maybe makeup for some of those times that we just missed them.”