There might be some irony in the fact that a team that battled all season long to get to the state playoffs was done in by a player with just that name when it got there.

St. Neumann Goretti and Shawn Battle ended Northwestern’s championship season last Saturday, 38-6 in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals. The District 11 champs had won five straight games before coming up against their toughest opponent of the season Saturday at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The Tigers won 11 games in 2022 and captured the program’s first district crown since 2014.

“I told the kids they made us proud,” said Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder. “I thanked them for getting us all to this point. Coming into the season there was uncertainty about how good of a football team we were going to be. It took us a couple regular season losses to figure it all out.

“We were really stingy. We played excellent defense all year long. We sustained drives on the ground. We rushed for a ton of yards and converted a lot of pass plays. Special teams were outstanding. I’m really proud of our coaches for all the time that they put in. The commitment was unwavering. Practices were a joy to go to each and every day. They got us to a Thanksgiving Day practice. We’ve been waiting for that for a long time.”

The Tigers were as stingy as they could be against a big, strong and fast Neumann Goretti team. The District 12 champs have at least two seniors heading to big-time Division I programs and four from their lower classes reportedly getting looks from top college programs.

Behind a huge offensive line, Battle churned out 123 yards on 23 carries and scored three rushing touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Saints’ defense seemed to bend but not break. The Tigers moved chains at least one on five of their six offensive possessions. They got the ball to the Saints’ 35-yard line or deeper on three drives but only one resulted in a score.

“We knew what we were up against,” said Snyder. “That being said, I thought we played pretty well. I don’t think the score was an indication of how the game played out. It sort of got away from us at the end.

“In the first half we moved the ball from the 20 to the 20 a good bit, then stalled a couple drives out. I thought we made them work for their scores. They converted on a couple fourth downs, and a couple of third-and-long distances. They really didn’t bust any huge touchdowns.”

The Tigers fought hard, limiting the Boston College-bound Battle from breaking more than one run over eight yards. They also moved the ball on the Saints, piling up 16 first downs and 168 rushing yards.

Battle carried the ball eight times on the Saints’ first drive, an 11-play march to pay dirt. He ran the ball on more than two-thirds of his team’s 33 rushing plays.

Neumann-Goretti scored on two of four first-half drives. The Tigers forced a turnover on downs after a three-and-out on another Saints possession, and the fourth ended with the halftime clock as they led 16-0 at the break.

Northwestern gained five first downs in the first half and didn’t have a three-and-out before intermission.

The Tigers took the second-half kick off and marched 70 yards to finally get on the scoreboard when Cade Christopher took a handoff from Dalton Clymer and ran 10 yards for the touchdown to make it 16-6 with 7:15 left in the third quarter.

The Saints responded with an 11-play drive that saw Battle carry the ball five times, including his four-yard touchdown scamper that gave his team a 24-6 lead with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

Neumann-Goretti’s defense forced a three-and-out before the Saints took over again and went 51 yards in eight plays as quarterback Mekhi Wharton hit Anthony Zungolo with a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 32-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Northwestern, which lost starting quarterback Christopher to an injury early in the fourth quarter, mounted another long drive late in the game. The Tigers moved the ball 56 yards in 14 plays and were four yards from the end zone when Battle picked off a pass and took it 103 yards for a touchdown with 2:49 left in the contest.

Battle is slated to play cornerback in college and he showed off his skills with the play that sealed the win.

“We’ve played some pretty good athletes, but none quite like that,” Snyder said of Battle.

The loss ends one of the best seasons in the history of the Northwestern Lehigh football program.

“I’m extremely proud of this group, proud of the effort,” said Snyder. “You have to play exceptionally well when you get to this round. We came down here into a hostile environment. I thought our kids handled themselves really well and we battled. I don’t think we were out-toughed or out-physicalled in any way.”

The Tigers battled in the state playoffs like they had all season.

“Extremely proud of these kids and particularly the seniors for all their hard work and effort over the years.,” said Snyder. “I’m just looking forward to celebrating this season when we get a chance to sit back and think about what we’ve done here this year.”