The 53rd contest of the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Classic churned out another nail-biter last week, as the Gold team took home a 21-20 victory at Nazareth’s Andy Leh Stadium.

It was the second straight year the Gold team, made up of players from Northampton County, Phillipsburg and Palisades, was able to pull out the win by identical score over their Lehigh, Carbon and Monroe counterparts.

The Gold squad made the biggest play of the second half to preserve their lead by stopping Dieruff’s Mekhi Ashby on a two-point conversion run with 7:10 left in the game to keep their lead.

The Gold team led 21-7 at halftime thanks to a pair of touchdown throws by Pen Argyl’s Brady Rissmiller and another by Notre Dame Green-Pond’s Danny Darno.

Northampton’s Tristen Pinnock hauled in the first score of the night for the Gold, scoring from 34-yards out before the Red team answered with a 20-yard TD strike from a pair of Execute Charter teammates, as Kris Cruz connected with his wide receiver Damon Young for the score.

Darno then threw a 47-yard score to Easton’s Jordan Alston to open the second quarter and the Gold got another big play when Rissmiller hooked up with Notre Dame’s Josh Ludlow on a 44-yard strike.

Northwestern’s Dalton Clymer started the comeback for the Red with a two-yard rushing score in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-14 before Parkland’s Luke Spang pulled the game within a point with a seven-yard TD gallop midway through the fourth before the ultimate failed two-point conversion.

The Red team had one more possession to close out the game, but couldn’t get to striking distance, locking up the Gold team’s third win in a row in the series and sixth out of the last eighth games.