If only the amount of points Nazareth put up on the scoreboard reflected the temperature on Friday night. Anthony Harris and company put up a whopping 62 points in their District XI quarterfinal win against Pocono Mountain West. The Panthers were able to string together a few drives, but failed to compete with the top seeded Blue Eagles.
The first frigid game of the year did not seem to bother QB Anthony Harris as he threw for 16 completions, 221 yards, and five touchdowns. Catching 11 of those passes was top target Nate Stefanik who racked up 175 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Harris also found juniors Jaiden Cabrera and Joe Capobianco in the end zone before being subbed out by Matt Bugbee in the third quarter. Nazareth rushed for four more touchdowns, each by a different running back. Braden Mehlig rushed for a one yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Tyler Rohn, Alex Kwiatek, and Quintyn Attanasio each took one to the house in the third quarter.
The Blue Eagle defense did what they always do, as they forced three turnovers even without playmaker, Jack McKenna, who is sidelined because of injury. Senior linebacker Jake Levey picked off QB Lawson Bray, who had a 50% completion percentage, 190 yards and a touchdown. Nazareth poked the ball loose from the hands of the Panthers twice, one was recovered by Andrew Wells and the other by two-way threat Braden Mehlig.
The Blue Eagles will now take on Easton for the second time in three weeks. The Red Rovers narrowly escaped the EPC North Champions, the Northampton Konkrete Kids, by a score of 42-37. If Nazareth’s defense can keep RB Nahjee Adams contained while maintaining their offensive momentum, a chance to play for the coveted District XI 6A football championship is well within reach.
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