H.S. FOOTBALL:: Tamaqua looks to upset Notre Dame Green Pond in District XI semifinals

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Last week, the Tamaqua Blue Raiders won their first District XI playoff game since 2019 when they defeated the Saucon Valley Panthers 22-15 behind 179 rushing yards and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Terrence McDowell Jr.

Now, the Blue Raiders will have an even more difficult task this Friday night when they travel to Lafayette College in Easton to take on the Notre Dame Green Pond Crusaders.

Notre Dame Green Pond, the No. 1 seed in the District XI 3A playoffs, enters the semifinals with a perfect 11-0 record and cruised to victory last week with a 56-6 win over the Salisbury Township Falcons.

The Crusaders have been one of the state’s most complete teams this year, outscoring opponents on average 47.1 – 8.3. In their 11 wins, the Crusaders have won 10 games by 12 or more points and seven games by 42 points or more, including each of their last three games in which they’ve won by 56, 56, and 50 points.

A balanced offense, the Crusaders have shown the ability to be dominant both through the air and on the ground.

Senior quarterback Matt Bodnar has completed 157 of 233 passing attempts this season for 2,556 yards and 35 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions in the process.

Two Notre Dame wide receivers have totaled over 600 receiving yards, with junior Jonathan Striba leading the team with 41 receptions for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Drew Boyd is second on the team with 31 receptions for 638 yards and seven scores of his own. Tamaqua will also have to be aware of senior Alex Clark, who has 23 receptions for 447 yards and nine touchdowns.

On the ground, the Crusaders have a multitude of ballcarriers, with five players totaling 20 carries or more this season. Jonathan Triba’s 50 carries lead the team; he’s averaged 6.2 yards per carry to total 310 yards and six total touchdowns. Aaron Gordon has 48 carries of his own for 335 yards and five touchdowns, while senior Faustie Capobianco and sophomore Tommy Murphy have both also totaled over 300 rushing yards this season.

Defensively, it’s a full team effort for Notre Dame with nine players totaling over 30 tackles this season. Capobianco leads the Crusaders with 76 total tackles and 11.0 tackles for loss. Kalet Wilson is second on the team with 72 tackles and eight tackles for loss, while Garrett Grants has totaled 67 tackles and 15.0 tackles for loss.

Tamaqua enters Friday night’s semifinal matchup with a 4-7 overall record this season, which included a 2-6 record in Schuylkill League play.

Before their 22-15 win over Saucon Valley, the Blue Raiders had lost four straight games to Southern Lehigh, Lehighton, Northwestern Lehigh, and Blue Mountain. It was a tough end to the regular season for Tamaqua, which won three of four games in the middle of its season before its four-game losing streak.

The Blue Raider offense runs through tailback Terrence McDowell Jr. The sophomore this season has totaled 1,577 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 283 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 143.4 yards per game.

Senior Malachi Stewart will get his fair share of touches as well, with 88 carries in 10 games this season for 396 yards and five touchdowns.

Quarterback Chase Serfass this season has completed 59-of-121 passing attempts for 652 yards and four touchdowns. The Blue Raiders’ top receiving targets this season have been senior Brady McCabe with 20 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns, as well as sophomore Ace Schickram, who has 24 receptions for 2476 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Defensively, a trio of seniors leads Tamaqua defensively in Luke Fronheiser, Brady McCabe, and Shawn Chen.

Fronheiser leads the Blue Raiders with 78 tackles and 15 tackles for loss this fall, while McCabe has contributed 73 tackles and 11.0 tackles for loss. Shawn Chen is the third and final Blue Raider with 50 or more tackles this season, with 63 in 11 games and 5.0 tackles for loss.

Junior Teegan Phillips has also been a disruptive force with 37 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.

Friday night’s winner between Notre Dame Green Pond and Tamaqua will face the winner of No. 2 Northwestern Lehigh and No. 3 North Schuylkill next weekend in the District XI Class 3A championship game.

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