Nazareth Area High School football team wins first Lehigh Valley Conference title

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

A Queen CD lay next to the stereo and public address system in the press box prior to Friday night's Lehigh Valley Conference football game between Nazareth and Northampton.


It was only a matter of time before play was clicked and "We Are the Champions" blared through the speakers at Andrew Leh Stadium as fans, players and cheerleaders sang along.

Freshman running back Jordan Gray rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns and senior quarterback Dan Harding tossed for a pair of scores as the Blue Eagles beat the Konkrete Kids 49-13 and clinched the first LVC title in program history.

Cue the music.

"It means so much," senior receiver/linebacker Dan Shepherd said. "Our team is such a family and to celebrate with them on this field is the best feeling I'll ever have in my life."

"It's a great accomplishment for these kids," coach Rob Melosky said. "They've worked so hard and put so much time in this program and this is what they deserve."

With the win, the Blue Eagles (9-1 overall, 8-1 LVC) also clinched the top seed in the Districts 2-4-11 Class AAAA sub-regional playoffs, which begin next weekend.

While the playoff field won't be determined by the end of this weekend, one thing is for sure -- Nazareth will be at home throughout.

"It's great because we don't have to travel," Gray said. "I can't ask for anything else. It's the first time we're LVC champions, so it's a great feeling."

Gray, who came into the game at 909 yards rushing this season, eclipsed 1,000 on the first offensive play of the second half.

Nazareth, which led 35-0 at the break, began the opening drive on its 40-yard line. Gray, who had 89 yards and three TDs on 12 first-half attempts, exploded through the line for a 27-yard gain while etching his name in District 11 lore.

He is just the second freshman to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau, joining former NFL running back James Mungro of East Stroudsburg South who rushed for 1,233 yards and 17 TDs as a freshman in 1993.

"After the Whitehall game (250 yards) I looked it up and saw I was around 910," Gray said. "Coming into this game I knew I had to execute and get the line pumped to feed off of them.

"The line feeds off me and I feed off the line. We execute as a team."

After Northampton (2-8, 2-7) went three-and-out to open the game, Nazareth needed just four plays to stake a 7-0 lead. Adam Bridgeforth's punt return to the K-Kids' 26 eventually led to Gray's 15-yard score in which he went untouched up the middle.

Northampton fumbled its next possession and quarterback Pat Cook was picked off on the next drive by senior safety Kyle East. The latter turnover led to a 38-yard Gray touchdown on a counter to the left side, where again, he was untouched.

"You'll be hearing his name a lot," Melosky said. "He's got great vision and has the ability to hit the hole fast and avoid tackles. He does all the right things."

His teammates did all the right things on Friday, too.


View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | MICHAEL LORENazareth players celebrate after being presented with the Lehigh Valley Conference title for the first time in program history.
Ailing Northampton had a punt blocked and recovered by Nazareth junior safety Alex Tonnies in the end zone for a 21-0 lead with 8:49 left until halftime.

The K-Kids scored midway through the third quarter when senior wideout Zach Holubowski beat his defender and raced 68 yards for a touchdown.

Senior running back Kani Camacho's 2-yard TD run put Nazareth up 49-6 with six seconds left in the quarter. Northampton added a touchdown on Sheldon Reed's 5-yard run with 7:49 left.

Despite the season's success to this point, Shepherd knows the work isn't done.

"Being home is nice, but being first seed in the district tournament doesn't mean we have an easy road," he said. "In districts there are good teams throughout the whole tournament. We just have to play our game and luckily we're at home, so it helps us out."

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