Last season, Southern Lehigh and Northwestern were two of the three teams that shared the Colonial League Championship, giving the Spartans back-to-back titles. This season, Southern Lehigh is looking to make it three in a row and they’re in good shape to do just that at 5-1.

Following close on their heels, the Tigers stand at 4-2 and are still hoping to get into the final mix of teams at the top, although they’ll need some help to accomplish that.

For now, Northwestern is continuing with its usual approach, not paying attention to what other teams do or exactly what kind of help the Tigers need. Instead, they focus on their game and just what they can control.

“We’ve always approached it that way,” said head coach Josh Snyder. “We focus on us and don’t get caught up in what other teams do or what else is happening. If we do what we need to do, that’s all you can ask.”

For the second week in a row, Northwestern will be facing a team that likes to move the ball through the air. Blake Levengood had to wait his turn behind Travis Edmonds to quarterback the Spartans and he’s making the most of the opportunity. Levengood, a senior, has thrown for almost 1,400 yards this season and has connected for 16 touchdowns. As with Edmonds, the favorite receiver is Ethan Price, who has caught nine of Levengood’s touchdown tosses and has over 50 percent of the receiving yards for the team.

Levengood also leads the team in rushing attempts, but is second on the team in yards, behind Tim Walter, who has rushed for 292 yards on the year.

“Their quarterback probably could have started for some other teams the past couple years, but he was kind of blocked there, so he had to wait his turn. He has a strong arm and a good group of receivers, so we’ll have to look to slow down the passing game,” said Snyder. “It’s a challenge, but it’s not something that we can handle if we play our type of game.”

Meanwhile, Northwestern’s senior quarterback, Dylan Snyder, is bouncing back from a sore shoulder.

He felt well enough last week against Salisbury that he pleaded his case with his coach to allow him to open up the offense a little more after the Tigers looked to limit Snyder’s throwing because of the sore shoulder. The result was 153 yar

ds passing, the second highest total of the season for Snyder.

Senior linebacker Dylan Niedbalski leads the Spartans with 29 solo tackles and is going to provide some challenges for Northwestern. Niedbalski is one of those players who tends to have a nose for the ball and puts himself in position to make plays.

Northwestern and Southern Lehigh rank one and two, respectively in the Colonial League in pass defense, so the ground game could be a key, which plays right into the Tigers strength. Harry Hall, who last week became the school’s all-time leading rusher when he galloped for 191 yards against Salisbury, is two touchdowns shy of the school record.

While Hall will look to run wild, the Spartans run defense isn’t too shabby, ranking fourth in the league.

Southern Lehigh scores an average of 39.5 points per game, while allowing an average of just 13.7 points per game.

Meanwhile, the Tigers average 31 points per game and allow just 14.2 on the season. The game could come down to one or two big plays that will tip the scales to one side or the other.