Friday night lights were back on across the Lehigh Valley, and beyond, as many local teams traveled for an opening week challenge outside the district. Here are a few quick recaps on the area’s top high school football games from Friday night:
Freedom 51, Downingtown West 20
Lashawn Johnson entered the season as one of the top running backs to watch and the senior, coming off a season-ending injury a year ago, didn’t disappoint in his return to the field. Johnson starred on the opening drive of the season, ripping off a pair of long runs before surging ahead for a one-yard score to cap the drive.
After Johnson’s second score of the night early in the second quarter, Michael Stofanak jumpstarted the passing attack with a 72-yard touchdown to Dayvan Moore. That wasn’t the only long-range connection between the two potential breakout stars.
With the lead down to 30-20 in the third quarter and the offense starting to stall a bit, Stofanak and Moore connected from 87 yards away this time to give the Patriots a second-half cushion.
Insurance touchdowns from Jahire Hughes and Amory Sangster stretched the advantage to 51-20 and capped a night where Freedom emerged as the most impressive team in the EPC with a 1-0 start against a formidable opponent.
Central Bucks West 36, Easton 7
With the departure of countless key players on both sides of the ball, Easton’s District 11 6A title defense was never going to come easy. The new-look Red Rovers opened up their season against Central Bucks West for the third consecutive year, but it was more reminiscent of the 21-12 loss two years ago than the 26-20 win that catalyzed a 13-game winning streak and a gold medal last year.
Liam Laphen got behind the defense for the season’s opening score, and Nick Miletto punched through a handful of Easton defenders to give the Bucks an early 15-0 lead. Easton’s debut signal-caller, Zahviay McGurn, opened the scoring for the visitors on a 16-yard touchdown pass to Amin Fideen.
It wasn’t enough to get coach Matt Senneca’s group back into the fight as Braylen Cape’s touchdown run just before the half and a second-half shutout by the Bucks delivered Easton its first regular season loss since its last trip to Doylestown in 2024. That loss sparked another double-digit winning streak that season, which is what Senneca will be hoping starts next week when the Red Rovers host Pennsbury at Cottingham Stadium.
Colonial League football: Confident Catasauqua rallies past Wilson
Neshaminy 20, Emmaus 13
It’s easy to forget the high expectations that Emmaus entered last season with. A 30-0 season-opening shutout loss put a damper on that momentum and led to a disappointing 4-7 season that ended with a quarterfinal loss to Easton in the district playoffs. Coach Harold Fairclough recapped that humbling night against the Indians by confessing he didn’t have his guys ready to play.
He had the opportunity to fix that mistake as he took his team to Langhorne to avenge that loss and kickstart something special in 2026. After the first half looked eerily similar offensively, Legend Vasquez started the second half with an incredible kickoff return that set his team up in Neshaminy territory. Anthony Attar paid off the big return with a tremendous run of his own, getting the Green Hornets on the board with a 13-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.
After a defensive stop and a clutch third-down conversion, Attar raced for the pylon and secured his second touchdown of the night to give Emmaus a 13-7 lead midway through the third. The momentum flipped as Tom Schoepfer took the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to reestablish Neshaminy’s lead.
Kevin Mullens hauled in an interception to end Emmaus’ final drive and while that sealed a season-opening loss once again, Fairclough’s group will feel much better about its effort against the Indians ahead of a showdown with Phillipsburg next week.
Notre Dame-Green Pond 48, Berks Catholic 14
The Colonial League has crowned a state champion each of the last two seasons. The Crusaders are 21-3 across those two seasons and feel like this is the year they can break through with a memorable season of their own.
That started with a resounding 48-14 win over Berks Catholic at Lafayette College on Friday night. Still without a home stadium, the Crusaders made themselves at home as their stars shined on the big stage in the season opener. Jonathan Striba took a swing pass 71 yards to the house within a minute of the season starting, Drew Boyd returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown – and took a screen for an even longer touchdown later on – and Aaron Gordon scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground.
Berks Catholic stayed close in the first half, keeping the deficit within seven, but Notre Dame solidified its status as a Colonial/Schuylkill League contender with an emphatic second half at Fisher Stadium. Coach Phil Stambaugh’s group will aim to carry that momentum into a trip against another league championship contender in North Schuylkill next Friday night.
Northwestern Lehigh 28, Valley View 16
The Tigers began their pursuit of a fourth consecutive state championship-game appearance on the road against District 2 Garnet Valley. It wasn’t an ideal start for Josh Snyder’s group who ended the first half tied at 14 on a pair of touchdown receptions by do-it-all standout Brady Zimmerman.
Mike Lagowy hauled in an unbelievable jump ball with 6:07 left in the third quarter to put the Tigers on top, but the PIAA 3A power couldn’t pull away. A goal-line stand saved five points for the Tigers as the fourth-down stop led to a safety and a 21-16 score in the final quarter.
Lagowy’s heroics weren’t done. The safety drifted to the sideline for an acrobatic interception with nine minutes remaining before a fourth-down conversion by Zimmerman prefaced his third touchdown of the night and a decisive blow to Valley View’s upset hopes.
Other notable local scores
– Southern Lehigh, the defending state champions, cruised past Quakertown in a 55-0 win that the Spartans hope will be the start of another incredible season in Center Valley. Colton Sams looked sharp under center, but a bigger challenge awaits in a matchup with Blue Mountain next Friday. The Eagles looked just as comfortable on opening night, defeating Jim Thorpe 48-0 in Week 1.
– Bethlehem Catholic held off Delaware Valley for a 21-20 victory that marked the fifth consecutive season-opening win for the Golden Hawks. The Holy War rivalry with Allentown Central Catholic continues next week with a pair of undefeated teams after the Vikings prevailed 10-3 against Abington Heights.
– Nazareth’s passing attack still looked strong with Cooper Madson officially taking over for Peyton Falzone, but the Blue Eagles couldn’t stop Garnet Valley in a 63-34 loss on opening night.
Derek Bast is a freelance reporter who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.
Pennsylvania high school football scores from Friday, Aug. 28