Northwestern Press

There were no medals for Northwestern after the PIAA Cross Country Championships. But there was plenty for the Tigers to be proud of.

Sophomore Madeline Consuelos placed 36th (20:24) and junior Molly Tarvin 62nd (20:51) in the Class 2A girls’ race, while juniors Robert Leiser took 48th (17:34) and Phillip Castrine 78th (17:53) in the AA boys’ race.

Competing at the state meet without a team for the first time since 2010, Consuelos and Tarvin left with extra motivation to return with a full squad next year.

Chris Stitzel knew it would happen at some point.

As the Northwestern cross country coach entered the 2016 campaign, he was well-aware that the 129-0 streak his girls carried into the season wouldn’t and couldn’t last forever.

“I know it’s going to end eventually, but we’re trying to enjoy it for as long as we can,” he said before the start of the season. “I don’t like to bring it up because I don’t want to put pressure on them. But they are aware of it.”

The streak, which started on Oct. 13, 2010, was halted at the hands of Southern Lehigh in September.

It’s hard to predict how a team will respond to a loss.

But if Northwestern’s District 11 Class 2A girls’ soccer quarterfinal against Lehighton is any indication, the Tigers will be just fine.

After falling to Southern Lehigh in penalty kicks in the Colonial League semifinals last week, Northwestern bounced back Tuesday with a 7-0 victory to move on to the semifinals.

The Tigers will face Salisbury, which earned an 8-0 quarterfinal win over Tamaqua, Thursday in the semis.

The Northwestern and Southern Lehigh girls’ soccer teams are no strangers to success.

The two programs have combined to win the last three Colonial League tournament titles, with the Spartans topping the Tigers for last year’s crown.

Back-to-back championships seemed unlikely for Southern Lehigh, which lost many of its top play makers from last season’s squad.

These Spartans might not be last year’s team. But Tuesday night, they proved they still know how to get the job done.

The Northwestern and Southern Lehigh girls’ soccer teams are no strangers to success.

The two programs have combined to win the last three Colonial League tournament titles, with the Spartans topping the Tigers for last year’s crown.

Back-to-back championships seemed unlikely for Southern Lehigh, which lost many of its top play makers from last season’s squad.

These Spartans might not be last year’s team. But Tuesday night, they proved they still know how to get the job done.

Losing isn’t something the Northwestern girls’ cross country team has been forced to deal with in recent years.

The Lady Tigers entered the 2016 season having won 129 consecutive dual meets in Colonial League competition, a run that started in 2010.

That streak was snapped on Sept. 13 by Southern Lehigh.

Northwestern suffered its second loss of the season Tuesday – again at the hands of the Lady Spartans.

While Southern Lehigh swept Tuesday’s Colonial League meet to move to 21-0, it was Northwestern sophomore Madeline Consuelos that won the race.

There might be some new faces on Northwestern’s roster.

But the Tigers still know how to win.

Northwestern put together a drive late in the fourth quarter and came up with a huge stop in the end zone to edge Palmerton 13-12 in their Colonial League season opener.

UNIVERSITY PARK – Saquon Barkley made a statement in his first season at Penn State, setting the program record for rushing yards by a true freshman on his way to being named a Freshman All-American.

Barkley enters the 2016 season as the clear leader in the Nittany Lions’ backfield and head coach James Franklin figures to feature the Whitehall High School product prominently — on offense and special teams – this fall.

“Embrace the target.”

It’s the motto manager Joe Maddon has for the 2016 World Series favorite Chicago Cubs. Maddon doesn’t want his team to ignore or deny all the talk of his team being favorites to win it all. He wants his players to relish the opportunity and welcome the pressure that comes with such expectations.

The same axiom holds true for this season’s Northwestern Lehigh squad.

It didn’t generate any runs.

It didn’t produce a hit.

But for Duran Porrino, it confirmed that his baseball team was ready to play.

The Northwestern Lehigh coach watched his squad produce seven solid innings – and starting pitcher Jake Augustus threw seven shutout innings – to claim a 6-0 win over Palmerton in a showdown of the top two teams in the Colonial League’s West Division.