Friday night's season-opening game was not the game fans were hoping for (Northern Lehigh defeated the Spartans, 21-7), but that did not deter Spartan-loyal fans from packing the stands to near capacity. The fans were eager to see what Coach John Toman had up his sleeve for the Spartan team. The Spartan squad has only one returning starter from last season.
Unfortunately for hopeful fans, the game went "north" for the Spartans as Northern Lehigh quickly scored a touchdown in the opening minutes of the game, stunning the young Spartan team. The team continued to struggle for the first half, with the strong Northern Lehigh defense breaking through the Southern Lehigh lines to harass SoLeHi quarterback Tyler Edmond.
Down 21-0, the Spartans rallied in the second half, with Edmond settling into a groove, finding receiver Jared Gerhard with a 45-yard pass. The team then recovered a Northern Lehigh fumble to regain the ball, but could not keep the advantage, fumbling the ball and returning it back to Northern Lehigh. But the team showed that with a little more experience under its belt, it could be Colonial League contenders.
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The Spartans were not the only Colonial League South team to feel the sting of defeat. Every South division team lost its opening game to a North division rival.
The Spartans travel to Palmerton on Friday to take on North division Palmerton.