Northwestern Lehigh was teeming with passion prior to the call of a single play or block in Saturday’s PIAA 3A state championship game.
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Already, there was the pressure of a championship match. The team’s loss in the same location a year prior weighed heavily on Belle Vernon.
The burden of Tucker Wessner, a former teammate and friend who passed away this past summer from injuries he suffered after falling off a moving truck, was more than anything else.
In order to earn the program’s first state title, the squad made sure to carry that weight all the way to the end, defeating Avonworth 36-33 in overtime.
Josh Snyder, the head coach of Northwestern Lehigh, remarked, “There were heavy hearts in the locker room before the game.” The mere thought of him moved me to tears of emotion. I firmly believed that he was with us, as was the case with my faith in the squad and other similar things.
I explained to the children that everything in life happens for a purpose. I think that’s true. I don’t know why that child experienced that, but I do know that he has been with us throughout the season and that he was present with us today.
Wessner, a defensive end and guard in the Class of 2026, recorded a sack for the Tigers, who finished second in the state, the previous season. While attending Lehigh Career and Technical Institute to study precision machining, Wessner was also a boy scout.
Eli Zimmerman, a senior at Northwestern Lehigh who scored the game-winning touchdown, stated, “We had a tragedy in the summer.” He was undoubtedly the focus of this season. He has been with us throughout the season. And it’s simply amazing that he and his family were able to complete it today.
This summer, we needed to come together. He was sneering at us, especially during this game, and the entire season has been on our shoulders.
Following the victory, Snyder mentioned a few additional links that gave him greater resonance. After a fight with ALS in 2019, his brother Brett Snyder, a standout student at Northwestern Lehigh, died at age 41.
Wessner wore number 53, and his brother Brett wore number 35.
I know they’re up there, cheering for the black and gold, with big smiles on their faces, but sometimes things just fall into place for no apparent reason. Snyder stated.
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