East football faces biggest challenge yet in district title game vs Southern Lehigh
SWIFTWATER – For the second year in a row, Pocono Mountain East football is playing for a district championship. And for the second year in a row, the Cardinals are the underdog. East earned its way back to the title game by avenging the Bucket Game loss to Pleasant Valley in the 5A District 11 semifinal , but Dustin Thomas’ squad arguably has the toughest opponent of his entire tenure to date: Southern Lehigh, the reigning PIAA 4A state champion that moved up a classification this year. The Spartans are 11-0 after defeating East Stroudsburg South 42-10 in the other 5A semifinal. Many expect them to stay undefeated, but Thomas hopes that could serve as motivation for his players. “I’m not foolish. I know nobody thinks that we can go down there and beat them, but at the same time, if I'm a player on East, that's what's motivating me,” Thomas said. “The fact that you have a chance to put all that to rest and be the team that beats a state champ and win a district title, that would be what’s motivating me.” More: Greyson Fuller's 1,000-yard season is only a first step to become South's next great
