The Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry football game will take place on Nov. 23, closing out the regular season for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh and Lafayette are consistently evenly matched rivals, but the last Mountain Hawk victory against the Leopards was in 2021.
Lehigh is going into the game with a 7-3 overall record, and if they win, they’ll hoist a Patriot League title and an FCS playoff bid.
For the first-years on the team, the game also signifies stepping onto the field to play in the rivalry for the first time during the 160th year of team and tradition.
First-year defensive back Ignatious Williams said he recognizes the importance the game holds, but in order to put their best foot forward, he thinks the team needs to treat it like any other game.
“It means something to this community and university, (but) you just gotta treat it as another game and go into it not trying to think too much or too little,” Williams said.
First-year offensive lineman Sammy Ayache, who was raised in Bethlehem and attended Bethlehem Catholic for high school, grew up going to the Le-Laf games. He said he’s witnessed how different the atmosphere at The Rivalry is compared to other games, which matches the anticipation of playing in the game high for him.
“It’s way louder. It’s a lot more people. It’s just a crazy environment,” Ayache said. “And I can’t wait to play in it.”
Like Williams, Ayache said nothing changes for the team when it comes to preparing for the rivalry compared to other games.
Green said he has heeded advice from his coaches in preparation for the game, and he also likes to think of The Rivalry as just like any other season game.
“It’s not anything too crazy,” Green said. “It’s just a rivalry game.”
Green said he expects a packed stadium, and Williams said he expects a loud atmosphere, with a crowd similar in size to the Army game played earlier in the season.
Williams also said playing in his first Le-Laf game is something he’s been anticipating for a long time, and he can’t wait to take on the field.
“It’s something you hear about from being recruited day one, and just being up here from day one, you hear about this big rivalry,” Williams said.
He said he can’t wait to see what the atmosphere in the stadium is like, and he recognizes how much it means to the community.
“To get a chance to play in such a big game, I think it’s just a great honor.” Williams said.
The team’s goal is to take home the Patriot League Championship title, but the first-years said they are also looking ahead four years.
Due to the two year pattern The Rivalry follows, the first-years will play their first and last Le-Laf game at Goodman, on their home turf.
“If we were able to hoist up a Patriot League championship trophy at the home field my senior year, that’d be awesome,” Ayache said.
Kickoff takes off at noon on Nov. 23 at Goodman Stadium, where the Mountain Hawks will take on the Leopards in hopes to earn a shared first place with Holy Cross.
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