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Ayache, Reph help Lehigh open title defense with 35-12 win

Lehigh opened its Patriot League title defense with a 35-12 road victory over Holy Cross; East Stroudsburg also won after Freedom’s Deante Crawford scored a key touchdown.

Published Sep 1, 2026, 7:30 AM EDT | LehighValleyLive

Lehigh University opened defense of its Patriot League title by going on the road and winning its season opener 35-12 over Holy Cross on Saturday. Sammy Ayache (Bethlehem Catholic) started at right tackle and Colby Reph (Northampton) started at center for the 11th-ranked (Division 1 FCS) Mountain Hawks, who compiled 281 yards on the ground in Richard Nagy’s head coaching debut.