For all that he did in all phases of the game, Zimmerman is The Morning Call’s All-Area player of the year. Snyder summed it up best after a state playoff game about what Northwestern’s offense likes to do.

About two dozen heroes emerged during Northwestern Lehigh’s march to a PIAA 3A football championship, none more productive than Eli Zimmerman. Zimmerman reconfigured multiple program records on his final run with the Tigers, rushing for 2,665 yards and 27 touchdowns. Defensively, he turned in six interceptions and returned six punts for touchdowns.

After winning the SC 5A Division II state championship, Rock Hill’s Northwestern High School wins The Observer’s Sweet 16 high school football poll.

Northwestern Lehigh’s goal for the 2024 season was determined on Dec. 9, 2023, when the Tigers underclassmen walked off Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field after a 38-7 loss to Belle Vernon in the PIAA Class 3A championship game.