Nolehi downs Pirates

KINTNERSVILLE — The game plan couldn’t have been better. And the execution was solid.

On Palisades’ Homecoming Night, Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout knew what had to be done.

Northern Lehigh scored three unanswered touchdowns to eventually take control, pushing ahead for a 34-21 Colonial League win.

“Give Palisades credit,” Tout said. “They made plays and they came out strong. They were physical and their kids were excited.

“I think we were a little out of sorts early, but that’s all a credit to them coming out strong.”

The Pirates hung around for the first eight minutes, and after one frame, the game was knotted at 14-apiece.

After Joe Abidelli’s two-yard score gave Northern Lehigh (5-3) the lead, Gus Yocum connected with Jaden Newton on a long scoring play for the Pirates to even things up.

Trevor Amorim brought in a pass from Zach Moyer to put the Bulldogs back in front.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Yocum showed he wasn’t finished, racing 80 yards to knot it up at 14-all.

The second quarter saw the Bulldogs emerge as the stronger squad.

“I thought we settled in. I mean, we gave up that big play and then the kickoff return, which hurt us,” Tout said. “But luckily, we were able to get that stop before halftime.”

In the second period, junior tailback Mike Repsher put the ‘Dawgs ahead with a 46-yard scoring reception from Moyer, and then tacked on another score on a 30-yard pass from Moyer.

“The speed sweeps were working early, but they started to see me in motion, so they would pull guys in that direction,” Repsher said. “Then we switched it up and Moyer started to make plays. We all picked it up.”

With a 27-14 edge and the Pirates threatening before the intermission, a pivotal defensive stand changed the complexion of the outing.

“We have a bunch of guys that are playing well now,” Tout said. “Our guys upfront – Josh Schaffer, Bryce Dye, Carter Smith – then we put in a freshman in AJ Jimenez, who stepped up and did a nice job tonight. They held it down, we adjusted, and our secondary did a much better job.”

In the third, Repsher continued his scoring streak with a third straight TD on a 16-yard run to make it 34-14.

From that point on, clock management and strong defensive stands prevailed, as the Bulldogs notched their fifth win of the season – the second straight on the road – and head into a Week 9 clash with Northwestern with plenty of momentum.

“We’re going to enjoy this win this weekend and then get back to work next week for Northwestern,” Tout admitted. “We’re starting to click, we’re playing well. It should be fun next week.”

REP-‘SHER’ THING ... The talented junior had a monster game, as he carried the ball 20 times for 207 yards, had three receptions for 109 yards and three TDs on the night.

BOY OH MOYER ... Moyer continued his impressive season. He completed five-of-eight passes for 153 yards with no interceptions, throwing for three scores and also recovering a fumble, while also breaking up a few Palisades passes.