SL pulls away from Bombers

It’s no secret that the Palmerton football team has low numbers this season with only 24 healthy players currently available.

With Class 5A Southern Lehigh, one of the two largest schools in the Colonial League in town on Friday it was unknown if the 2A Bombers could measure up.

The end result wasn’t what the Bombers were looking for as the Spartans posted a 27-12 victory.

Even though the game ended up as a mark in the loss column, Palmerton answered some questions, including whether it could play with a bigger, physical football team. The answer to that one was a resounding yes.

Because the two touchdown difference wasn’t indicative of the competitiveness of the contest.

“We’re not looking for any moral victories. We want to continue to grow and build this program and to do that you have to beat teams the caliber of Southern Lehigh,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. “But I told our guys how proud I am of them, because they played with a lot of effort and toughness tonight.

“These kids played their tails off. We just made a few mistakes that cost us and Southern Lehigh was able to take advantage.”

The story of the first half for the Bombers was resiliency. Every punch that the Spartans threw, the Bombers took on the chin and responded with a shot of their own.

Southern Lehigh started the ballgame with a haymaker, intercepting a Lucas Heydt pass on Palmerton’s opening offensive possession. Asher Smith jumped a slant route and took it 37 yards to the end zone, giving the Spartans a quick 7-0 lead with 10:16 remaining in the first.

But Palmerton answered back quickly on its ensuing possession. A spectacular 51-yard run by Jordan Nelson down the left sideline setup a 14-yard pitch and catch from Nelson to Ethan Recker to make it a one-point game after a blocked extra point attempt.

“We knew coming in that they had athletes and that Nelson, who is a definite Division 1 guy, was going to make some plays,” said Southern Lehigh head coach John Toman. “This is a well-coached team and it’s amazing what they can do with just 24 guys, Credit has to go them for how tough they played.”

After a 47-yard touchdown scamper by Smith late in the first quarter gave the Spartans an eight-point advantage, Palmerton answered yet again. After the Palmerton offense squandered four plays on the goal line in the second quarter and turned the ball over on downs, the Bomber defense made a huge play.

With just 1:26 remaining in the half and Southern Lehigh at its own 25-yard line, coach Walkowiak dialed up a strong side blitz and Nelson executed it to perfection. Nelson chased down Southern Lehigh quarterback Noah Vogeler, stripping him at the 15-yard line. A trailing Andrew Sabo jumped on the ball just before it exited the back of the end zone to bring Palmerton within 14-12 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

The two teams played to a stalemate in the third, but in the fourth the Spartans’ size started to take its toll.

The Southern Lehigh offense went to the wildcat formation with tough-running tailback Smith and was able to grind yardage and time off the clock. An eight-play drive that took six minutes off the clock and a six-play drive that took four minutes both ended in five-yard rushing scores by Smith.

“We thought we could wear them down with our size up front, because we could rotate guys in, but we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times in the first half with poor execution,” said Toman. “But we did a much better job in the fourth quarter.

“We found something that worked with Asher Smith and we kept going back to the same play, because hey, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.”

‘B’ASHER SMITH ... Asher Smith was one-man rushing attack and the Bombers just didn’t have the answer for him. The 6-0, 190-pound power back rushed for 206 yards on 25 carries and three scores.

MISCUES ... A failed goal line offensive possession, three interceptions and a costly 15-yard roughing the passer penalty that would’ve resulted in a third down stop hurt Palmerton’s chances in this one.