Northwestern Lehigh has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Palmerton Blue Bombers at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Northwestern Lehigh knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine games -- so hopefully Palmerton likes a good challenge.
Northwestern Lehigh put the finishing touches on their 11th blowout victory of the season on Friday. They put the hurt on Notre Dame-Green Pond with a sharp 43-21 win. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 29-7.
Dalton Clymer was his usual excellent self, rushing for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Clymer is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played. Eli Zimmerman and his 93 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Northwestern Lehigh's win.
Meanwhile, Palmerton put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against North Schuylkill by a score of 32-24.
Palmerton relied on the efforts of Matthew Machalik, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and Ty Sander, who gained 156 total yards and two touchdowns. Machalik is absolutely dominating the rushing touchdown category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the field this season.
Another reason for the win was Palmerton's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Emilio Gonzalez was especially locked on to North Schuylkill's QB and sacked him three times.
Northwestern Lehigh's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-10 Wilson Area and 2-9 Lehighton (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 40.5% over those games). As for Palmerton, their victory bumped their record up to 12-0.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as both teams have no problem gaining yardage. Northwestern Lehigh has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 377 total yards per game. However, it's not like Palmerton struggles in that department as they've been even better at 431.2 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Everything came up roses for Northwestern Lehigh against Palmerton in their previous meeting back in October of 2020 as the squad secured a 57-28 win. Does Northwestern Lehigh have another victory up their sleeve, or will Palmerton turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
