FULL STORY -- ‘New kid on the block:’ Unbeaten Palmerton football makes statement in win over Notre Dame
Palmerton 41, Notre Dame 26 — Rapid Recap
The Palmerton football senior duo of Matthew Machalik and Ty Sander both racked up the rushing yards on Friday night and the Blue Bombers put together another victory this season.
Machalik rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns and Sander finished with 125 rushing yards and three scores as Palmerton beat visiting Notre Dame 41-26 on Friday night.
The Blue Bombers moved to 5-0 this season.
Turning points: Notre Dame trimmed the Palmerton advantage to 28-14 with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter on a 44-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Danny Darno to senior wide receiver AJ Lozano.
The Blue Bombers were able to respond with 3:06 left in the third quarter when quarterback Machalik burst through the line for a 43-yard touchdown run on a third-and-8 to make it a 35-14 advantage for the home team.
An interception by Sander gave the Blue Bombers the ball at the Notre Dame 42-yard line with 2:18 left in the second quarter. Sander then connected on a halfback pass to Machalik, who made a one-handed catch and tiptoed the sideline for an 11-yard touchdown with 0:33 left in the first half. The score gave Palmerton a 28-7 lead heading into halftime.
Machalik reversed field and had a 38-yard rush to set up the Blue Bombers’ go-ahead score. Sander finished off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown rush to give Palmerton a 14-7 lead with 9:38 left in the second quarter.
Top performers: Machalik ran for 236 yards and two touchdowns for Palmerton. He also caught the 11-yard score from Sander in the final minute of the second quarter. The senior completed 8 of 14 passes for 73 yards on the night.
Sander racked up 125 yards and three touchdowns on 28 rushes. The senior had the touchdown pass to Machalik on the halfback throw. He also pulled in an interception on defense in the second quarter.
Darno completed 12 of 21 passes for 173 yards to go with three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 79 yards and a score in the game.
Lozano caught two passes for a pair of scores and finished with 63 receiving yards for Notre Dame.
What it means: The Blue Bombers improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Colonial/Schuylkill League Red Division. They will host Pine Grove next Friday night.
The Crusaders fell to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Red Division. They will play at North Schuylkill next Friday night.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a subscription.
Josh Folck may be reached at [email protected].