When Emmaus has its ground game going, the Hornets are a tough team to stop.

They showed that last Friday night, piling up 371 rushing yards in a 43-6 win over Northampton that puts Emmaus at 3-3 this season.

"I feel like we improved from last week," said running back/linebacker Andy Davidson. "That's the most important thing we can do, improve every week and get better. We have tough match ups in the weeks ahead. We just need to get better."

Running back Wyl Miller led the way with 156 rushing yards and two scores on 10 carries. Davidson (82 yards on 9 carries) and Kyle Boney (38 yards on 2 carries) added one touchdown each. Sal Pagano also pitched in to the ground game with three carries for 54 yards.

"We've really been running the ball well this year and I think we continue to improve there," said Emmaus head coach Randy Cuthbert. "We're trying to do it a lot of different ways with a lot of different looks. And I think our guys up front did a good job."

Emmaus needed just seven plays on its first two drives combined to take a 14-0 lead less than halfway through the first quarter.

The Hornets went 73 yards on four plays to open the game. Boney capped it with a 35-yard touchdown scamper. After a Northampton punt, Emmaus went 55 yards in three plays, including a 46-yard run by Pagano that set up Davidson's three-yard touchdown with 7:54 left in the first quarter.

The Hornet defense was tough all night, led by Davidson's 13 tackles (5 for loss), Alex Minnichs' 11 (4 for loss) and Anthony Rodriguez's 10 (4 for loss).

Emmaus allowed just one first down on the Konkrete Kids' first three possessions.

The Hornets' special teams did their part as Tom Wagner blocked a Northampton punt through the end zone for a safety and a 16-0 lead with 10:15 left in the first half.

Emmaus got the ball back at midfield and plodded its way to a 13-play drive that included a fourth-down pass interference penalty. The crucial penalty came one play before Miller's 11-yard touchdown run that gave his team a 23-0 lead.

Northampton answered with a seven-play touchdown drive that included an Emmaus pass interference penalty on a key third down.

Emmaus scored two plays into its next possession. After a 22-yard Davidson run, Miller caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Kober to put the Hornets ahead 30-7 with 1:32 left in the half.

Emmaus went up 37-6 in the third quarter. Davidson stripped the Kids' Tyler Jackson. Boney scooped up the ball and went 56 yards to pay dirt with 5:03 left in the third quarter.

The Hornets got the mercy-rule clock running when Miller went 82 yards on a first-down run with 10:49 left in the game to give his team a 43-6 lead.

"Our offensive line was clicking on all cylinders," said Davidson. "They did great. They opened the holes for me, Wyl and Kyle. They were the reason we had such big runs and that our running game did so well."

Cuthbert was happy with the win and the progress his team has made. His team had lost three of its last four games after winning it's opener.

"I think we've made a lot of progress in some areas," he said. "Our tackling was better [Friday]. We still had mental mistakes, but the difference was we didn't have as many of them. It's one thing when someone beats you. It's another thing when you make a lot of mistakes and help them.

"It doesn't matter who we're playing we need to focus on us being disciplined and executing and playing consistently for four quarters."

Emmaus takes on a 1-5 Central Catholic team Saturday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. The Vikings are 1-5, but four of those losses have come against teams that area combined 22-2 so far in Easton, Freedom, Whitehall and Parkland.

Coming off a disappointing 31-28 loss to Nazareth last week, the Vikings are sure to be looking for their first win since an opening-night victory over Pocono Mountain East.

"You've got to play good every week," said Cuthbert. "It's a very physical league and you see a lot of different looks. There are a lot of great players, a lot of great teams. We've had some ups and downs. We just need to take it one week at a time and practice hard and get better and get better in the games."