Fireworks were blasted outside of Salisbury High School Stadium following Friday night’s football game against Northern Lehigh.

But the biggest explosion came inside the stadium in the form of a 5-10, 170-pound frame.

Devin Irwin benefited on two of Northern Lehigh’s five turnovers, returning two fumbles for touchdowns and adding the go-ahead 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal Salisbury’s 39-29 win. The victory boosts the Falcons (4-3) ahead of the Bulldogs (4-3) and into the No. 3 position in the latest District 11 Class AA power rankings.

“This is a huge win for us,” Irwin said. “This is a momentum-changer for the season.

“We needed to beat this team. Northern Lehigh is a great team and they are well-coached.”

Only unbeaten Notre Dame (Green Pond) and Northwestern (5-2), a team the Falcons came up short against just a week prior to Northern Lehigh, are ahead of Salisbury in the Class AA power index. After the Tigers came away with a close victory nearly two weeks ago, Friday’s win over the Bulldogs was a statement game for the Falcons.

“This is the biggest win of the season,” said quarterback Tevon Weber, who threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns. “We are both fighting for playoff spots. Last week was a real close game against Northwestern, and they took it away with two minutes left. Getting a big win in this type of situation is amazing.”

In a game in which neither team led by more than seven points through three quarters, Northern Lehigh regained the lead at 29-28 early in the fourth quarter on quarterback Chad Cederberg’s third rushing score of the night.

But the momentum shifted back over Salisbury’s way on their next play from scrimmage. Irwin took a hand off around the left side and weaved between countless Bulldog defenders up the sideline for 63 yards, giving the Falcons a 36-29 advantage after Weber connected with Irwin for the two-point conversion.

“My linemen set the edge great,” Irwin said. “Nick Sikora sealed the corner, and I just had the outside to myself.”

Kicker Mason Donaldson hit arguably the biggest kick of his career nearly seven minutes later when his 36-yarder split the uprights to give Salisbury a commanding 10-point lead with 1:44 to play.

Cederberg took his first carry of the game 43 yards up the middle for a touchdown and a quick Northern Lehigh lead. But from that point on, the fumbles became too much of a problem for the Bulldogs to overcome.

After Salisbury lost a fumble on its second offensive series, Irwin recovered a CJ Young fumble on Northern Lehigh’s next play, the first of four lost fumbles for the Bulldogs, and returned it 62 yards for the touchdown. The Falcons’ two-point conversion gave Salisbury its first lead at 8-7 with 4:11 to play in the first quarter.

Weber, who connected on 11-of-17 passes, put Salisbury in front 15-7 on a 2-yard strike to Nick Sikora.

“We executed on all of our plays,” Irwin said. “We didn’t leave any big plays on the field.”

Young took an option pitch from Cederberg and ran it in 19 yards for the game-tying score late in the first half. But Weber’s second touchdown throw, this one a 6-yard pass to Kyle Hartzell, kept the Falcons in front at the break.

Northern Lehigh methodically drove down the field on its first possession of the second half, and Cederberg finished it off with a 3-yard score through the middle of the line.

But every time the Bulldogs went in front, Salisbury had an answer waiting. And it often came from Irwin.

Irwin halted another Northern Lehigh drive, scooping up another fumble from Young and returning it 75 yards untouched to pay dirt that kept the scoring seesaw in full swing.

“I always thought about it [scoring two defensive touchdowns],” Irwin said. “I just never knew it would happen.”

Northern Lehigh’s final touchdown came with 8:40 to play, but Irwin’s third rushing attempt just 18 seconds later-that 63-yard scoring scamper-put the final stamp on Friday’s Homecoming game.

At this point in the season, it counts as just another slash in the win column. But the Falcons will be hard-pressed to find a more crucial victory under head coach Andy Cerco than that one against the Bulldogs.

“That was the momentum all week,” Irwin said. “The focus was that this was a playoff game.”