It’s not set in concrete just yet, but Friday’s win moved Salisbury closer to its first district football playoff appearance since 2009.

And the Falcons did it in an emphatic manner, even if there was a bit of a slow start for the Falcons.

Behind 132 passing yards and four total touchdowns from quarterback Tevon Weber, and a dominant display on both sides of the line of scrimmage, Salisbury (6-3) won its third straight game with a 36-0 shutout over Palmerton (4-5). Much like the Falcons, Palmerton needed Friday’s game to stay in a good spot to qualify for districts. But it was the host team on senior night that stole the show.

“We needed a win to kind of secure our district spot,” said Weber, who threw for 132 yards and three touchdowns. “We came out there firing. We knew they were, too, because they were fighting for a district spot.”

“We knew we needed this,” said wideout Mason Donaldson, who caught two of those scores. “I think this being how important it was, senior night, the electricity with everybody, the team came out ecstatic and everybody was ready to go.”

Their first three drives went turnover-on downs, followed by consecutive punts. But after shaking off the rust, Salisbury’ offense came to life near the end of the first half.

Shane Wittman capped a seven-play drive with a 9-yard touchdown around the right end with 4:36 to play in the half. Weber and Donaldson then connected on their first scoring strike of the game, a 66-yard bomb down the left sideline that put the Falcons in control at 14-0 with under three minutes remaining before halftime.

“To come out and play like we did, with the momentum coming into this game, we expected it to be a very tough game,” Donaldson said. “They played a tough game to start, and then we just kind of ran away with it.”

Ran away with it may be putting in lightly.

Palmerton opened the second half with a solid kick return to the Blue Bombers’ own 45-yard line. But after Salisbury’s defense halted a seven-play Palmerton drive, the Falcons took over with momentum on their side.

Weber finished a short Falcon drive with a 4-yard touchdown run around the right end, and Nick Sikora’s reception on the two-point conversion put them in full control at 22-0. A little more than four minutes later, Weber hit Donaldson for a 38-yard strike on a double move that increased their advantage to 29-0.

The two have developed a noticeable chemistry on the field, and it’s beginning to show in the record books. Weber now holds the school record for career passing touchdowns (49) and for a single season. Donaldson broke his own record for single-season receiving scores with 11 after the Palmerton game. He also holds the school mark for career receiving touchdowns.

“I’ve been waiting for some of those records my whole career, so it feels awesome to break one of them,” Weber said.

The Blue Bombers punted on their next possession, and Weber opened up the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin Irwin on a 3rd-and-10 call.

“Coach [Andy] Doran, our offensive coordinator, did an awesome job mixing up the play-calling,” Donaldson said. “The run game was working. The momentum from this game going into Southern Lehigh is huge.”

The play-calling was heavy run-oriented (39 runs to 11 passes), which can be credited to Salisbury’s dominant presence on both sides of the line, particularly the offensive front opening holes for Wittman (80 rushing yards), Irwin (67 yards), Sikora (62 yards) and Alex Kubinec (24 yards).

“Our defensive line did great, and our offensive line did awesome,” Weber said. “They gave me the time I needed, and they were making holes for our running backs.”

“Give credit to the defense and the line,” Donaldson said. “The defense played unreal. With the offense they have, our defense was almost unstoppable.”

Among others, senior Isaac Rivera, juniors Eric Frankenfield and Jared Burkhardt, and sophomores Dillion Trenge and Mike Killiri led Salisbury’s charge on the line.

A victory against Southern Lehigh in the season finale would cement that district position, although it seems likely regardless of Friday’s outcome. Still, the Falcons have one thing on their mind going into their rivalry game in two days.

“We want the helmet right now-that’s what we want,” Weber said. “We want the helmet real bad.”