Salisbury faced the most prolific offense on its schedule when it hosted Palmerton and Lehigh University-bound quarterback Matt Machalik last Friday night.

The Falcons were able to hang with the unbeaten Blue Bombers into the second quarter before Palmerton pulled away en route to a 60-20 win.

The Falcons took an early lead, going 72 yards in 10 plays on their opening drive for a touchdown on a 6-yard run by Jason St. Leger. The drive took six and a half minutes off the clock and kept the potent Bomber offense off the field.

Palmerton (7-0) answered with a four-play drive capped by Machalik’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Emilio Gonzalez to tie the game at 6-6.

The Falcons’ next drive stalled at the Bombers’ 21-yard line.

Palmerton’s next possession saw Machalik run the ball three times on a four-play drive, capped by his 45-yard touchdown run that gave his team a 12-6 lead.

Salisbury tied the game two plays into its next possession. Quarterback Andrew Lucas connected with receiver Jamanni Cruz for a 78-yard touchdown to make the score 12-12 early in the second quarter.

“They have an 8-man box against a lot of our sets,” said Salisbury head coach Andy Cerco. “We had a one-on-one advantage and we’re going to put a ball up there and we’re going to bet on our guys to win.”

That was Salisbury’s last score until the waning minutes of the game. Palmerton scored seven unanswered touchdowns, including four in the second quarter for a 40-12 lead at halftime.

“A game like this,” said Cerco. “We’re facing an unbeaten team and probably a district finalist or district champion, they have really talented kids. Our kids are talented in their own right. They just have more of them.

“Our kids are tough kids. They’re gritty kids and they’re good athletes. They love each other, they play together and they’re coachable.”

Salisbury capped the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run from George Spann.

Machalik, the likely Colonial League MVP and holder of most Palmerton offensive records, finished the game with 135 rushing yards and two scores. He also completed 10 of 13 passes for 98 yards and three scores.

Gonzalez caught three of Machalik’s passes for 42 yards. Jameson Trainer caught two passes, both for touchdowns.

The Falcons (0-7) had one of their best offensive performances of the season, posting 10 first downs and 236 total yards. Cruz accounted for all of Salisbury’s receiving yards with four receptions for 174 yards. Spann led the running game with 35 yards.

On defense, Spann led the way with eight tackles for Salisbury. Derek Trinidad had seven tackles, while St. Leger made five. The Bombers amassed 406 total yards Friday night, which is less than their average of 445.5 yards per game.

“Defensively I think we did a really good job, the best we could,” said Cerco. “[Machalik is] a very good athlete, a gifted kid. We did what we could against him and we were toe to toe with them.”

The Falcons will now hit the road with trips deep into Schuylkill County. They head to Pine Grove next Friday night before taking on North Schuylkill a week later.

Pine Grove (1-6) could be a good match up for a Salisbury team that is trending in the right direction.

The Cardinals won their season-opener against District 3’s Northern Lebanon, 20-17. They have lost their last six games all by 19 points or more, with the closest being a 41-22 setback to Palmerton on Sept. 29. Dominic Popovich and Cruz made four tackles each, with Cruz adding an interception.