PEN ARGYL - Northern Lehigh’s first victory of the season came on the strength of an overpowering second half surge.

The Bulldogs had it rolling, though, from the start on Saturday, overwhelming Pen Argyl 35-14 to claim their second straight win.

A 30-point second half helped Northern Lehigh (2-2) rally past Wilson a week ago.

But the Bulldogs opened up a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter Saturday and never gave the Green Knights a chance to seize momentum.

Mike Repsher scored twice for Northern Lehigh, going in from six- and 15 yards out. Matt Frame opened the scoring on the second drive with a one-yard plunge.

“We’re getting better,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. “I think our backs are kind of accepting that there’s not one guy; they’re all picking it up.”

Repsher finished with 86 yards on 13 carries and caught three passes for 39 yards. Frame had 92 yards on 15 attempts.

The big play on the Bulldogs’ second scoring drive was a 47-yard hookup between Dylan Smoyer and Evan Zambo on the first play from scrimmage that put them inside the red zone at the 18-yard line. Repsher went in from 15 yards out two plays later.

The Green Knights punted on their first four possessions, and only made it as far as their own 35-yard line twice.

Northern Lehigh came away with touchdowns on three of its first four drives. The Bulldogs didn’t convert on their opening series but set the tone with a nine-play drive that made it to the Pen Argyl 12-yard line. An incomplete pass on fourth and eight ended the possession.

“Thinking of last week, and knowing how the win felt,” Repsher said of the victory against Wilson, “we just came out of the buses motivated and ready to play this game.”

Pen Argyl found a rhythm on its final drive before halftime. The Green Knights went 89 yards, with Gavin Amerman (17 carries, 47 yards) plowing in from two yards with 5.2 seconds to play in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 21-7.

Amerman hit Collin McKeague with a 25-yard pass on third and 15 with under 10 seconds to play in the half to put the Knights in scoring position.

The momentum was short-lived. Northern Lehigh’s defense forced a punt on Pen Argyl’s first drive of the second half.

The Bulldogs took the ball and went 70 yards, with Joe Abidelli going in from six yards out to push the lead to 28-7 with 6:10 left in the third quarter.

It was a series that started with Trevor Amorim hitting Repsher for 26 yards on a nifty pass play.

“It was everything to us,” Amorim said of the quick start. “Coach has been on us the past three weeks; we came out flat, he thought. He said earlier we only played two good quarters of football previously.

“Today we came out on fire. We had the music playing over there, we were all hyped up and dancing around. We were ready to roll today.”

Repsher made sure the momentum stayed with Northern Lehigh, picking off Amerman on a jump ball down the sideline on fourth and seven on the Green Knights’ next drive.

Pen Argyl’s defense held, forcing a punt, but the Green Knights gave the ball right back, fumbling three plays later. The Bulldogs came up empty, though, failing to convert a pass play on fourth and goal from the nine.

Pen Argyl put together a 17-play 90-yard drive - converting twice on fourth down - that ended with Kristoffer Kessler scoring from five yards out to make it 28-14 with 4:23 to play.

The Knights’ onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and the Bulldogs took advantage of the field position, going 40 yards in five plays with Frame getting his second TD of the game, this one from 14 yards out to make it 35-14 with 1:43 left in the game.

SO CLOSE ... Pen Argyl made it to the NL 4-yard line on its final drive, but time ran out on the Green Knights after a first and goal play resulted in a loss of two yards.

BOUNCING BACK ... Frame left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury but returned in the second half, carrying the ball six times for 35 yards and a score.

UP NEXT ... Northern Lehigh hosts Salisbury (1-3) on Friday.