The spring went by without a season for countless track and field athletes last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Palmerton’s Natalie Mosier made sure she always had a reminder of that.

“Before corona shut everything down, I put a schedule on my wall in my room so I would just look through it every day,” Mosier said of what would have been her freshman season for the Blue Bombers.

The wait for Mosier and many others ended Tuesday, as Palmerton opened the 2021 season with a sweep of Northern Lehigh and Salisbury in Colonial League competition.

In the boys’ meet, the Blue Bombers posted a 111-38.5 victory over the Falcons, and a 132-18 win over the Bulldogs. Palmerton rolled to a 136-9 victory over Salisbury, and a 106.8-39-2 triumph over Northern Lehigh in the girls’ meet.

“I can’t even say how special it is,” said Mosier. “Last year, just going through the whole season still doing workouts and not being able to run just makes it 10 times more special.

“Last year was really sad, just going through it and seeing what days meets would have been. But we still got all of our workouts in, and I feel like that really helped.”

The Blue Bombers didn’t show any signs of rust despite the time away.

Mosier, a two-time state qualifier in cross-country, swept the 800 (2:38.8) and 1600 (5:39.5).

Emma Christman added victories in the 100 (13.3) and triple jump (31-4), and tied for first place in the long jump at 15-1.5 with Salisbury’s Brooke Bleam, Delaney Frank ran to wins in the 200 (28.4) and 400 (1:12.7).

Palmerton won 11 of the individual events, and had at least two girls in the top three in 10 of them, and swept the top three spots in the 800.

In the triple jump, Christman led a run of four Blue Bombers in the top five. Emma Snyder (30-2), Danielle Mertz (30-0) and Samantha Perloni (29-6) were third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

“It’s really good because we have a really good group of girls right now, and it’s really motivating for everybody,” said Christman, a junior. “We’re all really encouraging each other, and I think that helps a lot. Without that support, I don’t think it would go as well.

“I know when I was an underclassmen, I had a lot of girls helping me, so it’s exciting for me now as an upperclassmen to help them how I was when I was a freshman.”

Palmerton was just as dominant in the boys meet, winning eight events and sweeping the top three spots in the 1600, long jump and discus.

Owen Hibell won the 800 (2:18.1) and 1600 (4:52.8), while Jonathan Perloni posted victories in the 110 hurdles (16.4) and 300 hurdles (44.5).

Hibell, like Mosier, a sophomore, made the most of his first varsity track meet.

“For today, I wanted to PR in both the 800 and the mile, and I did that,” said Hibell. “And I went sub-5:00 (in the 1600), which is a big accomplishment for my first track meet in about two years.

“There was definitely a lot of excitement and nerves coming into this.”

Perloni, a two-time district medalist in the 110 hurdles, put down two solid times, including a PR in the 300 hurdles.

The senior follows in the footsteps of Jordan Nelson, who was the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Male Track Athlete of the Year in 2019 as a junior, when he finished third at states in the Class 2A 110 hurdles, his first state medal. Nelson also won league and district titles in the event, success Perloni hopes to replicate.

“I thought about it a lot today, especially, because I always had Jordan ahead of me,” said Perloni. “I was always trying to catch him, so if I can emulate whatever he did, even half of what he did, and make others push themselves for both teams, that would be awesome.”

Both sides got off to a good start Tuesday.

“We knew we had a lot of inexperience, and you really don’t know what you have until you compete against other kids,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike Gombert. “You don’t know what you have, you don’t know what other teams have. Now everybody got to compete. And now they will go check out the results to find out who these other athletes are, because it’s been a little while.”

Not anymore.

SPLIT

... Salisbury topped Northern Lehigh in the boys meet, 81.5-48.5. In the girls’ meet, the Bulldogs prevailed 100-20.

WINNERS

... Delaney Szwast (3200), Cadence Whalen (high jump) and Hailey Evans (discus) all picked up wins for Northern Lehigh in the girls’ competition. Jared Thomason helped the Bulldogs sweep the 3200 on the boys’ side.

Boys

Palmerton 111.5, Salisbury 38.5

Palmerton 132, Northern Lehigh 18

Salisbury 81.5, Northern Lehigh 48.5

100 - 1. Giovanni Hines (S) 11.3, 2. Lucas Heydt (P), 3. Devon White (P); 200 - 1. Giovannie Hines (S) 24.3, 2. Devon White (P), 3. Lucas Heydt (P); 400 - 1. Kyle Artis (S) 56.8, 2. Bryce Marino (P), 3. Andrew Sabol (S); 800 - 1. Owen Hibell (P) 2:18.1, 2. Michael Noyola (P), 3. Carver Moyer (S); 1600 - 1. Owen Hibell (P) 4:52.8, 2. Bryce Marino (P), 3. Michael Noyola (P); 3200 - 1. Jared Thomason (NL) 12:29.1, 2. Aaron Simpson (P), 3. Hunter Zehner (NL); 110H - 1. Jonathan Perloni (P) 16.4, 2. Hunter Zehner (NL), 3. Caleb Hankee (NL); 300H - 1. Jonathan Perloni (P) 44.5, 2. Hunter Zehner (NL), 3. Caleb Hankee (NL); 400 relay - 1. Palmerton (Lucas Heydt, Devon White, Dylan Bartholomew, Dominic Kintz) 48.6; 1600 relay - 1. Palmerton (Brance Fronheiser, Michael Noyola, Owen Hibell, Bryce Marino) 4:31.4; 3200 relay - 1. Palmerton (Aaron Simpson, Brance Fronheiser, Michael Noyola, Owen Hibell) 11:34.2; High jump - 1. Hunter Bleam (S) 6-2, 2. Jonathan Perloni (P), 3. Corlan Wood (P); Pole vault - 1. Tyson Utesch (S) 12-0, 2. Corlan Wood (P), 3. Brady Hanzarik (NL); Long jump - 1. Lucas Heydt (P) 19-4, 2. Corlan Wood (P), 3. Kody Kratzer (P); Triple jump - 1. Corlan Wood (P) 40-7.5, 2. Quentin Stephens (S), 3. Kody Kratzer (P); Shot put - 1. Hunter Bleam (S) 38-5.5, 2. Tim Iles (P), 3. Brody Muniz (P); Discus - 1. Owen Buck (P) 109-1, 2. Brody Muniz (P), 3. Tim Iles (P); Javelin

- 1. Brody Muniz (P) 139-7, 2. Owen Buck (P), 3. Chase Moffit (NL).

Girls

Palmerton 136, Salisbury 9

Palmerton 106.8-Northern Lehigh 39.2

Northern Lehigh 100, Salisbury 20

100 - 1. Emma Christman (P) 13.3, 2. Kristen Guelcher (NL), 3. Delaney Frank (P); 200 - 1. Delaney Frank (P) 28.4, 2. Kristen Guelcher (NL), 3. Lauren Rehrig (P); 400 - 1. Delaney Frank (P) 1:12.7, 2. Lauren Rehrig (P), 3. Aricka Creyer (NL); 800 - 1. Natalie Mosier (P) 2:38.8, 2. Cora Wentz (P), 3. Cecelia Pyfer (P); 1600 - 1. Natalie Mosier (P) 5:39.5, 2. Cora Wentz (P), 3. Delaney Szwast (NL); 3200 - 1. Delaney Szwast (NL) 15:10,5, 2. Kira Hauser (P), 3. Cecelia Pyfer (P); 100H - 1. Samantha Perloni (P) 18.4, 2. Kristen Guelcher (NL), 3. Olivia Horninger (NL); 300H - 1. Emma Snyder (P) 56.4, 2. Samantha Perloni (P), 3. Paige Ziegenfuss (S); 400 relay - 1. Palmerton (Delaney Frank, Emma Christman, Lauren Rehrig, Ana Recker) 54.7; 1600 relay - 1. Palmerton (Cecelia Pyfer, Cora Wentz, Kira Hauser, Natalie Mosier) 5:33.8; 3200 relay - 1. Palmerton (Cecelia Pyfer, Emily Houser, Kira Hauser, Natalie Mosier) 13:21.3; High jump - 1. Cadence Whalen (NL) 4-5, 2. Zoe Hathaway (NL), 3. Emma Snyder (P), Olivia Horninger (NL), Jessica Heydt (P), Samantha Perloni (P), Danielle Mertz (P); Pole vault - 1. Ana Recker (P) 7-9; Long jump - 1. Brooke Bleam (S) 15-1.5, 2. Emma Christman (P), 3. Olivia Horninger (NL); Triple jump - 1. Emma Christman (P), 2. Brooke Bleam (S), 3. Emma Snyder (P); Shot put - 1. Abigail Fredericks (P) 30-1, 2. Hailey Evans (NL), 3. Jessica Heydt (P); Discus - 1. Hailey Evans (NL) 92-9, 2. Abigail Fredericks (P), 3. Abby Reis (P); Javelin

- 1. Abby Reis (P) 88-9, 2. Jessica Heydt (P), 3. Hailey Evans (NL).