KINTNERSVILLE - It was a long drive from Slatington to Palisades.

But once Northern Lehigh arrived to Kintnersville, the Bulldogs decided to get off the ground and fly.

Quarterback Dylan Smoyer was the pilot of the Bulldogs’ air raid on Palisades, using splash plays to help sink the Pirates’ ship by a 35-7 margin on Friday.

“We threw a little bit more than we normally do, but we took what they gave us tonight,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.

“This is the best depth I can remember us having, overall, with all of our skill guys. That’s what’s nice, if they try to take one guy away, we have several that we trust.”

It didn’t take Smoyer long to show off his cannon of an arm.

On the fifth play of the game, the senior quickly identified man coverage on teammate Nick Frame. There was no help over the top and Frame hauled in a 34-yard dart from Smoyer, who punched in a one-yard score a few plays later.

Northern Lehigh (3-2) forced a three-and-out on Palisades’ first possession.

It was clear on the ensuing drive, that Frame was one of the ‘Dogs main co-pilots on Friday. On the very next play from scrimmage, Smoyer threw him a laser in one-on-one coverage again. But this time, nobody caught Frame, as he scampered 78 yards to give the Bulldogs a two-score lead late in the first quarter.

“We were hitting vertical routes earlier in the game,” Tout said. “Then they adjusted, without us being able to tell Dylan, but he saw the adjustment. That’s what’s nice about having a veteran kid.”

It looked like the Pirates would finally score late in the first quarter, but NL defensive back Brett Misera had different ideas. Pirates’ dual-threat quarterback Jaden Newton appeared to call his own number at the Northern Lehigh 15-yard line. Instead, he tried to finesse pass over the top into the end zone. Misera, who looked to originally bite on the play-fake, made a beautiful recovery for an interception in the end zone for a touchback.

“If we can make teams throw, our secondary, at some point - our guys are going to pick one or they’re going to make a play on it,” said Tout. “We gave up some plays, but it was the old bend but don’t break.”

On the ensuing possession, following Misera’s clutch takeaway, Trevor Amorim faced no traffic on the runway. He accounted for 75 total yards during the drive, scored on a one-yard plunge, and made it a 20-0 ballgame with just over eight minutes left to play in the second quarter. The rout was on.

“Between the skill guys, Trevor (Amorim) is a guy that can break one at any point,” Tout added. “They pick each other up. It’s fun to watch right now.”

Tout and the ‘Dogs knew to keep the pedal down in the second half against a league rival like the Pirates. Midway through the third quarter, up by 28 points, Northern Lehigh faced a fourth-and-one on its own 30-yard line. Amorim answered the call, again, and flew 70 yards on a toss play to the end zone. Amorim finished the night with 179 total yards.

“It’s our normal kind of goal-line package, if you will,” said Tout, who described the play after the game. “We always trust our kids can get it. If it’s a yard, anywhere on the field, we trust that we have to be able to get that. Finally, something broke through, because we were struggling to run the ball.”

The Pirates’ lone score came with 5:28 left to play when Kyle McGrath caught a 25-yard pass from Newton.

TALE OF 2 HALVES

… Smoyer completed his first six passes of the game. Newton missed his first six passes of the second half. Smoyer tallied 269 passing yards, with 255 coming in the first half.

GOOD CHANGE

… Tout said AJ Jimenez was outstanding on the defensive side of the ball. “We moved him from linebacker to defensive end to get a little bit faster. And AJ, I thought he played his best game there tonight,” Tout said.

DISCIPLINE

… Northern Lehigh didn’t commit a penalty until the third quarter.