Palmerton didn’t need to dominate every bout to beat Northern Lehigh.

Instead, the Bombers swung the dual by winning the toss-ups, turning close matches into separation in a 40-25 Colonial League boys wrestling victory Wednesday night.

After the Bombers opened with a forfeit at 107 pounds, Northern Lehigh responded with bonus points at 114, as Noah Gosart earned a major decision to keep the Bulldogs close early.

Palmerton answered immediately at 121, where Colton Becker recorded a technical fall to swing the momentum back in the Bombers’ favor.

Steele Zalik followed with one of the key bouts of the night at 127, rallying for a gutsy 6-5 decision over Henry Slonaker. Zalik trailed 3-0 after the first period, and 4-3 after the second before scoring a decisive third-period takedown.

That momentum carried into the next two matches as Palmerton stretched its lead with bonus points. Connor Messinger earned a technical fall at 133 pounds, and Jaxs Miller followed by pinning Zachery Gosart at 139 to push the Bombers’ advantage to 25-4.

Alex Keiper continued the run at 145 with a hard-fought decision. Keiper led 3-1 after one period, and 6-2 after two before scoring a late takedown in the third period to seal a 9-2 win over Kyle O’Connell.

“Beating a rival always feels good,” Keiper said. “A lot of those toss-up matches we expected to be close went our way, and that really intensified the energy in the gym.”

Northern Lehigh picked up a forfeit at 152 from Mason Rothrock, but Palmerton answered again at 160.

Dillon Anthony made a resounding return from injury in his first match of the season by pinning Skyler Loos in the first period. Anthony, a junior, was a regional qualifier and district runner-up last season.

The Bombers pushed the lead to 40-10 when Antonio Oller followed with a first-period pin of Jaxon Bower at 172 pounds. “We worked hard in practice and wanted to bring that intensity,” Oller said. “In those toss-up matches, we came out aggressive and didn’t let them breathe.”

Keiper said that mentality defined Palmerton’s approach throughout the night.

“It takes a special kind of person to push through all three periods and keep that intensity,” he said. “You have to want it more than the other guy.”

Oller echoed that sentiment.

“There’s always going to be someone bigger or stronger,” he said. “It comes down to who wants it more.”

Northern Lehigh closed the match with three straight wins in the upper weights. Conner Arrigo pinned Parker Davis at 189, Dawson Newhard earned an 8-4 decision over Anderson Garcia at 215, and Isaac Jackovitz capped the night by pinning Domenick Brown at 285.

Palmerton coach Erick Kresge said the energy from the night — including senior night festivities and the girls team’s earlier victory — carried over into the boys match.

“It was great energy,” Kresge said. “You have senior night, you have the girls wrestling before us and getting a big win, and they wanted to come out and set the tone. That sparked us.”

Kresge said the team’s steady improvement has been evident as the season moves into January.

“They just work hard,” he said. “We keep pushing, and they keep responding. The goal is to get better every single day and be ready for February.”

Despite the result, Northern Lehigh coach Ryan Kern said the dual provided valuable perspective on what it takes to win close matchups against strong teams.

“We needed to battle through some of those toss-up matches,” Kern said. “When you’re wrestling a team like Palmerton, you have to wrestle to your potential to get across the finish line.”

For Keiper and Oller, the win represented more than just one night.

“It brings us a lot of momentum,” Keiper said. “We’ve had a down year, but winning this dual really intensifies the rest of the season for us.”

Oller agreed.

“It’s a spark,” he said. “It puts wind in our sails, and validates all the work we’ve put in. It makes us want to keep giving more and keep getting after it.”

LOOKING AHEAD ... Palmerton travels to Catasauqua next Wednesday, while Northern Lehigh visits Lehighton.

Palmerton 40, Northern Lehigh 25

107 - Landon Eckhart (P) won by forfeit; 114 - Noah Gosart (NL) maj. dec. Thomas Pasquariello, 16-3; 121 - Colton Becker (P) tech. fall Javian Mercado, 21-3 (5:48); 127 - Steele Zalik (P) dec. Henry Slonaker, 6-5; 133 - Connor Messinger (P) tech. fall Andrew Rudolph, 17-0 (2:49); 139 - Jaxs Miller (P) pinned Zachery Gosart in 5:10; 145 - Alex Keiper (P) dec. Kyle O’Connell, 9-2; 152 - Mason Rothrock (NL) won by forfeit; 160 - Dillon Anthony (P) pinned Skyler Loos in 1:12; 172 - Antonio Oller (P) pinned Jaxon Bower in 1:04; 189 - Conner Arrigo (NL) pinned Parker Davis in 5:02; 215 - Dawson Newhard (NL) dec. Anderson Garcia, 8-4; 285 - Isaac Jackovitz (NL) pinned Domenick Brown in 4:26.

Records: Palmerton (3-7); Northern Lehigh (2-3)