CATASAUQUA — Northern Lehigh didn’t need its best first half to produce another winning result.

It just needed a response.

Locked in an 8-8 tie with Catasauqua at halftime Friday night, the Bulldogs emerged from the break with a long touchdown drive, another defensive stand and eventually the big play that put the game away in a 22-8 victory.

The win was the fourth straight for Northern Lehigh (5-1), but unlike the previous three — which the Bulldogs won by a combined 112-13 — this one required some patience.

“We weren’t real happy with our first half,” Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout said. “Our kids responded. We’ve just got to clean up some stuff. We’ve got to come out a little bit faster in the first half.

“We did what we needed to. We got the ball, had a nice drive, took eight minutes off the clock and scored. Got a stop, scored. So now you have the two-touchdown lead.”

Northern Lehigh opened the second half with the ball at its own 41 and methodically worked its way down the field.

Paul Porobenski converted a third-and-2 early in the possession before quarterback Garrett Smoyer connected for seven yards on fourth-and-3 from the Catasauqua 31.

Mason Rothrock later gained eight yards on third-and-2 to give Northern Lehigh first-and-goal at the 8. After another 5-yard run by Rothrock, the senior punched it in from 3 yards out.

Anthony Hanna’s extra point gave the Bulldogs a 15-8 advantage with 6:00 remaining in the third quarter, capping a 13-play drive.

“Obviously, the first half wasn’t what we wanted to do. It was a little sloppy,” said Chris Frame. “In the second half, we came out like it was a 0-0 ballgame. We just had to do what we had to do, and that’s exactly what we did.”

After forcing a Catasauqua punt, Northern Lehigh went back to work.

This time, it didn’t need nearly as many plays.

On third-and-3 from the Rough Riders’ 42, Frame burst free for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Hanna’s extra point made it 22-8 with 11:49 remaining.

It was Frame’s first game back since Week 2, and Tout planned to limit his offensive workload while primarily using him on defense.

Frame needed only three carries to rush for 60 yards.

“I just kind of joked, ‘If I put you in, are you going to score?’ ” Tout said. “And that’s him. I think our kids all feel like that about him, that if he gets the ball, he’s got an opportunity whenever he gets it. It’s a backbreaker. It’s a dagger.”

Rothrock remembered the exchange similarly.

“It was great having Chris Frame back,” he said. “He’s a big part of our team. He even said to Coach, ‘Call power.’ He said he was going to score, and he scored. So that was big.”

Northern Lehigh’s defense made sure the two-touchdown advantage held.

Bill Slattery recorded a 6-yard sack on Catasauqua’s final possession, and the Bulldogs eventually forced an incompletion on fourth-and-3 from the Northern Lehigh 40.

Rothrock and Porobenski then helped pick up the first down Northern Lehigh needed to run out the clock.

“We pride ourselves on our defense,” Slattery said. “I think we have a very good defense this year, and I think we’re improving every game.”

According to Tout, Catasauqua’s touchdown was the first allowed by Northern Lehigh’s starting defense since its Week 2 loss to Northwestern.

“At the end of the day, ultimately, our defense is winning games for us,” Tout said. “They fly around. They take a lot of pride in it.”

The Bulldogs also controlled the game on the ground, rushing 40 times for 204 yards.

Rothrock led the methodical attack with 59 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Porobenski added 32 yards on six attempts, while Smoyer rushed for 33 yards and completed 10-of-16 passes for 60 yards.

Northern Lehigh established that approach immediately.

Its first possession covered 77 yards in 12 plays. Rothrock kept it alive with a 9-yard run on fourth-and-1 before eventually scoring from 5 yards out. He added the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 3:54 remaining in the opening quarter.

“First thing, we really trust our line,” Rothrock said. “They’re boys that love to block, love to hit. We have awesome running backs. Our quarterback’s awesome, and our wide receivers. Everybody we trust, and we just lean on each other.”

Catasauqua answered late in the second quarter after twice being stopped on fourth down earlier in the half.

Aiden Reilly connected with Omar Pacheco for 25 yards on third-and-9 during an 80-yard drive, while Solomon Mosby followed with a 17-yard run. Reilly later scrambled for 11 yards on third-and-7 before finding Pacheco for a 13-yard touchdown.

Reilly connected with Tuari Wright for the two-point conversion to tie it 8-8 with 1:18 remaining before halftime.

Northern Lehigh nearly answered, moving from its own 40 to the Catasauqua 30 before time expired.

But after an uneven opening half, the Bulldogs made sure the second half belonged to them.

“We definitely could have come out better in the first half,” Slattery said. “We finished in the second half.”

N. Lehigh 22, Catasauqua 8

No. Lehigh 8 8 7 7 - 22

Catasauqua 0 8 0 0 - 8

NL - Rothrock 5 run (Rothrock run)

Cat - Pacheco 13 pass from Reilly (Wright pass from Reilly)

NL - Rothrock 3 run (Hanna kick)

NL - Frame 42 run (Hanna kick)