Not only weren’t any of its players born the last time that Palmerton won District 11 gold medals in field hockey, but their coach was also a decade away from being a bundle of joy to her parents.

That long drought ended on Saturday as. the Blue Bombers continued their outstanding season by downing Palisades 3-0 in the District 11 class A title game.

The victory gave Palmerton its first district field hockey championship since 1983.

While the experience of winning district gold is new to the players, it is something that Lauren Salerno, the second-year coach of the team, is familiar with.

As a member of the Lehighton High School field hockey team, Salerno was part of a program that was a perennial league, district and state powerhouse. In 2009, Salerno played a key role as the Indians captured a PIAA gold medal.

She remembers the run to the championship fondly. It’s a feeling that she is hoping to help her players experience as they begin PIAA tournament play tonight against Line Mountain.

“It was a really great experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s not just the championship, but the whole experience of getting there with my teammates, and the work that we put in to get there,” said Salerno. “I’ve stressed to our players to enjoy this experience.

“We’re going to have to work harder than ever because we’re going to be playing better and better teams the deeper we might go, but all of the hard work is going to be worth it.”

Salerno has brought a winning attitude to a team with players who have been willing to put in all the hard work to get themselves to where they are. She is also happy with the chemistry that she has seen among the players, which is something she believes is important to have.

“I am very proud of every one of them. They showed how much they wanted to win, and they showed up for us today and got the job done,” Salerno said after the win over Palisades. “We came out wanting to get a fast start because it drives the team. That’s what they did, and I’m very proud of them for that.

“They all support each other, and they work together, and that’s what it takes for a team to reach this level. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but this group of girls is very driven, and they’re all on the same page.”

In Saturday’s win, senior Analise Recker scored all three goals. She said the players were aware of the long drought in championships, but they have remained focused on just winning, and not worrying about situations they cannot control.

“We didn’t really talk about it that much, but winning districts was one of our goals all during the season,” said Recker. “It’s a great feeling, especially since we lost to Southern Lehigh in the league championship. It’s a great feeling to be here and win.”

Having been through a championship run as a player, Salerno also remained focused on coaching her team, and not getting caught up in how long it had been since the school had a district championship in field hockey.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of talk about it now. The girls are aware of it, and they were excited about qualifying for states after we won the last game. There was a lot of talk then about just going to states, but they remained focused on winning this game, not because of the streak, but because they wanted to win.

This (the District 11 trophy) is going into the school trophy case, and it’s pretty bare in there in the field hockey showcase, so it’s pretty neat.”

The Blue Bombers (18-4-1) have the luxury of starting play in states on their home field tonight at 6 p.m. against the District 4 runner-up Eagles. Line Mountain, which lost to Bloomsburg in penalty strokes in the District 4 championship game, enters the game with a 9-10-1 record.