PEN ARGYL — In just over a week, Pen Argyl has shown it can handle adversity — and find ways to win.

The Green Knights rallied past Tamaqua last Friday night and followed it up Saturday afternoon by erasing a 14-0 deficit to defeat Palmerton 27-20 in a Colonial-Schuylkill League Division B matchup.

Palmerton (0-2) struck first with a 66-yard march late in the opening quarter, highlighted by a 31-yard pass from quarterback TJ Weller to Benjamin Negley on third-and-7. Caleb Sagastume capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge, and Dillon Anthony’s extra point made it 7-0 with 37 seconds left.

The teams traded punts on their ensuing possessions, but Vincent Taglieri recovered a fumble near midfield after the Bombers’ punt to give Palmerton the ball back. Six plays later, Sagastume powered in again from a yard out. Anthony’s PAT stretched the lead to 14-0 with 5:50 left in the first half.

It was the second straight week Palmerton jumped ahead against a resilient foe. The Bombers also held a 14-7 advantage midway through the second quarter of their season opener against Jim Thorpe last Saturday before eventually falling 28-14.

“They had the effort. They had the grit. They had the fight, which is everything we encouraged,” Palmerton coach Chris Walkowiak said. “But it’s capitalizing — and football really comes down to a few plays. Getting off the field on third down, making tackles, finishing drives and scoring.”

Palmerton even recovered an onside kick after Sagastume’s second score, with Alexander Keiper covering the ball, but Pen Argyl’s defense stiffened to force a punt. The Knights then pieced together an 81-yard march, capped by a 2-yard run from Caiden Faust with one second left before the half to cut the deficit to 14-6.

“These kids are so resilient,” Pen Argyl coach Brady Mutton said. “Some of the years past, we might have given up a touchdown and folded. These kids just keep playing, and they’re still going as hard on the last snap as they were on the first. We knew we needed that score before half, and it carried us into the second half.”

Pen Argyl tied it early in the third on a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mason Soos to Terrell Estes, with Soos adding the two-point conversion to make it 14-14 with 8:22 to play in the third quarter.

The Knights took their first lead on the first play in the fourth on a 1-yard run by Rocco DeCesare to make it 21-14 after Redi Kotulka’s kick.

Palmerton answered with a 65-yard drive. Weller went 4-for-4 through the air on the march — including a 6-yard completion to Taglieri on third-and-six from the Blue Bomber 39, and Taglieri ripped off a 27-yard touchdown run with 8:11 to play. A missed extra point, however, left the Bombers trailing 21-20.

Pen Argyl sealed the win on its final possession, with Soos keeping drives alive with clutch runs — one on fourth-and-10 from the Palmerton 22 and another on fourth-and-one from the Bombers’ 3 — before Faust scored his second touchdown on an 8-yard run with 37 seconds left on fourth and goal. Christopher Crespo intercepted Palmerton on the first play of its next series to close it out.

STAT LEADERS ... Soos finished 9-of-14 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown while adding 33 yards rushing. Faust carried 15 times for 70 yards and two scores, and also had two catches for 55 yards. Estes caught two passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Sagastume paced Palmerton with 64 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Negley hauled in three receptions for 52 yards. Defensively, Anthony and Connor Lawless each recorded 10 tackles, while Logan Anthony notched three tackles for loss to lead a group that gave Palmerton chances throughout the afternoon.

GETTING BETTER ... “Did we improve from Week One to Week Two? Yeah, I think we took some steps where we played better,” Walkowiak said. “We fixed some of the things we were working on and harping on this week, but we didn’t play a complete game and we didn’t finish. That’s the message — learning how to finish when opportunities are given to us.”

UP NEXT ... Pen Argyl will look to keep its unbeaten start going when it travels to Northern Lehigh Friday night, while Palmerton will return home to face Saucon Valley (1-1) as it continues to build on its progress.

Pen Argyl 27, Palmerton 20

Palmerton 7 7 0 6 - 20

Pen Argyl 0 6 8 13 - 27

Palm - Sagastume 1 run (D. Anthony kick)

Palm - Sagastume 1 run (D. Anthony kick)

PA - Faust 2 run (kick failed)

PA - Estes 52 pass from Soos (Soos run)

PA - DeCesare 1 run (Kotulka kick)

Palm - Taglieri 27 run (kick failed)

PA - Faust 8 run (run failed)