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Sterner runs wild as PA tops Bulldogs

Whoop, there it was.

At least that's how Northern Lehigh coach Joe Tout explained the play in the trenches on Friday night.Tout used the word "whoop" several times in describing what happened to the Bulldogs in their 42-21 Colonial League setback to Pen Argyl."We got beat up on both sides of the line of scrimmage," Tout said. "They were more physical up front than us tonight. Our offensive line got whooped. They got great pushes on our defensive line. We couldn't defend them up front."The "whooping" started on the very first play of the game as Northern Lehigh fumbled the ball and Pen Argyl's Tanner Barr jumped on it, giving the visitors great field position on the Bulldogs' 22 yard line.Five plays later, the Green Knights' Logan Sterner cashed in on it. Sterner scampered for a 10-yard touchdown which gave PA a 7-0 lead with 9:32 left in the opening quarter.But, the "whooping" didn't stop there as Sterner put a hurting on the hosts. He added 38-yard run for a touchdown. and followed that up with an 81-yard punt return for a score and a quick 21-0 lead.It was part of a huge night for Sterner, who scored all six Pen Argyl touchdowns."Every single touchdown put us closer to the win," said Sterner. "I really didn't focus on the amount of touchdowns I had. I just focused on helping my team win."Finally, on the Bulldogs' fourth offensive series of the game, and after six straight running plays, Tekoah Guedes stepped back into the pocket to get his team on the scoreboard.Guedes connected with Austin Hemingway for three straight receptions, which spanned a total of 35 yards. The final one came from 12 yards to close the gap to 21-7.The momentum was short lived though.This time, the Green Knights' Logan connection worked together as Ruppert and Sterner combined for a 21-yard touchdown reception with 1:21 left before intermission.Sterner added a 41-yard run and an 88-yard punt return for scores in the third quarter to put the mercy rule into effect."We don't have a lot of team speed, so we have to have good angles against a team like that,"Tout said. "We knew they had the speed, but our angles weren't great. They were able to get outside."But tonight, the tale was up front. They whooped us up front. They could have run what they wanted."Brandon Belfonti (a one-yard run) and Cameron Kline (a five-yard run) gave the Bulldogs (2-4) a couple of late scores but it was too little, too late."We're going to come back and things are going to change a bit," Tout said. "They're not going to like it. We need to tighten up. It was like a party there in the locker room, which I have coached loose teams and teams that are focused. This team needs to be focused. And, I questioned them tonight about that."GOOD FIELD POSITION ...In the first quarter, Pen Argyl took advantage of great field position. The Knights started possessions on the Northern Lehigh 22, 42 and 47 -yard lines and capitalized on two of them for touchdowns.ONE MAN WRECKING CREW ...Sterner scored three on rushes, two punt returns and one pass reception. He finished with 132 yards rushing, 21 yards receiving and totaled 169 yards on two big returns.

Mason Seiler of Northern Lehigh is tackled from behind by Pen Argyl's Sawyer Beltz. RON GOWER/TIMES NEWS