A five-game losing streak to contend with, injuries to an already-decimated lineup, and strong opponents week in and week out.

Palmerton entered week seven with all of that adversity, but you would never know by its performance against Catasauqua.

The Blue Bombers and head coach Chris Walkowiak took to the air early and fireworks burst repeatedly, as Andrew Sabo, Jordan Nelson and Lucas Heydt all made their marks in a 56-0 statement win.

“It’s definitely great, getting that bad taste out of our mouth, after losing five games in a row,” Sabo said. “We hope we can keep the momentum moving forward.”

Sabo scored a pair of TDs, and rushed eight times for 54 yards. Classmate Jordan Nelson completed six of six passes for 170 yards and two scores, while adding five extra point kicks and a two-point conversion.

“The coaches emphasized all week to us just to get the first downs and we did that,” Nelson said. “We just kept moving down the field all day long.”

The efficiency of the Bombers’ offense was something special as they scored on eight of ten possessions. They totaled 447 yards of total offense and 23 first downs.

“Offensively, we were just taking what they were giving us and it was a matter of getting the ball to our playmakers,” Walkowiak said. “We told them just to stick to the fundamentals and get first downs. We won the turnover battle, and with wins so tough to come by, it was nice to get a win.

“It’s a credit to the kids for sticking through things and being mentally tough.”

The Bombers built a 20-0 lead at the end of one. Nelson connected twice with sophomore Lucas Heydt, and Sabo tacked on a one-yard run.

In the second, 22 more unanswered points yielded a 42-0 edge at the break that brought on the mercy rule in the second half.

Owen Buck intercepted a pass and trotted it in from the 30, while Sabo and Dan Lucykanish both scored on runs before the break.

“Jordan threw some good balls tonight, and Lucas Heydt made two outstanding catches and that got us going,” Walkowiak said. “I thought we ran the ball well, and that’s a credit to the offensive line for making some nice holes, and then the defense got us the ball back and gave us good field position.”

AIR STRIKE ... The Blue Bombers’ trio of quarterbacks throughout the contest in Nelson, Heydt and sophomore Harrison Dailey combined for a perfect 11-for-11 passing with no interceptions and 204 yards.

THE DEFENSE RESTS ... Palmerton did not yield much to the Rough Riders on the evening, as they punched their ground attack and limited them to two yards on nine carries, while only giving up four first downs on the night.

FOOTBALL WEATHER ... Finally, in week seven, the brisk temperatures in this initial week of October marked the first time it felt like a football climate.