Work horse.

That’s what Northern Lehigh’s Justin Paul proved to be just that on Friday night in a Colonial League battle against Salisbury.

The senior tailback tallied 32 carries for 164 yards and a score en route to sinking the Falcons, 27-13.

“The rushing attack came out strong and it continued to get better as the game went on,” Paul said. “We had a few slow moments in the game, but we made sure we picked it back up and drove the ball right down the field again.”

The Bulldogs asserted themselves on the ground immediately.

Northern Lehigh posted a 13-play, 73-yard drive to open the game, which was capped off by a Mike Repsher three-yard score. Paul carried the ball nine times during the sequence and gained 63 yards, which helped set the tone for the rest of the contest.

After an immediate Salisbury three-and-out, the Bulldogs’ second drive was equally impressive as the first one. This time, Northern Lehigh put together a 58-yard drive that ended with a Gage Hunsicker one-yard plunge to make it 14-0 Bulldogs.

“They have very good team speed,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout of Salisbury. “That’s what we saw. They line up in that 3-3 and send guys all over the place. But that was kind of the plan; let’s get downhill tonight. We had two drives in the first half that totaled 29 plays. The magic number is 60 plays in a high school game; if you hit it, you should win. So we felt pretty good with those two drives.”

Later in the second frame, trailing by 14, Salisbury’s Delano McKenzie flashed some of that speed on a 13-yard scamper to the house.

But Northern Lehigh answered the punch with a counter.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs used some trickery on a reverse-return, which set them up in beautiful field position on the Falcons’ 32 yard-line. After Paul ran for 13 yards on the initial play of the drive, Hunsicker perfectly executed a read-option play with some crafty moves, and went 24 yards for a touchdown.

“That was a big play for us, that mid-line popped,” Tout explained in regard to Hunsicker’s score. “We tried to save it, and that’s what happens. If you run it at the right time, it pops, and he made the right read on it.”

Paul scored in the third quarter to give his team a 27-7 lead. Early in the fourth period, Salisbury’s McKenzie turned on the jets and retuned a punt all the way back to the Bulldogs’ four yard-line. Quarterback Jacob Kamp then punched it in to cut into the 27-13 Northern Lehigh lead.

“That’s the one thing; I didn’t think we put the game away,” said Tout. “We had opportunities to, but our defense got the stop there at the end. They’re a scary speed offensively. They have a ton of team speed. It’s great to get that win and hold them to 13 points.”

Northern Lehigh’s defense came up big to help close out the game. With just under nine minutes remaining, Salisbury’s final two drives consisted of a turnover-on-downs, and an interception by Hunsicker.

“We knew that they were going to come to play like any other team,” Hunsicker said. “Running the ball is where we hit it hard, and that’s Northern Lehigh football. We run the ball smash-mouth. I’m happy we executed.”

GOOD TO BE KING

… Hunsicker ended the game with two interceptions defensively, and scored twice on the offensive end. Oh yeah, he was voted the homecoming king, as Lexi Meckes was named the queen. “When I was a sophomore, I started and I looked up to the older guys who intercepted the ball down the field,” said the king. “It electrifies the team and it feels good.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

… Tout said his team had its best week of practice this year. “It makes sense, right? You have a good week of practice and in translates. So we felt pretty good coming in that we had our best week, and our kids are glad that it showed tonight.”