It was clear early in the game that the team who had the ball last was probably going to win. Palmerton and Palisades showed few signs of being able stop the other’s offense as they traded touchdowns for most of the game with the Pirates coming out on top 47-40.

Palisades’ senior running back Steven Lilly scored five times, four on runs and once on his only reception of the game. He piled up 174 yards on 22 carries.

“He runs hard,” said Pirate head coach Bobby Smith. “He’s our bull. We love him to death. His offseason was tremendous.”

Three of Lilly’s touchdowns came in the fourth quarter as the Pirates came back from a 32-27 deficit in the final 11 minutes.

“We knew coming in they had a potent running attack,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. “They come right at you. I like how we responded there, but at the end of the night we just didn’t make enough plays.”

The Bombers (2-1) made a lot of plays in the first half and some more after intermission, but costly mistakes in the second half hurt their chances of staying unbeaten.

After Lilly scored on his first carry of the game, Palmerton responded as quarterback Matt Machalik ran for a touchdown then found Dalton Drake with a 21-yard pass for another score to take a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.

The Pirates went back in front early in the second quarter, but Machalik found Drake for another touchdown to get his team within 21-20.

A blocked punt on a quick kick set up Palmerton’s Daniel Lucykanish to break free for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Bombers back in front.

The Pirates (1-2) answered with a 6-yard run from quarterback Malachi Stiansen to take back the lead at 27-26. Palmerton used most of the first half’s final four minutes marching 65 yards for a touchdown on a Machalik 5-yard run to take a 32-27 halftime lead.

Palmerton stopped the Pirates to open the second half, but the Bombers’ next drive was marred by three consecutive holding penalties. The Pirates got the ball back and ate up over six minutes going 73 yards 10 plays. Lilly rumbled in from 2-yards out to give his team a 33-32 lead with 10:37 left in the game.

The Bombers answered with a 9-play touchdown drive capped by a 39-yard Machalik run. But the Pirates tied the game on Lilly’s 6-yard touchdown catch that was set up by a 42-yard Kyle Kirsch run.

A fumble on the ensuing kick off gave the Pirates the ball at the Bomber 15-yard line and two plays later Lilly ran in from 11 yards out for a 47-40 lead with 4:27 left in the game. The Palisades defense stopped the Bombers’ final drive to seal the win.

“It doesn’t come down to the fumble,” said Walkowiak. “We shot ourselves in the foot the one drive we had with three penalties in a row. Congratulations to Palisades. They played a hard-fought game and did a lot of good things, but we have to get better in our execution.”

STAYING GROUNDED ... Palisades’ rushing attack produced two 100-yard rushers as Lilly’s big night slightly overshadowed junior Kyle Kirsch’s 102 yards on 9 carries.

BOMBS AWAY ... Machalik completed his first five passes of the game and seven of his first eight while amassing 273 passing yards. Robinson (5 receptions, 101 yards), Drake (5-81) and Lucykanish (6-54) accounted for 16 of Machalik’s 19 completed passes in the game.