It was the most impressive drive of the evening.

It may not have resulted in any points, but it didn’t need to.

What it did do was secure a win on opening night and prove to a young team what its strength is.

Leading 20-12 with 10:09 left to play Friday night, Panther Valley ran out the rest of the clock by running the ball 15 straight times to defeat Salisbury.

“When we get that power-I going and our running game going, obviously that’s good for us,” said PV head coach Mark Lavine. “The time of possession on our side keeps the defense off the field.

“And Brennan Kunkel ran like a man tonight, especially on that drive. He lowered his shoulders and the entire offensive line really did a great job ... When we get power-I going, we’re in pretty good shape.”

The Panthers found themselves in good shape early in the second half when sophomore quarterback Brody Breiner broke free down the left side for a 79-yard touchdown run that extended a narrow one-point lead to 20-12.

PV’s opponent would only touch the ball two more times after that, going three-and-out after the score before putting together a drive that eventually stalled at the Panthers’ 23-yard line.

That set up the time-consuming march, with Kunkel carrying nine times.

“We tried as hard as we could (to get the ball back),” said Falcon coach Andy Cerco. “We were getting to the runner and trying to rip it out ... They had a good offensive line and some good runners, and they had a good plan.

“Once they were in that situation, they were tough to stop.”

Salisbury found itself in a similar situation to last year when George Spann picked up a PV fumble and raced 47 yards for the game’s first score late in the opening quarter. Last season, the Falcons’ defense also scored first against PV on opening night with a pick-six.

The Panthers answered right back, moving 69 yards on eight plays to tie the game at 6-6. The drive ended when Breiner tossed a perfect strike to Brady Jones in the corner of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown pass.

“(Breiner) doesn’t play like a sophomore,” Lavine said. “You saw in baseball as a freshman he hit around .400. We don’t treat him like a sophomore. Nothing’s too big for him. And all these younger guys, the moment’s not too big for them. They want the ball in their hands.”

The tie score didn’t last long as Salisbury got the ball in the hands of its most dangerous weapon - junior running back Jason St. Leger. First, he ripped off a 20-yard run and later he broke free for an 11-yard gain to set up his 2-yard scoring run that put the visitors back in front, 12-6, with 5:44 until halftime.

But back again came the Panthers, punching in a score right before the break.

Breiner’s running, along with a key pass interference call, moved the ball inside the Falcons’ 30-yard line with time winding down. Another Breiner run and a 13-yard gain from Kunkel, in which he refused to go down, moved the ball inside the 10. Kunkel, out of the power-I, ran three more times - the last one into the end zone from three yards out and 15.9 seconds showing on the clock. Jah Bushati’s successful PAT gave the Panthers their first lead.

“We were down twice tonight but battled back,” Lavine said. “The score before half was absolutely huge. It was a little chaotic there with not having any timeouts. We thought we could power-I them but there was only seconds left. We knew if we didn’t get that ball in there, we may not score before half. Going into the half with a lead was huge. They just had a different look in their eye after that. Momentum in high school football is huge.

“It’s everything,” said Lavine about getting that first win. “You go three weeks in camp and you just grind ... but then you finally get to play that game. It’s a game we felt we needed to get with us at home and them traveling. Wins are just so hard to come by in football. You only get 10 opportunities, so it’s great for the kids.”

BALL CONTROL ... The Panthers ran 54 offensive plays to Salisbury’s 33, and finished with a time of possession advantage of 29:48 to 18:12. Breiner finished with 135 yards rushing, Kunkel had 94, and Marcus Rodriguez chipped in with 52.

PV DEFENSE ... Panther Valley had three tackles for loss, including a sack by Brad Jones.

UP NEXT ... Panther Valley hosts Tri-Valley on Friday.