Adding an extra athlete or two to the roster can be huge for any small school football program.

Palmerton is no exception.

The Blue Bombers got that type of boost this season - and it came with a big off-the-field assist from someone who routinely makes big plays on the field.

This week’s Overtime column will look at a couple of seniors who’ve made an impact as first-time members of the Palmerton football team - and how they found their way onto the gridiron.

In addition, Rod Heckman has some interceptions notes, along with impressive stats from specific quarters.

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Palmerton football coach Chris Walkowiak is used to Matt Machalik making big contributions for his team.

Machalik - a two-way star and Lehigh University commit - is the reigning Times News Football Player of the Year. The senior playmaker currently leads the Times News area in both rushing yards and scoring, and is second in passing yards.

While impact plays are common to see from Machalik on a Friday night, his contributions to the Palmerton football program aren’t limited to the field or the fall season.

He’s also made an impact during the offseason by serving as the program’s top recruiter.

“We are always looking to add athletes to our roster, and the basketball team has had many athletes we thought would be good fits for the football program,” said Walkowiak. “Matt has actively talked to players over the years to get them to come out for the team. He is just as good of a recruiter as he is a football player.

“He is able to work his basketball relationships with the guys and relate it to the football field, and lets them know what they can expect when playing. He has been very successful in adding players to our team in recent years.”

This year, Machalik talked two of his classmates and basketball teammates into trying football - and the additions have turned out better than Walkowiak or anyone associated with the Bomber program could have hoped.

Seniors Brayden Hosier and Trace Stahler are first-time football players who have been making an impact on offense, defense and special teams this season.

Hosier is the team’s second-leading receiver with 12 catches for 177 yards, and on Friday night in a huge showdown against North Schuylkill, he caught his first-ever touchdown pass. He also has been a huge contributor in the secondary, where he has been credited with four passes defensed and 13 tackles.

“Brayden has helped us immensely on both sides of the ball as a slot receiver and cornerback. He gives us another athlete to use offensively as he possesses good hands, runs good routes, and runs the ball well for us,” said Walkowiak. “He is smart, and his instincts are good just like when I have seen him play basketball.

“Defensively, Brayden has played a good corner for us. He is not afraid of contact, and can cover. We have asked him at times this season to guard a particular player due to the fact he does not shy away from competition.”

Stahler’s biggest contributions have come on defense where he plays end. He has 14 tackles on the season, including one quarterback sack. He also has a pair of quarterback hurries. Offensively, he has caught one pass for five yards.

“I have been after Trace for two years trying to talk him into playing after noticing how he handled himself on the basketball court, and more importantly how he worked in the weight room,” said Walkowiak. “But I wasn’t nearly as successful as Matt was in convincing him to come out.

“We spent the summer trying to figure out positions for him to help us best with his length and size. We finally settled on receiver and defensive end. Trace has developed a ton over the season as a receiver, and is seeing more time on the field for us. Defensively, he has done a good job, and is very disciplined in what we ask him to do. He understands our schemes and is always hustling.”

For their part, Hosier and Stahler are thrilled with their decisions to finally give in to their friends’ recruiting pitch

Hosier, whose only organized football before this season came playing booster club ball in first grade, also plays baseball and basketball - where he was the 2022-23 Times News Player of the Year. Prior to switching over to football this fall, he was also a three-year member of the Bomber golf team.

“Matt has been bothering me for a while to come out for football, “ said Hosier. “I finally decided this year that it was now or never, so I told him ‘yes’. After all, how much better does it get then to be able to catch passes from a player as great as Matt Machalik?

“I really felt when I started playing that I could have a role and contribute to us having a big season. We have such a great group of guys on the team. I’m really happy I decided to play.”

Stahler said he played some booster club football when he was young, but never played on the junior high or high school level. He is on the Blue Bomber basketball, and track and field teams in addition to playing football this season.

“I’m enjoying the experience,” said Stahler. “I’m thrilled I decided to come out for the team.

“All our coaches and my teammates have been so helpful in getting me up to speed on our offensive plays and defensive schemes, I feel like I’ve learned so much and improved so much from my first practice. To be part of the success the team is having, and to be locked in with everyone else on our goal to win a championship has been a great experience.”

With the Bombers currently 8-0, and having already clinched a District 11 playoff berth, Hosier and Stahler couldn’t have picked a better time to start playing football.

The fact they are playing and making contributions to the team’s success is in large part thanks to Machalik - who found another way to make a big play for the Bombers.

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TIGERS GET DEFENSIVE ... Eli Zimmerman and Dan Jenkins both had interceptions for Northwestern in its victory over Bangor last Friday.

The Tigers have now picked off a pass in eight straight games this season.

The last time Northwestern had a stretch that long was 2000, when it posted nine straight games with a pick and an interception.

Over that same time span, the longest stretch of games with at least one pick by an area team is 10 - which was done by Northern Lehigh in 2004.

The two picks by the Tigers last week also boosted the team’s total this season to 16. The last time the Tigers had more in one season was in 2014, when they had 18.

Over the past 30 seasons, the most interceptions in a season by any Times News area team is 24 by Northern Lehigh, set in 1999.

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SPEAKING ON NW’S DEFENSE ... Northwestern’s interceptions are only part of its success on defense. The Tigers have allowed just 14 first-half points this season, including none in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Josh Snyder’s offense has totaled 141 points during the same period and have 266 points in the first half.

The last time an area team allowed no points in a quarter throughout an entire season was 2018, when Jim Thorpe blanked all 11 of its opponents in the second frame. The Olympians finished that year with a 170-0 advantage in that quarter.

While Northwestern’s 141 second-quarter points are impressive, they’re not the most in a single frame this season. That distinction currently belongs to Palmerton, which has 167 so far - also in the second quarter.

Over the last 30 seasons, there have been two times a team reached 200 points in a quarter. Northwestern tallied 216 second-quarter points in 2021, while Northern Lehigh finished with 201 first-quarter points in 2010.

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ANOTHER PICK-SIX ... Tamaqua’s Damon Sell returned an interception for a touchdown on Oct. 6 against Pine Grove. In the Blue Raiders’ next game - which was last Thursday versus Northern Lehigh - Sell duplicated the feat.

Since 1993, Sell is just one of six area players - and the only Tamaqua one - to have back-to-back weeks of interception returns for touchdowns.

The others who have accomplished it include Jim Thorpe’s Jared Schrantz (1996), Northwestern’s Austin Bleam (2002), Panther Valley’s Jake Dunn (2008), and Pleasant Valley’s Nyiem Nevarez (2013) and Mario Mondilla (2022).

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CAPABLE RECEIVERS ... So far this season, only four area players have caught a pass in every one of their team’s games.

They include Palmerton’s Ty Sander, Northwestern’s Devon Hildebrand, Marian’s Michael Gelatko and Jim Thorpe’s Justin Yescavage.

Of those four, just two have had multiple catches in every contest - Sander and Hildebrand.

Last year there was only player to have at least two catches in every game. That was the Blue Bombers’ Daniel Lucykanish, who did it in 12 games. Before him, it was accomplished by Lehighton’s Zack Hunisicker in 2020 during a shortened nine-game season.