The Bulldogs have played some good teams this season. But they hadn’t seen the quickness displayed Friday night by Saucon Valley in a 49-14 win over Northern Lehigh.

The Panthers used quick strikes and big-yardage gains, especially in the second half, to keep the Bulldogs from making a game of it.

“They have great team speed,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. “They’re probably the fastest team we’ve played all year. We hung in there in the first half,” said Tout, “but then it got away from us.”

Saucon threw a one-two punch of sophomore quarterback Braden Rohn and his brother, senior running back Jared Rohn, to score first in the game following an interception by Shane Kerosetz that set up the Panther offense on the NL 48-yard line.

Jared Rohn ripped off a 15-yard run to the 33. After two short gains, he ran to the 7-yard line, where Braden Rohn scored through a hole off right tackle.

On Northern Lehigh’s next possession, Braden Rohn picked off a pass at the Bulldog 33. On the next play, the Panthers substituted Peter Albano at quarterback and he promptly fired a TD pass to Braden Rohn, who had lined up as a wide receiver.

Saucon might have scored more in the first half if it weren’t for six penalties and a lost fumble.

Down 14-0 with just seven seconds left in the opening quarter, the home team struck hit pay dirt with a big play. Bulldog QB Garrett Smoyer lifted a swing pass to the right and found a streaking Colin Karetsky, who got the edge and raced 80 yards down the sideline to cut the Panthers lead in half.

A close game after the intermission turned into a Saucon dominating performance in the second half, even though an opening third quarter Panther kick return of 68 yards ended with a recovered fumble by the Bulldogs.

The Panthers put up 21 points in the quarter. The first of three TDs was a three-minute, 74-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard connection between Kerosetz and Braden Rohn.

Following an NL punt, the Panthers struck again with a 70-yard drive highlighted by a 40-yard pass play from Rohn to Andrew Gilbert that gave his team a first down on the Bulldog 29. Two plays later, Jack Robertson ran around right end for a 28-7 Saucon lead with 4:25 left in the third quarter.

Robertson struck again after another Northern punt. On a second down and six from the Bulldog 34, he got to the edge on the left side of the defense and scored on a 24-yard scamper.

Tout said his young team was outmatched because Saucon has 12 seniors playing starting positions, while the Bulldogs have one-third of that total.

“We have only four,” he said. “They are a really good football team with a lot more experience than us.”

At the wrong end of a 35-7 score after three quarters, Saucon Valley (8-2) left no doubt about which team would come away with a victory. Its offense drove 65 yards in just four plays.

Robertson began the drive with a 15-yard run to midfield. From the 49, Albano returned at QB and hooked up with Kerosetz on a 49-yard catch-and-run TD play.

The no-quit Bulldogs completed another big play when Chris Frame took a handoff, turned the corner a and raced 71 yards for the second Bulldog touchdown of the night.

With just under four minutes left in the game, Saucon’s Mason Kares returned an interception 90 yards for the final points of the game.

Tout said playing bigger schools is good for his team moving forward.

“This game was test for us and that will help us going into the playoffs,” he said. “We will forget this loss and move ahead and look forward to going 1-0 against whomever we are to play next week.”

AND ONE … Twice in the game did Saucon’s Jack Robertson a score touchdown and then lined up to kick his own extra point.

SPEED AND POWER … Several times, Saucon Valley was able to get around the ends and gain big yardage with their multiple weapons, and they also moved the chains with runs between the tackles with Jared Rohn, who gained 88 yards on 20 carries.

Saucon Vy. 49, No. Lehigh 14

Saucon Vy. 14 0 21 14 - 49

No. Lehigh 7 0 0 7 - 14

SV - B. Rohn 7 run (Robertson kick)

SV - Albano 33 pass to B. Rohn (Robertson kick)

NL - Karetsky 80 pass from Smoyer (Hanna kick)

SV - Kerosetz 25 pass from B. Rohn (Robertson kick)

SV - Robertson 5 run (Robertson kick)

SV - Robertson 34 run (Robertson kick)

SV - Kerosetz 49 pass from Albano (Robertson kick)

NL - Frame 71 run (Hanna kick)

SV - Kares 90 interception return (Sanders kick)