Matt Machalik’s incredible football career is rising to the next level.

The former Palmerton superstar quarterback – who was the first player in Pennsylvania high school history to both rush and pass for over 5,000 yards – played a key role in Lehigh University’s defeat of Lafayette Saturday in the 160th edition of the longest rivalry in the history of college football.

In the Mountain Hawks’ 38-14 win over the Leopards, the freshmen quarterback duo of Machalik and Hayden Johnson – the game’s MVP – were a one-two punch that proved to be the difference in Lehigh winning its first Patriot League title since 2017, and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division 1 FCS playoffs next week.

Lehigh’s second-year head coach Kevin Cahill effectively used Machalik as his running QB and Johnson as his passer to overwhelm Lafayette’s defense all game long. On the Hawks’ first possession, both signal callers led a nine-play, 69-yard scoring drive, capped off when Machalik handed the ball to Jaden Green who got the edge around the right end for a 19-yard TD run.

After Lafayette answered with an 82-yard scoring drive to tie the game at 7-7, the Hawks put up 21 points in the second quarter. Machalik scored the go-ahead touchdown with a one-yard run. He then got the opportunity to ring the touchdown bell that was on Lehigh’s sideline, a tradition that has been a feature for this game for many years.

For the game, Machalik carried the ball 10 times for 69 yards. Johnson completed 10 passes on 13 attempts for one TD, and also ran for a five-yard score with one second left on the clock in the first half.

For his first year at Lehigh, Machalik ran for 209 yards and three touchdowns in what has become a remarkable turnaround for the Hawks. Lehigh finished 2-9 the past two seasons, and had not had a winning record since 2016. The Hawks completed their 2024 regular schedule with a five-game winning streak, and an 8-3 overall record.

The classic Lehigh-Lafayette game, known simply around both campuses as, “The Rivalry,” drew a crowd of over 15,000 at the Hawk’s Goodman Stadium. Lafayette leads the series, 82-72-5, which began 159 years ago in 1865.

Following the victory, Machalik and his teammates celebrated The Rivalry’s prize trophy as the home crowd rushed the field. Lehigh’s students pulled down the goal posts at the south end of the stadium and transported it across the entire field. A portion of the crossbar and the base were then carried over South Mountain to the Fahy Bridge where it was tossed into the Lehigh River.

Machalik is proving that wherever he plays football, he is an integral part of the team’s success. After leading Palmerton to an undefeated regular season a year ago, this scholar athlete now continues to perform at his best at the collegiate level.

In a Times News story from last March, he was quoted as saying, “I put in the time so I can reach my best potential. I want the ball in my hands at the biggest moments in the game. I want to be the difference for my team to win.”

On the biggest stage in the biggest game against a historical rival, and with a league title and a trip to the NCAA playoffs on the line, he helped lead his team to their biggest victory in years.

Just as it had happened at Palmerton, it’s to be expected that whenever Machalik has the ball in his hands, he will make a difference in the victorious outcomes of football games at Lehigh University.