NORTHAMPTON - Palmerton can’t afford to be too physical at practice.

Instead, they save their hitting for game time.

That kind of toughness once again proved to be a huge factor as the Blue Bombers dominated previously unbeaten Catasauqua and rolled to a 42-8 victory Friday night.

“We like playing physical because it gives us energy on both defense and offense,” said Matt Machalik, who threw for two scores and ran for another against the Rough Riders. “With the small numbers we have, we can’t really practice hitting at practice, so it just makes us hungry for the game.”

Machalik’s head coach echoed that thought.

“It starts with our mentality at practice, but a lot of times we can’t get too physical at practice,” said Bomber mentor Chris Walkowiak, whose team improved to 4-1. “It is something we preach, though. Whether it’s the linemen, and our coaches are always on them to be physical, but for our skill guys it’s just as important. We’re spreading things out, so if we can make a block or a few blocks out there, we’re going to make some big plays.”

Palmerton’s offense came up with a few big plays early on to take control and set the tempo.

A 35-yard pass to James Denicola on the second play from scrimmage set up Machalik’s 51-yard scoring toss to Daniel Lucykanish. After the defense dug in on a fourth-and-one stop near midfield, Machalik used a pair of long runs to get his team in scoring position again.

Lucas Heydt capped the drive with a one-yard tally and a quick 14-0 advantage.

“It was really big to get a lead early,” said Machalik. “We scored on our first possession, and that gave us a lot of momentum.

“The fourth-down stops also give us mometum on offense. If we stop them on fourth down, we want to come back on offense and score.”

Palmerton’s defense never allowed Catty to get on track. The Bombers finished the night with four stops on fourth downs, registered three sacks and forced two turnovers. They also held the talented Elijah Soler to just 52 yards on 16 carries.

“The defense has been playing shutout ball since the end of the Jim Thorpe game and these are the first points we’ve given up since then, and we made them earn it,” said Walkowiak. “That’s our goal and our mentality, to make them earn it. We don’t give away big plays for free.

“The kids fly to the ball. They’re athletic. Everybody does their role, and they buy in and believe what we’re doing. And they do a great job preparing during the week watching film.”

Machalik added to his highlight reel, as he intercepted a pass early in the second quarter, and then later hit Harrison Dailey with a 35-yard touchdown pass that upped the score to 20-0.

Just over a minute later, following a fumble recovery, Stephen Jones ripped off a 30-yard TD run to push the margin to 28-0.

“I think it’s complimentary football - really, the offense, defense and special teams are playing together and playing well, and we’re starting to click,” said Walkowiak. “It’s a great start, but it’s just midseason.”

After a scoreless third quarter, Palmerton put the finishing touches on early in the fourth. After another fourth down stop, Jones broke free for a 39-yard gain that eventually led to a Lucykanish 11-yard score and the start of the mercy rule.

“We have athletes all around the field,” said Machalik. “It’s great being 4-1, but now we’re just 0-0 going into next week and our goal is to go 1-0 again. That’s what we preach every week.”

BIG PLAYS ... Palmerton finished the contest with 15 plays of 10 yards or more. The Bombers are physical up front, creating lanes, but the receivers also do a solid job blocking downfield, allowing for the big plays to happen. Of the 15 long plays, seven of them went for 30 yards or more.

CENTURY MARK ... Machalik finished with 147 yards rushing, while Jones had 109. Jones got his yards on just five carries. “We spread the ball around so much,” said Walkowiak. “You’ve got to make the most of your reps. Don’t count your reps, make the most of your reps. And I think they do. Stephen Jones had a tremendous game running the ball. He didn’t have many touches, but he made the most of them.”

NEXT UP ... Speaking of physical play, Palmerton will face a traditional smashmouth squad in Schuylkill Haven next Friday.