Running to another victory
Holmes, Henry lead Northwestern in win
Northwestern Lehigh quarterback Justin Holmes carried three times in the first 43 seconds of the second half. He gained 65 yards and scored eight points.
It was production for the Tigers and a sign of things to come.
Holmes finished with 233 yards rushing, and senior running back Nick Henry added 100 yards and three touchdowns as 4-1 Northwestern overpowered Salisbury 39-28 in a Colonial League clash Friday night in Salisbury Township.
Coach Josh Snyder’s Tigers never trailed and improved to 3-0 in league action. Salisbury is now 1-3 overall and in league play.
Holmes’ eight-point sequence to start the second half increased Northwestern’s lead from 21-14 to 29-14, and although Salisbury fought hard until the end, quarterback Quintin Stephens and the Falcons couldn’t stop Northwestern.
The Tigers amassed 243 of their 347 rushing yards after halftime.
Northwestern fared OKonthe ground in the opening 24 minutes, as well.
Henry capped the first two scoring drives with runs of 2 and 1 yards, respectively. Senior Justin Rodda sprinted in from 13 yards out for the Tigers’ third touchdown. Rodda’s TD, and a two-point conversion, put Northwestern ahead 21-7 with 4:59 left before intermission.
Salisbury’s first-half offense came thanks to Stephens’ scrambling ability and his right arm.
All three of the Falcons’ big plays — completions of 38, 42 and 30 yards — started with Stephens eluding the defenders with his legs and ended with him finding open receivers downfield. His first touchdown was a 38-yarder to Chad Parton and his second was a 30-yarder to Joshua Brooks. The last one came with 45 seconds remaining and cut Northwestern’s advantage to 21-14.
Stephens was 6-of-11 for 130 yards in the first half and 17-of-31 for 246 yards overall. He passed for three TDs. Parton caught 10 passes for 169 yards.
Both teams continue their coronavirus-shortened Colonial League seasons next week.
Northwestern puts its three-game winning streak on the line against Saucon Valley at Tiger Stadium. Salisbury attempts to pick up its second ‘W’ in 2020 against Northern Lehigh at Bulldog Stadium. Both games are set to start at 7 p.m.