Salisbury Press

Salisbury sophomore Mackenzie Hankee has only been playing tennis for two seasons. But she continues to impress head coach Rob Benson on the court.

Most recently it was her performance during the District 11 Class 2A singles tournament. Despite coming up short against Notre Dame’s top player Keiran Lencheski (6-2, 6-1), Benson continued to see improvement from his second-year player.

A trip to Bangor might just be what Salisbury needs as it looks to get back in the win column following last week’s 42-14 loss to Northern Lehigh. The Slaters (2-5) have won just two games this season and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

However, one of those victories has come against that same Northern Lehigh team that Salisbury came up short against last Friday. Bangor outlasted the Bulldogs in Week 3 to escape with a 28-21 victory on its home field.

Even in its losses this season, the Salisbury offense has generally been able to keep up with its opponents through.

Friday’s loss against Northern Lehigh was the Falcon offense’s first hiccup of the fall. The Bulldogs (4-3) ruined Salisbury’s Homecoming Night by running for 301 yards on the ground en route to a 42-14 win. The win halted a two-game winning streak for the Falcons (4-3).

Salisbury’s only offensive touchdown came with 54 seconds left in the game when Blake Lettko scored from 21 yards out.

The last time the Salisbury girls’ soccer team qualified for the Colonial League playoffs was back in 2016 as the fourth and final seed.

Since then, the Colonial League expanded its playoff format to six teams beginning this fall. The Lady Falcons (12-4 overall; 9-2 in Colonial League) will be returning to that stage in 2019, and they wouldn’t have even needed the expanded tournament to do so.

Fresh off its two-game winning streak, Salisbury shifts its focus to Northern Lehigh in Week 7 when the Bulldogs visit for Homecoming Night. It’s a chance for the Falcons to build on their 4-2 start.

Northern Lehigh (3-3) is led by a three-headed monster at the running back position. White Matt Frame leads the way with a team-best 423 yards on 56 carries to go with two touchdowns, Mike Repsher (44 carries for 240 yards) and Joe Abidelli (41 carries for 208 yards) are both averaging over five yards per carry. Abidelli leads Northern Lehigh with four rushing touchdowns.

Injuries have been the underlying theme for the Salisbury boys’ soccer team this season. And while head coach Mark Allinson welcomed back two starters on Saturday against Saucon Valley, the Falcons struggled to keep up with last year’s District 11 Class 3A champions.

Saucon Valley scored five goals in the first half en route to a 6-0 win on its home field over the Falcons (2-10 overall, 2-7 in Colonial League). The Panthers (7-4, 7-2) currently sit third in the Colonial League standings, and the win capped a brief two-game losing skid.

Salisbury looked at its Week 6 game against Catasauqua like a business trip. And the Falcons certainly took care of their job early and often.

Senior Timmy Buda accounted for four touchdowns (two receiving and two rushing) as Salisbury shut out Catasauqua on Friday night, 34-0. The Falcons (4-2) held a 25-0 lead at halftime before they were able to start substituting a number of JV players midway through the third quarter.

Not many people gave Salisbury a chance when the Falcons hosted Notre Dame (Green Pond) last Friday night. But the Falcons believed in themselves, and that’s all that mattered.

Salisbury (3-2) held the Crusaders’ high-powered offense in check, allowing just seven points through three quarters, and defeated Notre Dame, 23-21, on Salisbury’s home turf.

Back on September 7, the Salisbury girls’ tennis team lost a close 3-2 decision against Saucon Valley. Falcon head coach Rob Benson believed at the time that his team was more than capable of defeating the Panthers.

Nearly two weeks later, the Falcons were able to get some revenge. Salisbury (8-6 overall; 5-5 in Colonial League) was on the other end of a 3-2 decision this time around when it defeated Saucon Valley on Friday evening on its home courts.

This is head coach Mark Allinson’s 25th season leading the Salisbury boys’ soccer team. The Falcons entered this season more or less like many others—with a solid 30 or so players on the roster.

But the 2019 season has turned out to be unlike any other during Allinson’s tenure. With the midpoint of the season behind Salisbury, Allinson is now without eight starters for a Falcon team that has won just two games this fall.