Salisbury drove 85 yards in 11 plays to score late in the first quarter of Friday night’s game at Saucon Valley.
The Panthers woke up after that, scoring the next four times it had the ball and controlled both sides of the ball en route to a 40-13 victory at M.E. Illick Stadium.
It was the third consecutive victory for coach Anthony Brinkley’s young team after a 1-3 start.
“They didn’t do anything that we didn’t prepare for,” Brinkley said. “They throw a lot of tricks and throw a lot of different things at you. It was just execution. It was about staying even keel.
“Our biggest thing was make them drive to the field to score on us. We told them during the week that [Salisbury] can do that. They are a good team. We did a nice job of executing and staying together.”
Saucon Valley got even at 7 on Braden Rohn’s 49-yard touchdown pass to standout freshman wide receiver Thomas Cahill with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Panthers took the lead for good on their next series when Rohn hit Mickie McClarin with a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Rohn threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score to lead the Panthers. The freshman trio of Cahill (eight catches, 124 yards), McClarin (four catches, 41 yards) and Taylor Rohn (106 rushing yards, 2 TDs), Braden’s brother, were big contributors on the field and continue to be part of the team’s leadership despite being first-year varsity players.
“I try to do the same things that the [veteran] guys did for me last year when I was [a sophomore],” Braden Rohn said. “It’s not easy. I try my best to guide them through the best path possible.”
After another Salisbury 3-and-out, Saucon Valley extended its lead to 21-7 when Taylor Rohn’s 10-yard touchdown run on third down capped a 71-yard drive with 4:08 left in the first half.
Braden Rohn’s 10-yard scoring run two minutes later after Zak Ziegler returned an interception 32 yards on the Falcons’ next offensive series extended the Panthers’ cushion to 27-7.
Saucon Valley had two more chances in the final minute to score again. The first time came after stopping Salisbury on fourth down with 24 seconds left, but Jadiel Gonzalez intercepted a pass in the end zone for the Falcons.
Nicholas Sheasley forced a fumble on Salisbury’s next offensive play and teammate Sahalay Hernandez recovered at the Falcons’ 26-yard line with seven seconds left in the half, but Braden Rohn could not get a pass off on the final play.
But the Panthers kept rolling early in the third quarter. They drove 85 yards in 12 plays to open the third quarter. Braden Rohn’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah McNally finished off the drive that lasted nearly seven minutes.
McNally, a senior, had six catches for 79 yards.
Saucon Valley (4-3) visits Pen Argyl at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11. Salisbury (2-5) hosts Palmerton at 7 on Friday.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
SAUCON VALLEY 40, SALISBURY 13
Salisbury; 7; 0; 0; 6 — 13
Saucon Valley; 7; 20; 7; 6 — 40
ORDER OF SCORING
First quarter
Sal: Keaton Frye 36 run (Jude Fitzgerald kick), 2:10
SV: Braden Rohn 49 pass to Thomas Cahill (A.J. Sanders kick), 0:42
Second quarter
SV: Rohn 23 pass to Mickie McClarin (Sanders kick), 8:13
SV: Taylor Rohn 10 run (Sanders kick), 4:08
SV: Braden Rohn 10 run (kick failed), 2:01
Third quarter
SV: Braden Rohn 20 pass to Isaiah McNally (Sanders kick), 4:55
Fourth quarter
SV: Taylor Rohn 10 run (pass failed), 8:18
Sal: Frye 26 pass to A.J. Moren (no attempt), 0:00
TEAM STATISTICSSal; SVFirst downs; 11; 20Rushes-yards; 29-101; 25-149Passing yards; 91; 283Comp-Att-INTs; 5-16-3; 23-30-1Punts-avg.; 3-35.0; 0-0Fumbles-lost; 1-1; 0-0Penalties-yards; 3-29; 6-63
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICSRushing: (Salisbury) Keaton Frye 15-72, TD; Jarrod Blunt 9-9; Jacob Watson 4-15; Jamanni Cruz 1-5; (Saucon Valley) Braden Rohn 12-49, TD; Taylor Rohn 11-106, 2 TDs; Sahalay Hernandez 2-(-6).
Passing: (Salisbury) Frye 5-16-3, 91 yards, TD; (Saucon Valley) Rohn 20-26-1, 257 yards, 3 TDs; Chris Chaffier 3-4-0, 26 yards.
Receiving: (Salisbury) Cruz 2-16; Jadiel Gonzalez 2-49; A.J. Moren 1-26, TD; (Saucon Valley) Thomas Cahill 8-124, TD; Micky McClarin 4-41, TD; Taylor Rohn 3-19; Isaiah McNally 6-79, TD; Parker Skoda 2-20.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/10/03/saucon-valleys-young-football-team-continues-to-bounce-back-mature/