Head coach Chuck Kutz addresses his team after Blue Mountain defeated Palisades 42-21 on Friday night at the Eagles' Nest. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

ORWIGSBURG — Blue Mountain had the ball six times in the first half Friday night.

The Eagles scored six touchdowns.

Any questions?

Blue Mountain scored early and often, overwhelming Palisades 42-21 in a non-league game at the Eagles’ Nest. The final score doesn’t do justice to the dominance the Eagles displayed as they raced to a 42-7 halftime lead that set up the mercy rule’s running clock for the entire second half. Palisades kept its first team in throughout and scored two touchdowns against Blue Mountain’s reserves.

In the opening 24 minutes, Blue Mountain (3-3) racked up 322 yards of total offense while holding the Pirates (4-2) to just 35 yards on the ground.

The Eagles took control from the opening kickoff as Sonny Amato returned the ball 44 yards to the Palisades 40. From there, Reese Miller carried six straight times for all 40 yards as Blue Mountain’s offensive line repeatedly blew Palisades off the ball. Miller capped the drive with a 6-yard run — and Blue Mountain was off and running.

“Certainly our game plan was to establish the run game,” Blue Mountain coach Chuck Kutz said. “We brought Reese Miller in to set a tone. Our offensive line did that job right off the bat, with Reese running behind them.

“We punched the first one in,” Kutz added, “and from there I thought we played pretty well throughout the game. … Overall it was a nice effort in all three phases of the game.”

Blue Mountain continued to pound the ball in the running game on its next two drives. Frankie Russo plowed in from the 1, and Carter Smith raced 16 yards as the Eagles built a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Smith had a big night on the ground, carrying 12 times for 165 yards.

Palisades got on the board when Jack Trickel found Lincoln Cook for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 7:18 left in the first half, cutting the deficit to 21-7.

Blue Mountain wasted no time answering.

Amato returned the kickoff 31 yards to midfield. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Cohen Kirby hit Josh Hoover with a hitch pass. Hoover did the rest, sprinting 50 yards for the score.

On Blue Mountain’s next offensive play, Kirby hit Hoover with a pass downfield, and Hoover broke a tackle en route to a 60-yard touchdown and a 35-7 Eagles advantage.

Blue Mountain even showed efficiency in the 2-minute drill, driving 62 yards in nine plays for its sixth straight TD. A 21-yard crossing pattern to Chase Guers got the Eagles to the Palisades 28. Kirby rushed for 13 yards into the red zone, and two plays later, Kirby kept again, scoring a 6-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left in the first half.

Blue Mountain started the season 0-2 and 1-3 with losses to state powers Schuylkill Haven, Southern Lehigh and Northwestern Lehigh. The Eagles kept their poise and put together dominant victories over Bangor and Palisades to get back to .500. Blue Mountain hosts Lehighton next Friday night, then visits North Schuylkill, travels to Pottsville and hosts Tamaqua to wrap up the regular season. The top eight teams will qualify for the District 11 Class 4A playoffs, and a strong finish could put Blue Mountain among the top four and give the Eagles a home game in the playoffs.

All Blue Mountain wants to do is get better every week. The victory over Palisades represents another step forward.

“That’s our goal,” Kutz said. “We said those L’s against some tough teams, those L’s stand for ‘Learning’ for us. We learned a lot as young players that hadn’t been on the field before. I think we’re learning and getting better.”

Game Summary

Blue Mountain 42, Palisades 21

Pali (4-2)         0          7          7          7  —   21

BM (2-3)          21        21        0          0  —  42

BM — Miller 6 run (Hoover kick)

BM — Russo 1 run (Hoover kick)

BM — Smith 16 run (Hoover kick)

Pali — Cook 12 pass from Trickel (Oglialoro kick)

BM — Hoover 50 pass from Kirby (Hoover kick)

BM — Hoover 60 pass from Kirby (Hoover kick)

BM — Kirby 6 run (Hoover kick)

Pali — Trickel 35 run (Oglialoro kick)

Pali — Cook 8 pass from Trickel (Oglialoro kick)

Team Statistics

Pali-BM

First Downs —- 13      19

Rushes-Yards — 21-97      28-235

Passes —- 16-22-1      9-12-0

Passing Yards —- 156      177

Total Yards —- 253      412

Fumbles/Lost —- 2-1      1-1

Penalties — 4-27      3-18

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Palisades — Trickel 10-64, Woerner 2-24, Fitzgerald 8-19, Team 1-(-10). Blue Mountain — Smith 12-165, Miller 7-42, Kirby 3-23, Russo 2-5, Minnick 1-2, Carestia 1-0, Amato 2-(-2).

PASSING: Palisades — Trickel 16-22-1, 156. Blue Mountain — Kirby 9-12-0, 177.

RECEIVING: Palisades — Cook 8-81, Schultz 2-30, Fitzgerald 4-29, Day 1-12, Woerner 1-4. Blue Mountain — Hoover 3-117, Guers 2-28, Russo 2-16, Smith 1-9, Luckenbill 1-7.

INTERCEPTIONS: Palisades — None. Blue Mountain — Guers.