Saquon Barkley can have an impact on a football game without even touching the ball, while Conor Sullivan's sleight of hand provided the magic to help the Zephyrs rally from behind to beat the visiting Vikings 42-41 last Friday.

After Barkley scored on an 82-yard punt return midway through the third quarter to trim the Vikings lead to 28-14, Allentown Central Catholic didn't want to put the ball back into Barkley's hands for another potential TD. In an effort to avoid a similar fate, their next punt fluttered out-of-bounds, netting just eight yards, giving the Zephs the ball at ACC's 35-yard line. Six plays later, Barkley bolted in the end zone from a yard out, closing the gap to 28-21.

The same scenario repeated itself a few possessions later, as Barkley fair caught a short punt at their own 45-yard line, setting up another score.

The last time the Vikings were forced to punt, the Zephs were trailing by eight, with Barkley standing deep to receive. His presence resulted in good field position once again as the Vikes only netted 28 yards on the punt.

With the ball now on their 45, it was time for Sullivan to work his magic. Ah, but it looked like he wasn't going to get the chance as Gianni Sinatore was nabbed in the backfield for a loss of six. The clock was ticking and the Zephs now had to go 61 yards in three plays.

Sinatore dropped back two more times, but each attempt fell incomplete.

It was now 4th and 16 with just a little over a minute left in the game.

A silence fell over the crowd as Sinatore took the snap and looked for an open receiver.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

He spotted Sullivan in the middle of the field, and delivered a dart that was initially caught by Sullivan, but subsequently tipped by the defender. Sullivan quickly regained control and sprinted down the right sideline for the score.

Sullivan's 61-yard romp to draw them with two points was a big catch in a game filled with big plays.

"I just had to make a play for the team," said Sullivan. "That's all I was thinking."

Another big play followed as Jacob Buskirk bulldozed his was way into the end zone for the two-point conversion, tying the game at 35.

With the Zephs electing to play defense to start the overtime period, the Vikings overcame a penalty to eventually score on a 1-yard run by Joseph Milano to go up six. However, another big play followed as the Zephs were able to get pressure off the edge from Barkley and Chad Rex, disrupting the timing of the PAT. The kick sailed wide, opening the door for a Zephyr win. Earlier, Rex had blocked a 16-yard field goal attempt by the Vikes, part of an outstanding night for their special teams.

They Zephs burst right through that opening, needing only one play for Barkley to hit pay dirt on a 10-yard romp.

That set up the last big play of a game that will be quickly be enshrined as a classic in the infancy of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

Conor Ilgenfritz's PAT split the uprights for the game winner, sending a wave of students onto the field to celebrate the improbable victory.

Trailing at halftime by 21 points, Sullivan said they just wanted to forget what happened and regroup.

"We came in at halftime down, but we all came together and thought, we can win this," said Sullivan. "We will win this if we fight. And that's what I was thinking the whole second half: we gotta fight. And we fought."

Once Sullivan secured the ball, he only had one thought.

"Just get in the end zone," he said.

Sullivan said he couldn't put his finger why they were sluggish in the first half. His only concern was doing the most with the 24 minutes they had.

"I don't even know what to say about the first half, but we came back and fought," said Sullivan. "Nobody was thinking we were going to lose this game."

The Zephyrs first touchdown came with just a little over four minutes to go in the second quarter. Sinatore hit a streaking Chad Rex down the seam for a 36-yard score. That got the Zephs off the mat and set up the second half where they outscored the Vikes 28-7.

With Whitehall still looking for a spark, head coach Brian Gilbert elected to put Barkley deep to field punts. It was a decision he made with some reluctance.

"We don't want to have to do that, we really don't," said Gilbert. "We want him to come off the field, take his breaks when he can, but we couldn't afford to tonight."

It paid off as Barkley weaved his way 82 yards through what seemed the entire ACC student body.

Barkley finished the game with 101 yards rushing on 14 carries, scoring three times. He also had had 117 return yards and a TD, giving him 218 all-purpose yards for the game.

Sinatore was able to shake off his slow start, finishing with 182 yards and two touchdowns. He came up big when the game was on the line, firing a completion to Sullivan that put the Zephs into position to win.

Special teams played a big part in the win. Along with Rex's block, Ilgenfritz went 5-6 on PATs and their kick coverage only allowed 25 yards the entire game. That was due in large part to Brandon Laveno's ability to put the ball through the end zone for automatic touchbacks, aiding them in the field position battle.

Gilbert said that Central took it to them in the first half, capitalizing on turnovers, penalties and aggressive play.

"In the first half we were on our heels, a credit to Central," said Gilbert. "In the second half, our guys just battled back. It was little by little, they didn't give up.

That's what I'm most proud about. Our guys never for an instance, being down 28 points, never for a second did they pack it in. That's a mature team."

For Gilbert, winning the turnover battle is something he strives for every game. They were able to weather four turnovers, a testament to their ability to make the big plays.

"Today we had one more play than them, that's about it," he said.