The objective heading into the first game of the season was for the Emmaus football team to fight through any adversity that might arise.

It got tested on the first play of the game, when East Stroudsburg North’s Eddie Brown ran the opening kick off back for a touchdown.

The Hornets responded on their first play from scrimmage, a 74-yard run by Sal Pagano to the Timberwolves’ five-yard line. They got in the end zone three plays later to take the lead. They found the end zone six more times en route to a 49-19 win.

“We really focused this week on not getting down on ourselves when a play like that happened,” said Pagano, who finished with 136 yards on eight carries. “We had to bounce back. We played strong after that and knew we had to get business done.”

Kyle Boney punched in that first touchdown from three yards out. He scored five more in the game and finished with 147 yards on 17 carries, along with 35 yards receiving and a touchdown catch. He scored on runs of 3, 25, 54, 2 and 3 yards.

Emmaus’ experienced offensive line cleared the way for 378 yards rushing.

“They had a lot of big guys and they packed the box, but I thought our guys handled it well,” said Emmaus head coach Randy Cuthbert. “We were still able to get holes and run the ball and mix in some pass, which is something we’re going to continue to do. We made some plays throwing the ball. We’re going to need to make some more.”

First-year starting quarterback Derek Sheaffer completed six of nine passes for 116 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“Guys got open and the line gave me a lot of time,” said Sheaffer. “I made good reads and put the ball where it was supposed to be.”

Emmaus built up a 28-6 halftime lead as its defense stifled North’s triple option offense in the first two quarters.

After the Hornets took a 7-6 lead on their opening possession, the Wolves went three-and-out on their next series.

Two sacks led to a punt on Emmaus’ next possession, but the defense forced another punt after one Wolves first down.

The Hornets then went 80 yards in seven plays, capped by Noah Breidinger’s 26-yard touchdown run for a 14-6 lead.

Emmaus’ defense forced a fumble two plays into North’s next possession and Boney scored on the following play to make it 21-6 with 9:30 left in the second quarter.

Another three-and-out set up Emmaus to go 40 yards in three plays, finishing with Sheaffer’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Boney for a 28-6 lead.

The Timberwolves got the ball back and took advantage of the only crucial mistake Emmaus’ defense made in the first half when quarterback Tom Melchiorre got free for a 72-yard touchdown run.

The Hornets got the ball back with over three minutes left in the first half but had only advanced to just short of midfield when they called time out with 2.9 second remaining. Boney then took a handoff up the middle, found a hole and got behind the defense for a 54-yard touchdown that put his team ahead 35-12 before halftime and took away any momentum that North might have been able to take into the locker room.

The Timberwolves finished with just three first downs in the first half. Melchiorre’s long touchdown run accounted for most of their 118 yards of offense in the half.

The second half looked the same. Outside of one 57-yard touchdown run, Emmaus gave up just 28 yards, including throwing the Wolves for a loss on six plays in the second half.

“What we really focused on was assignment football, everyone just doing their job,” said Pagano, a linebacker and defensive leader. “That’s what you have to do when you play an option team.”

“I thought the defense played great,” said Cuthbert. “I thought they were very physical. I thought our edge players and our safeties did a great job supporting the run. They were really flying up and hitting and limiting the big plays.

“They run the triple option well. It’s a different offense. You have to play disciplined and you have to do your job and not be a hero. I think we really took a step forward there in trusting your teammate and just doing your job.”

Emmaus went up 42-12 on Boney’s fifth touchdown of the game, which came with 6:04 left in the third quarter.

Two plays later Brown scored his second touchdown of the night, a 57-yard run that got the Wolves within 42-19.

Boney capped his big night with another three-yard touchdown run. It came with 9:28 left in the game. Hornet kicker Carson Landis nailed his seventh straight extra point to produce the 49-19 final score.

The 1-0 start is exactly what the team needed heading into next week’s home game against Easton.

“We’re just trying to develop a mentality,” said Cuthbert. “If something bad happens, we can’t put our heads down. I think our guys showed some resilience.”