It didn’t take long for Salisbury to get its first real test of the season. Last Fridays’ 19-5 loss to Northwestern, last year’s district runner-up, sent the Falcons to .500 after two weeks.

But fast-forward to week three in the Colonial League football schedule, and Salisbury has an opportunity to get back on the winning track. Wilson (0-2) will host the Falcons (1-1) on Saturday afternoon for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

While winless so far, Wilson is coming off a tight 14-13 loss to Palisades last week. The Warriors were ahead 13-0 with two second-quarter touchdowns before allowing 14 unanswered points to the Pirates.

“On film they look good,” Cerco said. “They have some defensive and offensive linemen that are really athletic, active, and bigger guys. They’re very straightforward, both offensively and defensively.”

Offensively, they will feature a pro-I formation that utilizes running back Job Goodman. Goodman accounted for both touchdowns last week against Palisades, and finished with a team-high 100 yards on 17 carries.

Goodman also proved he’s a capable receiver, taking a 55-yard reception to the house a week ago.

“It’s a pro-I with twins offense,” Cerco said. “They’re coming right at you with iso, power, and a little bit of counter stuff. Their passing game is very straightforward. They do some fades, some hitches and some speed outs. It’s a very much different team than Northwestern. Northwestern is all over the place.”

Handling the quarterback duties is Cameron Clark. He threw the ball 10 times against Palisades, completing just three of those passes for 60 yards.

The offensive and defensive line matchups might be the story of this game, as the Warriors possess a number of athletic bodies in the trenches that could give Salisbury some issues. Defensively, Wilson likes to run its 4-3 scheme with two high safeties.

“Against Pen Argyl, they didn’t pressure a whole lot; they did towards the end of the game,” Cerco said. “The same thing against Palisades-they didn’t pressure a whole lot defensively.”

In some instances, Cerco learned more from last week’s loss to Northwestern than he did with the Week 1 victory against Catasauqua. What he took away the most is that his young offensive unit is more than capable of moving the ball and hanging with the top defensive teams in the league. The only issue is punching the ball across the goal line, an area that needs to improve this weekend.

“The first thing that stands out is how we moved the ball,” Cerco said. “We had a couple of 12-play drives, an 11-play drive. Those are things that are really good. It’s what we want to be doing…We have to find a way to put the ball in the end zone when we get those opportunities.”

Taking care of the football is another recipe for success. The Falcons didn’t turn the ball over in week one against the Rough Riders, but three giveaways against Northwestern played a big part in their 19-5 defeat.

“When it came down to it, like any game, it was the turnover situation,” Cerco said. “I think we had three and they had one. That’s the end-all-be all in every game…Not that it’s impossible to win a game when you turn the ball over, but it sure makes it tougher.”