One of the more underrated aspects of Salisbury’s football team may be the ability of players to shift around when necessary for the betterment of the team. When a couple of players moved around prior to Saturday’s game against Pen Argyl, head coach Andy Cerco wasn’t surprised at the success his team endured.

Salisbury (3-4) erupted for over 400 yards of offense on the ground en route to a 48-14 victory over the Green Knights (1-6) at Pen Argyl High School. The win, which featured a number of players at new positions, ended the Falcons’ four-game losing skid.

“Any time our kids can get out here and play up to their capabilities, it’s a good day,” Cerco said. “We saw our kids executing blocks well and running the offense the way it is designed. It’s a good day when that happens.”

The Falcons’ scheme on offense looked the same, but it ran with a few new faces at key positions. Junior Jacob Kamp got his first start at quarterback, while former signal caller Cam Vaka filled a significant void at tight end. Senior Lucas Irwin had a career day at running back after switching from the wide receiver position.

All three, as well as the entire Salisbury squad, played a key role in the much-needed win to keep the team’s district hopes alive.

“We talked with Cam on Sunday when we met,” Cerco said. “He’s a senior. He’s a captain, and he’s a captain for a reason. He said, ‘Coach you know what, I’m going to play tight end because it’s the best thing for the team.’ He’s just a great kid.”

The results were felt immediately. After Pen Argyl went three-and-out on its first possession, Kyle Pingarelli’s 9-yard touchdown run started a string of 20 straight Falcon points to open the game.

Irwin, who finished with a career-high 182 yards on 14 carries, took a handoff up the middle 38 yards for Salisbury’s second touchdown.

“Since Week 1 [against Catasauqua],” said Irwin, “that was the best I’ve seen our offense because our blocking was on scheme, the holes were wide open and our running backs were making good plays.

“My linemen were great today. The holes were wide open, and I was just running behind them. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Kamp hit Pingarelli for a 21-yard touchdown pass on his first throw of the game to put Salisbury ahead 20-0 with 10:13 to play in the half. Pen Argyl got on the scoreboard on its next drive, but the Falcons responded two plays later on a 56-yard touchdown run from Tim Buda.

Kamp’s second throw was a 25-yard touchdown to Oliver Stewart three plays later. That gave the visitors a commanding 34-6 lead at halftime that would never be threatened. In his first start, Kamp completed both of his passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

“Two passes and two touchdowns? I think that is a pretty good day,” Cerco said. “Jacob understands the offense. He and Cameron, every day this week, they met in my room for lunch. Cameron was helping him with the playbook and solidifying things that Jacob might have been unsure about or uncomfortable with. He also talked to him about how to play quarterback and how to handle the position and role of that you are the guy and everyone is looking at you.”

Irwin sealed Salisbury’s opening drive of the second half, a 10-play possession with all runs, including a 7-yard touchdown run. Alex Glenn capped the Falcons’ scoring in the final seconds of the quarter with a 7-yard scamper.

“He [Irwin] is probably one of our best football players,” Cerco said. “And we just looked at it and said we have to get the ball in the hands of our best football players consistently. So, making the move from wide receiver to running back made sense for us and how we do things.”

The win puts Salisbury in solid shape for the District 11 Class 3A tournament. The Falcons, the No. 8 ranked team in Class 3A with .436 rating, currently hold the last spot ahead of Pen Argyl (1-6), Pine Grove (0-7) and Northern Lehigh (0-7). A win this week could clinch a district berth. A couple wins over the final three games could move the Falcons ahead of Wilson (4-3) for the seventh spot.