EASTON – On a summerlike Saturday afternoon with temperatures hovering in the mid-80s, there was no need for Northern Lehigh’s coaches to deliver a fiery halftime speech.

All that was required was a gut check from the players themselves.

The Bulldogs were the better team — but they weren’t playing like it.

A 20-minute homecoming halftime break turned out to be exactly what this group needed. Responding in the best way possible, Northern Lehigh regrouped and stormed past winless Wilson with 27 unanswered points in the second half to pull away for a convincing 42-8 victory.

“We (coaches) didn’t even go into the locker room at halftime,” Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout said. “I told our coaches, ‘Don’t even go in — let the kids figure it out.’”

They did exactly that. Though there were early mistakes, Tout said the breakdowns were more mental than physical.

“We have to be more consistent,” he said. “We’ve shown flashes of being a really good football team.”

The numbers told the story. Northern Lehigh managed just 85 first-half yards, then exploded for 250 after the break. The defense was equally dominant, allowing only 28 second-half yards and 110 overall.

“We came out of the locker room and wanted to get the momentum going,” junior lineman Bill Slattery said.

The Bulldogs did just that to open the third quarter. They marched 62 yards, powered by the arm of quarterback Garrett Smoyer, who connected with junior Colin Karetsky on a perfectly thrown 24-yard touchdown pass.

In between, standout running back Grady Newhard (21 carries, 89 yards) ripped off a nifty 18-yard run to set up the score.

“They’ve played some pretty good teams, so we knew they’d give us a game,” Newhard said.

He also scored the first touchdown of the game — a 4-yard run in the opening quarter — after Chris Frame’s interception gave the Bulldogs great field position. Frame added a second pick in the fourth quarter to set up another touchdown.

“I just watched the quarterback’s eyes,” Frame said.

The junior standout also reached the end zone midway through the second quarter, hauling in a 37-yard pass from Smoyer to put Northern Lehigh ahead 15-8 at halftime.

Wilson’s lone highlight came on a 14-play, 75-yard drive capped by Ja Johnson’s 15-yard run and a two-point conversion from Ryan Bonham that briefly tied the game.

From there, Northern Lehigh took control. Frame’s second interception at the Wilson 28 set up Karetsky’s touchdown, sparking the Bulldogs’ surge.

The momentum carried into another scoring drive as Keith Lectora sprinted 10 yards around the right side to make it 28-8 after Anthony Hanna’s extra point.

“Lectora and Frame are our speed guys — they can get to the edge and turn it on,” Tout said. “When those two get outside, they’re both very athletic.”

So is Ryan Zambo, who caught two touchdown passes from Smoyer — one for 20 yards early in the fourth quarter and another from 4 yards out to cap the scoring.

“We did respond,” Tout said. “But we’ve got to do a better job of riding the highs and lows. They got a little momentum in that first half when they scored, and we didn’t answer right away.”

Solid second-half play also came from Mason Rothrock and Slattery on the defensive side of the ball.

BY THE NUMBERS ... Northern Lehigh finished with 17 first downs, 13 of them coming after halftime. Smoyer went 9-for-11 passing, while Newhard was the go-to back in short-yardage situations.

AROUND THE FIELD ... Wilson will debut a new athletic complex in two years — featuring a football stadium, track and gymnasium. The Warriors are expected to play away games for two seasons, possibly at Easton High School, with all contests held during the day.

And yes, the Wilson press box once again lived up to its reputation: great food.

N. Lehigh 42, Wilson 8

Northern Lehigh 8 7 13 14 — 42

Wilson 0 8 0 0 — 8

NL – Newhard 4 run (Karetsky pass)

W – Johnson 15 run (Bonham run)

NL – Frame 37 pass from Smoyer (Hanna kick)

NL – Karetsky 24 pass from Smoyer (kick failed)

NL – Lectora 10 run (Hanna kick)

NL – Zambo 20 pass from Smoyer (Hanna kick)

NL – Zambo 4 pass from Smoyer (Hanna kick)