Head coach Brad Schifko has said it before, and it's not something he wants to have to repeat. When his Parkland boys lacrosse team was trailing 6-1 at halftime, Schifko explained to his team that hard work beats talent every time.

Easton, the team on the other sideline with the lead, had beaten the Trojans in the regular season, giving Parkland its only Lehigh Valley Conference loss. So, there was a little bit of anxiety.

After those words, his Schifko's team responded, scoring nine of the eleven second half goals on route to a 10-8 victory in the LVC final last Monday night at Andrew Leh stadium at Nazareth High School. It was the boys second straight conference championship.

"They jumped all over us," said Schifko. "We said at halftime that it could be a tale of two halves. If we came out and won the third and fourth quarters, we'd have a strong opportunity of winning this game. Lacrosse is a game of momentum: sustain it when its against you, and catch it when you have it. We were able to do that tonight."

Schifko credited seniors Josh Pope and Jake Billera offensively, and Matt Smith and goalie Jameal Hadeed defensively for turning the game around in the second half.

Pope and Billera each recorded a hat trick, and Hadeed made eight saves, outscoring the Red Rovers 4-0 in the third quarter. Another senior, Dylan Klusaritz, and Pope found the back of the net to narrow the deficit to one at the end of the third quarter. They tied the game at 6-6 and 7-7, then Gavin Saylor gave the Trojans their first lead with 5:32 remaining. Billera's two goals in a 45 second span all but sealed the comeback for Parkland.

"Easton is a tough team and they proved that by beating us and Emmaus," said Billera. "We wanted it more in the second half. We weren't picking each other up in the first half, but once we had a talk at halftime everyone was playing for each other. We won this one as a team."

"As aggressive as they are and as talented as they are, they are young," said Schifko. "I think it came down to experience. Our seniors took control of the game, and they wanted this one."

The Trojans will begin district tournament play at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday as the top seed in a nine-team bracket. They host the winner of Wednesday's Moravian Academy-Freedom game in Thursday's quarterfinal round.