It has been a couple of years since the Emmaus High School football team got the better of its rival Parkland on the gridiron. Four years to be exact.

The last time the Green Hornets were victorious over the Trojans was on October 28, 2016, almost four years ago to the day of when the two teams would meet again in 2020.

On that night, the Emmaus defense held strong and kept Parkland out of the end zone late in the game on a couple of stuffs near the goal line to finish the game off.

A similar ending to the latest edition of the Cedar Crest Boulevard rivalry happened again last Friday night as the Green Hornet defense came up big late and stuffed the Trojan offense to hold onto a 13-6 win in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference regular season finale at Parkland School District Stadium.

“This is what high school football is all about,” said Emmaus head coach Harold Fairclough after the win. “Playing great defense, getting big stops when you needed them, kids making big plays. It was a hard-fought win and we’re happy. Anytime you can beat your rival and a quality opponent like Parkland, you have to enjoy it.”

Emmaus (5-0) earned the Lehigh County Division title and clinched the No. 2 seed for the District 11 Class 6A playoffs. The Hornets will host the seventh seeded Easton on Friday night. Parkland (3-1) is the fifth seed in districts and will travel to take on fourth-seeded Stroudsburg Friday.

The Green Hornets led Parkland 13-6 late in the fourth quarter, but Parkland was just three yards away from the end zone with 3:55 left. Then four straight runs, including three by one of the league’s top running backs in Isiah Rico, produced just one yard. Senior Kordell Waiters made the tackle from the backside on fourth down to secure the advantage.

Parkland got one more chance on offense before the clock ran out, but Jameel Sanders knocked the ball away from a Parkland wide receiver heading toward the end zone to secure the win.

Sanders, who was voted the offensive MVP for Emmaus, caught six passes for 118 yards, including a 51-yard reception to set up a field goal early in the second quarter.

“Offense-wise, I saw that they were having a safety over top and coach said the middle would be open most of the time,” said Sanders. “Every time my number is called, I have to execute. And defensively, all of us work hard together.”

All of the scoring came in the second quarter. Emmaus seized the lead with two field goals by Alex Orlando and a 69-yard touchdown pass from Jake Fotta to Aiden Dougherty. Rico had an 18-yard touchdown run that put Parkland ahead briefly 6-3 after the PAT failed.

Fotta completed 11 of 21 passes for 232 yards. Brandon Camire wound up with 41 yards on 18 carries.

This year has been difficult for many, and Sanders has had his fair share of things to deal with off the field. The MVP trophy was a nice touch to end a regular season that was successful on the field but difficult off it.

“It means a lot. I’ve been through a lot this whole year,” Sanders said. “A lot of hard work and it’s paid off. My teammate (Dmitri Garcia) passed away. My grandma passed away. She was really close to me. I just wanted to make them proud and do all I can.”

The Emmaus defense, led by the game MVP on that side of the ball in junior Jared Groller, held Parkland to its lowest scoring total since the 2016 season. Groller had a team-high eight tackles and a sack.