The Parkland High School football team walked off the field at Cottingham Stadium in Easton last Friday night hoisting the District 11 6A championship trophy, their first since 2017. It was a difficult start to the season for the Trojans (9-4 overall), who lost three of their first five games, and a season unlike they’ve been used to, including losing in the regular season finale to rival Emmaus for their fourth loss.

But as the lights got brighter and the games got bigger in the postseason, Parkland, as it normally always does, turned up its efforts. Back-to-back road victories at Nazareth in the quarterfinal, a team they lost to in week two of the regular season, and then at previously unbeaten Northampton in the semifinals.

The win over Freedom, last year’s district champion, meant a whole lot to this year’s Parkland program.

“It’s hard to put into words what it meant for us,” said assistant coach Mike Facchiano. “Our football family has been through so much in 2022 that overcoming our initial record was not as daunting as people outside our program thought. This is just such an amazing group of young men that believed in each other.”

Trey Tremba ran for three touchdowns, including two in the first quarter that gave the Trojans a two-score lead. He had 114 yards. His game set up the air attack of Luke Spang, who completed 9 of 12 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

“The run game from Trey Tremba set up some excellent opportunities for Luke Spang and the receiving group,” Facchiano said. “That’s a testament to our offensive line bringing it for the full 48 minutes. On the other side of the ball, our defensive line put pressure all night on Freedom allowing for timely blitzes to work.”

Up next is a meeting with Saint Joe’s Prep out of District 12, a team the Trojans are familiar with in the state tournament. That game is slates for Saturday afternoon at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. The Hawks are 9-1 overall with their lone defeat coming to national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.

“The first thing you see with St. Joe’s Prep is their size,” said Facchiano. “They have an offensive line where every guy is over six-feet and 270 pounds. You then see athleticism at their skill positions allowing them to run the ball and set up the pass game with RPOs and drop backs.”

The winner will advance to next weekend’s semifinals.