This Parkland football team has been on a special run since Week 3 of the season. An eighth straight win, and some revenge from the previous two years, gave the Trojans some continued momentum heading into the District 2-11 sub-regional tournament this Saturday.

Missing one of their stars, the Parkland offense picked up the slack and ran through rival Emmaus last Saturday afternoon at East Penn School District stadium.

Senior Jarel Elder sat because of a bum ankle, but running mates Tim Baranek and Eli Redmond never missed a beat.

Redmond's first of four touchdowns on the day was a 73-yard punt return in the first quarter. He rushed for 108 yards and finished with over 200 all-purpose yards. Being labeled as the go-to-guy because of the absence of Elder didn't seem to affect Redmond.

"With Jarel out, the coaches told me I'd have to step up and that's what I tried to do," Redmond said. "I just wanted to make plays."

Redmond made plays on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. He added an interception to go with his four touchdowns, and was named the offensive MVP of the game.

"To get this award and share it with my teammates is just the greatest feeling," said Redmond.

Baranek may have been a close second. After Emmaus (5-5, 4-5 LVC) got on the scoreboard with a Dalton Landis 36-yard field goal to put the score at 14-3 and maybe give the Green Hornets some second half momentum, Baranek found a hole and raced down field for a 75-yard score. Two quick Emmaus turnovers, and the Trojans (8-2, 8-1 LVC) broke the game wide open with two Redmond scores in under 51 seconds. Baranek also found Jarey Elder for a 20-yard fourth quarter touchdown connection. And so the label of a second half team sticks with Parkland.

"It's what our coaches tell us in the locker room," said Redmond. "They tell us to come out fast and play strong, and that's what we did. This was personal because they beat us two years in a row. We wanted this for our seniors."

Again the Trojans defense was at its best, staving off any Emmaus threats. Shaun Heist (three sacks) came away with hardware as the defensive player of the game. Heist, Xavier Roden, and Zach Gurinowich made a living in the Green Hornets backfield all game long.

"We have skilled kids on offense and our line is starting to gel, and defensively we're really been coming around," head coach Jim Morgans said. "I'm proud of these kids. They have that special quality that I can't explain. They have that something about them that makes you think it could be a special season."

This special season continues with another revenge game this Saturday night at Easton.