If Freedom's win over Whitehall last week says anything about the Patriots, it's that they're tough. Freedom (9-2) held on to an impressive 17-14 victory over the Zephyrs in the District 2-4-11 4A subregional quarterfinals, but it was their defensive and mental toughness that gives them the confidence needed heading into this Friday's showdown with an undefeated Easton (11-0) squad.

The Pates will try to keep their mojo going at Cottingham Stadium, when both teams kickoff at 7pm Friday night in the subregional semifinals.

But part of the reason that Freedom is still alive is because of linebacker Brady Hornbaker. The sophomore picked off Whitehall quarterback Gianni Sinatore at the five-yard line with 27 seconds left in the game to seal the fate of both teams, as Whitehall (8-3) was driving for the go-ahead score.

Instead of feeding Penn State bound Saquon Barkley, the Zephyrs ran a waggle play to the right and Hornbaker made, well, he'll tell you..

"It is the biggest play of my life," Hornbaker said. "Playing as a sophomore, I'm going to keep getting better and our team is going to keep getting better. I just did what I was supposed to in that situation and I give credit to my coaches for helping us be in the right position."

Freedom put themselves in position to win right away, when Jake Young intercepted Sinatore on the Zephyrs opening drive and returned it 50 yards for the score. A 23-yard field goal by John Eltringham made it 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Whitehall answered when Sinatore tossed a 13-yard TD to Zach Hixson with 7:42 left in the half. Whitehall had a chance to steal momentum heading into intermission when they earned a fresh set of downs inside the Freedom 10.

Instead, Barkley found himself stuffed on third and fourth downs inside the three to give the Pates the ball and a jolt of confidence.

The tides turned in the second half when Tyler Cyriax picked up a blocked Freedom punt just after the half and returned it 24 yards for the score, as Whitehall grabbed a 14-10 lead.

However, turnovers doomed Whitehall again in the fourth quarter, as a Sinatore fumble near midfield led to a 40-yard TD run by Roberto Diez for the go-ahead score with 11:15 left in the fourth.

From there, the Patriot defense kept Whitehall to a season low offensive scoring output, as well as keeping Barkley (120 yards) out of the end zone for the first time this season.

"Bottom line, our backs were against the wall and our kids responded," said Freedom head coach Jason Roeder. "Everyone was picking against us and it didn't shake our kids."

Easton defeated Freedom 47-27 three weeks ago and the Patriots hope their defense can pull another rabbit out of their hat in containing the Rovers.

Easton ran for 440 yards last time, with Shane Simpson leading the charge with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries.

It was a similar theme last week for Easton in their 46-0 win over Pleasant Valley, as they ran for 337 yards. Simpson and Dalvyn Reynolds combined for five touchdowns on the ground. With the performance Freedom put on Whitehall's prolific offense last week, it's not too far fetched to think the Pates can improve from their previous performance against Easton.

"We get to be together for another week and we know what we're going into against Easton," Roeder said, "and we're going to get after that."