There was never an ounce of doubt.

Despite two losses in a three-week span in the regular season that dropped Parkland to the No. 7 seed in the District 2-11 Class AAAA playoffs, the Trojans never questioned their ability to get back to the championship game for a third straight season.

The Trojans make their third championship game appearance in as many seasons after taking care of business at Delaware Valley on Friday night in the District 2-11 Class AAAA subregional semifinals. Devante Cross accounted for three touchdowns to lead the Trojans to a 31-7 victory over the Warriors, setting up a rematch of last year's title game with Easton on Friday night.

"We lost those games, and we learn from those games," said Cross, who finished with 240 yards of total offense. "We kept building. After Whitehall, we came out and won against Liberty, and then we lost again against Easton.

"We remember that feeling, and we don't want to feel it again. We came out, kept building, kept getting better and practicing hard. We came out on Friday nights and played to the best that we can."

Cross and the Trojans' offense wasted no time in driving down the field on their opening drive. Just three minutes in, Cross capped an eight-play Parkland drive with a 16-yard scamper up the middle of the field.

"Our game plan was to start fast," Cross said, "and we came out here and scored on the first drive. That was a good confidence boost. It carried us throughout the rest of the game."

Preston Saylor gave the Trojans a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter on an 11-yard run, and Cross connected with Nick Zambelli in the final seconds of the half to give Parkland a comfortable 21-0.

Brett Cohen found Matt Wagner on a 3-yard out to bring the Warriors to within 21-7, but Parkland's early lead was too much for Delaware Valley to overcome.

"That's like a bonus," Cross said of the late first-half touchdown. "Normally we get the ball coming out of halftime. Scoring right before halftime takes the life out of them. Not only do they have to come back from whatever is on the scoreboard, but they have to deal with that last-second touchdown."

Cross and the Trojans responded after Delaware Valley got on the scoreboard not even two minutes later. Cross found a streaking Jarey Elder (six catches, 72 yards) down the middle of the field, resulting in a 43-yard touchdown strike that put Parkland in front 28-7.

Bissell's 43-yard field goal with 8:47 remaining on the clock all but ended the Warriors' hopes.

To go along with 105 yards on the ground from Cross to lead the Trojans, Saylor ran for 52 on eight carries, mostly coming between the tackles.

"We have speed backs who can do everything," Cross said. "And then we have Preston who can do everything. We have a rotation of backs with fresh legs. It keeps teams off guard. You never know what we can throw at you."

Parkland's defense allowed Whitehall to chalk up 38 points in late September for its first loss of the season. Two weeks later, Easton scored 28 to send the Trojans to 5-2.

But since that Easton loss, the Trojans' defense hasn't allowed more than 14 points in any game. That includes a combined 17 points scored for their two postseason opponents-Delaware Valley and Stroudsburg.

"The pride of our team is our defense," Cross said. "It goes to the defense. They are a team that scores a lot of points, and we were able to limit them to seven. That's a testament to our coaches and our defense."

Friday's rematch is set for 7:05 p.m. at Easton High School's Cottingham Stadium.

"As everyone has been saying, we're peaking at the right time," Cross said. "We're winning football games when it counts. We're coming together as a family."