It was the type of effort you expected to see out of Freedom, but the finished product never materialized for the Patriots in last week’s 13-10 loss at Easton.

Entering the fourth quarter with a 10-3 lead, the Pates allowed a 72-yard punt return for a score by Easton’s Jake Herres to open the frame and then saw their lead evaporate with a 25-yard field goal by Enzo Martellucci with 4:25 left in the game to put the Rovers ahead for good.

It was a bitter defeat for Freedom (2-1), who were looking to pull off the upset over a strong Easton (3-0) team, but after producing only 31 yards of total offense in the second half, the Pates can look at last week’s defeat as a missed opportunity.

“We came to Easton with the expectation of winning the football game and not just staying close,” said head coach Jason Roeder. “We thought we had a number of opportunities throughout the game. We wish things could have been different, but we have to learn from it and move on.”

The Pates lone touchdown last week came on a one-yard TD run by Jalen Stewart in the second quarter to give them a 10-3 lead heading into halftime, but the Pates inability to get their running game going, factored into their inability to close out last week’s game.

Freedom could only muster 52 yards on the ground and 151 total yards of offense, while Easton was able to churn out 301 yards of total offense (188 rushing).

The Pates should be able to get their offense back on track this week when they host Northampton Friday night at Frank Banko Field.

The Kids (2-1) are coming off a 24-7 win over Pleasant Valley last week, where their Wing-T offense generated 254 yards rushing.

With wins over PV and East Stroudsburg North, Northampton has shown improvement from their recent struggles over the years.

Roeder sees an improved team on film and expects them to come into Bethlehem with confidence.

“They’re having success and playing with confidence,” said Roeder. “They come off the ball hard and their unorthodox offense makes it tough to simulate things in practice. It’s going to be a test for our guys.”