Two unbeaten teams exchanged blows for most of the first half of the District 11 Class 6A football championship game.

Easton landed the knockout punches late in the first half and early in the third quarter then kept Parkland on the ropes the rest of the game to win its first district title in 15 years, 42-17 last Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.

“Too many mistakes to win the football game,” said Parkland head coach Tim Moncman. “They’re a great football team. They’re physical. It wasn’t our night tonight but I’m proud of our kids, 12-1. They did a good job.”

Easton (13-0) took an early lead and never trailed in the game, but Parkland answered each of the Red Rovers’ first three scores to stay close for the first half of the game.

Cole Ordway, the East Penn Conference’s Offensive MVP, got Easton on the board on its first possession when he broke free for a 28-yard scamper to the end zone with four minutes left in the first quarter.

The Trojans responded with a 16-play drive that stalled on the Easton 13-yard line. Parkland committed three penalties on the possession before Andrea Giroudon made a 30-yard field goal to get her team within 7-3 with 8:20 to go in the first half.

Easton extended its lead four plays later when Trevon Tyler went 63 yards for a score to make it 14-3 with 6:32 left in the game.

The Trojans answered with another long drive, this time spanning nine plays and 69 yards, capped by Liam Spang’s 1-yard touchdown run to close the gap to 14-10.

Tyler took back the ensuing kick off 95 yards for a score to get his team’s two-score margin back, 21-10 with 2:48 left in the second quarter.

“We made too many mistakes early on that just kept their drives alive,” said Momcman. “The backbreaker was the kick return. We had momentum.”

The Trojans and quarterback Finn Coen went back to work after a long kick off return from Naquan Thomason had them starting near midfield.

Coen completed five passes on a seven-play drive, including his 25-yard touchdown strike to Jason Brader with 49 seconds left in the half to get within 21-17.

But another quick score from Easton extended the lead again before the Rovers increased their lead to three scores with a long touchdown drive to start the second half.

The score late in the first half came two plays into Easton’s possession when Ordway hit Skyler Fowlin with a 45-yard touchdown pass with 25 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Rovers got the ball to start the second half and used up nearly five minutes with an 11-play drive that was capped by Ordway’s 10-yard touchdown run for a 35-17 lead with 7:13 left in the third quarter.

“Two backbreakers,” Moncman said of the touchdowns before and after halftime. “You can’t do that against this football team. Had a little bit of momentum and they got it right back.”

Easton added one more score on an 8-yard Chris Martinez run in the third quarter to cap the scoring.

The Trojans played the game with East Penn Conference Defensive MVP TJ Lawrence hampered by an injury. The junior carried the ball eight times for 40 yards in the first half but didn’t have a carry in the second half.

Coen completed 15 of 24 passes in the game for 164 yards and rushed for a team-high 60 yards. Brader (3 receptions, 53 yards) and Nassim Adams (4 catches, 38 yards) were his main targets in the passing game.

Easton ran the ball for 266 yards in the game, led by Ordway (17 carries, 94 yards), Tyler (7-94) and Martinez (17-78). Ordway completed all five of his passes for 91 yards.

The Rovers move on to face LaSalle College Prep in a state playoff game Friday back at BASD.

Parkland’s season ends with the loss.

Moncman liked the way his young team got better all year, remaining unbeaten until the 13th week of the season.

“If you would have told me we were going to be here I would have doubted it in the beginning,” he said. “Our kids came together. We had a lot of new starters. I’m just proud of the effort.

“We grew as a team all year. We just ran into a good football team tonight.”