A week after knocking off Easton for the first time in 18 years, the Northampton football team found itself on the verge of beating another one of the EPC Northampton Division powerhouses, Freedom.

The K-Kids and Patriots each scored a pair of first half touchdowns and the 14-all score carried over into the fourth quarter. Nate Stannard’s 33-yard field goal with just over 9 minutes left in the game provided the decisive points as Freedom spoiled homecoming with a 17-14 win.

There were a few key moments in the game that dictated the outcome that might not make a televised highlight package.

Freedom scored touchdowns on their first two drives, but Northampton just missed opportunities to get off the field with three-and-outs. On both possessions, the Patriots faced third and six deep in their own territory. On each occasion a Kids, pass rusher got loose and had a shot to sack Freedom QB Michael Stofanak, but he was able to evade the rush and extend the drives with first downs.

The Kids got a drive-extender of their own in between the Patriots’ TDs. A draw to Joell Small on third and 20 resulted in a 17-yard gain, giving Northampton the opportunity to go for a fourth and three at midfield. The Kids converted on a pass from Luke Stopay to Seth Silfies and Chase Kessler eventually paid off the drive with a touchdown. Silfies had come into the game without a reception but pulled down 4 passes for 34 yards during the contest.

With less than 30 seconds left in the first half, Kessler uncorked the longest play of the game. His 53-yard scamper set up Small for a 9-yard TD run that knotted the game at 14.

Northampton had two drives to try to tie or win the game after Stannard’s field goal.

The first drive petered out near midfield, forcing a punt on fourth and six.

The K-Kids’ defense rose up and stuffed Freedom on fourth and 2 at the Northampton 4-yard on the ensuing possession to give the home team one last chance with 3:46 left in the contest. A 23-yard burst by Kessler got them out of the shadow of their own goalpost, but from there they went backward. A desperation heave on fourth and 20 fell incomplete and Freedom knelt out the clock.

The matchup featured the two leading rushers in the EPC, the Kids’ Kessler and the Patriots’ Lashawn Johnson. Kessler extended his lead with a 21-carry, 198-yard performance to bring him to 1225 rushing yards for the season. For his part, Johnson rushed 28 times for 137 yards.

Head coach John Toman was pleased with the team’s effort despite the result, “They’re battling. They’re competing. I think we’ve shown that we belong playing in the South. We just came up a field goal short. That happens. We’ve been on the other end of some close games lately. The defense stood on its head all night. Bent but didn’t break. Offensively in the second half, we just didn’t get it done.”

While District XI will not officially announce the field for the district football playoffs until the regular season is over, the K-Kids (5-3) are all but mathematically assured of qualifying for the tournament regardless of the results of their final two games against Nazareth (7-1) and Bethlehem Catholic (6-2).

They are currently just behind Freedom in fifth place in the 6A power rankings. They have a bit of a cushion over Easton in sixth. The Rovers finish with Freedom and Nazareth. If Northampton slips to sixth, that sets up a likely quarterfinal matchup with archrival Whitehall.

Freedom 17,

Northampton 14

Patriots 7 7 0 3 - 17

K-Kids 0 14 0 0 - 14

Northampton Leaders

Passing: Stopay 10-17, 46 yds

Rushing: Kessler 21-198, TD, 53 long; Small 5-38, TD, 18 long; Stopay 4-(29)

Receiving: Silfies 4-34; McDonald 2-(2); Brearman 1-3; Kleppinger 1-7; Small 1-7; Kessler 1-(3)

Defense: Wambold 9 tackles; McDonald 6 tackles; Rusnock 6 tackles; Czarnecki 6 tackles; Kleppinger 3 tackles; Evangelista 3 tackles; Williams 3 tackles.