November 8, 2024 at 10:34 PM EST In a 20-19 game with 20 seconds remaining, the largest and most energetic crowd of the 2024 District 11 football season rose to its feet with top-seeded Easton needing three yards to keep its dream season alive. Two timeouts and one schematical adjustment later, Emmaus’ defense rose to the occasion and denied the Red Rovers two-point attempt to escape Cottingham Stadium with a 20-19 win in Friday night’s District 11 6A semifinal matchup. “We wanted to take a look at what they were doing and we had one [timeout] left, thank God, and then we made an adjustment,” Emmaus coach Harold Fairclough said. “He didn’t have any place to go with it.” Easton quarterback Cole Ordway rolled to his right and had no receivers open as the Green Hornets maintained outside leverage in coverage and the junior quarterback had to force up a pass toward Jasir Frutchey, who couldn’t come down with it as Emmaus celebrated its dramatic victory. The two-point conversion came on the back end of an unbelievable two-minute drill executed by the Red Rovers with Frutchey hauling in what was essentially a 28-yard Hail Mary into the corner of the end zone. On a play that lasted over 10 seconds, the 6-3 senior set his feet and outjumped Emmaus cornerback Jah’Khi Daves for a touchdown that sent Cottingham into a complete frenzy. The Red Rovers took over on their own 25 with just 1:29 remaining and completed an eight-play touchdown drive with one of the plays of the season. A play that could’ve gone down as one of the most memorable in Easton football’s long history if the Green Hornets weren’t so set on playing spoiler in hostile territory. The Green Hornets were only clinging to the 20-13 lead at the time because of an outstanding two-way performance from senior running back/linebacker Reilly Bechtel. Bechtel started the game with a tackle for loss on the first play, heard his name called all night with tackle after tackle and delivered the team’s only two touchdowns in sensational fashion. His first came just two plays after a terrific goal-line stand by the Emmaus defense as Bechtel shook off a tackle in the middle of the field and outran the rest of the Easton defense for a 97-yard touchdown that gave his team a 13-7 lead. “That was the longest 97 yards of my life,” Bechtel said with some relief after the game. “The hole finally opened up – we had been hitting it and hitting it and hitting it – and boom, it opened up and I was able to get all 97.” After Will Day scored his second touchdown of the night to give Easton a 14-13 lead on the ensuing drive, the Green Hornets needed another big play in the fourth quarter. Brody McHugh answered the call by lowering the boom on a Dorian Thomas run, punching the ball loose, and watching his teammate Daniel Duggan recover it to give Emmaus the ball on its own 45. A critical third down conversion from Jerek Cooper to Ben Jones, a 27-yard keeper from the junior quarterback and a 15-yard run by Bechtel set up his second score of the night from three yards out. It proved to be the game-winner with 6:18 left on the fourth quarter clock. Bechtel finished the night with 164 yards on 20 carries to lead the Green Hornets to their first district championship appearance since 2021. Fairclough’s team lost that title game to Freedom 28-14, but after Parkland’s “upset” of the Patriots in the opposite semifinal, they’ll have a new, yet familiar, opponent next Friday night in the Trojans. Emmaus (10-2) shut out Parkland (10-2) 27-0 in the final game of the regular season and could seal the first district championship in school history against its bitter rival with another dominant performance. Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast. He can be reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com. EMMAUS 20, EASTON 19