KINTNERSVILLE - Panther Valley senior running back Lou Clouser was ecstatic to reach 1,000 career rushing yards on Saturday.

But Clouser quickly realized the bigger picture in 70-6 defeat to Palisades sin a District 11 Class 2A quarterfinal matchup at Walter T. Rohrer Stadium.

“They were way stronger than us, and we had to change the temp a little bit,” said Clouser, who finished with 106 rushing yards. “We just played the rest of it the best we could.

“I thought we were going to come in here and give them some competition. But we have a lot of younger underclassmen playing with us, and we don’t have that strength right now.”

Palisades (6-3), the top seed who had a week off due to COVID cancellation of its game last week against Saucon Valley, looked fresh and energized to immediately gain a stronghold over the Panthers (2-7).

The Pirates took advantage of good field position on the Panther Valley 36 after a short punt on the Panthers’ first possession.

Two plays later, Mason Smeland scored the first of his three touchdowns when he burst free on a 20-yard scamper for a 7-0 advantage with 10:36 left to play.

Palisades would score on its next seven possessions - most of them inside the Panther Valley 40 - to take a staggering 56-6 halftime lead.

The Panthers’ lone highlight was Clouser’s 62-yard sprint to the end zone, as he dashed through the middle of the line and then coasted down the sidelines with 2:27 left in the opening quarter that cut the deficit to 21-6. Panther Valley had two first downs and 92 total yards - 62 on Clouser’s run - while the Pirates amassed 14 first downs and 371 total yards in the first half.

Panthers’ head coach Rick Jones viewed the game realistically.

“They are just a better football team,” he said. “We need to be a team that has control of the ball and we don’t want to be on defense as much. We can do some things with Lou’s (Clouser) and (quarterback) Mike’s (Pascoe) abilities, but we struggle defensively.

“We knew they were going to come right at us.”

Panther’s sophomore quarterback Mike Pascoe, who was harassed most of the afternoon but sacked only once, also soon recognized a mismatch.

“They’re a good team,” he stated. “They were definitely stronger than us. We have to hit the weight room and get a lot stronger. We had hope at the start, but we knew it would be a tough time to claw back into it.

“But I am pretty happy how things progressed this year. We became a family and we realized we had to work hard as a group. We did that the best we could.”

Jones envisions a bright future ahead.

“I was pleased with our kids’ attitudes all year,” said Jones. “I think that’s the first step. I knew when I took this job three years ago that it wasn’t going to be easy. We have something to build on, and we have a long way to go.”

DISTRICT DATE

... With the win, Palisades will host a semifinal game Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against fifth-seeded Catasauqua (2-5), who stunned fourth-seeded and host Minersville, 31-12.

HALFTIME HALLMARK

... According to Palisades officials, their 56-point halftime was a first in school history. They could not confirm whether the 70-point total was a team record.

KICKOFF CATASTROPHES

... The Panthers fumbled the ball five times on kickoffs, losing one to the Pirates.

INDIAN SUMMER

... Temperature topped 70 degrees without wind throughout the game. Several bees were spotted along the sidelines.

YOUNG AT HEART

... The Panthers return most of their roster for the 2021 season, as they lose only eight seniors.