RUSSELLTON - Freeport was in complete control in its Allegheny Conference matchup against Deer Lakes Friday.

Its playoff chances, however, were not.

Freeport needed to defeat the Lancers by 10 points, have Kittanning lose by 10 to Ford City and Valley to lose by three to Burrell.

The Yellowjackets did their part, dispatching the Lancers 41-0 behind a strong defensive effort, which included four interceptions - three by Kory Micholas.

Burrell won 13-9 over Valley but Kittanning lost to Ford City 19-13, only a six-point loss, so the Wildcats will get the third playoff spot because of point differential.

"The kids played well," said Freeport coach Bill Dillen. "Unfortunately, there's not a lot they could do with our playoff situation. They had no control.

"We didn't have the success earlier in the season, but the kids did a good job," Dillen added.

Freeport (6-3, 4-3) was holding on to a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter before going on a nine-play, 68 yard drive, capped by a 1-yard run by quarterback Bryan Zimmerman to give Freeport a 14-0 lead with 2:22 left in the half.

The highlight of the drive was five first downs on five successive plays for the Yellowjackets.

On the previous drive by Deer Lakes (4-5, 2-5), the Lancers looked to have a first down on the Freeport 20 thanks to a 21-yard pass play, but a chop block on Deer Lakes negated the gain.

After the Yellowjackets' score, Deer Lakes tried to get back into the contest, but on a fourth-and-9 from the Freeport 43, a trick play backfired.

Mike Latronica took the short snap on a punt attempt, but dropped the ball. After picking it up, he tried to throw a pass to the sideline, but Cody Betush intercepted the floating pass and went untouched 50 yards for the score with 1:18 before the half.

"We've been playing good pass defense all season," said Dillen. "It's something we pride ourselves on. We have a good secondary, good cover guys. It's probably the best group I've had since the 1980s."

Freeport allowed Holtz to complete just six of 21 passes for 49 yards and the four picks.

Nate Kurtz helped the Yellowjackets sustain many of its first-half drives, rushing for 85 of his game-high 124 yards.

"He did a great job," said Dillen. "He ran hard and opened some things up with the trap."

In the second half, it was all Yellowjackets as Micholas caught a 39-yard scoring pass midway through the third quarter, then added a 2-yard run by Kurtz and a 1-yarder by Jordan Frantz to close out the scoring.

The loss was the Lancers' fourth straight after jumping out to a 4-1 record. The losing streak coincided with the loss of senior running back Travis Ankeny, who was the team's No. 1 offensive star.

Since Freeport did not make the playoffs, Dillen has decided not to play in the WPIAL's crossover game next weekend, citing the potential for injuries in a game that doesn't hold much meaning.

The Yellowjackets closed out the season on a four-game winning streak, but not making the playoffs definitely hurts.

"It's tough," said Dillen. They're down right now."

Notes: Bill Bryner led the Lancers with 50 yards, all in the second half … Deer Lakes was shut out in three of its final four games … Freeport wide receiver-quarterback Kiel Conjack twisted his knee in the first half, but returned to action in the second half.