FREEPORT — Deer Lakes and Freeport didn't look like two high schools that already had been eliminated from high school football playoff contention.

At least emotionally they didn't.

Freeport was only 2-for-4 in the red zone, thanks to two missed field goals, which allowed Deer Lakes to hang around in a 10-0 Yellowjackets win.

"We're not big," Freeport coach Bill Dillen said. "When we got (into the red zone), we just couldn't punch it in. (Deer Lakes) has some big kids and they just brought them hard."

The Yellowjackets (4-5, 3-4 Allegheny Conference) saw a 74-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage called back due to a holding call.

The early penalty was the first of many on a rain-soaked senior night. Deer Lakes (2-7, 1-6) was flagged 11 times for 74 yards, while Freeport had six penalties for 55 yards.

"I'm not even going to comment on the penalties," Dillen said. "It hurt both sides. No question."

"I've been coaching for 25 years," Deer Lakes coach Denny Fedigan said. "It was the worst officiated game I've seen in my life. I don't really care how that sounds. We always taught our kids that officials don't cost you games, but tonight was an exception."

The Lancers had six holding calls go against them, each time either erasing a big play or putting the team in a hole.

"Penalty after penalty, holding call after holding call, every gain negated," Fedigan said. "I'd like to have that explained to me. This is not to take anything away from Freeport, but we've been through a tough season, and this is a game we should have won."

The Lancers kept Freeport from taking control of the game until late in the fourth quarter, when Freeport's Brady Sherrieb intercepted Deer Lakes quarterback Matt Latronica.

Sherrieb returned the ball 25 yards to the Lancer 14-yard-line, with just over two minutes left in the game.

Three plays later, Freeport found the end zone on a bootleg run by quarterback Bryan Zimmerman to put the game away. Zimmerman finished with 113 passing yards and 33 rushing yards.

"That was a good job," Dillen said of the touchdown run. "(Our offensive) coordinator told Zimmerman to just keep the ball and go."

Fedigan, who has only 22 players on his team, said keeping the game close was a sentiment to how they play.

"Our kids showed a lot of character and a lot of heart," he said. "There is no quit in those kids. The turnover there at the end kind of finished us off. I'm extremely proud of their effort. They played very well."

Neither team will schedule a 10th game next week.