Saturday night's District 11 Class AAA championship game between Saucon Valley and Lehighton featured a matchup of the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

Led by star tailback Evan Culver, the Panthers averaged a District 11-best 47.2 points-per-game during the regular season. The Indians, on the other hand, had one of the top defenses in all of District 11, allowing only 11.5 points-per-game.Though both teams made plays, it was Saucon Valley that was able to do more when it mattered most.The Panthers came up with big plays when they needed them and critical stops when they had to have them to defeat Lehighton 56-20 for their first District 11 title since 2004."You knew something was going to give tonight," Indians' head coach Tom McCarroll said afterward.Culver, who entered the game with 2,125 yards rushing and 34 touchdowns, set the tone early after Lehighton's opening drive stalled on fourth and 10 at the Saucon Valley 35-yardline.Following a 13-yard burst on his first carry of the game, Culver broke free for a 52-yard score on the next play, his first of five touchdowns on the night."Hands down," McCarroll said when asked if Culver was the best running back he's seen all year. "He's a special player. He's not the only one that makes them go, but he's one of their best ones. He's a great player."Culver, who averaged 193.2 yards rushing per game this season, racked up 200 yards on 19 carries. Overall, the Panthers (12-0) gained 387 yards on the ground (429 total) against a Lehighton defense that had allowed only 194.9 yards-per-game this season."Our kids didn't want to be denied," said Saucon Valley head coach Matt Evancho. "They came out and they played hard to make it happen."Our kids stayed focused all week (after defeating Bethlehem Catholic 14-6 in the semifinals). I was afraid we might lose some intensity, might lose some momentum. But we didn't do that. We continued playing well and we fought hard."The Panthers built a 21-0 lead before Lehighton (11-1) got on the board. Tyler Cann hit Tegan Durishin for a 21 yard scoring strike that cut the deficit to 21-7 with just over four minutes to play in the second quarter.But Saucon Valley answered on its next possession with a long drive, chewing up nearly four minutes before Culver punched it from two yards out to give the Panthers a 28-7 lead and the momentum heading into halftime.The Indians' offense was unable to get into a rhythm throughout the contest, beset by turnovers and an inability to convert several key fourth downs."We had opportunities, maybe to at least keep drives going, and possibly score at times, but we made some mistakes, some that were a little uncharacteristic of us," McCarroll said. "We felt like we were evenly matched to a certain degree, and you know mistakes and turnovers are going to be the difference in these kinds of games, and they (Saucon Valley) certainly took advantage."With a team like that, you can't let them hang around, and you can't let them take advantage of the mistakes that you make. We were fighting back, and got a little bit out of our normal game plan."Lehighton began to move the ball in the fourth quarter. Wyatt Clements, who finished with 105 yards rushing on 19 carries, punched it from 10 yards out to make it 49-14.Following a Steven Rose touchdown that gave the Panthers a 56-14 lead, the Indians drove down the field with under two minutes remaining and capped the drive with a 10 yard score by Mike Mayernik as time expired to set the final tally.Regardless of the outcome, McCarroll knows this team will go down in history for what it's accomplished this year, something he takes great pride in."We've had a great season," he said. "Even though we lost tonight, this team will be remembered here at Lehighton forever."COINCIDENCE? … Saucon Valley had its first 10-0 regular season since 2004, the year it won its last District 11 title, 19-8 over Pine Grove in Class AA.NO CALL. … There were no penalties called on either team in the first quarter.MOVING ON. … Saucon Valley will face Scranton Prep in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Friday at Valley View High School. Scranton Prep defeated Berwick 37-7 Friday night for the District 2 championship.