KINTNERSVILLE - Saturday afternoon, for the first time in four years, Northern Lehigh took the field in a district playoff game.

The Bulldogs didn't leave with a victory, but they did gain some solace and promise for the future.Northern Lehigh had trouble getting its offense in sync - committing four turnovers - and couldn't withstand a Palisades rushing attack that accumulated 246 yards on the ground, as the Bulldogs fell, 35-7, in a PIAA District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal game."They are a tough team and they really don't have a weakness," said Northern Lehigh head Joe Tout about Palisades. "They were fast and physical, but our kids battled. Turnovers have been our Achilles heel all season and that hurt us again."But we were glad to be back in districts for the first time in a while and we now have something to build on."The Bulldogs (4-7), the seventh-seed in the tournament, went into the locker room at halftime within striking distance of second-seeded Palisades (8-3), as they trailed 14-7.Northern Lehigh was trailing 14-0 late in the half when Zach Long's second interception of the opening half gave the Bulldogs good field position at the Palisades' 49-yard line with just under two minutes to play.Quarterback Tekoah Guedes hit Austin Hemingway with a six-yard swing pass out of the backfield and then connected with Brandon Belfonti on a 40-yarder down the sideline that planted the ball at the Palisades' three.From there, Guedes bullied his way to the 1-yard line before he dove over to give Northern Lehigh some momentum heading into the second half.It was a welcome swing after Guedes was pressured and harassed throughout the first 24 minutes and was the victim of five sacks. He also was intercepted once and the Bulldogs lost a fumble. Despite that, Northern Lehigh outgained Palisades, 110-100, in total yardage in the half with Guedes accounting for 103 - throwing for 61 yards and rushing for 42."Our turnovers hurt us, but we also forced a couple that helped us stay close in the first half," said Tout. "We weathered the storm and got the touchdown before the half ended. We had the momentum and knew we were getting the football to start the second half."But they are a physical team and they wore us down a bit in the third quarter."After the Bulldogs were stopped on their opening drive, Palisades didn't take long to extend their lead. Trey Gretzinger broke free on a 59-yard burst for the score as he bounced off two defenders and outraced the Bulldogs' secondary for a 21-7 advantage with 9:44 left in the third quarter.The Pirates then sealed the win with a methodical, nine-play, 49-yard drive that nearly took seven minutes off the clock and left the Bulldogs in a 28-7 hole with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter.Northern Lehigh's attempted to convert a fourth-and five on the Palisades' 48 early in the fourth quarter , but that resulted in another interception and eventually the Pirates' final score.Despite the loss, Tout is looking forward to the future with the majority of his roster returning."We're happy with the progression," he said. "We have talent coming up in our junior and sophomore classes."We took that first step and we now have something to build on. We feel good about that. We have a healthy mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores next year, and we'll have bigger expectations."DISTRICT TALK ... The Bulldogs made their first district postseason appearance since 2012 when they lost to top-seeded Catasauqua, 42-15, as the number four seed. Palisades' last appearance was in 2014 when they lost to Northwestern in a quarterfinal game. The Pirates will host third-seeded Pen Argyl Saturday in a semifinal game.LONG DAY ... Zach Long had a busy afternoon with two interceptions and 10 unofficial tackles. Among his stops was a key one on a fourth down on the Northern Lehigh 32.BUSY DAY ... Guedes accounted for 162 of the Bulldogs' total of 196 yards of offense. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 107, rushed for a team-high 47, and caught an 8-yard pass out of the backfield from Austin Hemingway.