LAKE ARIEL - Three straight losses to end the season might not seem like an ideal way to go into the playoffs.

And scoring only 13 points in those defeats probably wouldn't do much to inspire confidence in a team, either.The late season swoon didn't seem to have any effect on the Northern Lehigh football team in its Eastern Conference Class AA playoff game against Western Wayne on Friday night.After dropping three consecutive games to Southern Lehigh, Northwestern and Palmerton to end the regular season, the Bulldogs turned in their best offensive performance of the season en route to a 49-41 victory over the Wildcats."We told our kids that our schedule prepared us for this and they bought into it," said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. "What we saw over the last three weeks in Southern Lehigh, Palmerton and Northwestern, with the speed that they have, helped us get ready for tonight."We had a great week of practice and I think it carried over. And I think what we saw at the end of the season translated tonight, and we looked fast."Northern Lehigh looked physical, too.After rushing the ball only 17 times in last week's loss to Palmerton, the Bulldogs (6-5) kept it mostly on the ground in this one, recording 39 carries as a team.The primary weapon in the attack was tailback Nate Farber, who handled the ball on 28 of those plays and amassed a season-high 338 yards and five touchdowns.For Farber, the change in philosophy was simple."When we got out and saw the weather … it was a blizzard pretty much, so we decided we were going to have to run a lot," Farber said of the conditions.With winds swirling and the field slick from squalls that had moved through the area, it didn't take long for ball control to become an issue.Western Wayne (6-5) fumbled on its first offensive series of the game, which Northern Lehigh capitalized on as Farber scored his first touchdown of the game just three plays later.Despite gaining over 450 yards of total offense, the Wildcats were undone by five turnovers on the night, and the Bulldogs managed to score 20 points off the costly mistakes."They were critical. They hurt us," said Western Wayne head coach Donnie McDonough. "Obviously, our offense was productive and it's been productive all season long."But for any team, especially one that's not used to winning games and being efficient, it takes the wind right out of your sails."Northern Lehigh had leads of 35-14 and 42-21 in the third and fourth quarter, respectively.But Western Wayne was able to respond with big plays and shrewd play-calling, recovering an onside kick twice in the second half.The efforts weren't enough to close the gap, as Farber seemed to get stronger as the game went on, amassing 201 yards and four of his five touchdowns on 18 carries over the last two quarters."We knew coming into this that we were pretty evenly matched," Farber said, "but our line did a great job blocking and making holes for us."After finishing last season 2-8 and missing the postseason, the win gives the Bulldogs a chance to end this year on a high note."We're excited," said Tout. "It's a great opportunity to see where you are against other programs."No matter the opponent, Farber is eager to have another chance to get back on the field."We definitely have a positive outlook," he said. "No matter who we have, we don't fear them - we respect them."We're just going to have to do what we did this week and practice hard to get the job done."