Labor Day will still be days away, but Knoch and Franklin Regional will be hard at work on the football field come Friday.

The teams meet for a mutual season opener on the Panthers' home field as prime contenders in the Greater Allegheny Conference. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

“It seems strange to say this already, but this game has playoff implications,” Knoch coach Mike King said.

The teams know each other well. They had a common scrimmage opponent in Kiski Area this summer and they've played each other in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Franklin Regional won seven of those games.

“I've got a lot of respect for Mike King and what he does with that program,” Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta said. “They are a physical football team like we are and they'll be ready for us.

“Our kids learned that last year.”

The Panthers finished 10-2 a year ago, losing to West Allegheny in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. But they opened the season with a 22-7 loss at Knoch.

“We made mistakes that night and they took advantage of them,” Botta said.

The Knights (4-6) made the playoffs a year ago as well, bowing to West Allegheny in the first round.

“I like where we're at right now,” King said. “We came out of our scrimmages healthy and our kids have been going at it hard.”

King will use both of his quarterbacks — Mac Christy and Jake Herrit — on Friday. Whoever's not behind center will be lining up elsewhere offensively.

“We're a situational offense,” King said. “We don't lock kids into one position and leave them there.

“(Receiver-corner) Addis Crouch has really stepped up his game in the scrimmages and Jayden Renfrew has been running the ball extremely well. We've got a number of kids who are coming along.”

Franklin Regional rushed for 2,400 yards as a team last season. Returning quarterback Santino Birty was a big part of that, running for 405 yards and five touchdowns.

Birty also threw for 1,053 yards and six scores. He's got a pair of big tight ends to throw to in 6-foot-4 Jake Lauer and 6-5 Todd Summers. Lauer is being recruited by Army, Summers by a number of Div. I-AA schools.

“We run a read option offense that depends on recognizing the defense,” Botta said. “Santino is not only a returning starter, he's a workaholic. He puts a lot of time in the weight room and he's a strong kid.”

Knoch remembers Birty well. He made his debut against the Knights last year, coming in off the bench to spark an offensive drive.

“The kid is a two-way threat with a lot of tools. He throws a nice ball,” King said.

The Panthers' top returning rusher is Jacob Ross, who ran for 540 yards and two touchdowns. Gone is running back-linebacker Brett Zanotto, who ran for 908 yards and 17 TDs and led the defense with 102 tackles.

Zanotto is now a second-team linebacker at the University of Maryland.

“Brett was one of those players who comes along maybe twice in a coach's lifetime,” Botta said. “He was a special player.”

Franklin Regional employs an athletic 35 defense to guard against spread offenses, which are becoming more commonplace in high school football.

“Knoch likes to go to the I-formation when they get close to the goal line and we can adjust to that defensively,” Botta said.

As openers go, King admits this one is a challenge.

“That team is very good. They play tough defense and we have to contain their quarterback when he runs the ball,” he said.

Botta anticipates a challenge for his quarterback as well.

“I'm sure their defense will have someone accounting for him on every play,” he said.