JEFFERSON TWP — The Knoch football team's defense put the offense in good position Friday night by giving their young quarterback an opportunity for a strong showing in a 57-0 non-conference victory over Carrick at Knoch Stadium.

The Knights limited the Warriors to 19 yards of total offense. It was the second straight shutout for Knoch following a 23-0 win over Greensburg Salem last week.

“We are a stunning defense,” Knoch coach Mike King said. “We tried to move a lot up front to confuse their blocking schemes.”

Carrick coach Ed White said Knoch's defensive pressure caught his line and freshman quarterback L.J. Orbavich off guard, but he wasn't expecting it either, after reviewing the Knights' first two games.

The Warriors (0-3) nearly recorded negative total yards, but Orbavich completed a 32-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Dennis in the final seconds.

“Knoch came out with a good gameplan,” White said. “They came out blitzing.”

The Knights pounced on every opportunity. Knoch junior defensive lineman Austin Renfrew jumped on a Carrick fumble in the end zone with 5 minutes, 21 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Knights a 7-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter, senior linebacker Brennan McTighe grabbed an interception and returned the ball to the Warriors 16-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Jake Herrit turned the interception into a touchdown on a 3-yard run that put the Knights up 14-0 with 8:26 left.

The blitzes seemed to pay off as Carrick finished the game with -15 rushing yards. The defense ended the night with four forced fumbles, recovering three.

“We weren't sharp tonight,” White said. “We weren't blocking our assignments.”

White said the Warriors need more time to mature.

“We're a very young team,” White said.

Despite two rough first starts, Herrit appeared more comfortable.

He was 5-of-5 passing for 59 yards throwing for a score and rushing for two more.

“He's a very good quarterback,” White said. “He runs that read option very well.”

King said he can see growth in Herrit's performance.

“I think Jake's going to continue to grow as a quarterback for us,” King said. “He can put balls on the money.”

Herrit said the first two games provided a trial run of varsity football. His teammates helped take the burden off of him.

“Our wide receivers were getting open and the line was giving me time,” Herrit said. “It made it easy for me.”

The Knights led 35-0 at halftime.

In addition to the defensive touchdowns and Herrit's contributions, the offensive line opened up room for three more rushing touchdowns to finish the game.

King said he was content with the offensive lines effort, but they still have room for improvement. The line stalled a couple drives due to four holding penalties.

“I want to be able to line-up against anybody,” he said.