NEW KENSINGTON — With playoff-positioning in mind, Valley is the only team needing a win to reach the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.

Freeport football coach John Gaillot insists the Yellowjackets need to win as badly at 7 p.m. Friday on the road against the Vikings.

“We treat every game like a playoff game,” Gaillot said. “This is a huge week for us. It's a must-win for us to get a better seed.”

While seeding is a concern for the Yellowjackets, who are 7-1 overall and 7-0 in Allegheny Conference play, they have already clinched the conference crown.

Valley (6-2, 5-2) is in dire straights.

The Vikings would finish in second place with a win, but a loss could drop them into a three-way tie with Deer Lakes and Apollo-Ridge.

A loss by the Vikings — combined with wins from the Lancers and Apollo-Ridge — would boot Valley out of the playoffs.

The Vikings stayed in the playoff race with a 23-20 win over Highlands last week.

Valley's been winning games behind an explosive offense led by quarterback Phil Petit, who has 1,219 passing yards.

His top targets are D'Aundre Johnson (243 receiving yards) and Tyson Hill (220).

“They are athletic and go up and get the ball,” Gaillot said.

Freeport's defense has the horses to match. Logan Thimons, who is a West Virginia University recruit, wracked up 5.5 sacks in the Yellowjackets' 46-7 win over the Buccaneers last week.

Freeport held Burrell to 67 yards of total offense.

Gaillot believes the Yellowjackets will be ready for a stiff challenge from the Vikings.

He's been telling Freeport to win the conference, a win over Valley is a must.

“Our goal was to win the last four games to finish undefeated in conference,” Gaillot said. “We're one game away from that goal.”

Valley coach Muzzy Colosimo didn't return calls seeking comment.

Seneca Valley at Shaler

7:30 p.m. Friday

What to look for: Seneca Valley (4-4, 3-3) defeated Penn Hills last week 23-0; Shaler (2-6, 2-4) lost to North Hills 35-7. ... SV'sMark Smith (21 receptions for 376 yards and three touchdowns), Cody Boozel (24-374-4) and Corbin Kessler (20-351-3) are all among the top 10 in receiving yards in the 13-team Butler County area. ... Shaler has defeated Butler (30-20) and Fox Chapel (14-9) this season. ... A Raiders' win would guarantee them fourth place in the Northern Eight Conference and a WPIAL playoff berth. Shaler is still alive, but needs to win and have North Hills upset North Allegheny.

Knoch at Armstrong

7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: The Knights (3-5) have dropped four of their last five and are eliminated from the WPIAL playoff chase. ... Since shutting out Carrick, 57-0, Knoch has scored 46 total points in its last five games. ... Armstrong (5-3) is averaging 45 points in its last three games, all wins. ... The River Hawks are led by junior RB Zane Dudek's 1,755 yards and 21 TDs rushing. He has six interceptions defensively.

CW North Catholic at Shenango 7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: The Trojans improved to 8-0 following a 20-6 win over Bishop Canevin; the Wildcats won their fourth straight with to improve to 7-1 with a 42-14 win over Riverside. ... North Catholic is looking to wrap up its third straight undefeated regular season.

Karns City at Punxsutawney 7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: Karns City is 6-1 all-time vs. Punxsy and hasn't lost to the Chucks since 2010. ... The Gremlins (8-0) have scored at least 41 points in every game this season. ... The Gremlins have rushed for 2,551 yards as a team, Collin Dunmyre leading the way with 533. ... Punxsy (3-5) QB Ryan Jones has thrown for 1,207 yards and 9 TDs, rushed for 403 and three scores.

St. Marys at Moniteau

7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: St. Marys (6-2, 2-1) has a balanced rushing attack led by Christian Steffan with 611 yards and Matt Marconi with 606. ... Moniteau (3-5, 1-2) is led by QB Derek Boben both in the air, on the ground and on defense. Boben has passed for 932 yards, rushed for another 653 and is leading the team with 109 tackles (13.3 per game).

Grove City at Warren

7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: GC junior QB Kameron Patterson went over 3,000 career passing yards last week and is second on the school's all-time list. He needs 503 yards to catch Brian Cavanaugh, who set the record of 3,534 in 1992. ... The Eagles (1-7, 1-5) and Warren (1-7, 1-5) have both struggled this season in the running game. Grove City is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. Warren is averaging 3.1 yards per rushing attempt.

Union at Clarion-Limestone 7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: C-L quarterback Anthony Louder is the son of Union coach Dave Louder. Anthony Louder has passed for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Lions (4-4, 1-3). ... The Golden Knights (3-5, 2-2) were shutout for the second time in three weeks by the Elkers. Karns City also shutout Union 44-0 Oct. 9.

A-C Valley at Keystone

7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: The Falcons (0-8, 0-4) fell to Brookville last week 16-8; Keystone (4-4, 2-2) lost in double overtime to Karns City 48-40. ... The Panthers are currently in eighth place in the District 9 Class A power rankings. The top eight teams will make the playoffs.

South Fayette at Summit Academy

7 p.m. Friday

What to look for: The Lions are 8-0 and have won 40 consecutive games. ... South Fayette is led by running back Hunter Hayes, who has rushed for 759 yards on 71 carries. ... Summit Academy is 0-2 all-time vs. South Fayette, with the last meeting coming in 2011.