BUFFALO TWP — Don't expect Derry Area and Freeport to be that acquianted with each other's football programs.

They have not met on the gridiron since 1951.

The two will get to know each other Friday when the Yellowjackets (0-0) host the Trojans (1-0) at 7 p.m. in Freeport. The two teams are part of the new Big East Conference in WPIAL Class 3A.

“This will be two physical teams going at each other,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “We'll see who's standing at the end.

“We really wanted to play a Week Zero game before this one, just to give our kids some game experience. We couldn't find an opponent.”

Freeport returns some experience — quarterback Austin Romanchak and running back Conor Selinger, to name two — along with receivers Isiah Bauman and Evan McCrea.

“But we're young in a lot of areas, particularly up front,” Gaillot said. “Julius Barnes is a freshman for us at inside linebacker and I would have loved to have gotten kids like him game action last week.”

Instead, Freeport scrimmaged Riverside for two 15-minutes halves. The Yellowjackets scrimmaged Apollo-Ridge two weeks ago.

“It's just not the same as a real game,” Gaillot said. “Derry has gotten a game in and figures to be one of the stronger teams in our league.”

The Trojans are coming off consecutive conference title seasons and were 9-2 last year. They have six starters back on both sides of the ball and defeated Latrobe, 45-15, in its opener last week.

““I like our running game and our offensive line played well,” Derry coach Tim Sweeney said of his team's opener.

Onreey Stewart rushed for 150 yards against Latrobe. Fullback-linebacker Dom DeLuca and wide receiver-safety Justin Flack are third-year starters.

“This season is a clean slate. It doesn't matter what happened in past years,” Sweeney said. “I love the way Freeport plays football. They have hard-nosed kids and they keep coming at you.

“I think Romanchak is the best dual-threat quarterback in 3A, maybe the WPIAL. This game will be physical and we're gonna have to be at our best to stay in it.”

Knoch (0-1) at Blackhawk (1-0)

7 p.m., Friday

The Knights opened the season with a 28-8 loss at Hampton last week. ... RB Matt Goodlin had 102 yards ruishing in the first half, but Knoch trailed 14-0 at the intermission. ... QB Chase Mullen scored on a 46-yard run. He threw for 63 yards, rushed for 84 in his debut as the Knights' signal-caller.

Knoch trails the all-time series vs. Blackhawk, 2-4, but defeated the Cougars 39-13 in last year's season opener. ... Blackhawk is coming off a 21-7 win over Central Valley last week and has a new head coach in Zack Hayward, a former Cougar QB. .... The Cougars return eight starters on offense, nine on defense from last year's 2-7 team. RB Kenny Gawley produced 1,000 yards from scrimmage in just seven games in 2017.

Karns City (0-1) at Punxsutawney (0-1)

7 p.m., Friday

The Gremlins have won nine of the 10 games played against the Chucks, including a 42-32 decision in the regular season and 42-14 playoff win last year. ... From 2013-15, KC outscored Punxsutawney 161-28 while racking up three victories.

Karns City's offense was limited to 149 yards and five first downs in last week's 27-24 loss to Brockway. The Rovers rallied from a 24-10 deficit in the fourth quarter. ... RB Hunter Jones ran for 49 yards and two TDs for the Gremlins. ... Punxsutawney opened its season with a 40-6 loss to Clarion. QB Carter Newcome completed just foir of 17 passes for 62 yards. Alex Gianvito hadf two catches for 41 yards and a TD.

North Catholic (1-0)

at Burrell (0-1)

7 p.m., Friday

While the Trojans opened the season last week with a dominating 49-12 win over Albert Gallatin, Burrell dropped a 26-21 decision to Valley.

Senior RB Cameron Branch rushed for 123 yards and two TDs on just 12 carries for North Catholic. ... Junior QB Zack Rocco totaled 116 passing yards and a pair of TDs while rushing for another score.

Burrell QB Logan Phillips passed for 128 yards and RB Luke Kastelic ran for 88 yards and three TDs. ... Burrell last qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in 2012 and has since endured five straight losing seasons. ... The Bucs are under the direction of first-year head coach Shawn Liotta, who previously coached at Albert Gallatin.

Reynolds (1-0) at Slippery Rock (1-0)

7 p.m., Friday

Reynolds rolled up 441 yards rushing last week in a 44-28 shootout victory over Union City. ... Jordan Decarmen led the way with 199 yards on 20 carries. ... Sean O'Hara (107 yards) and Tyrese Baker (88 yards) also had big rushing days. ... The Raiders only threw the ball four times, completing one. ... Slippery Rock also had a strong opener in Week Zero, downing General McLane on the road, 27-14. ... Vito Pilosi got the start at quarterback and threw for 46 yards and rushed for another 68. ... Pilosi also returned a fumble 95 yards for a touchdown. ... Kaleb Kamerer gained 98 yards on just eight carries and scored two touchdowns. ... The Rockets beat Reynolds 13-12 last season in the season opener.

Sheffield (0-1)

at Union/A-C Valley (0-1)

Rimersburg

7 p.m., Friday

Both teams were on the wrong end of a lopsided score last week. Sheffield dropped a 54-6 decision at home to Smethport while Union/A-C Valley traveled to Clarion-Limestone and lost 40-0. ... Wolverines' QB Matt Dunham was lost for the season with a leg injury. ... RB Kevin Marfink rushed eight times for 48 yards. ... Dating back to last season, Sheffield has lost 11 straight games.

Union/A-C Valley's offense managed just 64 yards, all of it on the ground. ... RB Tony Thompson rushed for 36 yards on eight carries.

Apollo-Ridge (0-1) at Summit Academy (0-1)

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

Summit Academy began the 2018 season with a 30-0 loss to Western Beaver. ... Apollo-Ridge likes to throw the ball with sophomore QB Jake Fello, who was 15-of-29 for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-13 loss to Leechburg. Fello also rushed for 38 yards. ... The Vikings struggled in the running game, however, with Logan Harmon gaining just 54 yards to lead the team.