SLIPPERY ROCK — There's no secret who the Slippery Rock High football team will be trying to stop Friday night when the Rockets travel to Oil City to play the Oilers.

Stop may prove to be impossible.

Limit, though, may be the goal.

Christian Cole.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior Oil City running back has put up eye-popping numbers this season.

Cole has rushed for 2,450 yards on 179 carries and has scored 34 touchdowns.

He has five 300-yard games.

“I think when you have a body like he has and the skill he has, you understand why he has those numbers,” said Slippery Rock coach Larry Wendereusz. “There's a lot that makes him special. The guys he has around him also makes him special.”

Oil City (7-1) has gained 3,786 yards on the ground this season. The Oilers have only thrown for 233 yards on a paltry 17 attempts.

Slippery Rock is hoping to change that Friday.

“They haven't had to throw the ball,” Wendereusz said. “When you don't have to, you don't do it.”

“We have to get stops on first and second down and give them uncomfortable third-downs. We have to get them into spots where they have to throw the ball.”

As Wendereusz said, that's easier said than done.

Oil City is an old-school team, a power-football team. That's something that has gone the way of the dodo bird even at the high school level.

Wendereusz, though, relishes the challenge because the Rockets are likely to see Harbor Creek in the first round of the District 10 playoffs in two weeks.

“You don't see power teams all that much,” Wendereusz said. “You don't play a lot of teams that just line up with two backs and a tight end and say, 'Here it comes, stop it.' You see a lot of spread teams and three-wide-receiver teams that try to formation you.”

Slippery Rock, though, may have the defense to match up against Oil City's power.

The Rockets' three down-linemen — seniors Sean Northcott, Mitchell Houston and Ryan Broad — have been dominant this season.

“I think you have to be have confidence — our three linemen are pretty good,” Wendereusz said. “But we have three great ones and they have five.”

Slippery Rock's offense has also been carrying the load for the Rockets.

Junior quarterback Vito Pilosi has thrown for 431 yards and six touchdowns the last three weeks.

Senior running back Kaleb Kamerer is coming off a 150-yard, two touchdown performance against Hickory.

No matter what happens against Oil City, the Rockets will have a week off before the playoffs.

That could be a double-edged sword.

“Talk to me in two weeks,” Wendereusz said. “There are pluses and minuses.”

Mount Pleasant (1-7, 1-5) at Freeport (4-3, 4-3)

7 p.m., Friday

This will be the first meeting between these two programs.

Since defeating Yough 22-16, Mount Pleasant has been outscored 229-48 in five straight losses. QB Lucas Pieszak has thrown for 955 yards and nine TDs. WR Jacob Johnson has 33 catches for 725 yards and nine scores.

Freeport is looking for its fifth straight win and the Yellowjackets will clinch a WPIAL playoff berth if they get it. QB Austin Romanchak has thrown for only 421 yards and one TD, but has rushed for 740 yards and 10 scores. Romanchak has five 100-yard rushing games this season. Conor Selinger has 449 yards and seven TDs on the ground despite missing multiple games due to injury.

Trinity (1-6) at Knoch (3-5) 7 p.m., Friday

This non-conference game is only the third-ever meeting between the programs. Knoch posted wins of 40-7 and 19-7 in 2012 and 2013.

The Hillers have dropped four games in a row, including losses of 54-0 to Belle Vernon and 42-6 to Penn-Trafford the past two weeks. Trinity has been held to six points or fewer in five of its seven games. RB Micah Finley leads the team with four touchdowns while WR Marquese Lacks has scored three.

Knoch RB Matt Goodlin has gone over the 1,000-yard mark and is expected to play Friday after leaving last week's win at New Castle in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. Goodlin was held out of practice early this week. QB Chase Mullen has 646 yards passing and 527 rushing for the Knights. PK Josh Goldscheitter, a soccer player, booted three field goals last week.

Yough (3-5, 3-3) vs.

North Catholic (7-1, 5-1)

7 p.m., Friday

Mars Athletic Complex

Yough fell, 63-20, to visiting Derry last week. North Catholic defeated Uniontown, 70-0, at the Mars Athletic Complex.

Cougars' RB Dustin Shoaf has rushed for 1,728 yards and scored 18 TDs this season. ... Yough was 3-2 after five games, but has dropped three straight and is on the outside looking in when it comes to the WPIAL playoff picture.

Trojans' QB Zack Rocco has thrown for 1,280 yards and 17 TDs this season. He's added 7 rushing TDs. ... Junior TE/LB Nikhai Hill-Green left the game against Elizabeth-Forward Oct. 5 with an undisclosed injury. He sat out last week vs. Uniontown, but Trojans' head coach Patrick O'Shea said Hill-Green practiced Tuesday and should play against Yough. ... Since losing for the only time this season Sept. 21 against Derry, North Catholic has won three straight by a combined score of 146-7.

Moniteau (4-4)

at Punxsutawney (2-6)

7 p.m., Friday

Moniteau is coming off one of its better halves of the season when it outscored St. Marys 20-0 over the final two quarters. ... Cody Wise rumbled for 204 yards and Chance Nagy added 112 more on the ground for the Warriors.

Punxsutawney has been outscored 117-270 this season, including a 48-12 loss to Brockway last week.

The Chucks do have a solid passing game with Dylan Ishman at the controls. The senior has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. ... Punxsy's running game has been plodding, averaging just four yards per carry. ... Meanwhile, Moniteau's defense has made it tough on opposing runners. St. Marys managed just 17 yards on the ground.

Redbank Valley (5-3, 2-2)

at Union/A-C Valley (4-4, 1-3)

7 p.m., Friday

Foxburg

Redbank Valley beat visiting Coudersport last week, 41-27. Union/A-C Valley crushed host Cameron County, 62-0.

The Bulldogs trailed by six points in the third quarter, but scored 20 unanswered points to defeat Coudersport. ... Bulldogs' RB Hunter Wiles leads Redbank's ground attack with 594 yards. ... QB Keaton Kahle has passed for 1,117 yards, 10 TDs and 6 INTs this year. He has added 387 rushing yards.

The Falcon Knights out-gained Cameron County 568-106. DB Nolan Cumberland intercepted two passes in the win and LB Colby Best tallied 12 tackles. ... Union/A-C Valley has won three straight games.

Summit Acad. (0-8) at Steel Valley (6-1)

7 p.m., Friday

The Knights held a 20-15 lead midway through the fourth quarter against Valley last week, but couldn't hold on to the lead. ... Troy Moore had a 69-yard touchdown run for Summit Academy in the loss. ... Steel Valley is coming off a 64-21 drubbing of Apollo-Ridge.