SLIPPERY ROCK -- Lack of points? Yes. Lack of offensive punch? Yes.

Lack of effort and/or lack of heart? Not in your wildest dreams.

Slippery Rock (0-2, 0-1) dropped a 15-2 decision to visiting Reynolds (2-0, 1-0) in District 10 Region 3 Class AA high school football action Friday night.

But in the process, the Rockets made their coach extremely proud and gave future foes something to think about.

"This was a tough one to lose, just like last week's was," Rockets coach Clyde Conti said after Friday's game, alluding to his team's season-opening 19-14 loss Sept. 2 at Fairview. "But I am really proud of the effort our kids have given us this season.

"The mistakes we made tonight, and those we made last week that resulted in a loss, were not due to lack of effort. Our kids played hard and represented themselves, their school and their families very well."

Wipe away two miscues that Reynolds converted into nine points and the Rockets' effort Friday night - especially on the defensive side of the ball - might well have been sufficient for them to chalk up their first victory of the season.

"I think we showed that we belonged on the field with them tonight," Conti said. "This is the kind of effort we are going to need every game this year. And I feel confident we will get this kind of effort every game.

"The kids who made mistakes that in some people's minds cost us the game tonight are some of the same kids that put trophies in the trophy case over here not too many years ago."

The Rockets' defense held a potent Reynolds offensive attack to only 89 yards in total offense (66 rushing, 23 passing).

The flip side, though, is that Slippery Rock's offense managed only 99 yards of its own (67 rushing, 32 passing). Sophomore fullback Ryan Ferguson accounted for 64 of the yards on 10 carries.

Adding insult to injury was the fact that the Rockets twice had first-and-goal situations in the fourth quarter, but came up dry on both occasions.

Defense was clearly the name of the game Friday night.

"Coach Conti had his team ready tonight and they stopped us in our tracks offensively," Reynolds head coach Tim Scarvel said. "They changed some things and gave us different looks, and we were never able to make the needed adjustments."

Scarvel admitted he was relieved that his team was able to make the most of back-to-back opportunities early in the third quarter.

"Our defense won this game for us," he said. "We played great defense last week (against Kennedy Catholic), too. The difference was, we didn't force turnovers last week.

"I knew that with a sophomore quarterback stepping in for us in place of a senior, that our defense was going to have to make things happen tonight. And they did."

Scarvel dismissed any thought that having Brandon Wolfe step in for fourth-year starter Cory Shaffer (who was hurt in the win over Kennedy Catholic) was a factor in the Raiders' inability to move the football.

"The only difference between Brandon and Cory is that Brandon is a sophomore and Cory's a senior," Scarvel said. "We did not change our approach; I have total confidence in both of their abilities."

What changed the game, and ultimately determined the outcome, were back-to-back defensive stands by the Reynolds defense.

The Raiders converted the first of their two pass interceptions into the game's first points, a 31-yard field goal by Richie Burnworth with 9:10 left to play in the third period. The kick capped a four-play, six-yard drive.

The guests extended their lead to 9-0 some 90 seconds later, when, after the snap from center sailed over Rockets punter David Bicehouse's head and into the end zone, the Raiders' Mike Miller pounced on the loose ball for a touchdown. The extra-point kick was blocked by the Rockets' front wall.

The Raiders' final points came after their defense had sacked quarterback Ben Collins twice in the span of three plays to force a punt from the hosts' 3-yard line.

Reynolds converted that opportunity into points when it went 33 yards in nine plays to make it 15-0 with one minute left in the third quarter. Jake McBride blasted into the end zone from two yards out to cap the drive. The two-point conversion pass attempt fell incomplete.

Slippery Rock scored its only points of the game with 1:30 left to play when Raiders punter Kyle Landfried took a knee in the end zone for a safety.

The Rockets will look for their first win of the season Friday when they host Sharon in a 7:30 p.m. contest.