Last week's game against West Shamokin could be just what Freeport needed.

Quarterback Bryan Zimmerman threw for 383 yards on 18-of-30 passing and five touchdowns as the Yellowjackets routed West Shamokin 44-8 last Friday in an Allegheny Conference victory.

"We needed a win," said Yellowjackets coach Bill Dillen. "We were able to do some things were haven't been able to do."

Nate Kotecki and A.J. Vidra each caught a pair of touchdown passes, and Josh Schrecengost accounted for the other.

"(Zimmerman) had a great game. So did our receivers," said Dillen. "We spread it out. We had a few kids with four or five catches. It was a nice situation."

The Yellowjackets will host Shady Side Academy at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Both teams are 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

Shady Side Academy dropped a 28-3 decision to Valley, despite jumping to an early 3-0 lead on Mike Miller's 28-yard field goal.

"They're not a bad football team," said Dillen. "(Coach) Dave Havern has done a nice job. They played Valley well. They have a couple of skilled athletes."

Wilmington (5-0, 4-0) at Grove City (3-2, 2-2), 7 p.m. Friday

- The scenario is clear. The margin of error zero.

The Grove City High School football team needs to win its remaining four games and get some help to make a return trip to the playoffs.

It's déjà vu all over again.

"Yes, believe me, I've pointed it out to them," said Grove City coach Jeff Bell. "They knew it last week."

Things are dire in Grove City these days after a 14-9 setback to Hickory in which the Eagles were inside the red zone four times and came away with just three Gordon Craig field goals.

The Eagles (3-2 overall, 2-2 in Region 3) need to beat undefeated Wilmington tonight at 7 at home to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Then, Grove City needs Reynolds to knock of the Greyhounds the following week and Hickory to trip up somewhere along the line to have a chance at extending the season.

"A lot of things can happen," Bell said. "We can't rely on that kind of stuff. We have to win this game. If we don't, hey, it's our fault.

"If we could have scored a touchdown instead of kicking a field goals, we would have won," Bell said of the loss to Hickory.

Grove City is no stranger to must-win games. It faced one every week last season on the way to the state title game after a 0-2 start.

The Greyhounds have found several ways to win games this season, trailing Mercer 7-0 in the fourth quarter before rallying to win 14-7 and then winning a shootout over Hickory, 69-28.

Wilmington finished 7-2 last season, but lost a lot to graduation, returning just one starter, Jared Palladino, at guard.

"They've been a real surprise," Bell said. "I think they were looking at next year. I'm sure they thought they would be a decent team. They've been able to find ways to win."

Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli is in his 27th season as coach and takes a career record of 187-94-3 into the game.

Summit Academy (2-4, 1-3) at Union New Castle (0-6, 0-4), 7:30 p.m. Friday -

The Knights are fresh off their 28-6 victory over Shenango last Saturday thanks to three touchdown passes by Earl Zarpeles and a 110-yard rushing effort by Delaney Huggins.

A win this week against Union will give Summit Academy its third win, equaling the program's best record from 2001 and 2002.

The Scotties are coming off a 54-0 drubbing to Riverside last week. They have been outscored 258-39 in six games.