JEFFERSON TWP — With only 18 yards rushing at halftime, Knoch coach Mike King told his team that it was going to run the ball.

And run the ball. And keep running the ball.

The Knights followed those instructions to the letter Friday as they ran on eight of nine plays during their first second-half possession, erasing a 7-6 halftime deficit and posting a 22-7 Greater Allegheny Conference victory over Greensburg Salem.

In the second half, the Knights (2-1, 1-0) ran on 27 of 30 offensive plays, including a game-clinching 13-play, 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter.

"That was a big statement by our offensive line," said King. "That 98-yard drive, I don't know if we've ever had that. We ran the power-I until the 35- or 40-yard line,"King added.

"We decided we were going to run and we wanted it more," said Knoch junior running back Alex Whisler, who rushed for 131 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns.

"We decided at halftime to pound the ball up the middle. If we didn't need to pass, we'd just keep running the ball."

The second half was a far cry from the first half, when Knoch had 18 carries for 18 yards.

The Lions (1-2, 0-1) scored first after a bad snap on a Knoch punt set up the Lions at the Knights 24-yard line.

Five plays later, quarterback Zach Ruffner hooked up with Mark DeMatteo on a 4-yard pass to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.

The Knights countered with a score of their own, a nine-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Whisler.

Whisler converted a third-and-5 with a 10-yard run from the Lions 47 to keep the drive alive. The Knights, who are without a kicker, opted for a conversion run but were stopped and took the 7-6 deficit into halftime.

After holding the Lions on three plays and a punt, the Knights went to work, consistently running up the middle.

"We wanted to try and work the passing game a little," said King. "You're testing the waters and you try and take advantage of what you've seen on film, but right now, we're going with our howitzers, Whisler and Justin McGowan."

Whisler ran the ball on six of nine plays during the go-ahead drive. He also ran in the conversion run for a 14-7 score.

"They just whacked it right at us," said Lions coach Casey Cavanaugh. "They got the edge in the second half."

The Lions had a chance to cut into the Knights lead when they drove down to the Knoch 12-yard line, but the drive stalled and David Artuso's 30-yard field goal attempt was short.

Neither team mounted much of a threat until Dan Pickard intercepted a Ruffner pass at the Knoch 2. It was there they embarked on the 13-play drive that consumed 6 minutes, 15 seconds.

Knoch's Justin McGowan scored from 1 yard out and Kyle Reiser caught the conversion pass from Zach Gross to close out the scoring.

The key play of the drive was a 52-yard catch-and-run from Gross to Whisler, who was tackled at the GS 5. McGowan scored three plays later.

Gross finished the game connecting on five-of-eight passes for 122 yards and one interception.

"He came back and stayed with the game plan," said King. "He's growing each week. That's all you can ask from these kids."

The Knights picked off four Ruffner passes, the only real blemish on his evening. Ruffner completed 13-of-21 passes for 172 yards.

"We're not a team that typically throws the ball much, but we were forced to throw (Friday)," said Cavanaugh.

Jon Ritenour, Brandon Flick, Dan Pickard and Michael Gallagher each had an interception and John Zellhart recovered a fumble for the Knights.