Non-league game or not, Knoch and Laurel Highlands are looking for the same thing Friday night.

Both want points and both want a win.

The Knights (2-4, 1-3) are coming off a three-game stretch against Pine-Richland, Hampton and Franklin Regional in which they were outscored 90-8.

The host Spartans (2-4, 2-2) are coming off losses of 6-3 to Belle Vernon and 18-12 to Mount Pleasant. Their conference wins are 13-10 over Derry Area and 20-17 over Ringgold — a team Knoch defeated 34-0 earlier in the season.

"We know Knoch is a good football team,"Laurel Highlands coach Jack Buehner said. "They run the ball the way I wish we could run the ball. But our strength lies in our passing."

Billy Work splits time with two other running backs in the Mustang backfield and leads the team with 285 yards rushing. First-year quarterback Dan Pegg has thrown for 1,058 yards and the Mustangs average nearly 30 passes per game.

Pegg completed 16 of 31 passes for 216 yards in last week's loss to Mount Pleasant. His top receivers are Randy Rankin (36 catches, 444 yards, 3 TDs) and Tyler Jordon (18 catches, 290 yards).

By comparison, Knoch quarterback Zach Gross has completed just 30 of 64 passes for 382 yards and five interceptions. The Knights have not thrown a touchdown pass and no Knoch player has more than six receptions all year.

Alex Whisler (387 yards rushing, 6 TDs) and Justin McGowan (311 yards rushing, 3 TDs) have scored nine of Knoch's 10 touchdowns this season.

"We've become pretty one-dimensional,"Knoch coach Mike King said. "Zach has done some things well and he's struggled at times.

"We have to give him more time to throw the ball, though, and our receivers have dropped some good throws. We've had a lot of problems in the passing game."

Seth Montgomery, Knoch's best offensive lineman and a tri-captain, continues to be sidelined with torn knee ligaments.

"I feel for him because it's his senior year and he's such a competitor,"King said. "Seth wants back in there, but there's not much you can do with torn ligaments."

Laurel Highlands' football program has existed since 1966 and the Mustangs have never won a playoff game or a section title. They finished 4-5 last year, 4-3 in section play, but missed a playoff spot on Gardner points.

ATriple-A football program since 2002, Laurel Highlands did put together three straight 7-3 seasons as a Quad-A program under Buehner during the 1990's.

"We were one of the smallest Quad-A programs in the WPIAL, so that was a nice accomplishment,"Buehner said.

Mount Pleasant is the only team in the Mustangs' section without a league loss this year. Albert Gallatin has one and Laurel Highlands plays AGlater in the year.

"Oppoprtunity lies ahead of us,"Buehner said. "That's why it's important to get untracked now. We want to set ourselves up for a big finish."

Knoch has the same thing in mind. The Knights cannot afford another league loss if they hope to reach the playoffs for a third straight year.

"We need to score more points and that's what we've been working on in practice all week,"King said. "Motion penalties, fumbled kickoff returns, turnovers, that kind of stuff has been hurting us.

"When you play the top teams like Franklin Regional and Pine-Richland, you want to play to your capabilities and let the chips fall where they may. We didn't do that."

King said his team cannot sit back and rely on captains McGowan and Eric Farmer to lead the way.

"We've played six games," he said. "It's time for other seniors and juniors to step up and become leaders on the field, too, if we're going to turn this thing around.

"We don't know much about Laurel Highlands. I don't think a Knoch team has ever played them before. That doesn't matter. We need to work on the things that we can do well, then go out there and execute."