SLIPPERY ROCK — Coach Clyde Conti stalked around the practice field in August, wondering how many football games his Slippery Rock High team would win.

Sure, the coach hoped for a good year. His coaching staff was mostly new, young and enthusiastic.

He had a star, junior Jonathan Powell, at quarterback.

But his roster was dangerously thin. Injuries were already piling up and there were question marks at every turn.

But a funny thing happened on the way to another lost season: Slippery Rock started winning.

"I wanted to enjoy this year," Conti said. "But this has gone beyond that. I told the kids we've probably had more talented teams, but this team has great chemistry and has been resilient."

Slippery Rock will play General McLane Nov. 16 or 17 at a site and time to be determined in the first round of the District 10 Class AAA playoffs.

Three straight wins have propelled the Rockets into the postseason.

The last time Slippery Rock was in the playoffs was 2003. That team had a school record 12 victories, won the District 10 title and came eight minutes short of advancing to the state championship game.

The last three seasons, things in Slippery Rock have been a little lean.

The Rockets compiled a 10-18 record from 2004-06, missing the playoffs each year.

But now, at 6-4, the Rockets are back.

"I think this is a very big accomplishment," said Powell. "There were some lows we had to overcome to get to the highs."

The lows started early. Josh Kniess, a projected starter at fullback and middle linebacker, injured a knee and was lost for the season.

The Rockets began the season with a home loss against rival Grove City and let a game they should have won slip away in a 27-23 defeat at Sto-Rox.

A 56-21 loss to General McLane two weeks later put Slippery Rock at 2-3.

"But we bounced back," Powell said. "We did what we had to do."

That included two fourth-quarter rallies for wins over region foes Franklin and Meadville.

Powell has been one of the main reasons why Slippery Rock has kept its season alive.

Calling most of his own plays at the line of scrimmage, Powell has completed 54-of-95 passes for 1,008 yards. He's averaging 18.7 yards per completion. He also has rushed for 635 yards.

But Powell's biggest asset has been his leadership.

"He's fiery. He's our trigger man," Conti said. "Everything we do out there comes from him."

Another difference maker this season has been receiver and defensive end Zack Ejzak.

The senior had never played football before.

It didn't take him long to become an impact player on both sides of the ball.

The 6-foot-1 star of the basketball team finished the regular season with 37 receptions for 774 yards. He also has 53 tackles and five sacks.

"I'm just glad I was able to help out," Ejzak said. "This just shows you how hard we've worked all season."

Conti and his team are well aware of the challenge that awaits it against General McLane, the defending state champion.

The last two times the teams have played, the Lancers have won by a combined score of 118-38.

"I think we're all trying to prove that we're no one-hit wonder," Powell said.