ROSS TWP— What Jack McCurry does, many football coaches try to emulate.

Count Butler coach Jeff McAnallen among them — and who can blame him? Now in his 31st season, McCurry has won 251 games at North Hills, including 12 section titles and a state championship.

McAnallen served as McCurry's line coach for 10 years before assuming the head coaching duties at his alma mater last year.

"You can see a similar package there,"McCurry said of Butler. "They don't run a traditional offense. You see them do some pro-I, some one-back, some no-back.

"They put the ball in the hands of a lot of kids and they keep you guessing. We do a lot of that, too."

North Hills (5-1, 2-0) hosts the Golden Tornado (3-3, 0-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Martorelli Stadium. The Indians blanked Butler, 20-0, at Art Bernardi Stadium last year in the first meeting between the two head coaches.

North Hills enters the contest riding a three-game winning streak, its lone setback being a 27-26 loss to Bethel Park.

"They are one or two plays away from being 6-0,"McAnallen said.

That's a far cry from last year's 4-6 season, a rare losing campaign in McCurry's career.

"Some of the guys from that team have grown into leaders for this team," McCurry said. "Kids mature. We've got some good ones."

The Indians have a young defense that has been somewhat inconsistent, allowing six total points to three opponents, three touchdowns or more to each of three other foes.

"We always emphasize defense first, but we're young on that side of the ball,"McCurry said. "Two-thirds of our lineup there is first-year starters.

"Mike Hirt is a three-year starter at linebacker and Cody Patton is a three-year starter at safety. Those guys have been anchors."

Patton has three interceptions this season.

The offense is led by senior quarterback Justin Heinauer, who has completed 61 of 109 passes for 917 yards and eight touchdowns, including a 284-yard, three-touchdown performance in last week's 52-21 win over Seneca Valley.

Lloyd Phillips is Heinauer's favorite receiver, compiling 18 catches for 388 yards and six touchdowns. R.J. Miller has 12 catches for 155 yards.

With running back Michael Sivak, who has 56 carries for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns, sidelined with a leg injury, Elijah David has become North Hills' prime rusher. David has 45 carries for 362 yards and four TDs, including 158 yards and two scores last week.

"David has played well all year long for us," McCurry said. "We like to spread the ball around offensively. We've got some playmakers and we want to get the ball in their hands."

Another key to the Indians' success this fall is their special teams.

Kicker Anthony Chiappetta has yet to miss a kick this season, including four field goal attempts.

"Our punting's been good, our kickoffs have been reaching the end zone, our return game has been productive — special teams have played a big part in what we've been able to do,"McCurry said.

The longtime coach said physicality will go a long way in determining who wins Friday night.

"Butler's defense is very aggressive and they're playing with confidence,"McCurry said. "Blocking their front four will be critical for us this week."