KARNS CITY — When Karns City coach Ed Conto looks at North Star, he sees a team almost identical to the one the Gremlins beat in the District 9 Class AA semifinals two weeks ago.

There are a lot of similarities between the Cougars and Kane. Both had success in Class A before moving up to Class AA this year.

North Star, which is located in Boswell, between Johnstown and Somerset, reached the PIAA quarterfinals in 2007, holding a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter against No. 1-ranked Serra Catholic before falling.

Serra eventually knocked Kane out of the western finals.

On Friday, the Gremlins (11-1) will square off against the Cougars (10-1) for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Clarion University's Memorial Stadium.

"We had a good team last year, but,\ we lost a few good people," said Cougars coach Stacy Schmitt. "I thought we had a chance to be good again."

The North Star offense boasts a three-headed monster in the ground game, led by Mike Knisely (110 carries, 761 yards, 11 TDs), Josh Kuncher (80-747-14) and Richie Meehleib (75-530-7).

"Richie is a fullback, a powerful runner," said Schmitt. "Knisely is a slasher and Josh has a little more speed. All have a different style to them and it gives defenses more to prepare for."

Leading the charge is quarterback Cory Kaltenbaugh, a three-year starter who has thrown for 1,245 yards and is coming off a four-touchdown passing performance in a 62-14 victory over Langley in a PIAA play-in game, the first state playoff victory ever recorded by a District 5 team.

Kaltenbaugh also rushed for a touchdown in the rout.

"Cory is a real smart kid," said Schmitt. "He probably knows more of our offense than me. He tells us a play that'll work. he's an accurate passer and throws a long ball.

"He's quick and makes few mistakes,"Schmitt added.

Kaltenbaugh's top two receiving threats are Lucas Zellem (28-569-6) and Alijah Petrilla (22-418-8), while Austin Lyons has added three touchdowns with his seven receptions.

"I think what makes it a little harder is teams can't key on one guy," Schmitt said. "Lots of teams have a great running back or a receiver, but we're fortunate enough here to have a number of people."

Conto is very impressed with the overall strength and balance of the Cougars.

"They seem so solid, " said Conto. "They have a good running fullback and two tailbacks. They have a flanker who runs counters and their quarterback is good."

On defense, Andrew Darr leads in tackles with 111 while Knisely has 95 tackles, 11 sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries. Matt Caola has 74 tackles and three fumble recoveries.

Meehleib (68 tackles, 4 sacks), Dylan Friedline (68), Tony Maust (63), Zellem (62) and Kuncher (58) also have aided the defensive charge.

As for the Gremlins, they avenged an earlier loss to the Warriors with Friday's win, clinching their second consecutive District 9 title.

But it was that 35-34 loss in Week 8 that all but handed the KSAC crown to Moniteau.

Since then, the Gremlins have defeated Wilmington, Kane and Moniteau by a combined 106-44 while holding them to an average of 216 total yards per game.

"That Moniteau (loss) gave us a wake-up call," said Conto. "Wilmington was tough, Kane was tough and Moniteau was tough. This has gotten us playing some good football."

In last week's win, quarterback Anthony Stimac connected with Josh Callender for three touchdown passes and added a pair of rushing scores.

For the year, Stimac has completed 52 of 116 passes for 849 yards, 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. he also leads the team with 766 yards on 91 carries and 14 more scores.

Markus LaVan has added 594 yards and four touchdowns, while Josh Stimac has 420 yards and four scores, Josh Callender (358, 4), Jake Wagner (291, 2) and Levi Buck (228, 5) have also bolstered the ground game.

Callender leads the team with 15 catches for 230 yards and seven touchdowns. He has four touchdowns in the past two weeks, both playoff contests.