Playoffs? Union could keep hope alive
Union will try for its third victory of the season, which would be the most since 2000, when it takes on Clarion-Limestone at 7 p.m. Friday.
Lions' quarterback Dan Miller will try to derail that.
Miller is 72 yards away from reaching the 4,000-yard passing mark in his career, which would put him fifth on the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference all-time list.
Miller has completed 50-of-114 passes for 739 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2009.
"They spread the ball around a lot," said Union coach Al Pryor. "They have a wide-open offense.
"(Miller) is a bigger quarterback with a strong arm and he'll tuck the ball and run with it. That will be a problem too," he added.
Miller's top receivers include Zac Kemmer (19 catches, 222 yards, three touchdowns), Jace Rhoads (14 grabs, 253 yards and two scores) and Jonathon Pezzuti.
The Lions (1-7, 1-7), however, are coming off a rough 48-0 loss to Clarion, coughing up 359 total yards to the Bobcats in the proecess.
Union (2-6, 2-6) dropped a 20-6 decision to Punxsutawney.
Running the Union version of the Wildcat offense, running back Zach Traister was 5-of-10 passing for 54 yards and a touchdown toss to Taylor Smith.
Traister also rushed for 138 yards and now has 700 yards on 97 carries for the Golden Knights.
With starting quarterback Trent Corle out this week, Smith, the team's top receiver and backup quarterback, will move behind center with Traister staying in the backfield.
Union also will feature the Wildcat again this week, Pryor said.
Smith leads the team with 21 catches for 260 yards and five touchdowns, while Traister is second at 17 catches, 217 yards and one score.
With the playoffs a less-than-likely scenario at this point, Pryor still is impressed with his team's performance.
"We're very excited," said Pryor. "This team really came together, practiced together and played hard. It's everything I wanted — well, maybe a couple more wins.
"We're hoping with this game we can get our third victory. ... We're finishing strong. We just ran out of season," he added.
Slippery Rock (2-6, 2-3) at Wilmington (7-1, 5-1) 7 p.m., FridaySlippery Rock and Wilmington have quite a history. Wilmington beat the Rockets 42-6 in the regular season last year before Slippery Rock took the Greyhounds to overtime before losing 21-14 in the District 10 championship game. In 2005, the Rockets shocked Wilmington 3-0. ... As always, the Greyhounds rely on a potent running game. Three players have more than 400 yards rushing this season, with senior Derek Burns leading the way with 503 yards and eight touchdowns. ... Wilmington QB Jake Demedal has completed 59 percent of his passes. ... The Rockets are coming off a 30-10 loss to Youngstown Chaney Saturday. ... Senior QB Ayron Gallagher leads Slippery Rock in both passing and rushing yardage.
Freeport (7-1, 7-1) at Summit Academy (2-6, 2-6) 12:30 p.m., SaturdayThe Yellowjackets are coming off a 37-7 victory over Deer Lakes was the program's 500th victory and was the 18th team to reach that mark. ... Darius Frantz rushed for 101 yards on four carries while Mitchell Shaw, Jake Campbell, Andy Teorsky and Alex Isenberg all ran for scores. ... Freeport remains tied with Shady Side Academy atop the Allegheny Conference. ... Freeport has surrendered only 14 points over the past four games and hasn't allowed more than 17 points since a 37-21 victory over Kittanning in Week 1. ... The Knights fell to Kittanning 35-20 Saturday, despite a 192-yard rushing effort and two touchdowns by Sean McDonald.
Moniteau (5-3, 5-3) at Redbank Valley (3-5, 3-5), 7 p.m., FridayThe Warriors scored a 34-14 victory over Redbank last year. ... RB James Shope has 1,161 yards rushing and 15 TDs for Moniteau — his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. ... QB Kyle Armagost has 696 yards passing and 378 yards rushing. He missed last week's 22-21 win over Karns City with a sprained knee, but he might play Friday. ... Robert Moore leads the Warriors with 7½ sacks. Jacob Boy has five sacks. ... Eight Moniteau defenders have between 20 and 28 tackles. Devin Wheeler paces the team with 28. ... Three of Redbank's five losses are by six points or fewer. ... Bulldogs QB Brandon Bain has passed for 572 yards, seven TDs and 10 interceptions. ... RB Pat Goheen rushed for 218 yards and five TDs in last week's 41-0 win over A-C Valley.
A-C Valley (0-8, 0-8) at Karns City (7-1, 7-1) 7 p.m., FridayBoth teams are coming off a loss. The Falcons fell 41-0 to Redbank Valley while Karns City dropped a 22-21 decision to rival Moniteau. ... Special teams blunders sabotaged the Gremlins. KC missed an extra point that would have tied the score at 22 late and had a roughing the punter penalty late in the fourth quarter that gave Moniteau possession of the football for good. ... The Falcons, who were coached in the late 1990s by KC coach Ed Conto, have scored one touchdown in the first half this season. ... Aaron Markle leads the Gremlins with 834 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. ... The two teams didn't play last season; the Falcons forfeited to the Gremlins because of injuries. ... The Falcons have been outscored 394-34 in 2009.
Grove City (5-3, 3-0) at Warren (3-5, 1-2) 7 p.m., FridayGrove City pounded Meadville 31-13 last week while wearing two different color jerseys. In the first half, the Eagles struggled while wearing gold tops, but the rolled in the second half after changing into their black jerseys at halftime. ... Grove City rushed for 354 yards in the game, led by Marty Phipps with 100 yards on 10 carries. ... After a promising start, the Dragons have lost two in a row and four of their last five.
