JEFFERSON TWP — One for the record books.

Knoch's 2011 football season ended with numerous school records and wound up as one of the best in school history.

The returning players and coaches took away so much more than the on-field success, however,

“As a coach, you always hope to tap into the spirit of a team,” Knights coach Mike King said. “You try to find out what makes your kids tick and you build on that.

“What we learned was that we're capable of handling adversity by leaning on each other. Friendship, loyalty, trust — that was last year.”

Three days before Knoch's first-round playoff game against West Allegheny, the South Butler School District had to deal with the death of senior cheerleader Alex Summers.

One of the most popular students in the high school, Summers was killed in an automobile accident. Her funeral was the same day as that playoff game.

The team responded with playoff wins of 28-7 over West Allegheny, 31-9 over Thomas Jefferson and 9-7 over Franklin Regional to earn a trip to Heinz Field for the WPIAL Class AAA title game.

An emotional postgame ceremony honoring Summers took place on the field immediately after the West Allegheny game. Kory Wood booted a 20-yard field goal on the final play to eliminate Franklin Regional.

“Last year went well beyond physical capability, whether a kid can bench a lot of weight or run the 40 in 4.5,” King said. “It turned into a magical season in many ways.”

Mike Cunningham, Dakota Bruggeman and Ben Tackett are Knoch's tri-captains this season. All three were starters last year.

Cunningham, a linebacker, said he learned work ethic from last year.

“Just always work hard,” he said. “We worked hard from the beginning of last season. And I learned that personal goals in a team game don't mean very much.

“I have no goals of my own. All I want to do is my part to keep this team winning.”

Bruggeman, a receiver last year who will be the starting quarterback this season, said he discovered how much emotion plays into winning football games.

“That team (last year) was all about heart,” he said. “We always had heart. No task seemed too big to overcome.

“After what happened to Alex ... nobody wanted to quit playing. It only strengthened our resolve. I'm never going to forget that.”

Tackett, a running back, said he learned a lot about faith during last year's playoff run.

“Have faith in your team, follow the Lord, stay loyal to yourself and everyone else. ... That's how I live my life now,” Tackett said.

“This year's team was already impacted by our four extra weeks of practice last year. That stuff just adds up. We learned we need to put together good practices because when you practice well, you play well.”

King still marvels about the 2011 season.

“Leadership is leadership. ... You can look at it 1,000 different ways,” he said. “I'm confident we're going to have the proper leadership this year.

“A coach wants every season to be magical. You can find that by making sure every kid has a positive experience coming through the program.”

A look at how Knoch’s 2011 season — 12-1 record and WPIAL Class AAA championship game appearance — rates in school history:• Won seventh Greater Allegheny Conference title since 1978• Reached WPIAL championship game for fifth time• Posted most wins in school history• Completed program’s first-ever perfect regular season• Posted longest winning streak (12 games) in program’s history• Scored most points in a game (70 vs. Kittanning) in program’s history• Averaged the most points per game (43.8) in regular season in program’s history