KARNS CITY — It's been a while since Karns City and Union squared off on the gridiron.

While Karns City remains a perennial contender in District 9, the Union football program has been rejuvenated over the past few seasons.

“It's the first time we've played them in four years. It used to be a really big game every year,” said Union coach Dave Louder. “With our program growing, we're looking forward to renewing the matchup.”

Karns City (2-1) certainly has the historic edge. Louder's staff was trying to find the last time the Golden Knights (3-0) defeated the Gremlins and couldn't pinpoint their last victory.

“It's been at least since the 1990s,” said Louder.

The Golden Knights haven't been 3-0 since 1985.

“When you look at Union on tape from the past, you saw a football team that wasn't able to punt, kick off ... Everything was a disaster,” said Gremlins coach Ed Conto.

“Now, they're doing everything well. They're consistent. The kids are tackling, they're running the ball well, catching. They're doing all aspects well and they're getting a lot out of the kids,” Conto added.

Union knows it will have its hands full in the Knights' attempt to improve to 4-0.

“They're a young team, they're fast and they're dangerous,” Louder said of Karns City. “Coach Conto always has a solid program.”

Junior quarterback Tyler Kepple has paced the Karns City offense so far this year with 317 passing yards and 163 rushing. Wyatt Everetts leads the Gremlins on the ground with 203 yards on 17 carries, good for 11.9 yards per attempt.

“We need to stop possessions, bottle up their Wing-T and triple option,” said Louder. “We need to control the line of scrimmage, too. Their defensive line is really quick.”

Cody Kline has established himself as Union's most consistent rushing weapon with 41 carries for 219 yards this season. Kaden McGregor (12-97) and Keenan Rankin (10-94) present threats, as well.

Brody Shick anchors the team at quarterback with 242 yards passing and has picked off four passes at cornerback.

“They're running the ball well, (Shick) throws well and the guys are catching it,” Conto said.

“They're not a power team and they won't run it down your throat, but they're a very effective team,” Conto added.

So far, it has all added up for a historic start for the Knights.

“The kids have never seen a start like this one,” Louder said, “not in their lives.

“They're fired up. We'll use everything we can to something we haven't done in a long time,” he added. “(A win over Karns City) would be fantastic. It could be a great boost for us heading into the middle of the season.”

Freeport (3-0) at Valley (1-2) 7:30 p.m., FridayCoaches: Freeport, John Gaillot; Valley, Chad WalshLast Week: Freeport blanked Deer Lakes, 39-0; Valley fell to Shady Side Academy, 16-6Numbers: The Yellowjackets rushed for 324 yards and all six of its touchdowns, led by Damon Smith (106 yards, one TD), Mike Teorsky (101, two TD) and quarterback Brendan Lynch (86 yards, 2 TD). ... The Freeport defense also limited the Lancers to nine rushing yards and 74 total yards. ... Valley jumped out to an 6-0 lead in the second quarter on a Demetrius Houser 1-yard run before the Indians tallied points in each of the final three quarters. ...Notes: The Yellowjackets sit atop the Allegheny Conference tied with Shady Side. ... Valley snapped a 22-game losing streak by defeating Deer Lakes in the opening week. ... Valley has dropped down to Class AA after a brief stint in Class AAA's Greater Allegheny Conference. ... Walsh is in his first season with the Vikings.

Bradford (2-1, 1-1) at Slippery Rock (3-0, 1-0) 7 p.m., FridayCoaches: Bradford, Jeff Puglio; Slippery Rock, Brendan HathawayLast week: Bradford lost to Warren 47-6; Slippery Rock ousted Central Tech 28-18Numbers: The Owls are averaging 7.7 yards per carry this season. ... Slippery Rock is gaining 6.6 yards per rushing attempt. ... Bradford is led on the ground by QB Matt Yurkewicz, who has nearly 300 yards in three games. ... The Slippery Rock tandem of QB Ryan Currie and RB Jeff Croll has combined for 552 yards rushing.Notes: Slippery Rock is 3-0 for the first time since 2008 and have won 10 of its last 14 games.Highlands (0-3) at Mars (3-0) 7 p.m., FridayCoaches: Highlands, Sam Albert; Mars, Scott HeinauerLast week: The Golden Rams lost to Franklin Regional 35-3; Mars crushed Indiana 40-6Numbers: Highlands has been outscored 103-36 this season ... Mars junior QB Owen Nearhoof has completed 19 of 36 passes for 288 yards with three TDs and four interceptions.Notes: The Golden Rams return a pair of All-Greater Allegheny Conference LBs in Allan Cratsenberg and Zach Mazur ... Mars is seeking its first 4-0 start since 1996. That year, the Planets played for the WPIAL title at Three Rivers Stadium.

Grove City (3-0, 2-0) at Hickory (2-1, 1-1) 7 p.m., FridayCoaches: Grove City, Jeff Bell; Hickory, Bill BrestLast week: Grove City beat Reynolds 20-6 while Hickory was stung by Wilmington 35-28Numbers: Grove City's defense has surrendered just 13 points in three games. ... The Eagles have been efficient in the passing game behind soph. QB Jared Graham, who has completed 12-of-16 passes for 296 yards and three TDs with no INTs. ... RB Harold Price leads GC with 205 yards rushing. ... Hickory's offense is sputtering. The Hornets have gained just 52 yards on the ground in the last two weeks. ... Hickory is averaging a mere 2.5 yards per carry. ... Hornets' RB DeShawn Coleman had just eight carries in the loss to Wilmington last week, but managed a rushing, receiving and defensive TD. He leads Hickory with 128 yards rushing on just 21 carries in three games. ... Hickory senior QB Mike Nardone is back after suffering a high ankle sprain during the scrimmage season. Last week he passed for 154 yards, but also threw two INTs.Notes: The Hornets are averaging 35 points per game despite averaging just 86 yards on offense per contest. ... Grove City lost to Hickory 14-3 in the team's last meeting in 2009. The Eagles have not lost a regular season game since.

Moniteau (0-3) at Clarion (3-0) 7 p.m., FridayCoaches: Moniteau, Jeff Campbell; Clarion, Larry WiserLast Week: Moniteau was defeated 20-7 by Karns City, while Clarion romped Keystone by a 49-6 margin.Numbers: Moniteau's rushing attack is led by junior Dustin Geagan, who churned out 150 of his 210 yards against Karns City last week. ... Drew Yeckel leads the Warriors with six catches for 82 yards and a TD. ... Andrew Armagost has paced the Moniteau defense with 46 tackles and four sacks. ... Clarion's leading rusher is Damien Slike with 243 yards on 22 carries. T.J. Armstrong has 178 yards on 34 attempts. ... Clarion QB John Katis is 14-of-20 passing for 261 yards, six TDs and one interception.Notes: Clarion leads the all-time series 31-8, but the Warriors have won three of the past four meetings.

A-C Valley (1-2) at Punxsutawney (1-2) 7 p.m., FridayCoaches: A-C Valley, Brad Dittman; Punxsutawney, Alan NicholLast Week: The Falcons shut out Clarion-Limestone 46-0 while Punxsutawney suffered a 50-6 defeat to visiting DuBois Area.Numbers: Falcons' QB Kevin Kaufman leads all Butler County area signal callers with 466 yards passing and has added five TD passes and three interceptions. He passed for 186 yards and three TDs last week ... The Chucks received 48 rushing yards and 56 passing yards out of QB Garrett Zimmerman in last week's loss.Notes: A-C Valley will try to win back-to-back games for the first time since Sept./Oct. of 2004 ... After going 10-1 and playing in the District 9 Class AAA title game in 2010, Punxsutawney has gone just 4-9.

Kittanning (1-2, 1-1) at Sum. Academy (1-2, 0-2), 12:30 p.m., SaturdayCoaches: Kittanning, Frank Fabian; Summit Academy, Steve ShererLast Week: The Wildcats were edged by Greensburg Central Catholic, 21-16; Summit Academy lost to Burrell, 28-22Numbers: A 38-yard field goal by Blake Davis opened the scoring before the Centurions scored the next three touchdowns. Kittanning answered with a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback Kevin Barnes to Nick Bowers in the fourth quarter. Barnes rushed for 126 yards and passed for 59 more.Notes: The Wildcats dropped down from Class AAA this season. ... Fabian is in his first season with Kittanning.