This is one in a series of articles previewing this weekend's high school football gamesFAIRVIEW — A loss is a loss, says Slippery Rock High football coach Larry Wendereusz.But this loss was a little different.The Rockets led undefeated Wilmington 14-0 before eventually falling to the Greyhounds 24-14.But the defense was stellar again and Slippery Rock heads into the District 10 3A playoffs, where it will take on Harbor Creek at 7 p.m. Saturday at Fairview High School, with some momentum.“The kids got confidence,” Wendereusz said. “They played hard and they played well.”Defense will be the main course on the menu Saturday.Both teams excel on that side of the ball.Slippery Rock (3-6) has given up just 243.6 yards and 19.2 points per game.Opponents are only averaging 4.7 yards per play against the Rockets.“They've been doing that week in and week out,” Wendereusz said. “They're giving our kids a chance for a victory each week.”There's plenty of credit to go around for the defensive success for Slippery Rock.“There's just a slew of guys,” Wendereusz said. “I could name all 11 guys.”Rod Williams is arguably having the best season for the unit. The outside linebacker leads the Rockets in tackles (62) and sacks (four).Harbor Creek's defense is just as staunch.The Huskies (7-2) have only given up 102 points in nine games and have posted two shutouts.In six of their games, the opponent hasn't cracked double digits, including a 3-0 loss to Fort LeBoeuf.As good as both teams have been on the defensive side of the ball, they have also struggled at times on offense.Slippery Rock has suffered three shutout losses and is only averaging 219 yards per game.But Wendereusz and his staff have streamlined the attack in recent weeks and have seen improvement.“That's probably my fault,” Wendereusz said of the offensive struggles. “With a bunch of guys coming back, we put in too many plays too fast. We've simplified things and focused on the things that they did well and we're starting to get confidence.”That included a quarterback change.Vito Pelosi replaced Jake Shaffer and has added a different dimension, especially in the running game. He had 75 yards and a touchdown against Wilmington last week.Harbor Creek has also had to make a quarterback change and the Huskies starter now has a familiar name.Jaxson Favre, the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, will start in the place of Lucas Folmar, who suffered a hand injury.Favre threw two touchdown passes last week in a 31-9 win over Corry.Last year, Slippery Rock entered the playoffs with a 3-6 record and upset Mercyhurst Prep, 28-0.