JEFFERSON TWP — The outcome was in doubt — for a minute.

Literally.

Knoch took a 7-0 lead into the locker room at halftime of its Pike Trophy football game against Freeport at Knoch Stadium on Friday night, only to score twice in the first 59 seconds of the third quarter to set up its 19-0 victory.

The win marked the first time the Knights (7-1, 3-0) ever won the Pike Trophy, as it was their first win over Freeport since 2018. The Yellowjackets (2-5, 0-3) dropped their fifth straight and are in danger of dropping out of the playoff race in the Allegheny 6 Conference.

“This was a defensive battle,” Knoch linebacker Bennett Shaw said. “The way that third quarter started? A momentum boost, to be sure.”

The lone score of the first half was Codi Mullen’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Alwine with 4:28 left in the second quarter. The Knights had a 54-yard touchdown run by Mullen wiped out by a holding penalty in the first quarter.

Freeport’s Judah Thompson’s 37-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter was short. That was the Yellowjackets’ lone scoring threat of the first half.

“That was probably the worst half of football we’ve played all year,” Knoch coach Tim Burchett said. “We were still up, 7-0. I knew we’d be in for a fight tonight. This is a backyard rivalry. This was their (Freeport’s) Super Bowl.”

The Knights struck quickly to take control of the game early in the third quarter. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Mullen faked like he was going to run, stopped and lofted a pass to Jackson Bauman, who got behind the Freeport secondary. The play went for a 65-yard touchdown.

“He’s an amazing player,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said of Mullen. “That kid just knows to read a defense and make plays.”

Knoch then executed an on-sides kick, recovering the ball at the Freeport 35. Two plays later, Mullen found Bauman for a 26-yard touchdown strike and the Knights’ lead was 19-0, despite two blocked PATs, just 59 seconds into the half.

“Huge,” Burchett said of the quick TD strikes. “The way this game wad being played, it made the lead feel like 40-0.”

Gaillot could not find fault with his special teams on the on-sides kick. The ball took two big bounces well over the heads of the receiving team.

“Nothing we could do ... perfectly executed,” the Freeport coach said.

Freeport drove inside Knoch’s 35 three times during the second half. Key tackles for loss thwarted every possession. On third-and-goal from the Knoch 7, Shaw and Brady Pflugh combined to nail Justin Jack for a 2-yard loss. The fourth-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

On 2nd-and-10 from the Knoch 37, the same duo stopped Colton Otterman for a three-yard loss, eventually causing a turnover on downs. Freeport tried averting the shutout with a 16-play drive late in the fourth quarter, but Wyatt Foster, Shaw and Pflugh combined to sack quarterback Drew Ross twice to stop that drive.

The Yellowjackets rushed for only 40 yards on the night. Ross threw for 142.

“You want to make the other offense play left-handed. We made them play left-handed tonight,” Burchett said. “We wouldn’t let them run the ball on us.”

Shaw was named homecoming king at halftime, along with joining Pflugh, Foster and Parker Anderson in anchoring the team defensively.

“Yeah ... a pretty good night,” Shaw said.

Mullen threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns for Knoch.

“We got the ball down there a few times, we just couldn’t punch it in,” Gaillot said. “Knoch plays great defense. They’ve turned things around here and I’m happy for them. I wish them well in the playoffs.”

Otterman did have three quarterback sacks for the Yellowjackets.

I’ve been watching him do that for four years,” Galliot said. “He gets more sacks than any player I’ve seen. He’s an incredible player.”

Freeport 0 0 0 0 — 0

Knoch 0 7 12 0 — 19

Second Quarter

K — Ethan Alwine 55 pass from Codi Mullen (Kannon Trofimuk kick), 4:28

Third Quarter

K —Jackson Bauman 65 pass from Mullen (kick blocked), 11:47

K — Bauman 26 pass from Mullen (kick blocked), 11:01

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Freeport, Drew Ross 15-24, Colton Otterman 5-(-2), Justin Jack 3-18. Knoch, Codi Mullen 14-39, Ethan Alwine 8-54, Jackson Bauman 1-10, TEAM 2-(-2).

Passing: Freeport, Drew Ross 21-37-142-0, Danny King 0-1-0-0. Knoch, Codi Mullen 10-20-190-0.

Receiving: Freeport, Brady Sullivan 2-7, Danny King 4-13, Madden Wisniewski 8-85, Cyprian Sellinger 6-36, Colton Otterman 1-6. Knoch, Jackson Bauman 3-91, Kaden Spencer 3-21, Sam Skurka 1-5, Keaton Oprosky 1-17, Ethan Alwine 2-56.