Slogging through the program’s longest losing skid in over a quarter century, Freeport’s football team could have packed it in last week against Valley.

Rather, with a 27-0 Allegheny 6 Conference win, the Yellowjackets (3-6, 1-3) set up a Friday night visit to Deer Lakes that will have playoff implications.

“We’re still taking it one game at a time — and we just need to improve,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “That’s the main thing that we focus on. For our young kids, it took a little bit longer than what we thought. ... I like what we did last week. Losing five in a row, it could’ve been very easy to tank it and throw the season away. We fought.”

And put a five-game losing streak behind themselves. It was the first of that sort since the team began 0-6 to start the 1994 go-round.

“We were competitive in all of those games and just came up short,” Gaillot said. “We adjusted, we fixed. ... We just concentrated on fixing the miscues. It’s getting close to the end of the season, but we’re really starting to do well.”

With a win against the Lancers (6-3, 2-2), a Shady Side Academy triumph over East Allegheny, and if Gardner points fall their way, the ‘Jackets could earn a trip to the postseason.

“We’re just focused on what we need to do,” Gaillot said. “We put ourselves in this position. We own it, and we just need to do what we need to do. ... Either way, we’re playing to win.”

Deer Lakes is guaranteed a playoff spot with a victory. A loss would throw it into a murky puddle of numbers.

“That would just make life easier,” Lancers coach Tim Burk said of a positive result. “Then, there’s no questions and we control our own destiny. That is the game plan, obviously.”

Deer Lakes has a fourth-year starting signal-caller in senior Derek Burk, who’s passed for 1,591 yards and 20 scores this year. He’s also hit the mark on over 61% of his pass attempts. Fellow senior Wayne Love has pulled in 29 throws for 576 yards and eight touchdowns to lead in receiving.

“We knew that we’d be able to throw the ball,” Burk said. “We knew that teams would try to really hone in and stop us from doing that. ... Having the experience of our running back and those wide receivers and quarterback, it really makes it nice.”

Junior tailback Zier Williams has gone for an average of 100.4 yards per game on the ground for the Lancers, balancing the attack.

Freeport counters with a defense led by senior outside linebacker Colton Otterman, who’s also been tasked with carrying the ball for the ‘Jackets.

“They are always sound,” Burk said of Freeport. “They’re always gritty. They’re aggressive. I wouldn’t expect anything less from them. ... The Otterman kid, he flies around, and Drew (Ross, quarterback) has been very serviceable for them. He seems to hit key passes at the right moments.”

Coach Burk is bracing his crew for chaos, knowing Gaillot and his coaching staff will have their side prepared.

“We’ve been preaching it all week — don’t look at the record of Freeport, because these dudes are going to come and try to punch you in the mouth,” Coach Burk said. “We’ve got to be ready. It’s Freeport. John has instilled that in them. It’s almost like a mindset.”

Union Area (New Castle) (7-2)

at Summit Academy (0-9)

12:30 p.m., Thursday

Summit Academy was defeated by Laurel, 30-6, last Friday; Union fell short against South Side by a 49-15 count.

The Knights are aiming to avoid a second 0-10 campaign in three seasons. ... New Brighton (46.3 points per game) and Ringgold (44.7) are the only WPIAL teams allowing opponents to score more on average than Summit Academy’s 42.4. ... The Knights are 1-18 over the past two years.

Before the defeat last week, the Scotties had won five straight by double-digits. ... Union has put up 35.8 points per game.

The Scotties came out on top of last year’s meeting, 44-8.

North Allegheny (8-1)

at Seneca Valley (3-6)

7 p.m., Friday

NA defeated Penn-Trafford 48-14 last week; SV's playoff hopes ended with a 42-7 loss to Central Catholic that snapped a three-game winning streak.

Logan Kushner is a major dual-threat at QB for the Tigers, passing for 1,079 yards while rushing for 642 and accounting for 26 total TDs. ... NA features two other players with over 600 yards on the ground — Tyree Alualu (681) and Conner Frank (668).

SV's offense depends heavily on QB Sean O'Shea and RB Kai West. The duo has combined for 1,089 rushing yards and 14 TDs. ... O'Shea has passed for 1,007 yards and six scores.

The Tigers earned a 27-26 win over the Raiders last season.

Knoch (7-2)

at Valley (2-7)

7 p.m., Friday

Knoch suffered its first conference loss last week, 14-13 in overtime to East Allegheny; Valley lost for the fourth straight week, 27-0 at Freeport.

The Knights have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Since going 6-3 in 2016, Valley has not had a winning season. The Vikings have gone 14-51 since the beginning of the 2017 season.

The Knights' one victory in 2022 came against Valley in a 35-18 decision.

Punxsutawney (6-3)

at Union/A-C Valley (5-4)

in Rimersburg

7 p.m., Friday

Punxsy dropped a 14-7 decision to Brookville last week; Union/A-C Valley won 51-13 against Ridgway.

The Chucks average 222 rushing yards per game, led by Landon Martz, who has gained 1,162 yards and scored 15 TDs. ... Punxsy's top receiver is Noah Weaver, who has grabbed 26 passes for 616 yards and five TDs.

Senior WR/CB Trey Fleming has starred on both sides of the ball for Union/A-C Valley. He's caught 35 passes worth 634 yards and four TDs. On defense, he's made 39 tackles and intercepted five passes.

The Chucks beat the Falcon Knights 27-7 last year.

Moniteau (1-8)

at Keystone (3-6)

7 p.m., Friday

The Warriors were blanked by DuBois, 36-0, last week; Keystone lost to Port Allegany, 50-13.

Sophomore Brendin Sankey has been noticeable on both sides of the ball for Moniteau — having passed for 563 yards and 4 TDs and totaled 67 tackles on defense. ... The Warriors are averaging 225.1 yards from scrimmage per game.

The Panthers average five yards per carry and 186.7 rushing yards per game. ... Freshman Eli Nellis has gone for 632 yards and 9 TDs on the ground this season. ... Keystone is 1-3 at home this year.

Moniteau lost to Keystone, 57-12, at home. ... The Warriors last win in the series was in 2018.

Mount Union (8-1)

at Karns City (4-5)

7 p.m, Friday

The Gremlins ground out a 70-21 home win over conference foe Bradford last week; Mount Union handled Claysburg-Kimmel, 62-6.

Karns City didn’t throw a single pass against the Owls, instead rushing for over 600 yards. ... Senior Luke Cramer has rumbled for 691 yards and 15 TDs, while sophomore Hunter Scherer has added 501 yards and 7 TDs this season. ... The Gremlins have to win this matchup to reach the postseason.

The Trojans, based out of District 6, have won 7 in a row by an average of 41 points. ... Mount Union has posted 2,767 rushing yards on the campaign, led by senior QB Bryce Danish (71 carries, 916 yards, 14 TDs).

Staff writer Derek Pyda contributed to this report