ERIE — Saturday afternoons these days are usually reserved for aerial attacks and exciting and exotic offenses.

But when the Slippery Rock and Fairview High School football teams meet at Veterans Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon in a first-round District 10 Class AA playoff game, old-school football will be played.

Three yards and a cloud of dust — or three yards and a cloud of rubber pellets on the Vet’s field turf, as the case may be.

“I can appreciate what they like to do,” said Fairview football coach Jim Brinling. “We both like to run the ball, teach the offensive line to block and tackle on defense.”

Slippery Rock (5-5), who finished fourth in Region 3-AA has attempted just 38 passes all season and connected on a mere nine of them.

Fairview (7-2), the Region 4-AA champion, has been a little more proficient in the passing game, but not by much, completing 23 of 64 attempts.

Slippery Rock has two 1,000-yard rushers in quarterback Ryan Lauster and fullback Trent Porter.

Lauster has gained 1,258 yards and scored 10 touchdowns while Porter has rushed for 1,152 yards and also scored 10 TDs.

“Ryan Lauster is the most competitive kid I’ve ever been around,” said Slippery Rock coach Travis Sarver. “All he wants to do is win. The other players see that. Trent is the type of back where the first guy never brings him down. The effort they both put in makes the other guys around them want to do more.”

Slippery Rock has been besieged by injuries this season. Starting quarterback Bailey Mertens was hurt early in the season and has not played since.

That forced a move for Lauster from wingback to quarterback.

Lauster has just one completion in his six weeks as a starter.

Brinling said that doesn’t matter much.

“Slippery Rock is a really good football team. They have some really good players,” the Fairview coach said. “We’ve already seen the triple option this year and they run the option and some veer and midline so well. It’s going to be a challenge for us to defend it.”

Slippery Rock may have its hands full with Fairview, especially with a slew of defensive players still out.

Harold Coles, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound back, has rushed for 2,018 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns.

“You can’t sell out on stopping (him) because they have a pretty good play-action passing game,” Sarver said.

“It’s going to come down to what team can get a couple of stops,” Sarver added. “Our defense has to play sound and disciplined.”

Brinling said it will come down to which team can execute better.

“Every game comes down to that, really,” Brinling said. “Every team is so good when you get to the playoffs. It’s going to come down to who makes the fewest mistakes or who can overcome their mistakes the best.”