High school football provided plenty of fond memories around here this season.

Three local teams — Mars, Freeport and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic — reached the WPIAL semifinals. Two teams — CWNC and Karns City — enjoyed perfect regular seasons.

And it is that team concept that provides me with the biggest memory I’ll take with me from prep football in 2015.

Karns City and Freeport enjoyed plenty of regular season and postseason success by being dominant offensively in two totally different ways. The Gremlins traveled by ground, the Yellowjackets by air.

And both went a long way. Karns City’s ground game chewed up 3,192 yards and 58 touchdowns in its 10 regular season games.

That’s an average of 319 yards and just under six touchdowns per game running the football.

The Gremlins have averaged 7.9 yards per carry as well, as they’ve done every year, had plenty of people carrying the ball and plenty of others blocking for them.

Collin Dunmyre averaged 8.7 yards per carry for his 732 yards. Chandler Turner averaged 11.0 for his 637 yards, Maverick Kelsea 8.2 for his 5-2.

Kelsea rushed for 16 touchdowns, Turner 11, Dynmyre 10, Williams six — and this team never scored fewer than 41 points in a game.

Freeport, on the other hand, put together an aerial circus this year that the community had never seen before.

Ryan Weigold threw for a school-record 2,171 yards and 28 touchdowns. Justin Brestensky caught 18 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns, figures that would lead a lot of high school teams. He was just fourth on the Yellowjacket receiving charts.

Dylan Hochbein had 35 catches for 708 yards and nine touchdowns, Brandon Hochbein 38 catches for 609 and eight scores, tight end Josh Beale 31 catches for 425 and six TDs.

The Yellowjackets threw the football early and often, their offensive line protecting Weigold while he read defenses, found the open man and watched that man gain plenty of yardage after the catch through blocks being thrown down field. Oddly enough, Karns City and Freeport could mimic the other on occasion. Gremlin quarterbacks Williams and Jacob King combined to throw for more than 1,000 yards.

Yellowjacket running back Ian Miller produced 1,050 yards and 12 TDs on the ground.

Both put effective defenses on the field. You can’t go a combined 18-1 in the regular season — and win in the playoffs — without that. There is more than one way to move the ball. There is only one way to win.

Teamwork. They had that, too.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle