JEFFERSON TWP— What a difference a veteran quarterback can make.

When Franklin Regional's Anthony Vendemia went down with a thumb injury in the final quarter of the Panthers' season opener, the team's offense went down with him.

The Panthers scored only 20 points in their next two games, defeating Laurel Highlands 20-0 and dropping a 37-0 decision to Pine-Richland.

"They were missing a lot of starters in that Pine-Richland game,"Knoch coach Mike King said. "That wasn't the real Franklin Regional that night."

Knoch (4-1, 3-0) will host the "real" Franklin Regional at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The junior returned to the quarterback spot two weeks ago against Hampton and again last week against Mount Pleasant — and the Panthers notched 70 points and 545 passing yards upon his return.

"He makes a big difference for us,"Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta said. "Anthony got five games in last year when Len Gallo went down, and he's used that experience.

"He shows a lot of poise in the pocket. He steps up well and can pick out his second or third receiver."

One of his best receivers, Alex Grippa, is lost for the season to a broken ankle. Joe Rockovich, who filled in at quarterback for Vendemia, is now the QB's favorite target. He caught seven passes for 169 yards against Hampton two weeks ago.

The Panthers (3-2, 1-1) have two running backs with more than 200 rushing yards each in Steve Franceschelli and Chad Bowman.

"They have a system down there and it seems to be clicking,"King said. "That's a solid team that's put together two powerful wins over the last two weeks.

"Our kids have had a lot of frustration against Franklin Regional the past few years. These seniors want to go out there and set the record straight."

Since Franklin Regional dropped to Class AAAand joined the Greater Allegheny Conference in 2004, the Panthers have compiled a 32-6-1 record — including wins of 32-0, 47-15 and 48-8 over Knoch.

As far as Botta is concerned, that's ancient history.

"I've known Mike King for a while now and this is the team he's been waiting on for a couple of years,"Botta said. "He's taken some flack in the community in recent years. I've been there. ... I'm glad for him, where he's taken this team."

The Knights are riding a four-game winning streak into this game, their lone loss being a 21-14 decision to unbeaten Montour in Week 1. Knoch has upended Ringgold, Greensburg Salem, Pine-Richland and Hampton since then.

Running back Tim McNerney has 844 yards and 10 touchdowns. Quarterback Zach Gross has completed 29 of 45 passes for 360 yards, five TDs and no interceptions.

Kyle Reiser has emerged as Knoch's leading receiver with 11 catches for 168 yards and three scores.

"Zach has really improved from last year,"King said. "I'm glad he's having a good year. When teams load up the box to try to stop Timmy, we have to be able to throw the football effectively, and he's done that."

The Knoch defense has improved in recent weeks as well, giving up 34 points in the past three games after allowing 50 in the first two.

"A lot of that has come from our kids settling into positions they're playing for the first time this year,"King said. "John Zellhart has moved to outside linebacker, Mike Gallagher to free safety, Jake McTighe to corner. We've had some goal line stands. ... That defense has built an identity for itself."

King said center Tyler Krahe and defensive end Rob Briggs stood out on the game films from last week's 21-7 win over Hampton.

"That team is for real,"Botta said. "They are a sound football team that's making very few mistakes."