Freeport running back Kirk Naedele struggles for extra yardage as he is hit by West Shamokin's Zach Feulmer during the Yellowjackets' win last week. Naedele rushed for 128 yards as part of a ground game that piled up more than 400 yards.

Now that was the type of game Freeport was looking for.

With their playoff chances growing dim, the Yellowjackets needed a big confidence booster last week against West Shamokin.

Freeport (3-3, 3-3 in the Allegheny Conference) rolled up 410 yards rushing, cruising to a 59-12 victory over the Wolves.

Brady Sherrieb rushed for 131 yards and scored four touchdowns, Kirk Naedele had 128 yards and Matt Caripolti had 79 yards and three touchdowns.

"We got the running game going," said Freeport coach Bill Dillen. "We didn't throw the ball much. We did well and I was happy about that."

Freeport will host Deer Lakes at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Lancers (2-4, 1-4) downed Farrell 20-14 last week as Zack Guerrieri ran for 136 yards and Matt Latronica rushed for the winning score with 4:15 remaining.

"They're big, not great skills, but they're big up front," said Dillen. "They'll come at you. We have to hope and slow them down. We hope to get the ball and control the clock.

"They're coming off two wins so they have some confidence,"Dillen added.

Freeport is in a three-way tie with Burrell and Northgate for fourth place in the conference, one game behind Valley for third place.

Grove City (3-3, 2-1) at Sharon (6-0, 3-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday — Another week. Another big game.It's like a broken record in Grove City. And the Eagles' football team knows all the lyrics.Win and the possibility of a playoff berth is still alive and well. Lose, and the team's playoff hopes are put on life support."Yeah, we've been here before," said Grove City coach Jeff Bell. "It's not a new situation to be in."Grove City travels toSharon for a game that would amount to a three-game loss if the Eagles fall.Grove City has lost to northern teams Corry and most recently Fairview (26-13) last week. Those two school are very much in the hunt for one of the six at-large playoff berth in Class AA of District 10.A win over Sharon would vault the Eagles into second place and make those losses to Corry and Fairview possibly irrelevant. A loss to Sharon, and those losses are magnified even more."The way things are going up north, they could take five teams from up there and only three from down here," Bell said of the playoff picture.Bell would rather put his team's fate in his own hands, not in those of the D-10 committee.A win over the Tigers would go a long way toward that.But it won't be easy. Sharon is undefeated, thanks to a forfeit win it received over Farrell, and have outscored its opponents 119-30 over the last five games. It is the first 6-0 start for the Tigers since 1996.

Redbank Valley (4-2, 3-1) at A-C Valley (0-5, 0-4), 7 p.m. Friday — The Falcons, coming off their closest game of the season — a 23-20 loss to Union — will play host to an angry group of Bulldogs.Redbank Valley opened the season with four consecutive wins before losing to KSAC rival Karns City, 23-7 on Sept. 29.The Bulldogs were unable to rebound last week, losing to District 10 heavyweight Titusville by a count of 28-0.The team has a formidable offense, starting with sophomore fullback Alex Bladel and his 820 rushing yards, good for second-best in all of District 9. He also has managed nine rushing scores this season.Junior quarterback Jake Smith has thrown for 538 yards and seven touchdowns. His favorite target thus far has been senior slot-back Mike Booher, who has 18 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns.

Lakeview (4-2) at Union (2-4, 7 p.m. Friday — The Golden Knights are coming off their second win of the season, a 23-20 win over A-CValley.That's two more wins than last year. Getting a third win this week against Lakeview will be a very tough proposition.Lakeview is coming off two dominant wins over two District 10, Region 1 foes. It blasted Sharpsville last week 42-6 and routed Linesville 45-8.Last year, Lakeview beat Union 53-0.But this isn't the same Union team. The Knights have bite this season with the running tandem of Colby Davis and Nate Boltz.In the win over A-C Valley, Davis rumbled for 100 yards on 27 carries.

Shenango (5-1, 4-1) at Summit Academy (3-3, 3-2), 12:30 p.m. Saturday — The Knights will try and prevent a three-game Tri-County North losing streak when they host the Wildcats.Shenango is coming off a 49-21 victory over winless Neshannock as quarterback Rocco Colavecchia was a one-man wrecking crew, throwing for 273 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 154 yards and another score.Luke O'Hara caught eight passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns.Summit Academy lost a 27-8 decision to Riverside.