RIMERSBURG — Three years ago, when Kasey Kriebel, Zach Himes and Drew Logue were freshmen on the Union High football team, things could not have been much worse.

The Golden Knights had 16 players and no chance of winning on Friday nights.

"Our first game was demoralizing," Logue said. "We had two seniors and no one to look up to. Freshmen were out there matching up against seniors. It was brutal."

Now, Kriebel, Himes and Logue are seniors. They tasted victory for the first time in a Union uniform last season, breaking a 30-game losing streak with a win overCambridge Springs in the season opener and then beatingA-C Valley on homecoming.

The victories have left the three remaining holdovers from the inauspicious start hungry for more.

Including the playoffs.

Playoffs? Playoffs? Yes Jim Mora wannabes. Playoffs for Union.

"Everyone thinks we're losers," said Himes, who is competing with junior Matt Gagliano for the starting quarterback job this season.

"Everyone thinks of us as the poor team of the league. Everyone thinks we're an easy team. No one prepares for us. We heard last year a few teams didn't hit all week and weren't taking us seriously the week they played us. This year, we want to come out and hit their heads together and show them that Union is for real this year."

Union coach Tom Kidder has been through this before. He's in his fourth year, which was the year Moniteau turned the corner in his previous stop with the Warriors.

The Golden Knights have a roster that is 32 strong — 10 more players than last season. The junior varsity team had a winning record and ColbyDavis returns at tailback as a legitimate 1,000-yard threat.

Last year, the team faded down the stretch, mostly because many of the varsity players also were playing junior varsity games on Mondays.

The two-games-a-week schedule took a toll on the team, Kidder said.

"They were begging me to take them off the JV team last year," Kidder said. "But playing a JV schedule with 24 kids wasn't easy. We had to do it."

With more players this year, that shouldn't be as big of a problem.

Camp has been crisp and energetic this year, Kidder said. That's what having hope will do for a team.

"The biggest thing I have noticed in camp this year is they have a goal and it's a realistic goal," Kidder said. "In year's past, they've just come to football camp to play football. They're coming to football camp this year to get better and win games. They are much more focused this year."

The offense will be toned down even more this year — Kidder said he believes in doing few things offensively, but doing them well.

He also said he believes he finally has the team to do it.

So do the three seniors who have been through the worst of times in high school football.

"Everyone wanted to talk about that 30-game losing streak," said Kriebel, who will be the starting wingback. "When we ended it, it was a great feeling. I don't even know how to describe it.

"Now, everyone expects more. We want to win."

Their coach sees the differences as well.

"We are still building," Kidder said. "We'll build on the two wins we had last year. The team goal for this year is four wins. We had some games that were close last year that we didn't win, but that's football.

"I think football is coming back in Union."