FREEPORT — Friday night could be a tale of quarterbacks at Freeport.

The Yellowjackets open the football season by hosting Deer Lakes at 7 p.m. The Lancers will be led by Derek Burk, a freshman signal-caller, the son of head coach Tim Burk.

“That kid is the real deal. He can throw,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said.

Garrett King, a junior, was to be the Yellowjackets quarterback this season, but he was scheduled to undergo surgery for testicular cancer Thursday and is out for the season.

Zach Clark, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, will take over the duties behind center.

“Zach is up for this challenge,” Gaillot said. “Garrett has been working with him. They're good friends.

“Zach has been prepping well, putting a lot of time in, and he's got the support of his teammates.”

Freeport owns a 42-5 advantage in the series between the teams. The Yellowjackets have won the last nine meetings, including a 40-21 decision last year.

Deer Lakes last defeated Freeport in 2010, winning by a 35-21 score. The Lancers were 3-7 last season, Freeport 4-5.

“We've got smaller numbers this year, but this is a tight group,” Gaillot said.

The coach lauded the play of senior nose guard Sebastian Selinger and senior cornerback Mario DeVivo, who had an interception in last week's scrimmage against Knoch.

“But everybody did well,” he emphasized. “I was very encouraged by what I saw,

“Deer Lakes is a much-improved team. Our kids will have to respond to what has been an emotional time for us.”

7 p.m., FridayNorth Catholic went 8-2 in 2019, won the Big East Conference title before losing in the district quarterfinals. ... Juniors Carson Laconi and Joey Prentice are vying to replace star QB Zack Rocco, who graduated.Derry finished 9-3 last year and reached the district semifinals. ... RB Justin Huss, who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 32 TDs last year, was lost to graduation. QB Paul Koontz is back after a junior year that featured 658 passing yards, 8 TDs and 9 INTs.North won last year's meeting with Derry, 13-3.

7 p.m., FridaySlippery Rock will go with William “Zip” Mokel at quarterback against the Tigers. “Zip's the guy,” said Rockets' coach Larry Wendereusz. “He took all the first-team reps in our scrimmage Saturday. He's young. We're going to have to put him in positions where he's comfortable. ... Sharon is also going with a first-year starter at QB in Brett Salsgiver, a left-hander who is a dual threat. ... The Tigers return one wide receiver from last season in Ja'on Phillips and the main option in the running game will be Tyvell Richardson, who rushed for 667 yards on 92 carries last season. ... Sharon returns three starters on the offensive line. ... Sharon went 9-4 last season, losing to Bald Eagle in the PIAA quarterfinals. ... Slippery Rock went 4-6, falling in the first round of the playoffs to Harbor Creek.

7 p.m., FridayUnion/A-C Valley made the playoffs for the second straight season last year, finishing with a winning record (7-4) for the first time since the two schools entered a football co-op in 2016. ... The Falcon Knights return their top two receivers from last year — Caden Rainey (38-564-4) and Tanner Merwin (28-430-6), though Merwin is competing with sophomore Bailey Crissman for the starting job at QB.Brockway went 3-7 last year while competing in District 9's Large School Division.