The Black Knights travel to Bellwood-Antis in a huge District 6 Class A matchup, while the top-ranked Red Dragons play host to Marion Center in a Heritage Conference battle.

Clearfield takes a four-game winning streak to Bald Eagle Area, and once-beaten Curwensville welcomes Ridgway to Riverside Stadium in a game with Allegheny Mountain League and D-9 Class A playoff implications.

Glendale hopes to solidify its D-6 playoff chances when it travels to Juniata Valley, while Philipsburg-Osceola looks for its second win of the season, playing host to Penns Valley. West Branch visits Claysburg-Kimmel on Saturday with the hopes of breaking through in the win column.

Here is a closer look at this week's games:

Clearfield (4-1)

at Bald Eagle Area (2-3)

WINGATE - The Clearfield football team travels to Bald Eagle Area in a Mountain League Nittany Division matchup. The Bald Eagles come into the game on a three-game skid and haven't scored since Week 2. But Bison head coach Tim Janocko says this is not a team the Bisons can afford to overlook.

"Bald Eagle is a big, physical team ... the biggest team we'll face all year," he said. "They've lost to Central Mountain, Tyrone and St. Marys and those are all quality opponents. It's their Homecoming, and it will be a tough place to play.

BEA will try to move the ball on the ground. The Eagles average 165 rushing yards per game and only 15 yards per game through the air. A.J. Robinson is BEA's biggest threat. He has 446 yards and three touchdowns on 69 carries. John Decker and Jon Gingrich also have 153 and 189 yards, respectively, to their credit.

"They have two big backs," Janocko said. "They want to play power football. They like to run between the tackles. That does concern me."

Offensively, the Bisons will stick to the game plan that has them averaging 37.8 points and well over 400 yards per game.

"We want to try and stay balanced," Janocko said. "The offensive line has to continue to block well. We have to play our game, and be as physical as them."

The Bisons defeated the Eagles, 20-14, in last year's season opener.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Ridgway (2-3)

at Curwensville (4-1)

CURWENSVILLE - Once-beaten Curwensville looks to continue its march toward the postseason when it welcomes Ridgway to Riverside Stadium tomorrow.

"The more you win, the bigger they get," Curwensville head coach Andy Evanko said. "We are trying to get to the AML title game and into the D-9 playoffs, and add to that we have to play the rest of our games against tough South division teams."

The Elkers have a record of 2-3 but Evanko warns not to let that mark fool you.

"They are absolutely huge," he said. "They have great size up front and in the backfield. They try to power the ball down your throat. They are a big, physical football team."

Elliot Pontious is the Elkers feature running back. He averages nearly 150 yards per game and has scored six rushing touchdowns. Ridgway also has quarterback Joe Renaud, who is capable of sneaking in a few big pass plays each game.

"He is more than adequate," Evanko said. "He is a good, accurate quarterback. They can mix it up on offense."

When the Golden Tide have the ball, Evanko says the offensive line must do its job.

"We need to block well up front and in the backfield," he said. "We want to blend our offense. We want to run inside and off the edge and throw the ball. We need to keep them guessing."

Curwensville topped the Elkers, 14-2 last year and has won five straight in the series.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Marion Center (1-4)

at Purchase Line (5-0)

PURCHASE LINE - You can try to tell the undefeated Red Dragons that the toughest part of the season is behind them, but they aren't buying it.

"We've got the target on us, and we've got to continue to meet the challenges in front of us," Purchase Line head coach Dave Small said. "If you take one week off, the season you were hoping to have can be taken away.

"I don't think it's tough to keep them focused because they really want to work to try to win out. There are four football games left, and they want to work to get better each week. We looked at the tape, and we have a lot of improvement we can make."

This week Purchase Line takes on Heritage Conference foe Marion Center, who Small describes as "probably the biggest team we're gonna play," averaging about 260-270 pounds on the front line.

That big line will try to keep Purchase Line's stifling defense away from the Stingers' difference-makers - notably quarterback Ryan Lightcap and running back Jed Patterson.

"They run the wing-T and they run it very well," Small said. "Lightcap is very dangerous and capable of throwing. They like to spread the wing-T out and spread you out and then catch you with the trap. So we've got to watch for that."

On the other side of the ball, the Red Dragons expect to see yet another team stack the box against their deep stable of running backs and try to keep things contained inside.

The Red Dragons will look to break things to the outside to keep the ball moving as smoothly as it has been in recent weeks.

"We reached our one goal, and that was to have a winning season," Small says. "Whatever is in front of us, we control our destiny. We have to go out and execute."

The Stingers fell to Penns Manor 35-20 in Week 5. In last year's meeting Purchase Line topped Marion Center 39-7.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Moshannon Valley (5-0)

at Bellwood-Antis (4-1)

BELLWOOD - Bellwood-Antis has been the measuring stick in District 6 Class A for the last three seasons, as the Blue Devils have won the district crown in each of those seasons.

In Murray Fetzer's first season as the head coach at Moshannon Valley in 2006, the Black Knights were throttled 46-6 at the hands of Bellwood, but his squad has come a long way since then and currently holds a 5-0 record while the Devils sit at 4-1.

"We've got to lay it all down on the line and we've got to compete," said Fetzer. "We matchup, but more importantly than that, you have to bring your game. You can't beat yourself with penalties or fumbles.

"This is definitely a measuring stick for our team. We know they're a strong playoff team year in and year out. It'll show where we have to be three or four weeks from now when the playoffs get started. Frankly, I think that's why we play these games - to see where we are and see how we measure up."

Bellwood looked vulnerable early in the season, dropping its opener at Tyrone before squeaking by Everett, but has rebounded nicely and has posted shut outs in each of its last three games. The Devils have outscored their opponents 140-0 in those contests, and much of their damage has been done on the ground.

Bellwood has been paced offensively by junior Zach McCaulley, who has 65 carries for 581 yards on the season with 11 touchdowns. McCaulley hasn't had fewer than 92 yards in any game outside of the opener, and has scored at least two touchdowns in the four wins.

The Devils aren't one dimensional, as quarterback Nate Gray has completed 21 passes for 443 yards and six touchdowns. Gray's favorite target has been Tim Collier, who has eight catches for 191 yards.

"They're going to throw a multitude of offensive sets at us," Fetzer said. "We need to be able to defend their top offensive set and their top plays. We have to make sure we're in good position."

The Knights had trouble holding onto the ball in last week's win over Tussey Mountain, but will have to have that remedied for this week. The Devils have recovered nine fumbles this season and have intercepted four passes, while committing just five turnovers on the season.

"We were plus-7 two weeks ago and we're a plus-3 now," said Fetzer. "We have to make sure we give ourselves a chance to take advantage of our offense.

"All of (the turnovers) created adversity that we had to overcome. There is a silver-lining in that, too, because good teams have to overcome those mistakes and keep fighting to a win. That built character and they have to be tested that way, too."

Bellwood leads the all-time series 29-10, and Mo Valley has not topped the Devils since 2003.

The game is set to get under way at 7 p.m.

Glendale (2-3)

at Juniata Valley (1-4)

ALEXANDRIA - Glendale's game with Juniata Valley will be a game featuring teams going in opposite directions.

After an 0-2 start, the Vikings have won two of their last three and pushed rival Moshannon Valley to the limit, while the Green Hornets won their season opener over Tussey Mountain, but have fallen on hard times and have lost four straight.

Despite the downward spiral of Juniata Valley, Glendale head coach Rick Kozak knows that his team has to take care of business since the Vikings haven't defeated the Hornets since topping them 9-6 in overtime in 2002.

"Juniata Valley is Juniata Valley," said Kozak. "They're fast, they're physical, they're aggressive on defense. We pretty much expect the same thing out of them. From what we've seen from them on film, that's what we'll get. It boils down to the kids making more plays than their kids, and our kids making less mistakes than their kids."

Glendale has been outscored 174-6 in the last five meetings, but there's a chance that could change this week as the Hornet defense has rendered at least 34 points in each of the last four games.

Juniata Valley's front still presents problems, however, as it likes to move its linemen around before the snap and bring linebackers on blitzes.

"They come at you from a couple of different ways," Kozak said. "They overload areas and attack in that area, so hopefully we'll be able to limit that this week and pick up those extra guys."

Juniata Valley is led by three-year starter Shawn McCrum at fullback, while Aaron Wagner, who ran for 152 yards in a loss to Claysburg-Kimmel also poses a threat from his wingback position.

McCrum has gained 289 yards on the season and has five touchdowns to his credit, but the junior has eclipsed 60 yards just once in the last four games after rushing for 120 against the Titans in the season opener.

"They're going to try to get (McCrum) the ball," said Kozak. "He's been in that offense since his freshman year, so we anticipate them trying to hit the dive up the middle.

"I don't think there's any one thing in particular (that you focus on stopping). We've got to shut it all down. They've got some pretty good athletes."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at A.R. Simkins Field in Alexandria.

Penns Valley (1-4)

at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-4)

PHILIPSBURG - It's been a rough couple of weeks for the Mounties, and they are hoping to turn it around on Friday when the Rams roll into town.

P-O is riding a two-game losing streak, coming off losses to Central and Bellefonte.

The Rams haven't fared much better, getting their first win two weeks ago against Lewistown. Penns Valley was shut out by St. Marys last week.

Penns Valley is led by running back Kody Bjalme, who has 559 yards on 80 carries. He has five touchdowns to his credit and is averaging 7.0 yards per carry.

"He is another in a long line of good running backs at Penns Valley," said P-O head coach Jeff Vroman. "It is important that we play good position defense, because if he is given the cutback lane, he will hurt you. He hits the hole quick and has a second gear once he gets into the secondary. On the perimeter, we must have help from our secondary and not let him outside of us."

Bjalme appeared to get injured last week on the last punt of the game against the Dutch, so it's unknown if he will be suited up and ready to go on Friday.

Rams quarterback Kyle Hockenberry, who missed the game against Lewistown, is 14-of-35 on the season with 108 yards passing. He also has rushed for 138 yards on 27 carries.

His backup, Tibben Zerby is 12-of25 on the season for 93 yards.

Penns Valley is allowing 260 yards per game, including an average of 182 rushing yards per game, which bodes well for the Mountie offense.

But P-O will have to avoid getting in a hole early due to the big play like they have the last two weeks if they want a Homecoming victory.

"The past two games have been very similar in the fact that the opponent has scored early on a long pass play," Vroman said. "Our offense must sustain drives early and we need to play good third-down defense."

P-O had its four-game win streak against the Rams snapped last year in a heartbreaking 13-10 overtime loss. The Mounties lead the series, 5-2.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Memorial Field.

Saturday

West Branch (0-5)

at Claysburg-Kimmel (2-3)

CLAYSBURG - Consistency continues to be the buzz word in the Warriors camp, as the winless squad looks to try to break out of its funk against Claysburg-Kimmel on Saturday.

"We have to have our ‘A' game," West Branch head coach Rob Lazauskas said. "We have to go out and execute, and I think the kids understand that. They played one heck of a first half against Everett, and we just need to play another two quarters.

"We've shown flashes all season. Once they put it all together and play four complete quarters it's going to be something special for them."

This week West Branch hits the road to take on a Bulldog team who has wins over Williamsburg and Juniata Valley - two teams who have combined for only one victory on the season. After a number of stiff tests in the first half of the season, this is a game that, on paper, certainly looks winnable.

"Claysburg's a scrappy bunch," Lazauskas said. "They're gonna show us a bunch of different fronts we have to be ready for. Their kids play hard. They're pretty similar to us in terms of size, speed, strength and it should be exciting game.

"We have had an absolutely brutal schedule. For the kids to have the positive attitude they have at this point, it's really a testament to them. I'm not sure there is another team in the ICC that's faced what we've faced for the past five weeks."

With pressure to win mounting at the half-way point of the season, the coaching staff is trying to keep the focus off of the urgency and more on the attitude.

"We're going to keep going until the clock hits zero," Lazauskas said. "They want to win so bad I think sometimes they put the pressure on themselves. We want them to relax, go out and play and have a little fun with it. I think we've reached the point where they understand that."

Claysburg-Kimmel is coming off a 33-14 loss to Northern Bedford in Week 5. In last year's meeting the Bulldogs topped the Warriors 49-34.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.