The fifth-seeded Black Knights welcome No. 12 seed Bishop Carroll, while the third-seeded Red Dragons entertain No. 14 Penns Manor in a clash of Heritage Conference foes.

Clearfield wraps up its regular season with a home game against District 9 rival St. Marys in what could be a preview of the Class AAA title game.

Philipsburg-Osceola and West Branch wrap up their respective seasons with the Mounties traveling to Huntingdon and the Warriors playing host to Williamsburg.

Curwensville is off this week but will be back on the gridiron next week in the D-9 Class A playoffs, while Glendale's season is over.

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

St. Marys (6-3)

at Clearfield (7-2)

HYDE - There is a lot riding on Friday night's clash between the Bisons and their District 9 rival St. Marys.

A Clearfield win gives it the Mountain Athletic Conference Nittany Division title, while the Flying Dutch need a win to assure themselves a playoff berth.

The Bisons are also looking to avenge last year's 30-14 loss to St. Marys in the D-9 semifinals.

"It's a great time of year," Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko said. "Every game means something. We strive to be playing in big games at this point in the season.

"The bottom line is a win gives us the MAC title outright. Our destiny is in our hands. But it won't be easy. St. Marys is a good football team. We've played a tough schedule. Every week has been a challenge."

In addition to the league and playoff implications, the game is also going to be a big one for the seniors, who will be playing football for the last time at the Bison Sports Complex.

"It's senior night and it's the last time on their home field for those guys," Janocko said. "This is it. That gets emotional for the seniors. They have put a lot into this season and a lot into the program."

And finally the Bisons will be looking to rebound from last week's loss at Huntingdon - a loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak.

"We've put that game behind us," Janocko said. "Games like that are going to happen from time to time, especially with the schedule we play."

St. Marys is also coming into the contest off a loss. The Dutch dropped a heartbreaking 28-27 decision to Central last week and also have losses to Bellefonte (24-20) and Tyrone (44-7).

St. Marys has beaten Lewistown, Bald Eagle Area, Huntingdon, Penns Valley, Indian Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola.

The Dutch feature the Wing-T offense and have a pair of running backs nearing 600 yards apiece, and a third closing in on 500. Kevin Hoy, Shane Krise and Mitchell Straub have combined for 1,621 yards and 26 touchdowns.

"They've put up numbers," Janocko said. "They can all run the sweeps and jet sweeps. They want to try to control the clock with the Wing-T."

Dutch quarterback Greg Simchick has completed 50 of 84 passes for 592 yards and three touchdowns to go with five interceptions. His favorite targets are James Swanson (15 receptions) and Krise (14 catches).

On defense, the Flying Dutch have a group of linebackers that like to disrupt the opposing offense.

"They run a five linebacker set and they do a lot of stunting," Janocko said. "We've been working on picking them up a lot in practice. They want to beat you with their quickness. I expect a tight ball game that will come down to the end."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

District 6 Class A Playoffs

First Round

Penns Manor (5-4)

at Purchase Line (9-0)

PURCHASE LINE - Even after an undefeated regular season, the hardest part is still to come for Purchase Line, as it begins its playoff bid hosting rival Penns Manor on Friday night.

The two teams met in Heritage Conference action just two weeks ago and the Red Dragons defeated the Comets 28-20 in a penalty-ridden contest that head coach Dave Small thinks detracted from his squad's true abilities.

"I told (the kids) we really need to come out and show them how we play football for 48 minutes," Small said. "We let them back in the game from the things we did that weren't characteristic of how we play the game, and we need to come back and show we're a better football than I think we showed two weeks ago.

"We went over the film. We looked at how we were playing, and we got away from our game by getting caught up in the little things after the whistle. We can't do that, we've got to play our game, and if we do that we'll be fine. But I think both schools have had a chance to look back and neither feels comfortable with what happened, so hopefully we'll have a good, clean football game this time."

Purchase Line will have to be aware of multiple running threats for the Comets and the arm of quarterback Chris Gahagen, who threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8. Once again, however, the biggest obstacle may come purely from the intensity of the rivalry, only amplified by the win-or-go-home atmosphere of the playoffs.

"I told the kids ‘We're now do or die,' " Small said. "You can't ask anything else other than you've got to go out and play your best game and what happens, happens."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Barry T. Madill Field.

Philipsburg-Osceola (2-7)

at Huntingdon (6-3)

HUNTINGDON - After a tough loss at the hands of Chestnut Ridge, the Mounties will have to travel to face another tough opponent in Huntingdon on Friday evening.

P-O struggled to contain the running game of the Lions on Friday, and lost the battle on controlling the line of scrimmage.

The loss means this game will be the final of the season for the Mounties, who are out of playoff contention.

"When you are not in contention for the playoffs, you still have goals to achieve" said P-O head coach Jeff Vroman. "You want the seniors to got out on a winning note, and you want your younger players to get better and continue to grow into next season."

Huntingdon, meanwhile, shocked Clearfield, 33-7, to improve to 6-3 on the season. The Bearcats are currently ranked fourth in the District 6 Class AA standings and would like to move up with a win over the Mounties.

So far this season, Huntingdon has been defeated by St. Marys, Tyrone and Central. But the Bearcats are riding a four-game win streak thanks to the upset victory over the Bisons.

The Mounties will have to avoid mistakes against Huntingdon to end the season on a high note.

"In last week's win against Clearfield, Huntingdon won the turnover and field position battles," Vroman said. "Those are two key aspects that we need to limit and control. Huntingdon took advantage of those things last week, and we need to make sure that we don't beat ourselves."

Last season, P-O defeated Huntingdon, 35-18. This game marks the 48th meeting of the two teams. The Bearcats lead the series, 32-11-4. The Mounties ended Huntingdon's nine-game series win streak last season with the victory.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at War Vets Field.

Williamsburg (0-9)

at West Branch (0-9)

ALLPORT - One team will walk out of Allport with a its first win of the season on Friday. West Branch would like to be that team as it hosts Williamsburg, looking to send off its seniors with a celebration on Senior Night.

"The vibe in our locker room right now is real positive," West Branch head coach Rob Lazauskas said. "This is the first time since Week 1 that we've been completely healthy. It's senior night and the seniors want to go out with a win.

"It's their night and they know it'll be the last time they're on the field in a Warrior uniform as a player. The underclassmen want to send the seniors out with a win, but they also want to take away something positive heading into the offseason."

The Blue Pirates will bring a balanced offensive attack that looks to run behind back Mike Culp and throw with quarterback Joe Fay.

"Offensively, Williamsburg does a number of different things," Lazauskas said. "They want to spread you out and throw the football, but they'll also bring you in tight and try to run. We have to be prepared for a number of different looks.

"Defensively, they do a number of different things we haven't seen this year. We've been working on some things this week. Actually, I think it works to our advantage, offensively."

The Warrior attack is hoping to get a boost from the return of running back Matt Sabol, who has been out with an injury.

"I think that's going to be a real lift for us," Lazauskas said. "He's a senior who has put his heart and soul into it, and that has meant so much for us. I look for him to have a great game on Friday."

Regardless of the outcome, the game will wrap up a season that is, admittedly, the beginning of a rebuilding process for the Warriors.

"There were a lot of goals we had set, and unfortunately some of the goals went unreached," Lazauskas said. "But the one positive thing - and I give all the credit to the kids, coaches and administration - we wanted to be playing in Week 10. Here we are in Week 10 and we're going to be playing football, and that's what it's all about.

"The seniors get to play one more game, and for the underclassmen it's another week to practice and get experience. Win, lose or draw there is nothing negative that comes out of Friday night."

Williamsburg fell to Juniata Valley 43-6 last week. In last year's matchup, the Blue Pirates topped West Branch 53-14.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Saturday

District 6 Class A Playoffs

First Round

Bishop Carroll (5-4)

at Moshannon Valley (8-1)

AMESVILLE - After being blanked in last year's playoffs, Moshannon Valley's focus has been on making some noise in the 2008 postseason.

Now that the playoffs are here, the Black Knights will look to move past the first round for the first time since 1996 when they host Bishop Carroll on Saturday night.

The Huskies are making a return trip to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus after winning a district title in 2005. Carroll also won a title in 2003 after it defeated Mo Valley, 43-0, in the first round and later advanced to the state championship game.

"I think it's a great matchup, and I think the atmosphere is going to be great," said Knight head coach Murray Fetzer. "We're going to come out excited and play with some emotion. ... What an opportunity it is to go up against a team like Bishop Carroll. They have some tradition and it's going to be exciting."

Carroll's 5-4 mark can be deceiving, as its schedule consists of mostly Class AA teams.

The Huskies have played only one single-A team this season in the district's top seed, Bishop McCort - which is down from AA.

Running back Brendan Julock has been the key component to the Carroll offense, which features Division I prospect Steve Greene - who has offers from Connecticut, Minnesota, Central Florida and Temple - at right guard.

Julock has gained 1,170 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

"He has some power, but he has a lot of speed," Fetzer said of Julock. "From the film we broke down, he gets a lot of that from the traps. ... We need to be aware of where he is all the time. He's going to touch the ball between 25 and 30 times."

The Huskie defense is built in stopping the run, which has been Mo Valley's forte all season. Carroll's 5-3 defense sends one of its linebackers almost every play, Fetzer said, and will give the Knight offensive linemen a big challenge.

"They're going to be aggressive," said Fetzer. "They're not going to change their gameplan for us. We've been able to run the ball through the course of the year that opens up some other things. I can see them keeping everybody in the box."

Saturday's game will be the fourth meeting all-time between the two schools with the Huskies holding a 2-1 lead. Mo Valley defeated Bishop Carroll in the District 6 semifinals in 1995, while Carroll earned wins in 2003 and 1962.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.