Moshannon Valley (6-1)
at West Branch (1-6)
ALLPORT - Anything can happen when teams like Moshannon Valley and West Branch tangle on the gridiron.
In a storied rivalry that spans the last 50 years, many of the outcomes have been predicated on who runs the ball most effectively and who plays better defense.
When the teams meet at L.T. Drivas Memorial Field, the air could come out of the football with two lethal running attacks will be on display.
The game will feature two of the top running backs in Progressland in the Warriors' Brandon Speigle, who is second in the area with 906 yards, and Mo Valley's Brock Love, who eclipsed the 200-yard mark in last week's 33-6 win over Claysburg-Kimmel.
"They have some really good athletes," said Black Knight coach Murray Fetzer of West Branch. "They have more than Brandon, but he's their juggernaut and keeps everyone going. He's a powerful runner and he breaks tackles. We're going to have to be really careful and keep our eye on No. 30.
"West Branch has been in so many close games this year. Realistically, they could easily be 4-3 if a few things go their way. They have a really nice football team."
The Knights may be without signal caller Nick Gmerek, who was injured in Friday's game against the Bulldogs, leaving the Warriors to focus on Love and fullback Dakota Frailey.
"We're preparing as if he's going to play," West Branch coach Rob Lazauskas said of Gmerek. "He's just one piece of the puzzle. He's obviously a huge piece, but they have so many weapons available to them. With a team like Moshannon Valley, you can't just focus on one kid because they'll hurt you somewhere else.
"Brock Love is a very good back. He's got some size and he runs hard. He's made some big runs for them this year. They're also very, very big and strong up front and they're a well-coached football team. ... We've been pretty successful stopping the run, but Moshannon Valley, just like Bellwood, presents a really big challenge."
Mo Valley is tops in the area in scoring and total defense, and has limited four opponents to 103 yards rushing or less.
In passing defense, the Knights are just as tough, as they have yet to let a team throw for more than 100 yards.
"They just have athletes across the board," said Lazauskas. "They're very well coached and they have a lot of speed ... They just don't get themselves out of position and they're aggressive going after the football."
The Warriors' defense has improved drastically from a season ago. West Branch has allowed more than 300 yards just twice this season after giving up an average of 387 yards per game in 2008.
Speigle also spearheads the Warrior defense, as he leads the area with 109 tackles.
"I think their defensive line and their linebackers were obviously in the weightroom - you can tell," Fetzer said. "They're much stronger and, secondly, they're in the second year of knowing the defense. They're a very physical football team."
Mo Valley has had control of the series over the course of the last three decades, as the Knights have gone 24-6-1 since 1979, and lead the all-time series 31-20-2.
"I think both teams get fired up to play these types of games," said Lazauskas. "They've gotten the better of us the last couple of years, but really we're looking to close the gap."
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Claysburg-Kimmel (1-6)
at Glendale (4-3)
FLINTON - Glendale and Claysburg-Kimmel enter Friday's contest mired in slumps.
The Vikings have lost three of four since opening the season with three straight wins, while the Bulldogs have dropped six straight since a season-opening win against Williamsburg.
Glendale's three losses have come against teams that are a combined 17-4, but Viking coach Rick Kozak has been stressing to his squad that the Bulldogs' record is deceiving.
"You look at the three teams we lost to and they're pretty good teams," said Kozak. "Last week we started slowly and picked it up as the game went on. I think our big thing has been consistency and motivation."
A matchup with Claysburg could be just what the doctor ordered for Glendale, as the Bulldogs have struggled offensively in losses against West Branch and Moshannon Valley in each of the last two weeks.
In a 33-6 defeat to the Black Knights in Week 7, Claysburg had marginal success running the ball and were led by tailback Cody Helsel.
Helsel gained 81 yards on 16 carries and accounted for two-thirds of the Bulldogs' offense.
"Regardless of what their record indicates, (Claysburg) is a pretty good football team," Kozak said. "They're aggressive. Both lines, offensive and defensive, attack and they do a good job of opening holes for their backs. We have to work hard on defense to establish the line of scrimmage in our favor and attack the ball."
Defensively, Claysburg struggled to get off the field against Mo Valley, which gained a season-high 331 yards on the ground.
The Bulldogs allowed scoring drives in each possession of last week's game, including three drives that encompassed 10 plays or more.
Kozak is weary of Claysburg's defense, though, as it held the Vikings at bay in last season's 14-13 win.
"I'm sure they're going to game plan and come up with a scheme like they did last year," said Kozak of the Bulldogs. "They really limited what we were able to do. I'm sure they have something planned. We have to be patient, play our game and take advantage of our opportunities when we get them.
"You can see on the tape how they play and how aggressive they are, and that's something we've stressed in practice. They play for four quarters and they come at you. We have to be prepared to play a full game."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Dr. Roy F. Baker Field.

Johnsonburg (3-4)
at Curwensville (5-2)
CURWENSVILLE - By virtue of last week's win over Ridgway, the Curwensville football team has clinched a spot in the District 9 Class A playoffs.
But Golden Tide head coach Andy Evanko says that his team's only concern this week in Johnsonburg.
"It's nice to know (we're in the playoffs)," Evanko said. "But honestly, the main focus for us right now is Johnsonburg. They are an AML South rival and they are the next team on our schedule. Our focus is them and making sure we keep getting better as a football team."
Curwensville is very much in the thick of things for a berth in the AML Championship as well ... and Johnsonburg is a must-win game if the Golden Tide want to represent the South in the title tilt.
"It's just one of those games we have to win," Evanko said. "It seems we play a game like that every week. It's a huge game, and it means a lot in a number of ways."
Johnsonburg brings a strong passing attack to Riverside Stadium, as nearly two-thirds of its offense has come through the air this season.
The Tide already played one prolific passing team in Brockway and fared well. But the Rams are a little different animal.
"They have a different type of attack than Brockway," Evanko said. "Johnsonburg is a very vertical passing attack. They runs curls and posts and takeoffs, and they throw the majority of the time. They definitely present us with some interesting situations."
Quarterback Andy Nortum has connected on 50 of his 124 passes for 887 yards and eight touchdowns. The Rams have amassed over 1,000 yards through the air and no less than eight players have receptions.
The most dangerous receiver is Joe Holmberg, who has 25 catches for 446 yards and six scores. Vince Vavala and Jesse Wolfe are also threats. Each has nine receptions this season.
"They have a bunch of athletes," Evanko said. "They have very quality players. Nortum is a very effective quarterback, and Holmberg just catches everything."
Johnsonburg has wins over Otto-Eldred (34-14), Smethport (26-13) and Ridgway (28-12). The Rams have losses to Sheffield (7-6), Port Allegany (7-3), Kane (29-6) and Brockway (41-20).
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

St. Marys (5-2)
at Philipsburg-Osceola (3-4)
PHILIPSBURG - After playing one-loss Tyrone last week, the Mounties will face another stiff test when St. Marys comes to town.
The Mounties were defeated by the Eagles on Friday night, 27-7. The Dutch had to wait until Monday to down Indian Valley, 25-7, because of the weather.
P-O was limited to just 130 total yards against Tyrone. Parker Watson had the team's lone touchdown, on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Mike Marcinko.
The Mounties will have to get their offense going against St. Marys, which has allowed an average of just 11 points this season.
"We shot ourselves in the foot," said P-O head coach Jeff Vroman of last week. "We had some nice plays, but got called for illegal procedure penalties and they were costly. The three interceptions really hurt us. Any football game comes down to field position and turnovers and we've got to win that battle."
The Dutch are currently plus-4 in the turnover department, making that battle even harder.
P-O will also have to shut down the potent St. Marys offense, which is averaging 307.8 yards per game. Most of those yards (258.1) come on the ground.
"We've got to play good, solid defense," Vroman said. "We've got to come out and play with more aggression. Last week, outside of a few plays, I thought we played very well defensively."
The Mounties will need to contain the Dutch's top runner in Kevin Hoy, who has rushed for 996 yards on 155 carries and scored 10 touchdowns.
"Hoy runs with good body lean and he's a good back that hits the hole quick," said Vroman. "He keeps his body moving, and you can't just arm tackle him. You have to wrap him up. We have to have people in the right position."
Currently, the Mounties are one place out of the District 6 Class AA playoff standings, 30 points behind Ligonier Valley.
"Our kids have to rise to the occasion," said Vroman. "It's an important week. They're a AAA team and that's big points. It's the eighth week and we have to make some hay here if we want to play in the postseason."
Last season, St. Marys defeated P-O, 42-13. The Mounties lead the series 6-4.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Memorial Field.

Purchase Line (0-7)
at Penns Manor (6-1)
KENWOOD - Winless going into Week 8 isn't exactly what Purchase Line had hoped for, but this Friday's rivalry matchup with Penns Manor brings some excitement for a team in need of a spark.
"You have kids that know each other," Purchase Line head coach Dave Small said. "They know what's going on.
"A lot of times in games like these you can rule out the records. The kids may bring a little extra that night, and hopefully we can do that and give them a good game."
The Comets' only loss came in Week 4 at the hands of United, and they enter this week off a 27-14 victory over Ligonier Valley.
Leading the way is a heavy ground attack fronted by freshman quarterback Danny Ferens. The young signal caller hasn't developed into a great passer yet, but his feet can do plenty of damage. Ferens has rushed for 583 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.
"They've got a very good freshman quarterback," Small said. "He's very elusive and has good speed and can burn you."
When he hands the ball off, Ferens will be looking to three players out of the backfield - Ben Miller, Travis Trimble and Travis Holby. Miller tops that group with 680 yards, and the bruising runner has pounded into the end zone 10 times.
"Miller is a punishing runner who can run the ball really well inside," Small said. "They have a lot of weapons, and we've got to run our base sets and stay in our area. If we start guessing, we're going to be in trouble."
Offensively, the Red Dragons are going to take what the defense gives them, and Small is pretty sure he knows exactly what that's going to be.
"They're going to jam the line with eight or nine guys and man up with whoever we have wide," Small said. "I told my offense not to make any mistakes and we'll run at them. Three yards and a cloud of dust, and we're going to go for it on fourth down. If we can get three yards a carry we should be in good shape, and we'll see what happens."
The key for Purchase Line continues to be limiting turnovers, something that has been a struggle this season. But with only a couple of weeks left to figure things out, the attitude is still a positive one in Dragon camp.
"It's been the same thing we've told them all season long, you've got to learn every week," Small said. "There have been weeks where we didn't learn anything and took a step backward.
"We're working hard in practice and the kids haven't quit. If we can get a win or two in these last games, it would be great heading into next year. The kids are stepping up and not quitting on us, and that's a good sign."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Penns Manor.

Saturday
Clearfield (4-3)
at Central (7-0)
ROARING SPRING - After having its Week 7 game postponed to Monday due to some early winter weather, the Clearfield football team was forced into preparing for undefeated Central on a short week.
And even with the game being scheduled for a Saturday, it still was a challenge for head coach Tim Janocko and his Bisons.
"We didn't have that extra day for recovery," Janocko said. "We had to get right back at it on Tuesday. We're looking at playing three games in 11 days, so we had to space things out a little during the practice week. And we didn't do as much hitting.
"Playing on Saturday takes you a little out of your routine. But that isn't something we can control. I think it's going to be an electric atmosphere on Saturday night. It's homecoming and they are expecting a huge crowd."
Central is led by quarterback Lucas Runk, who is a dual-threat under center. He has thrown for 978 yards and eight touchdowns, while completing 66 percent of his throws (66-for-100). Runk also lead the Scarlet Dragons on the ground with 586 yards on 93 carries, scoring nine times.
But Janocko says Central is more than a one-trick pony.
"Runk has a good supporting cast," he said. "They have a good back and a good receiver. It's not just him. That's why they are 7-0, because they have several players that can hurt you. We do need to be aware of Runk at all times ... he will make plays. We just have to minimize how many he makes."
Runk's favorite target through the air is Jordon Saylor, who has 23 receptions for 412 yards and five touchdowns. Josten Hardy has 18 catches for 326 yards and three scores.
Central has two backs with over 200 yards on the ground - Eric Keefer and Lucas Blattenberger.
The Scarlet Dragons, who are ranked eighth in the state in class AA have defeated Penns Valley (31-9), Indian Valley (28-7), Bellefonte (54-14), Philipsburg-Osceola (42-7), Huntingdon (7-3), Lewistown (43-0) and Bald Eagle Area (38-13).
"We have a tough road ahead of us," Janocko said. "Our next three opponents are a combined 17-4. But these kids are fighters, and I have faith in them. Hopefully we can compete in every game and get some wins."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.