Huntingdon (6-2)
at Clearfield (5-3)
HYDE - The Clearfield football team is coming off its biggest win of the season, after knocking off state-ranked and previously unbeaten Central on the road Saturday night. Now the Bisons hope to ride that momentum into the final two weeks of the regular season as they continue to battle for a playoff spot.
"It was certainly a big win for the program," Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko said. "Any time you can beat a state-ranked team at their place, it's a big confidence-builder. It's been really gratifying to watch our kids develop and bounce back from some adversity. This team has been a lot of fun."
Huntingdon rolls into the Bison Sports Complex this week, winners of three straight games. The Bearcats are currently fourth in D-6 Class AA, which would give them a home game in the first week of the playoffs. But they lead fifth-place Richland by just 30 power points.
The Bisons are currently tied for third in District 9 Class AAA with Punxsutawney. Both teams have 530 points. District 9 only takes the top two teams to the playoffs, so a Bison win is crucial.
"Every week is and has been like a playoff game for us," Janocko said. "This game is huge for both teams. But that's what makes it fun. You want to be in this position at the end of the season."
Huntingdon's calling card this season has been a stout defense that has only surrendered 71 points for the season. In five of their eight games, the Bearcats have given up seven points or less.
The Bearcats feature a four-man front and hope to get pressure and penetration from those players and let their linebackers make plays.
"They're formidable," Janocko said. "They have a really good defense. But we've played other good defenses this year. I thought Central was good ... and so was Tyrone. We have to just worry about one play at a time, and be patient."
Offensively, Huntingdon wants to establish the run. The Bearcats have over 1,100 yards on the ground this season, but have only thrown for 384.
"They are run-oriented," Janocko said. "They will do some play-action pass off of it with some success, but they aren't the type of team to just sling it around."
Scott Minor is the focal point of the offense. He has gained 480 yards on 117 carries and also has 11 receptions for 58 yards. Minor has five touchdowns on the season.
Bearcat quarterback Nathan Betts is also a threat on the ground. He has 110 yards rushing to go with his 384 passing yards. Betts has four touchdown tosses and has been intercepted three times.
Houston Riley will also see his share of carries. Riley has 241 yards and a touchdown on 41 running attempts.
Clearfield will celebrate Senior Night before Friday's contest.
"I can't say enough about these nine seniors," Janocko said. "We want this group to be successful."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Kane (5-3)
at Curwensville (6-2)
CURWENSVILLE - Golden Tide head coach Andy Evanko's goal for his football team is simple - be a better team when you walk off the field after a practice or a game than you were when you walked on. If you meet that goal, everything else will take care of itself.
Curwensville must be doing something right because a win Friday against visiting Kane will vault the Tide into the Allegheny Mountain League title game as South champions, and will put them in good position to be able to host a District 9 Class A playoff game the following week.
"We're coming," Evanko said of his squad. "But we still have some things to correct. Fortunately we still have time to fix those things and keep getting better.
"The position we are in this week is just a credit to the kids and the work they have done in practice. They work hard. We're just thrilled to have the opportunity to being playing meaningful games this late in the season."
A Curwensville win puts the Tide in the AML Championship game for the first time since a three-year title game run ended in 2006. If Kane wins and Brockway tops Ridgway, the Rovers would be in the title game next week against Cameron County. Kane, the two-time defending AML champions, can't play for a three-peat, but it will try to play a spoiler and clinch a Class AA playoff berth with a win.
"Kane has a winning tradition," Evanko said. "They're the defending AML champs. And success breeds success. I'm sure those guys are looking for a District 9 playoff spot."
The Wolves are led by Arie Paup who has gained 549 yards and scored eight touchdowns in the predominantly run-oriented offense. Dylan Eckstrom has 332 yards on the ground.
"They like to run a lot of sweeps," Evanko said. "They run the ball well. Kane has a steady, effective offense."
But it's the defense that particularly concerns Evanko.
"They are strong defensively, and they always have been," he said. "This year is no exception. They attack the ball well. Running the ball is our MO, but against a team like Kane, you need to be able to throw. We plan on mixing it up."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Riverside Stadium.

Tussey Mountain (5-3)
at Glendale (5-3)
FLINTON - Last week the Glendale football team became playoff-eligible, and this week the Vikings will try to improve upon their standing.
A win over visiting Tussey Mountain would likely keep Glendale in the 10th spot of the District 6 Class A bracket, which kicks off next weekend, while a loss may send it down a spot or two.
"The big thing is we can't move backwards," said Viking coach Rick Kozak. "If we fall down, we open ourselves up to some scenarios that may not be as favorable - not that any team we play won't be a challenge. It'll just be more of a challenge the lower our seed is."
Mount Union sits in front of Glendale by 160 points, but the Trojans face undefeated Bellwood-Antis this week, who is currently seeded second. A Glendale win and a Mount Union loss would put the Vikings 10 points behind the Trojans with power points likely determining whether or not the teams trade seeds.
Standing in the Vikings' way, though, are the Titans. Tussey Mountain will look to improve upon their District 5 playoff seeding, but in order to do so will have to bounce back from a 40-6 thrashing at the hands of Southern Huntingdon.
"They're a good running offense with three good backs in (Dane) Diehl, (Levi) Neuder and (Jeff) Wentz," Kozak said. "They have a very good offensive line, which is quick and can get off the ball. They can put points on the board in a hurry."
The Vikings will try to slow down the Titans' wing-T attack, but have struggled against a pair of teams this season that run the same offense.
Neuder led the way for Tussey Mountain in last week's defeat, as he toted the ball 15 times for 67 yards, while Diehl, the team's leading rusher, tallied just two carries for 15.
"We've been fortunate to have seen it a couple of times this year with West Branch and Juniata Valley," said Kozak, "but it's always tough to defend. There is so much misdirection to that offense. We have to read our keys. We have to be focused on our keys and not what is going on in the back field."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Dr. Roy F. Baker Field.

Southern Huntingdon (3-5)
at Moshannon Valley (7-1)
AMESVILLE - Two weeks ago, Moshannon Valley could have looked at Friday's game against Southern Huntingdon as a warm-up game for the District 6 playoffs.
The Rockets were sitting at 1-5, suffering a loss to Williamsburg along the way, while the Black Knights were bouncing back from their first loss of the season.
Fast forward to now and Southern Huntingdon has won two straight games as underdogs, and Mo Valley has been trying to move on with the loss of quarterback Nick Gmerek.
A win will make the Rockets eligble for the postseason, and will add incentive for their trip to Amesville.
After a narrow three-point loss to Everett in Week 6, Southern Huntingdon has posted impressive wins over Northern Bedford and Tussey Mountain, each of whom pushed the Knights earlier in the season.
The Rockets scored in the game's final minute to beat the Panthers, while they had no such problem in a 40-6 pasting of the Titans.
Southern quarterback Daniel Goshorn was 6-for-10 through the air for 125 yards and a score, while running for an additional 97 yards and two touchdowns.
In all, the Rockets racked up 283 yards of offense.
The Black Knights need a win to hold rank in the District 6 Class A seedings, and would need some help to improve in the bracket, which will be released Sunday.
Mo Valley head coach Murray Fetzer was unavailable for comment.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Philipsburg-Osceola (3-5)
at Chestnut Ridge (4-4)
FISHERTOWN - The Mounties need a win badly to have a shot at making the Class AA playoffs, and this week won't be an easy task for them.
Philipsburg-Osceola is headed to Fishertown to take on Chestnut Ridge, who stunned DuBois two weeks ago in overtime and defeated Northern Garrett, Md., last week.
Meanwhile, the Mounties have lost two straight games and are looking to get things back on track with two weeks left in the season.
"We keep the kids informed of where we stand in the playoff race, and each week becomes more important from that standpoint," said P-O head coach Jeff Vroman. "With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, Friday night's game is one that will go a long way in determining whether we can get into the mix in the District 6 AA standings."
The Mounties will have to get their offense back on track this week after scoring seven points or less in their last two games.
P-O has struggled moving the ball, posting two of its three lowest yardage totals of the season in back-to-back weeks.
"We need to be more effective on first down to keep ourselves in manageable second-and-short situations," Vroman said. "We have to stay away from crucial turnovers that have hurt us the past two weeks. Hopefully the weather will improve this Friday. Field conditions have been terrible that past four weeks."
The Mounties will need to contain the Lions offensively as well. Chestnut Ridge has racked up 1786 yards on the ground this season with running back Jude Donatelli leading the way. Donatelli has 829 yards and 11 touchdowns on 172 carries.
Running back Justin Taylor has rushed for 413 yards on 60 carries with six touchdowns, while quarterback Brad Hengst has rambled for 394 yards and seven touchdowns on 77 carries. The trio accounts for all 24 of the Lions' scores on the ground this season.
Hengst hasn't thrown any touchdown passes this season, but has tossed seven interceptions. He is 52-of-97 for 674 yards. His main target has been split end Adam Musselman, who has 312 yards on 23 receptions.
"Chestnut Ridge is not fancy, but they execute well on offense," Vroman said. "They get production out of their skilled people. They are simple, but effective in the run game with traps and the option, and use the pass game to keep you off balance. Defensively, they use a number of fronts, and we must recognize them and be aggressive up front."
The Lions are -8 on turnover ratio this season, forcing just 10 turnovers on defense. Eight of those have come on interceptions.
Last season, Chestnut Ridge downed P-O, 36-29. It was the first meeting between the two teams since a 2004 District 6 playoff quarterfinal game in which the Mounties won 31-14 in Fishertown.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Northern Bedford (2-6)
at West Branch (1-7)
ALLPORT - With the season winding down, the Warriors are looking to close out the final two weeks strongly, and that starts with a meeting with Northern Bedford Friday.
The Panthers are a lot like West Branch in that both teams have been involved in some close games and the records may be a bit misleading. Northern Bedford has lost three straight, all by a field goal.
"I think they're real similar to us," West Branch head coach Rob Lazauskas said. "They've been in a number of ball games and had opportunities to win. If they get a break here or there, they're easily sitting at 4-4 or 5-3. We're in the same boat. To get to this point in the season, I think we've both taken similar paths."
The Panthers come to Allport boasting a run-first offense, but an attack that still remains balanced. Quarterback Joe Risbon has thrown for 695 yards, four touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
But the engine of the offense is running back Preston Albright, who has rushed for 806 yards and seven TDs. Logan Zimmerman adds another body to worry about, compiling 324 yards and five scores.
"Northern Bedford's got some good looking backs," Lazauskas said. "(Albright) and (Zimmerman) run the ball hard. They're not especially big but they run hard and they run with a purpose.
"They're not overly big but they're aggressive, and they play hard and they play together. The power game is their MO ... but they do have some tricks up their sleaves that they've shown over the years. ...a lot of things for us to prepare for."
Warrior running back Brandon Speigle may have crossed the 1,000-yard threshold, but he'll have his work cut out for him with more bad weather potentially on the way and a Panther defense that will load the box.
"They get after you," Lazauskas said. "They're going to come hard. You throw the (bad) weather in as a factor, and I expect they're going to have guys up close, throw nine guys in the box and come after us."
Northern Bedford has wins over Claysburg-Kimmel and Williamsburg, and is coming off a 9-6 loss to Mount Union in Week 8. West Branch is looking to bounce back after a 33-0 loss to rival Moshannon Valley.
"I think the kids know they have an opportunity to finish strong," Lazauskas said. "We can't do anything about last week. It's over with, it happened.
"Bottom line we've got to execute."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at L.T. Drivas Memorial Field.

Saltsburg (2-6)
at Purchase Line (0-8)
PURCHASE LINE - It hasn't been an easy year for Purchase Line, but the final week offers one last opportunity to get in the win column.
A week after falling to rival Penns Manor, 43-0, the Red Dragons will close out the 2009 campaign on their home turf against a team that has had its share of struggles as well.
The Trojans picked up one of their two wins last Friday, 13-6 over Northern Cambria, but have struggled to generate offense and have been prone to giving up some points. In fact, Saltsburg has yet to score more than two touchdowns in a game.
Quarterback Brent Willett is more likely to run the ball than throw it, as he heads up an offensive scheme not unlike the one
Purchase Line faced last week against the Comets. Willett has rushed for 190 yards and two scores, and running backs Tyler Vatter and Tyler Johnson have accumulated 268 and 261 yards, respectively.
The Saltsburg defense has been vulnerable at times as well, giving the Red Dragons a chance to, potentially, generate some offensive momentum - something they have failed to do all season thanks to penalties and mental mistakes.
Purchase Line head coach Dave Small was unavailable for comment.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Barry T. Madill Field.