RIMERSBURG — Union senior quarterback Lane Cicciarelli didn’t try to force a contrived reason for why things are different this season.

Everything came together for a Golden Knights football team that had never won a District 9 playoff game.

Union shook off a string of three straight one-and-done playoff disappointments, upsetting top-seeded Ridgway 18-14 last Friday.

“I don’t really know,” Cicciarelli said. “There’s something inside of us that wants to prove to District 9 that we’re for real.”

The eighth-seeded Golden Knights, who are 6-5, didn’t have the hype of their previous playoff teams.

Union coach Dave Louder believes this team, which will play Brockway at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mansell Stadium in DuBois in the semifinals, is peaking at the right time.

“We have a tight, cohesive group,” Louder said. “I think they have a goal in mind now to win until for some reason we lose to a team that’s better than us.”

Union was 7-4 in 2011 and 9-2 in 2012, which allowed the school to host a playoff game.

After Union’s practice on Thursday night before the 2012 first-round game, the school held a big pep rally.

The Golden Knights couldn’t find their footing and lost to Elk County Catholic 30-6.

“That was the kind of game where everything went wrong,” Golden Knights coach Dave Louder said. “The hype that week, I think it exhausted us.”

Union lost its first three playoff games by a combined score of 116-15.

This season, the team was down to 16 players by Week 7, staring at a 2-5 record.

Being banged up wasn’t ideal, but senior offensive lineman Brett Kriebel thought it brought them together.

“I think it’s mostly that we’re a smaller group as far as the size of the team,” Kriebel said. “We’re only with 20 kids. We’re so close, we’re able to be so in tune with each other and play better.

The Golden Knights needed to win their last three games, including a road game at undefeated Ridgway in Week 8 and get help to make the playoffs.

Junior running back Dugan Gallagher, who was thought to be out for the season with a shoulder injury, returned to the lineup against Ridgway.

The Golden Knights won 32-7, starting their four-game winning streak.

Gallagher only had 42 yards in the first game against Ridgway, but his return was a mental boost.

“There was a lot of talk from the Ridgway kids, ‘Who is No. 1? Where did this kid come from?’,” Louder said. “He was there for us the whole time, he didn’t miss practice. He was a great motivator for us and gave us a spark.”

Gallagher has hit the century mark twice since his return, against Clarion-Limestone (150 yards) and Ridgway (131) in the playoffs, to raise his season total to 798 yards.

That has helped Union open things up for its record-setting passing game. Cicciarelli has thrown for a school record 1,931 yards and Cole Morris has 875 rushing yards.

Whatever the reason for the Golden Knights turnaround, Kriebel is glad he was a part of it.

“What I’ve always thought of is there may be teams in the future that will win playoff games, but only one first team,” Kriebel said. “Whatever happens Saturday, that first playoff win will be with us.”