KARNS CITY — Karns City coach Ed Conto was very impressed with Brookville running backs Zach Vroman and Brodie Zacherl when he saw them last year.

That was when they were members of the ninth-grade team.

Now, the two are just some of the weapons the Gremlins (3-3, 1-1) will have to stop for its KSAC matchup at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Those two sophomores are tough little guys. They're both short (5-foot-9), compact (159 and 156 pounds, respectively) and strong,” Conto said. “I remember thinking last year, ‘Those guys are going to be great.'

“I just didn't expect them to play so soon,” Conto added.

An injury to senior Ryan Kerr early in the season pressed the younger players into action.

Vroman has rushed for 569 yards on 76 carries and four touchdowns while Zacherl has 225 yards on just 24 carries and two scores.

In Brookville's 37-13 victory over Clarion-Limestone, Vroman rushed for 156 yards on 17 carries while Zacherl added 74 yards on seven attempts with each scoring a touchdown.

Quarterback Steve Kennedy threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns, both to Sebastian Kerr, who caught four passes for 121 yards.

“(Kennedy) does a nice job running and throwing,” Conto noted. “He's similar to (Moniteau's Kyle) Armagost in that he's an athlete.”

Kennedy has completed 48-of-90 passes for 710 yards and nine touchdowns and has added 240 rushing with three more scores for the Raiders (3-3, 0-2).

Kerr leads the team with 16 catches for 310 yards and five TDs and Conan Gilhousen has 15 receptions for 160 and two scores.

Defensively, linebacker Nate Bonfardine and defensive back Derek Shattenberg lead the team in tackles per game at 10.2 and 8.2 respectively, while Gilhousen averages 7.7 stops.

Kittanning (1-5, 1-2) at Knoch (6-0, 3-0) 7:30 p.m., FridayThe coaches: Kittanning, Sam Panchik; Knoch, Mike King

Last week: Kittanning defeated Valley 42-13; Knoch rallied past Indiana 56-31

The numbers: Knoch's Mac Megahan is averaging 27.8 yards on seven rushes, 26.5 yards on seven pass receptions this season. He also has two interceptions on defense. ... Knights RB Andrew Rumburg-Goodlin has 812 yards and 13 TDs rushing on just 97 carries. ... Kittanning senior RBs Mitchell Scholl and Jud Toth share the team lead with five TDs each. Scholl was a QB, Toth a WR last year. No other Wildcat has scored more than one TD this season.

Notes: Knoch defeated Kittanning, 56-6, last year, the teams' first meeting since 2003. ... The Knights are averaging 45.2 points and 314 rushing yards per game. ... Prior to last week, Knoch had allowed three TDs all year. ... Kittanning is among the smallest Triple-A teams in the WPIAL and began the year with 30 combined sophomore, junior and senior players.

Slippery Rock (5-1) at Hickory (5-1) 7 p.m., FridayThe coaches: Slippery Rock, Brendan Hathaway; Hickory, Bill Brest

Last week: Slippery Rock routed Sharon 49-6; Hickory downed Karns City 42-20

The numbers: Rockets' QB Ryan Currie has rushed for 375 yards and seven TDs. He had 170 yards last week against Sharon. ... Sam Furrh continues to be a big-play threat in the passing game with a 52-yard reception last week. Furrh is averaging 32.7 yards per reception. ... Hickory also has some big-play ability. RB DeShawn Coleman has 808 yards rushing and is averaging more than 14 yards per attempt.

Notes: Hickory crushed Slippery Rock 45-7 last season.

Freeport (4-2, 3-1) at Deer Lakes (1-5, 1-3) 7:30 p.m. FridayThe coaches: Freeport, John Gaillot; Deer Lakes, Todd Hazlett

Last week: Freeport defeated Apollo-Ridge 34-14 while Deer Lakes routed West Shamokin 40-14

The numbers: Damon Smith rushed for 209 yards and scored all five touchdowns to key the Yellowjackets' win. He leads the squad with 646 yards and 10 scores. Jordan Fragapane caught two touchdowns from Josh Plocki and Cody Keenan rushed for 150 yards and scored two times. Ryan McGrath booted two field goals and four extra points.

Notes: The Lancers had a hand in WPIAL history last week as they handed the Wolves their WPIAL-record 40th consecutive loss. Last season, Deer Lakes qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in the program's 42-year history.

Union (3-3, 1-2) at Keystone (2-4, 2-1) 7 p.m., FridayThe coaches: Union, Dave Louder; Keystone, John Stiglitz

Last week: Union lost to Moniteau by a 34-14 margin. Keystone suffered a 35-8 defeat to Chestnut Ridge.

The numbers: QB Taylor Smith will pace the Union offense. He has racked up 642 passing yards and 432 rushing yards so far this season. ... Union RB Austin Davis has tallied 247 rushing yards and four TDs on 55 carries this year. ... Brody Pollock is Smith's top target with 17 catches for 260 yards and three TDs this season.

Notes: Keystone's two KSAC-Small wins have come against Clarion-Limestone (9-6, Week 3) and A-C Valley (47-0, Week 5). ... Union beat Clarion-Limestone 36-7 in Week 5.

A-C Valley (0-5, 0-3) at Clarion (4-2, 3-0), 7 p.m. FridayThe coaches: A-C Valley, Chris McNany; Clarion, Larry Wiser

Last week: A-C Valley had a bye last week. The Falcons' last game was a 46-0 defeat to Keystone Oct. 1. Clarion won at Punxsutawney last week 19-7.

The numbers: A-C Valley QB Colton Cunningham has scored the Falcons' two rushing TDs this season. He has rushed for 85 yards on 24 carries. ... Clarion's defense turned away Punxsutawney three times in the red zone last week. ... Clarion junior RB T.J. Armstrong leads the team with 455 rushing yards and six TDs.

Notes: Wiser returned as the Bobcats' coach this season after taking off the 2010 campaign. Overall, he is in his 23rd season of guiding the team and has amassed a record of 150-79-1 at Clarion. ... The Bobcats defeated the Falcons 52-7 last year.

Grove City (6-0, 3-0) at Oil City (3-3, 1-2) 7 p.m., FridayThe coaches: Grove City, Jeff Bell; Oil City, Matt LaVerde

Last week: Grove City downed Wilmington 17-0; Oil City was defeated by Strong Vincent 53-25.

The numbers: Despite scoring only 17 points against the Greyhounds, the Eagles still amassed nearly 300 yards rushing. ... Grove City has four RB — Wes Phipps, Erik Record, Chad Williams and Foster Reznor — averaging at least 10 yards per carry. Three of Oil City's six games have been decided by three points or less. The Oilers have won two of them. ... Senior RB John Klena leads OC with 556 yards rushing and six TDs. ... Senior QB Blake Hadley leads the Oilers with 719 passing yards, but has thrown just one TD. ... The Grove City defense has given up a mere 156 yards per game.

Notes: Grove City beat Oil City 35-17 last season. ... The Eagles have won 20 consecutive regular season games. Their last loss came Oct. 9, 2009 in a 14-3 road setback to Hickory.

Burrell (4-2, 3-1) at Summit Acad. (3-3, 3-1), 12:30 p.m., SaturdayThe coaches: Burrell, Kevin Horwatt; Summit Academy, Steve Sherer

Last week: The Bucs lost to Shady Side Academy 35-7; The Knights dropped a tough 21-20 decision to Ford City.

The numbers: Sean McCausland rushed for one touchdown and passed for another — a 49-yarder to Chris Highsmith — to pace the offense. The Knights converted just one of three conversion runs. McCausland finished with 118 yards passing and Highsmith added 78 yards rushing.

Notes: Burrell defeated the Knights 35-16 last season. ... Burrell, Summit Academy, Freeport and Shady Side Academy are in a four-way tie for first place with 3-1 record. Each team is 4-2 overall except the Knights, who are 3-3.