BUFFALO TWP — Having played for Knoch last season, Freeport’s Carson Kosecki is well aware of the disappointment that comes with losing in the teams’ rivalry matchup.

The feel leading up to the contest wasn’t the same for him this time around. Neither was the result. The senior wide receiver-defensive back was happy to be on the Yellowjackets’ side in a commanding 42-0 home victory over the Knights on Friday night.

“It was a lot different coming into the game,” Kosecki said of the clash between the teams last year — a 28-14 Freeport win. “I had to think a lot more to prepare against a good team like them (the ‘Jackets).

“The game (tonight) showed that we were better.”

That certitude was born out of Freeport’s best start since 2015, when it won 10 of its first 11 and claimed its most recent conference title. The ‘Jackets (7-1, 3-0) grew even more assured after racing out to a two-touchdown advantage before three minutes had passed.

On the game’s first play from scrimmage, Freeport signal-caller Gavin Croney aired it out and connected with senior wideout Brady Stivenson for a 56-yard pickup. Tailback Ben Lane scampered in from 16 yards out on the next snap.

“We looked at that and tried to go up top right away,” ‘Jackets coach John Gaillot said. “Dave Leasure calls a great game and continues to do it. He gets better and better every week.

“The kids are jelling with what we’re doing, so we haven’t really peaked yet. I really believe that.”

On the kickoff that followed, the Knights’ Exzavier Johnson had the ball punched out by Freeport linebacker Colton Otterman. With a short field, the hosts capitalized with another Lane rushing surge.

“This was not a team that we could not compete with,” Knoch coach Tim Burchett said. “We can’t spot a team 14 points and expect to do good things.”

Four giveaways hardly helped the Knights (0-8, 0-3), either, especially to a defensive unit that entered having allowed more than 15 points only twice in its last 15 outings.

Junior Mason Lowes and Stivenson picked off passes; while Otterman was an all-around terror, turning in two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three sacks, and a blocked punt.

In the second quarter, he strip-sacked Knoch backup quarterback Aidan Jones and snatched the ball out of the air in one fell swoop, setting the stage for a Zach Clark rushing score that made it 28-0 shortly before the half.

“I thought I’d seen everything with him,” Gaillot said of Otterman. “That kid is all-conference. He should’ve been all-conference last year.”

The ‘Jackets wound up picking up as many yards in its first two plays (72) as their guests did the entire first half.

“All week we said, ‘They’re not a winless team, they could’ve easily won three or four games,’” Otterman said. “We came in the mindset of them being a 7-0 team instead of an 0-7 team ... We didn’t take them lightly, obviously, at all and we just handled business.”

For the Knights, it was the unfavorable turn of a Jekyll and Hyde attack. The team’s struggles might have been magnified by penalties and poor execution.

“We had stuff wide open,” Burchett said. “We have to make the correct reads, run the right routes, (and) do the things that we’ve been doing. I haven’t put a new play in in seven weeks, just because that’s what we can handle.

“Repetition is the key to our offense. Some weeks we look really good and some weeks we turtle and bow down to our opponents.”

Despite facing a winless opponent, Freeport was laser-focused throughout.

“This group, they’re special,” Gaillot said. “When it comes time and they walk on this field to play, they all flip the switch. I’ve never had a team like that ... I admire that. I love it.”

“All week we said, ‘They’re not a winless team, they could’ve easily won three or four games,’” Otterman said. “We came in the mindset of them being a 7-0 team instead of an 0-7 team ... We didn’t take them lightly, obviously, at all and we just handled business.”

During the Knights’ post-game huddle, Burchett encouraged his players to watch the Pike Trophy be carried to the ‘Jackets’ celebration on the other end of the field.

“If you don’t want to feel like that, things need to change,” he said. “I can’t change them by myself. We have to have kids who buy in and want to change ... We’ve got to find out who wants to be here and move along.”

For another year, the award will stay with Freeport as another reminder of what has been an impressive campaign.

“It grows on you,” Gaillot said. “There’s something concrete there that you see all year long. It reminds you of what you had to go through to get that.”

Knoch 0 0 0 0 — 0

Freeport 21 7 14 0 — 42

First Quarter

F — Ben Lane 16 run (Isaac Wetzel kick), 11:09

F — Lane 9 run (Wetzel kick), 9:04

F — Brady Sullivan 14 pass from Gavin Croney (Wetzel kick), 4:24

Second Quarter

F — Zach Clark 4 run (Wetzel kick), 1:39

Third Quarter

F — Clark 29 pass from Croney (Wetzel kick), 6:15

F — Lane 30 run (Wetzel kick), 0:38

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Knoch, Sam Skurka 9-32, Codi Mullen 2-25, Ethan Alwine 6-11, Jake Murphy 1-4, Aidan Jones 6-(-25). Freeport, Ben Lane 7-84, Gavin Croney 11-52, Zach Clark 5-21, Amos Glenn 4-17, Drew Ross 2-10, Dawson Gaillot 2-2, Sean Selinger 1-2, TEAM 1-(-2).

Passing: Knoch, Codi Mullen 3-9-24-1, Aidan Jones 5-10-30-1. Freeport, Gavin Croney 7-11-143-0, Sean Selinger 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: Knoch, Jake Murphy 4-26, Exzavier Johnson 1-16, Jackson Bauman 3-12. Freeport, Brady Stivenson 1-56, Ben Lane 3-38, Brady Sullivan 2-20, Zach Clark 1-29.