After long hiatus, Kiski Area, Knoch renew rivalry for Week Zero matchup

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 | 5:34 PM

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It’s been a while since the Kiski Area and Knoch football teams shared the same field for a game.

The year was 1989, and both the Cavaliers and Knights were members of the Greater Allegheny Conference.

Now, despite being in difference conferences and in different classifications, the teams will reunite to kick off the 2024 season.

Knoch coach Tim Burchett and Kiski Area coach Sam Albert are excited to open up with what they expect to be a competitive and spirited contest under the lights at 7 p.m. Friday at Knoch’s Knights Stadium.

“We’ve worked hard for close to nine months, and the season is finally here,” said Albert, who hopes to lead his team to consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances after a three-year postseason hiatus.

“We try to tell the seniors just how fast it will go and how they should savor every moment. Friday is their final opening game. We have three exhibition games, starting Friday with a really good Knoch team that is back up in 4A, and we know we’re going to get a really good test.”

Knoch and Kiski Area are 1-2 in their last three Week Zero games.

The Knights were shut out by both Central Valley and Hampton in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but they got 2023 off to a strong start with a 45-38 shootout victory over the Talbots.

The Cavaliers hope to stop a two-game skid in Week Zero openers. They lost to Plum, 28-18, last year and 35-14 to the Mustangs in 2022.

Kiski topped Butler, 21-7, in its first game of the 2021 season.

“The kids are super excited for Friday,” Burchett said. “We’re tired of hitting each other. We got some good work in with the scrimmage, but this is the first game. We know Kiski Area will be ready to go. We have to match their intensity. This is what the kids started lifting in January for and why they came to all of the spring and summer workouts.”

Knoch, after missing the WPIAL playoffs from 2015-22, broke through last year in the Class 3A Allegheny 6 Conference.

The Knights hope to get back to the postseason this year and also get past the first round. As the No. 5 seed, they were stopped by South Park in the first round.

Versatile senior Codi Mullen is back after a strong junior season, and Armstrong transfer Colt Sprankle will be a big quarterback target for the Cavaliers defense to defend.

“It’s always fun when the game is two teams from the A-K Valley,” Albert said. “In this day of social media, they know kids from everywhere. Our kids know Knoch’s kids. They run into each other at different places. They are no strangers to each other.

“Tim, their coach, is a good friend of mine, and he does an unbelievable job. He has them playing good, hard-nosed football. Just by their record last year (8-3 overall), it shows you what they are capable of. Their skill kids are as good as any we’ll see all year. Now, they have the Sprankle kid in at quarterback, which gives them a whole other aspect to what they can do. Mullen is very versatile, and we have to be ready for him to try and make plays in a variety of ways. He’s such a good athlete. We’re really looking forward to going out there Friday and testing ourselves to see where we are.”

Kiski Area made a charge late in its conference schedule last year, winning three of its last four to qualify for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.

The Cavaliers, who moved up to Class 5A in the offseason conference realignment, are fronted by senior quarterback Carson Heinle, senior running back Landon Kucic, an experienced offensive line led by senior all-conference selection Cam Murphy, and a defensive anchor in junior linebacker Braden Anderson.

“It’s been a pretty long time since Knoch and Kiski Area have played, but it’s a good thing that it is happening,” Burchett said.

“Coach Albert, he lives up this way, so I’ve gotten to know him a little bit and built a relationship with him. He’s a good man and a good coach who runs a pretty strong program. He’s been going strong with his teams for a long time, and his kids love him. Kiski is known for being a team that plays a tough and physical brand of football.

“Kiski is pretty similar to us. They have a playmaker at quarterback and also at running back. They have an experienced line and also are quick and physical on defense. It should be a really good game. We want this type of challenge right at the start.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Kiski Area, Knoch