Freeport, Deer Lakes face off with WPIAL playoff berth in the balance

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | 6:16 PM

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The regular season and the race for a WPIAL Class 3A playoff spot in the Allegheny 6 Conference is down to one head-to-head matchup for Deer Lakes and Freeport.

The Yellowjackets and Lancers will renew their rivalry Friday at Deer Lakes’ Lancers Stadium in a matchup rife with playoff scenarios.

Freeport needs to win or be eliminated. Deer Lakes is in a win-and-it’s-in scenario.

“Our focus is plain and simple, and that is playing the best we possibly can on Friday against a really good Deer Lakes team,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “(Lancers senior quarterback) Derek Burk has been one of the best in the conference for a number of years. He has the stats to back that up, and he is more accurate with his passes than he has been. He’s upped his game, and he’s a force. He also runs a lot more than he has in the past.

“They also have a corps of four or five receivers and a running back that is shifty and has speed. Their defense also makes a lot of plays. It’s going to be a big challenge this week.”

Gaillot knows stopping Burk is just one element of the game plan for a Freeport team that stayed alive in the playoff chase with a 27-0 victory over Valley that snapped a six-game losing streak. The Yellowjackets improved to 3-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

“We have an extra bounce in our step this week,” Gaillot said. “We started off the week Monday with a really good practice. Everybody seems to be on the same page, definitely with focus and effort. The kids have been battling hard this whole season. They’ve fought through some tough moments and have stuck together and have a chance to get in the playoffs.”

Deer Lakes (6-3, 2-2) won a wild, back-and-forth conference matchup at Shady Side Academy last Friday that saw the Lancers break a tie in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run from Zier Williams, his ninth rushing TD of the season.

Deer Lakes then used a final defensive stand to preserve the win.

“Any time you win a close football game against a really good team, those things are so valuable,” Lancers coach Tim Burk said. “You have to be battle-tested. We’ve been learning more about how to win those close games and how you have to make the big plays when it counts the most in the fourth quarter. Some teams in the past might have folded or crumbled under the pressure of a game like (Shady Side), but we were pretty resilient on Friday and got the job done. I was really proud of the kids for getting a good, important win.”

East Allegheny and Knoch, at 4-0 and 3-1, respectively, in the conference, have clinched playoff spots.

That leaves two spots left for Shady Side Academy, Deer Lakes and Freeport. Valley has been eliminated.

Shady Side can clinch with a win over East Allegheny on Friday.

If the Bulldogs, Lancers and Yellowjackets are 2-3 after Friday — that would occur with a Freeport win and a Shady Side loss — then WPIAL tiebreaker points would come into play to determine who would advance.

“We don’t have to say much to the guys for them to realize what it will take this week and on Friday to get a win,” coach Burk said. “Just to have the opportunity to play meaningful football in the last week with a lot on the line, it is something that the school and teams of the past haven’t always had the opportunity to do. We understand the history with Freeport, but no matter who it is, the kids are grateful for this chance.”

Freeport finished 5-0 and captured the Allegheny 6 title last year, and a 42-10 victory over Deer Lakes wrapped up the championship.

The Yellowjackets have dominated the recent series, winning 12 in a row. The Lancers last won in 2010, the season of their first trip to the WPIAL playoffs.

Last week against Valley, Freeport quarterback Drew Ross connected with Brady Sullivan to open the scoring in the first quarter. Colton Otterman added a pair of short runs, and Ross capped things for the Yellowjackets with a 6-yard keeper in the fourth.

“Freeport is just as gritty as they always are,” coach Burk said. “They play everybody tough. That record is not what it should be. They have tough players who make plays, and we fully expect to get the best from them.”

Derek Burk and the other members of the Deer Lakes team hope to snap that series losing streak. Burk also is chasing history. With 4,922 career passing yards, he is only 92 away from the Alle-Kiski Valley’s all-time passing-yards record of 5,014 set last year by Highlands graduate Chandler Thimons.

The series

Here’s a look at the last 10 meetings between Freeport and Deer Lakes:

2022 – Freeport 42, Deer Lakes 10

2021 – Freeport 35, Deer Lakes 0

2020 – Freeport 29, Deer Lakes 7

2019 – Freeport 40, Deer Lakes 21

2018 – Freeport 14, Deer Lakes 10

2017 – Freeport 31, Deer Lakes 0

2016 – Freeport 38, Deer Lakes 6

2015 – Freeport 32, Deer Lakes 25

2014 – Freeport 34, Deer Lakes 14

2013 – Freeport 14, Deer Lakes 10

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: Deer Lakes, Freeport