Knoch football coach Mike King channeled Gene Hackman.

"I pulled that coach Norman Dale speech out, the one from the movie 'Hoosiers,' " King said. "In the movie, he said that it was five people working as one, no one person more important than the team. That is how it is with us, 11 players on each side of the ball working as one. That is what we believe in and that is what has got us here."

Here is a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal, where the Knights (9-2) will face Montour (11-0) at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at North Hills' Martorelli Stadium.

And while this has been quite a ride for King and his Knights, they might have to take the field without their top threat. Junior running back Tim McNerney, who has rushed for 1,750 yards and 24 touchdowns, strained a tendon in his right foot in the quarterfinals.

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's not going to play," King said.

If McNerney can't play, Knoch most likely will use a pass-heavy attack keyed by quarterback Zach Gross and receiver Kyle Reiser. Gross threw for 168 yards last week, finding Reiser twice for scores.

Montour, which beat Knoch, 21-14, in a Week 1 non-conference game, is led by running back Christian Wilson (1,725 yards rushing) and quarterback E.J. Banks (1,107 yards passing, 815 rushing).

While Knoch hasn't had much success recently, the Knights do have a solid football history. The program won the 1978 WPIAL Class AA title and reached the Class AA championship in '79 and the Class AAA title game in '81 and '92.

Montour also has struggled the past few decades. Once a power in the 1950s and '60s, the previous time the Spartans made it to the WPIAL title game was consecutive trips in 1963 and '64 to the Class AA championship.

So, as both programs look to re-establish themselves, King knows every moment of this season needs to be relished.

"It has been a special season, like nothing I have ever experienced," said King, a Knoch graduate. "The way the town of Saxonburg has backed us and the way the spirit has returned to Knoch football is something that I have been fortunate to experience this year and will never forget. No matter what happens, no matter how far we go, the truth is that this has been a special time for me because of how a lot of people have come together."

Thomas Jefferson vs. Pine-Richland

Thomas Jefferson (11-0) is looking to make it to Heinz Field for the fifth consecutive year and will have to get past Pine-Richland (10-1) at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Moon to do it.

It is the 10th consecutive year the Jaguars have advanced to the semifinals. Thomas Jefferson won titles last year and in 2004, and lost in '05 and, in '03, stumbled against Pine-Richland at Heinz Field.

This season, Thomas Jefferson withstood the loss of starting running back Brian Baldrige and has been led by running backs Arthur James (964 yards and 13 touchdowns) and Orlando Torres (529 yards.)

Pine-Richland is tremendously balanced -- running back Ian Hennessy has rushed for 1,537 yards and 19 touchdowns; quarterback Vinny Nittoli has thrown for 1,322 yards and 15 scores.

"I look at [Thomas Jefferson coach] Bill Cherpak and he has been in the semifinals 10 years in a row," said Pine-Richland coach Clair Altemus. "His program simply reloads with athletes. I don't know how much better you can run a program than the way Bill does it over there."