We now have a sense of what every team’s identity is and what the expectations will be the rest of the way.

Butler? Ground-and-pound, fighting to finish with a winning record. Union/A-C Valley? Runs through RB/LB Max Gallagher, but has a penchant for winning however it needs to. North Catholic and Freeport? Juggernauts.

This week’s games are headlined by an intriguing local-vs.-local matchup: the Falcon Knights visit Moniteau in a battle of District 9 small schools. Can the 2-3 Warriors pull off the upset?

Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams, reporters Derek Pyda and Brendan Howe, and Scoop predict the winner and score of each local game this week, plus additional analysis for five of those games. Listen to this week’s “Eye On Sports” podcast wherever you get your podcasts for even more of a breakdown.

Brendan Howe — 41-12 (8-3 last week)

Jake Merda Adams — 41-12 (8-3)

Derek Pyda — 40-13 (7-4)

Scoop — 40-13 (8-3)

Connellsville at Butler, 7

Merda Adams — It’s a balanced rushing attack the Falcons (1-4) have — four players have at least 20 carries and 116 yards — but there’s not much that should strike fear in the Tornado (3-2) after two straight losses. Butler 35, Connellsville 14

Pyda — Connellsville has some decent skill position players on offense. They will make a few plays, but not enough to hang with the Golden Tornado. Butler 32, Connellsville 14

Howe — Derek’s Falcons have dropped four in a row by an average of 28.5 points per. This is what the Golden Tornado need to get back on track. Butler 32, Connellsville 8

Scoop — After a Week 1 win over Latrobe, the Falcons have struggled mightily. No reprieve here. Butler 37, Connellsville 10

Central Clarion at Karns City, 7

Merda Adams — The Wildcats (2-3, 0-1 D9 Region 1) haven’t gotten themselves into many shootouts, and the Gremlins are known to put up big points. KC (3-2, 1-2) gets back on track after last week’s loss. Karns City 35, Central Clarion 18

Pyda — Karns City followed up a great first half last week with a bad one in a loss to Punxsutawney. I see a more balanced effort this week. Karns City 29, Central Clarion 24

Howe — The Wildcats were state runner-ups a year ago, but are 2-3 this season. Don’t let the record fool you. Central Clarion’s three losses have come to teams with a combined 15-0 record. This will be a dog fight. Central Clarion 28, Karns City 22

Scoop — The Gremlins get the ground game going again. Karns City 24, Central Clarion 20

Union/A-C Valley at Moniteau, 7

Merda Adams — Quietly, freshman QB Andrew Kifer is completing an impressive 61.5% of his passes for an average of 15.9 yards per completion (637 yards total). Four TDs to five INTs isn’t ideal, but that’ll come with more experience. Union/A-C Valley 40, Moniteau 20

Pyda — The Falcon Knights have more scoring threats, and that will be the difference. Union/A-C Valley 30, Moniteau 13

Howe — I’m not gonna take the Warriors over an undefeated Falcon Knights crew. Union/A-C Valley 42, Moniteau 12

Scoop — The Falcon Knights survived a scare last week at Ridgway. They’ll be more impressive this week. Union/A-C Valley 30, Moniteau 7

Mt. Lebanon at Seneca Valley, 7

Merda Adams — Mt. Lebanon’s Pat Smith has 601 yards this season already, 11th in the WPIAL. But the Blue Devils (0-5, 0-2 WPIAL Section 1-6A) haven’t really stopped anyone on the other end. Seneca Valley 35, Mt. Lebanon 24

Pyda — The winless Blue Devils have scored just 38 points all season. SV will win going away. Seneca Valley 44, Mt. Lebanon 10

Howe — The Blue Devils have been outscored by a combined 107 points over the past three weeks. Not good. Seneca Valley 28, Mt. Lebanon 6

Scoop — The Raiders have looked really good at times this season. Now it’s time to climb back into the WPIAL Class 6A playoff picture with a conference win. Seneca Valley 28, Mt. Lebanon 8

Harbor Creek at Slippery Rock, 7

Merda Adams — By the transitive property, Slippery Rock (2-3, 0-2 D10 Region 4) lost to Fairview in Week 1 by seven, and Harbor Creek (2-3, 1-1 D10 Region 5) blew out Fairview two weeks ago. Ergo ... Harbor Creek 28, Slippery Rock 24

Pyda — Huskies’ junior QB Gavin Zillman does not throw the ball much, but he’s averaging 145 rushing yards per game. Containing him is a must for the Rockets. Slippery Rock 23, Harbor Creek 20

Howe — The Huskies have run for 7.1 yards per carry. And they’ve kept it on the ground 161 times. That’s tough to stop. Harbor Creek 28, Slippery Rock 14

Scoop — The Rockets have yet to win at home this season, and that trend will continue. Harbor Creek 23, Slippery Rock 20

Freeport at Valley, 7

Merda Adams — Freeport 47, Valley 14

Pyda — Freeport 50, Valley 16

Howe — Freeport 52, Valley 2

Scoop — Freeport 47, Valley 13

Knoch at Indiana, 7

Merda Adams — Indiana 40, Knoch 7

Pyda — Indiana 27, Knoch 14

Howe — Indiana 14, Knoch 13

Scoop — Indiana 30, Knoch 10

West Mifflin at Mars, 7

Merda Adams — Mars 35, West Mifflin 7

Pyda — Mars 33, West Mifflin 9

Howe — Mars 35, West Mifflin 7

Scoop — Mars 34, West Mifflin 8

North Catholic at Imani Christian, 7

Merda Adams — North Catholic 44, Imani Christian 37

Pyda — North Catholic 33, Imani Christian 23

Howe — Imani Christian 42, North Catholic 39

Scoop — North Catholic 37, Imani Christian 26

Rochester at Summit Academy, 12:30

Merda Adams — Summit Academy 20, Rochester 12

Pyda — Summit Academy 26, Rochester 8

Howe — Summit Academy 21, Rochester 7

Scoop — Summit Academy 23, Rochester 9