FINDING ROOM — Buckeye Local’s John Marelli rushes against Oak Glen on Sept. 8 (photo by Joe Catullo).

YORKVILLE — A pair of teams seeking to rebound from Week 4 losses will meet at World War II Memorial Stadium on Friday night as Bellaire visits Buckeye Local for a Buckeye 8 tussle.

The trip north represents the final leg of a three-game road trip for Bellaire. The Big Reds re-enter conference play after travelling across the river to Moundsville where John Marshall beat them 38-20.

Bellaire head coach Mark Spigarelli said the loss was a result of a myriad of factors, all of which were “uncharacteristic” of his squad.

“We did some things that led to some big plays by them; stuff that doesn’t normally happen to us,” he said. “So, I think the thing the kids took away from the game is that you have to play every play. You can’t take any downs off. I think we made some corrections on Monday when we watched the tape, and we’ll benefit from it.”

Through the first three games of the season, and especially in their two victories, the Big Reds benefited from a balanced offense built around the passing of Mason Ramsay and running of Thor Duffy. The Monarchs thwarted Bellaire’s recipe for success, making it one sided.

“We had some trouble running the ball,” Spigarelli said, noting JM’s physicality defensively. “We started getting behind a little bit, so we had to play some catch-up, and we had to throw the ball a little bit more. We have to get back to basics this week, go back to what we do well, which is running the ball so we can open it up more for Mason and our receivers.”

Duffy was held to a season low 15 yards vs. JM, but Spigarelli stressed the entire team missed opportunities.

“It takes 11 guys to execute,” he said. “If you don’t, breakdowns will happen. What we need to do is get back to Bellaire football and get back to fundamentals, especially in tackling. Our tackling wasn’t great the other night, either, and that hurt us on some of the big runs JM had.”

Buckeye Local head coach Roger Herbert expects a hungry Bellaire to invade Jefferson County, and one ready to replicate the offensive success it found in victories against Harrison Central and Caldwell.

“To prepare for them offensively is tough,” Herbert said. “I think Ramsay is one of the finest quarterbacks we’ll see. What makes them tough is they’re not a throw it on every play team. They’re probably 50-50 in my book. They’re a little bit of everything.”

Ramsay has thrown for 700 yards and nine touchdowns, while Duffy has rushed for 324 yards and two scores. Gabe Rejonis is the top receiver with 16 for 355 yards and four TDs.

“They remind me of a bunch of honeybees,” Herbert said. “They all sting you. They don’t have a lot of big kids, but their effort is great. We’ve used them as role models for some of our kids. I love the way they fly around. You can tell they’re well-coached.”

Spigarelli has similar praise for Herbert and his staff.

“I think they’re 10 times better than last year. I can see on film,” he said.

Herbert sees it on film … and on the field.

Despite the 0-4 start, the first year head coach has been more than pleased with his team’s attitude and effort, especially in last week’s 36-0 loss to Indian Creek.

“I know 36-0 doesn’t sound good, but we were in it for a good while,” he said.

Defense has been a source of pride for Herbert thus far.

“I thought we played pretty well against oak Glen, and I thought our tackling has improved (this season),” he said. “Honestly, last year might’ve been the worst tacking team I’ve ever see on film. This year, we’ve done pretty well. We’re running to the ball. It’s purely about effort. Good things happen when you create your own luck when you’re around the football.

“We do drills in practice when we flag players when they don’t touch a ballcarrier. We’re really impressing on players to be around ballcarriers and it’s paying off for us.”

Seth Richardson will be back at quarterback for the Panthers this week as starter Shayne Christian continues his recovery from an injury. Christian played defense and special teams last week. John Marelli, who played behind center Week 1, has returned to his tailback role.

“Our issue offensively is continuity,” Herbert said. “We’ve had to move some linemen around with some guys getting banged up, and that’s been a big deal for us. But we’re starting to settle in a little bit.”