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YORKVILLE -- Getting a win on the board in 2017 is a priority for the Buckeye Local Panthers, and the team has three more chances that starts Friday night at World War II Memorial Stadium when the East Liverpool Potters come to town.
"We told the kids we've got three weeks left to go out there and compete," first-year Buckeye Local coach Roger Herbert said. "We coach to win every game. We don't just want to get one; we want to get all three. Getting a win for the seniors would mean a lot."
Herbert is optimistic after seeing signs of improvement on the offensive side of the ball in his team's 55-24 loss in Week 7 to 6-1 Beaver Local, which featured the return of junior quarterback Shayne Christian. He went 11-of-26 passing for a school-record 334 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions after missing the first half of the season with a hand injury suffered before the Panthers' first game.
"It was a great kind of debut for Shayne," he said. "It was a nice shot in the arm for us. We're moving the ball a little better and starting to see some of the explosiveness we thought we were going to have. If we had him in the first six weeks, it might be a different story."
That promising performance against a good football team was hindered by a familiar thorn in Buckeye Local's side -- turnovers. The Panthers gave away the ball a total of four times.
"We felt like we were in a ball game with them," Herbert said. "We scored first, and turnovers and mistakes hurt us. Sometimes when you are struggling you find ways to make bad plays instead of good ones, and we have to get past that."
The season-high 24 points is a total the Panthers have not seen in a while. In fact, a 30-26 win over Edison in 2012 was the last time Buckeye scored at least 24 points in a game.
This week's opponent, the 2-5 Potters, are coming off of a 52-14 win over Oak Glen. Buckeye Local's last win came over East Liverpool in Week 8 of 2014 on the road. According to Herbert, it's not hard to tell what they like to do.
"There's not a lot of mystery with them," he said. "They're going to run it right at you and see if you can stop them. They're starting to find their stride a little bit. It is going to come down to our line versus their line."
The Panthers are averaging 182.7 yards of offense per game, putting up 75.7 on the ground and 107 in the air.
Christian's season totals come in at 12-of-31 for 373 with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Sophomore Seth Richardson, who saw the bulk of the work while Christian was out of the lineup, is 38-of-64 passing (59.4 completion percentage) for 382 yards with a pair of touchdown tosses and six picks.
Catching the ball, senior Josh Dulesky is one of the top pass catchers in the area with 23 receptions for 380 yards and three scores, averaging 16.5 per catch. Fellow senior John Marelli has 14 catches for 293 yards and two touchdowns, averaging almost 21 yards per. The tandem had big performances against Beaver Local as Dulesky caught four passes for 176 and two scores, while Marelli hauled in four for 172 and another score.
Marelli leads the way for the Panthers rushing with 412 yards and two touchdowns on 98 attempts, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Sophomore Charlie Smith has 133 and a touchdown on 26 attempts averaging over five yards per.
On defense the Panthers are yielding 365.1 yards and 42.1 points. The pass defense gives up 137.7, and the rush defense 227.4.
East Liverpool comes in averaging 16.6 points on offense, while allowing 26.1 through seven games. The Potters won in Week 1, 21-0, over Edison before losing five straight. The win over Oak Glen saw Jalen Moman rush for 142 yards and three scores. Derek Carter added another 113 on the ground with a touchdown.