Indian Creek welcomes No. 4 St. Clairsville
Trending
WINTERSVILLE -- The Indian Creek Redskins not only picked up a bounce-back win against Buckeye 8 rival Buckeye Local in Week 4, but Andrew Connor's team did so without any injuries, giving it another week to heal up and get players healthy.
It is extra important because, when Friday night's matchup with unbeaten St. Clairsville -- which is ranked fourth in the Division IV AP poll and first in the Division IV, Region 15 computer ratings -- rolls around, the Redskins will need all hands on deck.
"The one thing that stands out about them is they are a very physical football team that is very well coached," Redskins coach Andrew Connor said of St. Clairsville. "You put those two things together, and you have a very talented team.
"We're trying to get healthy. We did not have anyone get hurt this past week, which is good because the previous weeks we did. Now, we just wait and see whether or not the kids we had missing last week can return this week."
The Red Devils are averaging 38.8 points per game on offense and giving up 15.5 on defense. The Redskins (3-1) average 27.5 points for and 21.5 against.
Last year's meeting at St. Clairsville was a 34-28 nail-biter that came down to the end and went to the Red Devils.
"A lot of times that is how it goes with us and St. C.," Connor said. "I would hope it is going to be the same type of game. It is going to be a big-game environment. We have a lot of respect for the way St. Clairsville plays, and our coaching staff has a lot of respect for the way coach (Brett) McLean goes about getting his teams ready."
Indian Creek is led by Sam Mazar at quarterback, who has completed 53.6 percent of his passes for 392 yards, two touchdowns and three picks. Trevor Fante is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has five touchdowns.
East Liverpool
at Oak Glen
NEW MANCHESTER -- The Oak Glen Golden Bears are on a roll of late, finding their offensive footing in back-to-back wins.
This week, Ted Arneault's team has another opportunity to get a big win when it hosts rival East Liverpool in a battle of 2-2 teams.
"They are going to be a tough challenge for us," Arneault said. "They're very physical inside the box. The thing that impresses me most about them is that they are multiple on offense -- they are able to throw and run the ball effectively. They are a very improved team from last year. They have been able to compete with some very good teams this year."
The key to the Golden Bears winning back-to-back games is simply getting healthier.
"I think having our kids back that were injured is a big help," Arneault said. "Offensively, we are starting to get in our groove now. Defensively, we are starting to tackle better. We are on an uptrend."
The Potters' strength in victories has been on defense, giving up just seven points in both wins. They allow an average of 17 points, while scoring 24.
Oak Glen's strength is on offense, led by Nick Chaney. He is the top passer in the Herald-Star/The Daily Times coverage area, with 893 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Golden Bears average 29.5 points per game, the third most in the area, and give up an average of 33.
"They are very good defensively," Arneault said. "The key against them is going to be to get first downs and establish drives."
Beaver Local at Edison
RICHMOND -- Edison first-year coach Shane O'Brien was happy with how his team competed with a good team in Steubenville Catholic Central in Week 4. It just made too many mistakes to come away with a win.
This week, the 2-2 Wildcats look to clean those up in order to get a win over fellow 2-2 club Beaver Local.
"They are a very well-coached team that has some good athletes," O'Brien said. "I think we should match up with them pretty well, and it should be a good game on Friday night.
"We're coming off of a tough loss where we had a few mistakes. We are going to work in practice to clean those things up. I know Beaver Local is coming off a loss, too, so both of us are trying to get back on our feet."
Beaver Local comes in averaging 15.3 points per game, while allowing 29. The Wildcats come in scoring an average of 22 points and allowing 25.8.
Edison's offense is led by quarterback Anthony Sinicropi, who has complete 64.9 percent of his passes for 485 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has ran for another 189 yards and three scores.
The Beavers won last season's meeting, 33-6.
Brooke at Ripley
RIPLEY -- Coach Mac McLean's Brooke Bruins are young, and it has shown thus far in the 2018 season with an 0-3 start against some very tough competition.
He is hoping what his team has learned so far can start translating to results the rest of the way, starting Friday night with a trip to 3-1 Ripley.
"They seem to be a senior-heavy team that moves the ball pretty well and plays good, fundamental defense," McLean said. "They have won some football games, and I know that they came back against Marietta, so they are a team that will fight back.
"Our schedule is pretty steep. I think, honestly, it is more of a mental game at this point. We know we are capable of playing some good football. I think maybe we started off a little bit over our heads with the strength of schedule and, hopefully, we got ourselves in a spot where we can compete. We have to keep the faith."
Ripley, which owns a three-game winning streak, averages 25.8 points and gives up an average of 22.5. The Bruins are currently averaging 12.7 points for.
Max Camiletti is averaging 5.13 yards per carry and has a touchdown for Brooke.
Leetonia at Toronto
TORONTO -- The Toronto Red Knights are coming off a tough loss at Southern Local and will look to rebound against a Leetonia team that is off to a 3-1 start and having itself quite the season so far.
The challenge in facing the Bears is the different looks they run.
"They run some unique stuff," Toronto coach Josh Franke said. "They run some unbalanced line looks. They do some stuff where they try and confuse you defensively. That is going to be a challenge because it is important for your kids to know what their assignments are.
"They are 3-1 for a reason. They are a good football team. We can't overlook them because of what they have been in the past."
The key for the Red Knights to stop a Leetonia offense averaging 17 points per game will be to stop the run.
"From what we are able to gather from film and our studying, they are very reliant on the run game," Franke said. "They are about 90 percent run. If we can make them throw the football, take away what they are good at and make them do something they are uncomfortable doing, that is going to be an advantage."
The Red Knights are averaging 18.5 points and allowing 25.8. Caleb Leasure has 125 yards and three touchdowns passing the ball in place of injured Nate Karaffa. Kobe Herrick has 210 yards and three scores running.
Martins Ferry
at Harrison Central
CADIZ -- The Harrison Central Huskies got first-year head coach Anthony Hayes his first win at the helm in Week 4 at Union Local.
The task of getting his first win in front of the home fans on the gray turf will be tough on Friday night when the 3-1 Martins Ferry Purple Riders invade Cadiz.
"It's a big game," Hayes said. "Martins Ferry is always a big game for us. We expect them to come out and be ready to go and fired up. They are coming off a loss to a rival in St. Clairsville, so we know they are going to want to bounce back right away. They are a typical Ferry team. They are big, strong kids. I think coach (Chas) Yoder has done an outstanding job. All of his kids are going to be well prepared.
"Their quarterback is a really good athlete. Up front, they are enormous. They are very comparable to some of the bigger teams around here. It is all going to come down to the line of scrimmage."
The Purple Riders average 33 points per game, while allowing 13.5. The Huskies come in averaging just 18.5 points per game, despite averaging nearly 330 yards of offense. On defense, Harrison Central allows 21.8 points.
Buckeye Local
at Bellaire
BELLAIRE -- Buckeye Local settled down after a tough start against Indian Creek last week, but the big, early deficit was too much to overcome to put an end to the losing streak.
This week, Roger Herbert's team will look to get off to a better start when it visits unbeaten Bellaire Saturday afternoon.
"For some reason, we start slow," Herbert said. "That is something I have to fix. It seems like after a couple of series the guys are fine. Your playcalling changes when you are down. To keep to what you've been planning all week, you've got to stay ahead of the chains. If we can stay in the ballgame until the fourth quarter, we can give ourselves a chance to make plays.
"This week, we have got to come and start fast. We have to punch first. We cannot get ourselves in a hole early."
To Herbert, it is no secret what makes the Big Reds so good.
"One thing they really like to do and have done well is run the football," he said. "They are not real tricky with what they are going to do, but they do what they do well. They have a big, physical offensive line, and they run the football hard. That is something we are obviously going to focus on this week, to take away the run first and go from there."
The rushing attack has allowed Bellaire to average 33.3 points per game. The Big Reds allow 11.
The Panthers score an average of 13.8 points and allow 35.8.
Quarterback Seth Richardson has thrown for 346 yards, three touchdowns and five picks. Charles Smith has 97 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Jacob Zanes and Shayne Christian each have 12 catches.