Edison invades Buckeye Local
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YORKVILLE -- When Edison and Buckeye Local meet in any sport, the schools consider it to be a rivalry.
Friday's 7 p.m. meeting on the gridiron at World War II Memorial Stadium is no exception.
"For us it is a big game, as they all are," Buckeye Local coach Roger Herbert said. "We talk about the next game being our Super Bowl. It is going to be a good crowd and a good atmosphere."
Both clubs are coming in hungry. The Wildcats are looking to bounce back from a loss to another rival, Weir High, in Week 8. The Panthers continue to try to snap the losing streak and get their first win of the season after falling at East Liverpool.
"They are going to be hungry for their first win," Edison coach Shane O'Brien said. "We have a bit of a rivalry because of the locations of the schools. They have some good athletes who can make plays, so we are going to have to be ready."
Both teams have been plagued by slow starts at times this season, leading both coaches to emphasize the early portion of the game.
"We would like to come out faster," O'Brien said. "That is something we have been working on ourselves. Whoever is able to come out and get some momentum early is going to have an advantage. We can't take anything for granted. We have two opportunities left to win.
"There is always a lot of hype around this game, and I think our guys are ready."
It is Buckeye Local's senior night, and Herbert would like nothing more than to send his group off with a win in its final home game.
"It will be our seniors' last time in our stadium," Herbert said. "Edison is a nice rivalry set up for it. We commend our seniors almost daily. For the seven guys that have stuck it out until now, it certainly hasn't been the best of times for them, but they didn't quit. They have had three different coaches in high school, and they keep coming back. When things got tough, these kids didn't leave, and they kept working hard.
"They are setting the bar for the next group. There is nothing we want to do more than get them a win. They deserve it."
Senior quarterback Anthony Sinicropi leads the Edison attack, throwing for 975 yards (third best in the Herald-Star/Daily Times coverage area), 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while adding another 335 yards and four scores with his feet. He will be facing Buckeye Local junior Seth Richardson, who has 713 yards, six scores and 11 picks.
Running the ball, Kaleb Waggoner leads Edison with 500 yards and seven touchdowns. Buckeye Local's Charles Smith has 177 yards and one score.
The Wildcats' leading receiver is Bryce McAfoose, who has 282 yards and two scores on 26 grabs to rank fourth in the area. Panthers senior Shayne Christian has 245 yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions.
The Edison offense averages 254 yards and 20.6 points per game. Buckeye Local's averages 130.6 yards and 10.6 points. On defense, the Wildcats allow 323.3 yards and 30.1 points, while the Panthers allow 339.1 yards and 37.4 points.
Crestview at
Indian Creek
WINTERSVILLE -- No one needs to tell Indian Creek how important this Friday's game against Crestview at Kettlewell Memorial Stadium is.
Since the loss to St. Clairsville in Week 5, the Redskins (6-2) know there is no margin for error to make the playoffs.
"We told the kids (after the St. Clairsville loss) that we had very little margin for error," Indian Creek coach Andrew Connor said. "We have been taking it week-by-week since then, and our goal has been to go 1-0 every week. This week is no different."
As for what Conner expects from the 6-2 Rebels, he knows they will provide challenges.
"They are fundamentally sound, well-coached and play a very good schedule," Connor said. "I would expect a very good opponent when we play them on Friday night."
The key for the Redskins -- who are seventh in Division IV, Region 13 -- will be the same as it has been the last two weeks, with the defense pitching back-to-back shutouts: Take away big plays and don't turn the ball over.
"We have to be sound and play hard," Connor said. "We can't give up any big plays. We have to go after it the same way we have the last two weeks. Our defense has been a strength. Our kids are getting to the ball and that is an important part of playing good defense."
Indian Creek is led by Sam Mazar, who has thrown for 852 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding another 247 yards and four touchdowns with his feet. Trevor Fante leads the rushing attack with 814 yards -- fourth in the area -- and 10 scores. Matt Mamula leads the team with 21 catches for 358 yards and two touchdowns.
The Redskins' offense averages 307.3 yards per game and 28.3 points, facing a Crestview defense that allows an average of 27 points. Indian Creek's defense ranks first in the area, giving up an average of 217.4 yards and 13.3 points, while the Rebels' offense averages 34.1 points.
Brooke at
Buckhannon-Upshur
BUCKHANNON -- Brooke makes a long trip to look for win No. 1 on Friday night, taking on 2-5 Buckhannon-Upshur.
"From what we have seen, they are a talented football team," Brooke coach Mac McLean said. "They run the triple-option pretty-darn well. They are going to be a challenge, that is for sure.
"We were able to move the ball last week at times, so we need to get in a rhythm. Defensively, the big play has been our Achilles' heel, so we are going to have to avoid giving up the big play."
The long trip will not phase the Bruins.
"It is about three hours down there," McLean said. "We have become accustomed to the long trips with our schedule this year. We still have one to go that is longer than this."
Senior quarterback Gage Yost has 541 yards, five touchdowns and six picks for the Bruins. Max Camilletti leads the rushing attack with 226 yards and a score. Logan Williams has caught 13 balls for 303 yards and four scores.
The Bruins offense averages 130.4 yards and 10.3 points per game, while the Buccaneers allow 24.9 points. Brooke's defense gives up 451 yards and 53.6 points on average, while the Buckhannon-Upshur offense averages 18.9 points.
Toronto at United
HANOVERTON -- While Toronto looks to stay in the playoff race on Friday night with a trip to United, one of the Red Knights also will be looking for a career milestone.
Senior quarterback Nate Karaffa, who returned from injury two weeks ago, needs 15 yards to become the school's all-time leading passer, while the Red Knights need a win against the 6-2 Golden Eagles to help their cause in a tight Division VII, Region 25 playoff race. They currently sit ninth.
"It is the forefront of the conversation every day," Toronto coach Josh Franke said of the playoff race. "Our kids were pretty heartbroken after last week, and now they have a chance to respond. They have adopted a hashtag Week 11. I think that is a good thing for them to have that as their goal."
A win for United will give the Golden Eagles the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference crown. To prevent that, the Red Knights will have to stop a spread attack.
"They are leading the conference," Franke said. "They want to spread you out and make you defend the entire field. It is going to be a challenge for us on defense. We have been telling our kids all week that it is going to be a matter of who executes better."
Karaffa has 294 yards and four touchdowns in two games, adding another 176 yards and two scores on the ground. Kobe Herrick leads the rushing attack with 392 yards and four scores. Zack Stackhouse is the leading pass catcher with 25 receptions for 347 yards and two scores.
The Toronto offense averages 251.1 yards and 18.9 points per game, going against a United defense that allows an average of 16.5 points. The Red Knight allow 280.4 yards and 22.5 points on defense, ranking fourth in the area. The Golden Eagles score an average of 28.4 points.
Oak Glen at
East Fairmont
FAIRMONT -- Oak Glen looks to bounce back from a tough loss at home to Harrison Central in Week 8 and get back above the .500 mark with a win at young, winless East Fairmont.
"I look for East Fairmont to try to run the ball on us and try to contain our passing game," Oak Glen coach Ted Arneault said. "They are going to try to stop is from having big plays.
"They are a young team that is building. It is going to be interesting matchup."
Arneault knows his team can not overlook the Bees, who have a familiar face on the sidelines.
"East Fairmont has not gotten a win yet this year, but they beat us last year and got a bunch of rushing yards on us," Arneault said. "They are coached by Wes Eddy, who is a Brooke guy. I have known him for quite a while. We need to prepare. I told the kids the entire week how important this game is for us."
Nick Chaney still leads the area in passing yards with 1,499 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Hunter Patterson is now the area's leading receiver with 34 catches for 376 yards and four touchdowns. Gage Patterson has 475 rushing yards and three scores.
The Golden Bears average 339.8 yards and 27.4 points per game, facing a Bees defense that allows 41.6 points. Oak Glen allows an average of 313.3 yards and 31.9 points per game, while East Fairmont scores an average of six points.
Lutheran East at
Harrison Central
CADIZ -- Harrison Central will look to carry over momentum from its win at Oak Glen and get a win in front of the home crowd Friday night when it hosts 4-4 Lutheran East from Cleveland Heights.
"They are an extremely athletic team," Harrison Central coach Anthony Hayes said. "They have two or three running backs that could probably start for anyone in the Ohio Valley. Their skill guys are really good.
"Tradition begins at home. The community expects us to come out and put on a good performance."
Having just prepared for a lot of skill against Oak Glen, Hayes thinks that is something that can help.
"It actually helps a lot," Hayes said. "We have seen some a lot of really good athletes this year and faced a lot of really athletic teams. Our kids had to prepare for good athletes at Oak Glen and we won some of those battles with them. I think it gives them a sense of confidence."
Kobe Mitchell is closing in on the area passing lead, sitting second with 1,444 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Tyler West has turned into threat rushing and receiving. He is sixth in the area with 531 rushing yards and five scores, hauling in a fifth-best 26 catches for 527 yards and eight touchdowns. Caden Dalton lead the team in receiving, sitting third in the area with 27 catches for 456 yards and two scores.
(Grimm can be reached at agrimm@herladstaronline.com. For local sports updates, follow us on Twitter @HSDTsports.)