Creek looks to get back on track at Utica
Trending
UTICA -- Indian Creek and Utica will look back on the winning side of things this week in the battle of the Redskins.
Indian Creek will take on Utica at 7 p.m. Friday night on the road.
Indian Creek enters this Week 5 game coming off a 35-9 loss to Weir this past Friday night at home.
"We did not play the way we did in the first half," Indian Creek (1-3) head coach Andrew Connor said.
The Red Riders led 14-9 at halftime before pulling away in the second half.
Utica (1-3) opened the season with a win, but the team has lost its last three games.
Utica opened the season by defeating Centerburg, 25-19, before losing to Loudonville, 19-13, Fredericktown, 39-13 and Licking Heights, 41-21.
"I drove out there and saw them play Fredericktown," Connor said. We exchanged film."
Utica is new to the schedule this season.
"This is the first time we have played them," Connor said.
The Licking County Redskins ended last season with a record of 1-9. Utica lost its first nine games of the season.
"They are much improved from last year," Connor said. "They split their quarterbacks between No. 22 and No. 32. They run the buck sweep. A lot of teams are running the buck sweep.
"They are kind of liked us. They play well in spurts. The team they beat is 3-1. They have played some good opponents."
Utica likes to run the football.
"They run more than they pass," Connor said. "They run with their backs as well as their quarterbacks."
The hosts will look to put pressure on the the Indian Creek offense.
"They kind of play an odd stack," Connor said. "They do a lot of stuff with their linebackers. They blitz them. They are very disruptive."
Both teams have similar size.
"We are pretty much the same," Connor said. "They have a couple of big guys, and we have a couple of big guys. I would say we are pretty even in size and in speed."
Utica has the ability to make big plays in the return game.
"No. 1 returns kickoffs and punts," Connor said. "He has had a couple of big returns – one on a punt and one on a kickoff."
The game is Indian Creek's second road game of the season, and it will be the longest trip the Jefferson County Redskins will have to make during the regular season.
"They are a couple of hours away," Connor said. "We are not going to use that as an excuse. It is a long trip. We are going to enjoy the ride. We are going out there to play a football game.
"We are treating it like a business trip. We are going out there to represent the district, and we are going to try and win a football game."
Cambridge shut out Indian Creek, 28-0, in the season opener, but the team bounced back to defeat East Liverpool, 26-14, in Week 2. Indian Creek lost to Brooke, 21-7, in Week 3 before falling to Weir last week.
"We are going to have to go back to basics," Connor said. "We have to finish drives on offense. We have to stop the big play on defense. We have fallen into a bad light of giving up big plays on defense."