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BELLAIRE -- The Indian Creek football team came up a little short last week, and the Redskins are looking to get back on track this week.
Getting on track will not be easy for Indian Creek as it travels down to Nelson Field to take on Bellaire at noon Saturday.
Last week, Indian Creek trailed Utica, 21-20, in the fourth quarter before the hosts scored the game's final 20 points to record a 41-20 victory.
"It comes down to being able to make plays," Indian Creek (1-4) head coach Andrew Connor said. "We were close, but we were not able to make plays and they did. Our kids played hard. We were inches away from making the plays that we needed."
Meanwhile, the Big Reds enter this week's game with a record of 2-3. Bellaire defeated Cambridge, 25-14, this past Friday night on the road.
"We have seen them in person," Connor said. "We scouted them at home. They have kind of revved things up the last couple of weeks.
"They are good team. They are an older team. They play a lot of seniors and juniors. They are well coached, and they play hard. They are athletic. They have got some really good athletes. They are just a really good football team."
Bellaire's other win came back in Week 3 against Bishop Tonnos. The Big Reds won that game, 33-0, for the first win of the season.
"They do what you give them," Connor said. "They can throw the ball. (Jake) Heatherington is a really good quarterback. He does a good job running their offense.
"They have been running the ball. They have lined up in a Power-I. They have used a heavy set. They have been running the ball.
"They see what you are doing. They will take what you give them. We have a lot of things we are going to have to prepare for."
So far this season, Bellaire has lost to Garaway (21-14), Fort Frye (62-26) and Wheeling Central (26-20). The Pirates, Cadets and Maroon Knights are all undefeated with a combined record of 14-0.
"They run our defense," Connor said. "They run a 4-3. They have very good linebackers. They have a lot of speed at cornerback. They had a pick-6 which changed the game against Cambridge. They are very athletic."
The boys from Belmont County are an experienced bunch.
"They have size," Connor said. "They are older. They have played more. They are physical. They are definitely going to be a challenge."
The game will be a rare Saturday one for the Redskins.
"We are coming off a long ride to Utica," Connor said. "That altered our Friday. You just have to go out and play. One good thing is it is not going to be very hot. The kids are excited.
"We have to play better. We are going to have to finish. It was 21-20 in the fourth quarter. We did not make plays when we had to make them."
Big plays are often a big factor in games. The team able to create the most big plays usually comes away with the win.
"The biggest thing is we are going to have mix up our offense," Connor said. "We want to throw when we want and not when we have to. We are going to have to be consistent running the football.
"We are going to have to limit their big plays. We are going to have to stop their outside runs. They want to get outside. We are going to have to take away their big plays.
"We are going to have to create turnovers. We are going to have to have short fields. We are going to need to win first down. We are going to have to do well offensively on first down, and we are going to have to do well defensively. We can't give up a lot of yards."
Bellaire enters the game in ninth place in the Ohio Division VI Region 23 standings.