Toronto looks to carry momentum to Friday against the Lakers
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TORONTO -- Toronto was riding high after four weeks wit h a spotless 4-0 record. Then an unexpected loss to a then-winless Oak Glen team started a three-game skid.
In fairness, two of those losses were to larger and presently undefeated teams in Edison (42-6) and Barnesville (62-0).
Sophomore quarterback Zeb Kinsey playing at less than 100 percent didn't help matters any. But the Red Knights (5-3) found their groove last week in a 40-13 romp against Madonna.
In the process, they regained their confidence, as well as a finally healthy Kinsey, who showed up in a big way vs. the Blue Dons.
The 6-foot-3 signalcaller bullied his way for 183 yards and four touchdowns against the Madonna defense, adding 66 via the pass.
Through eight games, Kinsey has passed for 589 yards and three touchdowns while doing the majority of his damage with his legs, rushing for a team-leading 819 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Elder brother Zane Kinsey, who's also missed time with injury but is expected back, is second in rushing with 544 yards and seven touchdowns, while junior Dominic Bouscher 473 and four.
For head coach Josh Franke and company, it was good to get back in the win column.
"It feels awesome for us to get back in the win column," Franke said following the Madonna win. "I'm glad the kids stuck with it. We knew that we had some really tough opponents in the middle of the schedule and better days were ahead.
"You want to see your team respond after taking some bad losses and getting beat up. You want to see them come out and play like they did."
Now the Red Knights return to Clarke Hinkle Stadium to face Pymantuning Valley with a chance to go 6-3 on the line.
Toronto is currently No. 9 in Division VII, Region 25 and controls its own destiny in terms of the playoff race.
The same can't be said for the Lakers, who sit at No. 15 in Division VI, Region 21.
PV is experiencing a reversal of fortune when compared to Toronto with its recent fate.
Starting the season 0-4, Pymatuning reeled off three straight victories, highlighted by a 60-12 romp against Windham in Week 6 that saw sophomore running back Ty Vicker rush for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback and fellow sophomore Ryan Crofton added 97 yards and two scores to go with 75 yards through the air and 1 TD.
The tandem supplies the majority of the Lakers offense in its power spread-style attack. Both were all-Ohio as freshmen for their defensive efforts in 2021, while Crofton started the final three games of that season at quarterback.
Last week was a different story, as the Lakers fell 28-6 to Conneaut (6-2), a Division V team.
Last season, Toronto went North to Andover and came away with a narrow 20-14 victory and Franke and company will be looking to do the same, setting themselves in prime playoff position with a date against rival Catholic Central looming to close out the regular season.