THE QUARTERBACKS — Toronto’s Zeb Kinsey and Buckeye Local’s Alex McDiffitt have both had strong performances in recent games and both will look to have another when the Panthers and Red Knights clash on Friday night. - Andrew Grimm/Joe Lovell

TORONTO — Buckeye Local is coming off an impressive win against Shenandoah, it’s second of the season.

Toronto is coming off a disappointing loss to Edison in a game the Red Knights gained considerable yardage offensively, but were mired in untimely red zone turnovers and other mistakes.

For Buckeye, it’s a chance to win two in a row and further solidy the rebuilding process started by head coach Chris Kiedaisch and company this offseason.

For Toronto and head coach Jaret Aubiel, it’s a chance to rectify the mistakes that cost his team a chance at going picking up its fifth win of the season and furthering its playoff positioning as Ohio team’s focus with Week 10 rapidly approaching.

“We turned it over in the red zone a bit, and that’s on me as a head coach,” Aubiel said with the Panthers coming to town Friday. “We’ve been working on that in practice this week and we’re looking forward to seeing the improvement on Friday.”

Stat-wise, the Red Knights’ offense was solid against Edison.

Zeb Kinsey threw for a season-high 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but was victimized by three interceptions. He also ran for 126 yards while leading receiving Mason Marchbank Caught 10 passes for 175 yards and two TDs.

“That’s a game that I will take lessons from for throughout the rest of my career,” Aubiel admitted. “It was a great learning experience. Our response in practice has been great. (Tuesday) night was our best night of practice all year and I’m really looking forward to Friday.”

That could be bad news for the Panthers, coming off two solid weeks of play after a tough loss to Barnesville.

The offense is not only clicking, but finding true balance for the first time all season.

Quarterback Alex McDiffitt threw for 192 yards on 17 of 22 passing for a touchdown and ran for 119 yards and three scores in the 36-31 win.

“You turn on the film and you see (Alex) getting better every week,” Kiedaisch said. “He started three or four games last year, but what they asked him to do isn’t what we ask him to do. You can see his athleticism on display, and some of our weapons are improving as well.

“He did a good job with his legs and a good job getting it to our athletes on the outside when it opened up.”

Toronto is a different type of opponent than Shenandoah, but to be fair, the Panthers have faced a difficult slate all season.

Their four losses are to teams combined 24-2. Monroe Central, Barnesville and Union Local are all defeated. Bellaire, while 4-2, has one of its losses to the aforementioned Shamrocks.

“Toronto is clearly a very talented team,” Kiedaisch said. “But the teams we’ve lost to are a combined 24-2, so it’s not a game where it’s a caliber of a team we’re not used to play.

“We’re not backing away from any good football team. This is just another week where we can go out and prove ourselves.”

Proving themselves against a hungry Toronto outfit will require trying to contain the running, and passing, of Kinsey, one of the top offensive talents in the region.

Kiedaisch knows the tasks that awaits his defense Friday.

“He’s a super impressive kid,” Kiedaisch said. “The ball comes out of his hand different than pretty much anybody else. He doesn’t run as much, but he definitely can when he wants to. Toronto as a whole is a good looking team.”

In the opposite lockerroom, Aubiel isn’t expecting a cakewalk.

He knows the Panthers have played, and been competitive with all but Barnesville. They are battled tested against a stiff schedule and they are starting to gain some confidence.

“They are a pretty good football team that is much improved from a year ago,” he said. “The coaching staff has done a heck of a job. They are dangerous and play good competition and have played them tough. We definitely have to be focused.

“Tackle to tackle, they have some decent guys up front that can do some things that will challenge our guys. We look forward to the challenge.”