YORKVILLE — Buckeye Local’s offensive struggles the last two weeks have been a combination of stiff competition, execution, and to a lesser extent injury problems.

The result was three points in two games as the Panthers dropped 42-3 and 44-0 successive contests to first Toronto and most recently Edison.

Buckeye’s record stands at 2-6 with two games to play. The Panthers are still mathematically eligible for Ohio Division V, Region 17 postseason play, but they will need to win their next two games and receive some help on the way.

Above all, the Panthers will need to fix the execution issues that have plagued the offense recently.

“We didn’t execute what we were supposed to do,” head coach Chris Kiediasch offered as his team prepares for a Friday night home date with surging River (3-5). “We thought we had a decent plan, but from the first play, we dropped the snap and we had an overall lack of execution more than being down on weapons.

“Give Edison credit, they had a great offensive and defensive scheme.”

Against the Wildcats, Buckeye managed just 82 yards passing and 27 rushing, barely eclipsing the 100-yard mark against a staunch Wildcats’ defense that also victimized the Panthers’ passing attack with three interceptions.

“They way they lined up, we had a quarterback run and quick passing game as our primary method to move the ball, but we didn’t execute very well.”

Rushing may prove difficult Friday against a resurgent Pilots’ team that’s 2-1 in its last three games, including a 38-7 win against a Braxton Barnett-less Shenandoah team last Friday.

Kiedaisch has been impressed with the progression of River as a whole, and made special note of their ability to clog up a team’s run game.

“They do a really good job stopping the run, all the way back to their Bellaire scrimmage,” Kiedaisch noted. “They have a good run defense. However, they’ve been explited in the passing game some. Hopefully we can take advantage of that but our main focus after the last two games is trying not to stop ourselves.

“We’ve been jumping offsides, holding, fumbling, and an mistake by our quarterback has led to getting intercepted.

“We’ve proved we can run our offense, move the ball and score some points when we don’t get in our own way.”

In Buckeye’s 36-31 win against Shenandoah, quarterback A.J. McDiffitt passed for 192 yards and a touchdown on 17 of 22 passing, completing nearly 80 percent of his attempts.

Buckeye will need that kind of output against River, given the Pilots’ penchant for stopping the run.

Defensively, Buckeye will need to key on River quarterback Lucas Dennis as the Pilots have a varied list of offensive formations designed to maximize Dennis’ strengths.

“They run four unique formations, two primarily passing formations, but they also come out in a wishbone and a single-wing similar to what Bridgeport (W.Va.) runs,” Kiediasch said. “The main thing they do best is that single wing QB run.

“They get the ball in (Dennis’) hands with as many people in front of him as possible.”

While playoffs are still an outside possibility for Buckeye, attention has turned equally to program building and sending the seniors out on a high note.

“It’s more about coming out and doing what we can do,” Kiedaisch said. “We’ve talked all year about building a foundation and the seniors leaving the program either going 2-8 or 4-6. That’s our goal.

“If we sneak into the playoffs, that’ll be awesome, but it’s more about building a long-term program and providing that foundation and the seniors have bought in.”