INSTRUCTIONS — Weir High coach Frank Sisinni will look to instruct the Red Riders to a victory on Friday night when the Red Riders welcome East Liverpool to Jimmy Carey Stadium. - Michael D. McElwain

WEIRTON — While it didn’t result in a victory, Weir High showed a lot of signs of improvement last week in a 36-23 loss to East Fairmont.

The Red Riders’ 23 points were the most they had scored since their Week 1 victory at rival Oak Glen, and they were in the football game with the Bees most of the way, tied at 16-16 at halftime and knotted 23-23 going to the fourth quarter.

They will look to build on that progress this week when they are back at Jimmy Carey Stadium for their second of a string of four of five at home to close the season, this time hosting East Liverpool.

The Potters bring a 4-4 mark to Weirton on Friday night and are in the thick of the playoff race in Ohio. They are No. 10 in the Division IV, Region 15 standings and do not control their own destiny, according to Joe Eitel’s projections, making Friday night a pivotal game for their postseason hopes.

They have climbed the rankings in a hurry as they are on a three-game winning streak, having topped Cambridge and Edison on the road before an impressive victory at home over Bellaire a week ago. They had started the season 1-4 before that and the three-straight wins have quickly turned the season around.

Weir and East Liverpool have one common opponent in Indian Creek, both suffering setbacks to the Redskins.

The Red Riders, who sit 1-5, are hoping to start a similar turnaround of their own as they are currently far outside the Class AAA playoff picture in 25th.They do, however, have four games left as they have already taken their bye week.

Leading East Liverpool is senior quarterback Gavin Wright, who has thrown for 1,199 yards and 10 scores while rushing for another 371 yards and four touchdowns.

The Potters leading rusher is fellow senior Jaymin Haney, who has racked up 557 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5 yards per carry.

Wright has a couple of formidable targets in seniors Quintin Conrad and Blake Adkins. Adkins has a team-leading 37 catches for 630 yards and six touchdowns, while Conrad has hauled in 27 passes for 396 yards and three scores.

For the Red Riders, Lucas McAllister has 807 passing yards in five games played with eight touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for another 205 and two scores. He is the team leader in both categories.

His top target has been senior Damir Mowder, who has 17 catches for 874 yards and five touchdowns.

The Red Riders have won the last two meetings with the Potters and are 8-2 in the last 10 games between the schools. The Potters last win came in 2021, their first in the series since 2013.