LOOKING TO CELEBRATE AGAIN — Edison celebrated a big win last week at Toronto and will look to get another big victory when the Wildcats welcome East Liverpool to Richmond on Friday night. - Andrew Grimm

RICHMOND — The Edison football team picked up a big win against rival Toronto last week, and the Wildcats are looking to continue its winning way this week.

Edison went on the road this past Friday night and defeated Toronto, 35-19, at Clarke Hinkle Field.

“I am extremely proud of everybody from the coaches to the player,” Edison (5-1) head coach Mike Collopy said. “It was a team win. It was a team effort. I am really proud of them. I know how hard our kids play. There were ups and downs in the game. It was a big game, and we could have gotten caught up in everything that was going on. There were a couple momentum swings in the game, and our kids kept playing.”

The Wildcats will look to win their sixth straight game this season as Edison is scheduled to play East Liverpool at 7 p.m. Friday night out at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.

“They are a very good team,” Collopy said. “They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of size. They’re physical. They’re aggressive. Their coach does a good job of putting them in their best position so they can do their best.

“I always say we have to improve every week, well, we certainly have to improve this week. They’re a good team. They create a lot of big plays. Offensively, they can score points. Defensively, they do not give up a lot of points. They have a good kicker. Their returners are very dangerous.”

The Potters enter plays this week with a record of 2-4. East Liverpool defeated Cambridge, 41-7, last week on the road.

Offensively, the boys from Columbia County are led by dual-threat quarterback Gavin Wright.

“Gavin Wright is a three-year starter,” Collopy said. “D’shawn Kirby is the best two-way lineman we have seen all year. He’s the best I have seen. That is not to take anything away from anyone else. He’s just exceptional. What struck me from watching the film was he stood out like a sore thumb. He’s a man playing against boys. We are going to have our hands full with him.

“Their tailback (Jaymin) Haney is really good. They have three good receivers – 2 (Damon Stansbury), 5 (Quintin Conrad) and 8 (Blake Adkins). They have a good tight end. Their offensive line is big. They’re physical. They can spread the ball around.

“Defensively, they linebackers are very good. They have a good defensive line. They have an athletic secondary.”

The Potters opened the season by losing their first three games of the season, and all three losses came in close games. To open the season, East Liverpool lost to Carrollton, 20-13, Indian Creek, 20-14 and Salem, 13-7. East Liverpool picked up its first win of the season by defeating rival Beaver Local, 14-9, before falling to St. Clairsville, 35-14.

“They were in the game against St. Clairsville. St. Clairsville is one of the best teams in the area, and that game was 14-14 at halftime. They have had the lead late in games. Their schedule is brutal. They are a very good team.”

Special teams – especially the return game – may play a key role in the outcome of this week’s game.

“It seems like every year they have a really good returner,” Collopy said. “They always seem to have a weapon in the return game. They are scary. They are a complete team.”

The Potters have the ability to create big plays all over the field, and the Wildcats are going to have to limit such plays if they want to be successful Friday night.

“Defensively, we are going to have to tackle in space,” Collopy said. “We are going to have to prevent the big plays. We are going to have to make them drive the field, but that is easier said than done. Offensively, we are going to have to convert our drives into points. We are going to have to tackle on special teams. We are going to have to stay in our lanes. We are going to have to win the field position battle. We can’t give them short fields. They are a great team. Offensively, we are going to have to take care of the football.”

Teams can have a letdown after a big win, and Collopy and the coaching staff is doing their best to make sure that doesn’t happen to the Wildcats this week.

“We watched film on them,” Collopy said. “We watched film on East Liverpool. It was one of those cold water on the face moments. We as coaches are going to have to do our jobs. Kids are kids, but they watched the film. They know what they are up against. We had a good day of practice today, and we are going to have to have another one tomorrow.”

Edison enters play this week in sixth place in the Ohio Division V, Region 17 playoff rankings. Meanwhile, East Liverpool comes into this week in 16th place in the Division IV, Region 15 rankings. The top 16 teams in each region qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season.

The Potters defeated the Wildcats, 17-14, last season up at Patterson Field.