NEW MANCHESTER — The Oak Glen football team is riding high after opening the season with two straight victories.

After defeating rival Weir, 32-14, in the season opener on the road, Oak Glen followed that win up by defeating St. Marys, 42-18, up at the Bears’ Den last Friday night.

“It went really good,” first-year Oak Glen (2-0) head coach TJ Miller said about his team’s win against the Blue Devils. We started off strong. We got that kickoff return for a touchdown by Logan Murray. We executed on both sides of the ball. It was a really good game for us.”

The Golden Bears look to remain perfect as Oak Glen is set to meet Belpre at 7 p.m. Friday night at home.

The Golden Eagles come into play this week with a record of 1-2.

“I don’t know a ton about them,” Miller said. “They have small numbers. We were both scheduled to play Madonna this season, and the games got canceled. They asked if we were interested in playing, and why not? We were able to get together in play in Week 3. Hopefully, this pays off for us.”

Belpre enters this game coming off a 49-6 loss at home to Alexander.

“They want to run the football,” Miller said. “That is what they have shown so far. They don’t pass a lot. Our guys are going to have to be ready to go.”

Belpre opened the season with a 47-12 loss at Fisher Catholic on the road before going on the road in Week 2 and defeating Federal Hocking, 34-6.

“They run a 4-2-4 defense,” Miller said. “They have a couple nice athletes. They get to the ball. I think we have an advantage with our running game. We want to run the ball early. We want to get off the line. We want to move the ball. If we are able to push them back, it should be a good night for us.”

The boys from Hancock County have a size advantage against the boys from Washington County.

“We are a little bigger,” Miller said. “Our offensive line is our biggest strength. We have good size on the line. It is one of our strengths. We want to run the football. We want to stay aggressive. If we do that, I think it is going to be a solid night for us.”

The Golden Bears are looking to be balanced offensively as quarterback Maddox Bowen is capable of making plays through the air.

“We want to execute our gameplan,” Miller said. “We have good size on our offensive and defensive lines. That is a huge strength for us. We want to be balanced on offense. Maddox can run around and make plays. We want to get our athletes the ball in space. We have a good running game with Logan. We want to be balanced. We want to get the ball to our skill players. If we do that, it can be a big night for us.

“Defensively, we have been flowing to the football really well. We are big on getting 11 bodies to the ball. Our physicality will be a huge key for us.”

The Golden Bears are looking to start the season at 3-0 for the first time since 2020 when Oak Glen went 9-0 before its season came to a disappointing end.

“Our culture is great,” Miller said. “We are trying to build the culture. Kids are excited about playing for us. The kids have bought in. They are working hard. We’re 2-0. We are preaching to the kids that we’re just taking things one day at a time and one week at a time. For us, we want to get better at every practice.

“The energy is high in the community. We want to go 3-0. We want to keep rolling. I am super excited for the kids. I am really proud of the kids. They are working hard.”