RICHMOND — The Toronto football team is looking for its third straight win against rival Edison when the two teams renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday night at Cartwright Memorial Field.

Toronto (1-1) enters the game coming off of a 60-22 win over Bridgeport last week at Clarke Hinkle Field.

“I think we came out and played very well,” Toronto head coach Eric Meek said. “We improved tremendously from the week before. We improved a lot on offense. Defensively, there were a few times early in the game where we made some mistakes. They made a couple of plays against our defense, but I give coach (Jerry) Vinci and our defensives coaches credit. They did a great job of adjusting, and the kids stepped up.

“We have gone through two scrimmages and two games without committing a turnover. When you put 60 points on the board, that is a good night.”

Edison (0-2) enters the game coming off of a 26-14 loss to Wellsville last week up at Nicholson Stadium.

“At times we played better,” Edison head coach Nate Moses said. “We started the game out better on both sides of the ball. We had an opportunity early to go up 14-0, but we were called for a penalty. We had a block in the back. It is tough when you have a touchdown called back. It is tough to overcome that in a game against an athletic team like Wellsville.

“We are still learning. That is the big thing for us. We just have to learn how to win. I know it is a cliche. Here at Edison, we have to learn how to win. It is a process. We are just not going to come out and win games. After games on Friday night, we have to win Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We have to win those days. It is tough when you are used to losing.”

Both teams lost on the road in Week 1. Toronto fell 48-14 at Shadyside, while Edison was shutout 21-0 at East Liverpool.

“They have great speed with their skill players,” Meek said about the Wildcats. “We are going to have to contain their speed. Another thing we have noticed is their return teams — on kickoffs and punts — are dangerous. They have great speed. We are going to have to play well on special teams.”

Toronto quarterback Nate Karrafa and wide receiver Jake Keenan had big days in the Red Knights win over the Bulldogs. Karaffa threw for four touchdowns in the game, Keenan catching all four and also rushing for one.

“Karaffa and Keenan are great athletes,” Moses said. “I have a lot of respect for them. I will see them on the basketball court, and I will see them on the field. We are not going to be able to stop them, but we are going to do our best to contain them. We put some new wrinkles on defense, and we are going to do our best to contain them. They are just not great football players; they are great athletes.”

Toronto scored touchdowns on nine of its 11 drives against Bridgeport.

“They are more balanced offensively than what we have seen so far,” Moses said. “Give Toronto credit. They are able to do a lot of things on the offensive side of the ball. They present a great challenge for us defensively. We are going to have to contain them. We are going to prepare for them and be ready to go.”

The Wildcats led the Tigers 7-0 after the first quarter, but Wellsville scored the next 20 points to build a 13-point lead. Defensively, Edison forced Wellsville into committing three turnovers.

“Defensively, we have noticed that they tackle well,” Meek said. “They get to the ball well, and they tackle. We have to hold our blocks and fall forward. We are going to try and do the best we can to pick up where we left off Friday night.”

Edison has been hurt by turnovers in each of its first two games this season.

“We are working on taking care of the ball so we don’t fumble it or throw interceptions,” Moses said. “We are working on it, but it is not something we want to emphasize. We don’t want them to keep thinking about it. We want them to have a routine. We don’t want to have them thinking about during the game.”

The Red Knights also made big plays on defense and on special teams against the Bulldogs.

“The most important thing for us is we have to take care of what we can take care of,” Moses said. “Our emphasis is on Toronto, but our emphasis must also be on doing the right thing every play. We have to do the things we know how to do. We have to finish plays. We have to finish drives. We have to do what we need to do to get better. If we do that, everything else will take care of itself.”

Last season, Toronto defeated Edison 47-22 in Week 9 at home, while the Red Knights defeated the Wildcats 49-6 in Week 9 two years ago on the road.

“It is a big rivalry,” Meek said. “We are going to be on the road. It is game we are excited to play. We have gotten the best of them the last two years, and we are going to try and do our best to make it three wins in a row against them.”

The two school are close by, and the kids all know each other.

“It is a combination,” Moses said about what makes the rivalry special. “The kids grew up playing against each other in all of the sports. It just wasn’t football. The schools are close to each other, and the kids know each other. They played sports together and each other coming up. They just didn’t play at the high school level. They have played at all levels.”

Injuries are a fact of life, especially at this point of the season.

“Actually, we are very healthy,” Meek said. “We have one young man out with a hand injury, but other than that the rest are all ready to go. At this point in the season, you have to be careful at practice. You want to make sure the kids have enough rest. Our training staff does a good job with the kids. They are fresh and ready to go.”

The Wildcats are a little banged up going into this week’s game.

“Our training staff does a good job getting the kids ready to go. It’s Week 3 of the football season. Kids are going to be banged up,” Moses said.

Both teams are going to be ready to go Friday night.

“They made no bones about it,” Meek said. “They really wanted to play us. They wanted to continue the rivalry. People may think they are expected to win because they are a bigger school, but we are going to go there and do our best to defeat them.

“They made changes to their schedule so they could play us. They play some Division VII schools. We are going to come ready to play. We are going to do our best to pick up where we left off Friday night.”

Notes

¯ Edison has made some improvements to its football field as the team prepares to play its home opener. The school has redone the press box on the home side of the field and is in the process of installing a new scoreboard.

“The kids are excited,” Moses said. “I have to yet to have to question their drive and the internal motivation. They are looking forward to playing at home against a rival. We are looing forward to that opportunity.”