Trending
TORONTO -- Rivalry wins are always special.
The Toronto football team opened the season with a 34-8 victory against rival Wellsville last Thursday night up at Nicholson Stadium. The win enabled the Red Knights to bring the traveling trophy back to the Gem City.
"It was huge," Toronto (1-0) head coach Josh Franke said about the win. "The last few years we have not had the opportunity to play them. We had the opportunity this season, and we took advantage of it.
"It was huge. It was really heartwarming. As soon as the kids were handed the trophy, they immediately handed it to our equipment manager. He was able to hold the trophy with his dad's name on it. They new how much it meant to him. It was great to see that family bonding take shape. It was a great sight to see."
The Red Knights will look to continue its strong showing this season as Toronto plays East Palestine at 7 p.m. Friday night at Clarke Hinkle Field.
The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back this week as Minerva defeated East Palestine, 31-14, last Friday at Reid Memorial Stadium.
"East Palestine was in that ballgame in the first quarter," Franke said. "They showed some good things. Their defensive line did a nice job of getting penetration. They choked up Malvern's running game. They got beat in the passing game. That is an area that wasn't our strongest last Thursday.
"We can't underestimate anyone. They have a good nucleus. We are going to have to show up ready to play if we are going to have a chance."
Toronto totaled 239 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in the win against Wellsville.
The Red Knights got the ball rolling right from the start as Dom Bouscher returned the opening kick off 79 yards for a touchdown.
"Obviously, we did well in the running game," Franke said. "I was happy with how we played up front. I was happy with how our backs ran the ball.
"It was a sloppy game. We had some turnovers. That is something we have to take care of. We had some bad snaps. Our extra point kicker is injured, so we have to find someone to fill that void. We have to clean up penalties. You expect those things in the first week of the season. Those are things we have addressed. Those are things we have to correct and get better at."
Individually, Zane Kinsey collected 183 yards and three touchdowns on the ground against Wellsville, while Zeb Kinsey ran for 45 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for 72 yards.
The Bulldogs amassed 278 yards of total offense in the loss to the Hornets. The team from Columbiana County ran for 173 yards and threw for 105. Both of East Palestine's touchdown came on the ground.
"They use multiple formations," Franke said. "They use a stack-I. That was the formation they used the most. They will run different formations. They are pretty balanced. They are 60-40 run. Their quarterback is a sophomore, but he started 10 games last season. He has got a lot of experience even though he is younger.
"We are going to have to be disciplined. We are going to have to prepare for a lot of things. The big thing is we are going to have to line up properly."
East Palestine struggled against the pass last week as Malvern threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Malvern's first score of the night came when KJ Wafler returned a punt 69 yards for as touchdown.
The return game is one of the strengths of Toronto as shown by Bouscher's 79-yard touchdown on the opening kick of the game.
"When they came off the field, I told them I don't think anyone is going to kick it deep to you guys again," Franke said. "I was surprised they did. It just re-emphasized how much of a dangerous threat he is. I will be surprised if a team kicks it deep to him."
If teams do not kick the ball deep, they will be giving the Red Knights good field position to start each of their drives.
"Absolutely," Franke said. "We are prepared for that. We have built our kick return around that. We expect teams to do that. We don't expect teams to kick it deep. We built it around our middle line. Aiden Filby had a good return from our middle line. We have to be ready for squib kicks and onside kicks.
"We did really well on special teams. We had a fake punt that was successful. It went for 16 yards. We had the kick return for a touchdown. We were close to blocking a punt.
"Dan Schaffer is our special teams coach. He does a great job."
Jesse Lipp produced 125 yards and a touchdown on the ground to lead the way offensively for the Bulldogs last week, while quarterback Owen Jurjavcic ran for 128 yards and a touchdown. Jurjavic also threw for 105 yards.
Patrick Bender hauled in three receptions for 45 yards against the Hornets.
he last time the two teams played, East Palestine defeated Toronto, 35-30, in Week 8 of the 2018 season at Clarke Hinkle Stadium.
The Bulldogs had some talented players on that team led by quarterback Parker Sherry.
"They did," Franke said. "The last time we played them I had Nate Karaffa at quarterback. It was back-and-forth between Sherry and Karaffa.
"They are very different team. We are a very different team. It is going to be fun to get back together on the field again.
"One side of my family is from East Palestine, so it will be good to playing them again. My 93-year-old grandmother is from there. My family is connected to East Palestine. She is excited for this game. She attends all of our home games. It should be a good one."
Having opened the season on the road, Toronto is looking forward to playing in front of the home fans this week.
"Absolutely," Franke said. "It is fun playing at other places and experiencing different communities tradition, but it is great to play at home. It will be great to be playing at Clarke Hinkle Field. I want to thank the Toronto community for coming out last Thursday and supporting us. There was a nice crowd at Wellsville. Toronto fans had a strong showing there. It was great to see all the support."
Toronto was a member of the EOAC in 2018, and the Red Knights open this season playing three-straight games against teams from that conference. Toronto plays next week at Lisbon.