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Edison looking to make it four-straight wins

CALCUTTA — The Edison football team looks to continue its winning streak against a familiar face. 

Thanks to defeating Mathews, 35-18, Friday night at home, the Wildcats have now won three-straight games for the first time in a decade, looking to make it four-straight with a trip to Beaver Local on Friday.

“I thought offensively we moved the ball the whole game,” first-year Edison (3-1) head coach Mike Collopy said. “Defensively, I’m really proud of the kids. We played really well on defense. I think they only had 104 yards of offense, and a lot of that came on one play. They had about a 60-yard play. They hit a pass to the guy in the slot, we made one guy miss and he took it the distance. We still have to clean up our special teams. We had a punt blocked, and we gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown. That is something we have to emphasize. Our offensive line played better as the game went on. Our coaching staff did a good job of making adjustments.”

Beaver Local is coached by former Edison head coach Mike McKenzie. Collopy coached under McKenzie when he was the head man in charge of the Wildcats.

“He has been gone for awhile,” Collopy said. “It is always special coaching against a guy you used to coach under. We are looking at the game the same way we always do. It is Edison versus Beaver Local and not the coaching staffs playing against each other. We have to prepare for their speed. They are going to be a challenge for us. They have athletes all over the place.”

After losing to Southern Local, 34-21, in Week 1 at home, Edison has ran off three-straight victories beating Tuscarawas Central Catholic (29-25) at home, Catholic Central (42-13) on the road and Mathews at home. 

The Beavers are 2-2 on the season. Beaver Local opened the season with back-to-back losses at home to Indian Valley, 36-27, and 62-35 at Salem. Beaver Local has won its last two games defeating Minerva, 56-7, on the road in Week 3 before blanking East Liverpool, 48-0, this past week. 

“They run a spread offense,” Collopy said. “His offense is his offense. They have got a lot of kids they are able to distribute the ball to. They have a lot of talent. They have a lot of guys who can run the ball. They spread you out and run the ball. They can also throw the ball. They have a good mix. They can do everything. They have a lot of speed. We are going to have to possess the ball against them.”

While the Beavers have scored a lot of points this season, the team has also given up a bunch prior to the victory against East Liverpool.

“They run and odd and an even front,” Collopy said. “They run to the ball. They are aggressive. They have a lot of athletes. They have a lot of guys who can run. They make it tough on your offense. Defensively, they do a lot of different things.”

The Wildcats and the Beavers both have some good size up front on the lines.

“They have a couple of boys who are bigger, but we also have some big boys up front,” Collopy said. “Their speed is the concern. They have a lot of speed. We are going to do our best to try and stop them.”

Edison enters the game with its players dealing with the same bumps and bruises as everyone else at this point in the season.

“We are as healthy as everyone else,” Collopy said. “We have the normal bumps and bruises.”

As the season enters its midpoint, people start looking ahead and paying attention to the computer rankings. The Wildcats, however, are focused solely on the present.

“We have to be present minded,” Collopy said. “We have to be focused on the task at hand. If you worry about the future or look in the past, you are going to lose sight of what is ahead. We are focused on Beaver Local. We just have to make sure we don’t have penalties and turnovers. Those make a big difference. Defensively, we have to make them drive the ball. We can’t give up big plays.”

Edison is currently 11th in the Ohio Division V Region 17 rankings, while Beaver Local is in 14th place in the Division IV Region 13 standings. The top 16 teams make the playoffs.

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