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BOWERSTON -- Toronto begins a critical three-game stretch Friday in Bowerston.
Currently No. 8 in a loaded Division VII, Region 25, the Red Knights next three opponents are a combined 11-4. First up is the Conotton Valley Rockets and their 4-3 record.
While the Rockets appear the least challenging of the three tough games -- at least in terms of record -- Toronto head coach Josh Franke is expecting a tough matchup come Friday's kickoff.
"They have good athletes and a nice little tailback and a receiver who catches well in traffic," Franke said. "They have three kids over 300 pounds, which is impressive considering the size (18 players) of their roster.
"They are definitely a team we cannot afford to overlook. They have the ability to sneak up on you if you don't take them seriously."
The Rockets rebounded nicely following a humbling 51-8 defeat to Caldwell in Week 6. They returned home to host winless Frontier and dispatched the Cougars 33-8.
That tailback Franke referred to is senior Noah Smith, who averages 106.2 yards per game with five TDs. The Rockets are also more than capable of attacking from the air with junior QB Zach Putnam. While not much of a threat to run, Putnam works from the pocket, throwing for 1,126 yards and 14 TDs against eight picks.
He looks for receivers Brooks Bower and Kamden Wright with equal fervor. Brower has 32 catches for 579 yards and seven TDs while Wright is right behind at 30 receptions for 417 yards and six scores.
Toronto's played in some big games already against the likes of Weir and Edison and is coming off a big win against Division IV Buckeye Local.
Having grappled with larger schools during the early part of the season, it's time to see how that schedule has prepared the Red Knights for the home stretch.
"This is how our schedule is built," Franke said. "We like to test ourselves and we started early. We're finally through that stretch of playing bigger schools. All three of these schools (remaining) have winning records, but they are similar (to us) in size.
"This is a chance to test ourselves to see if we prepared enough to face some quality opponents that are our size."
Toronto employs one of the more dynamic offenses the Rockets will face this season.
Quarterback Russ Dickinson, since taking over for Zeb Kinsey in the Weir game following Kinsey's season-ending injury, has thrown for 1,046 yards and eight TDs, completing nearly 66 percent of his passes.
Dickinson can run, but seldom is called upon to do so, primarily out of safety precaution of running your back-up QB. The rushing department is handled by the speedy Dominic Bouscher. Bouscher averages 70 yards per game but nearly 10 yards per carry.
Bouscher also leads the team in receptions with 21 for 424 while Mason Marchbank (20 for 442) has the most receiving touchdowns with six.
After Conotton Valley, the Knights will face the aforementioned Redskins of Caldwell followed by the regular-season finale showdown against rival Catholic Central (7-0). The Crusaders, who face Bridgeport this week, will face the Rockets the week after Toronto.