YORKVILLE — Buckeye Local may have fallen to River in a close 21-12 contest last week, but head coach Chris Kiedaisch was pleased with the effort.

He likes the fight he’s seeing out of this season’s Panthers and he can see a change in the attitude of the team as a collective.

He’s noticed it during the first two weeks and he noticed it again in the post-practice huddle Thursday night.

“You can see how much they want it,” Kiedaisch noted as his team prepares for Friday’s home contest against Shadyside, a team the Panthers bested in 2024, giving Kiedaisch his first victory as a head coach.

Against River, Daniel Divjack and Xzavier Eastham led an effective Buckeye ground game with 72 and 62 yards, respectively, with Divjack averaging 10.3 yards per carry and Eastham 4.5. It was Eastham who scored one of the team’s two touchdowns on a run. The other came via a Grant Dombroski to Izaiah Huntley connection.

The Panthers didn’t pass for a ton of yards–Dombroski was 6 of 23 for 53 yards with one pick and a TD–but it was enough to keep the Pilots defense honest and allow Buckeye to rush for 191 yards.

Save for a late pick six, the score was a lot closer than the final nine-point margin.

Now Kiedaisch and company must face a Tigers (1-1) team coming off a strong showing in a 36-22 win on the road at Southern Local. This came a week after Shadyside was humbled at home by East Palestine, 40-7.

The Tigers sported a young, inexperienced team in 2024 when the two teams met. Shadyside is still young at a lot of spots, but those players have a full year of experience under their belts.

Junior quarterback Jayden Johnson now has 12 games of experience under his belt and has improved greatly. Johnson passed for two touchdowns and ran in another against the Indians as part of a 22-point fourth quarter comeback.

Running back Ace Nelson, who logged 110 yards and two touchdowns, is also an area of concern for the Panthers’ defensive staff.

“(Johnson) is more experienced and has definitely gotten better and (Nelson) is a heck of a runner.”

One area where Buckeye should own an advantage is up front. Shadyside’s line is solid, but still young, while the Panthers sport a talented and experienced offensive line littered with upperclassmen.

Expect a heavy dose of the Buckeye ground game.

“We will always rely on our line, both offensive and defensive,” Kiedaisch said. “They are our strength and why we’ve been successful.”

Last year’s game featured multiple lightning delays and rain, which caused the Panthers to switch to their goal line, wishbone package, which greatly aided in the eventual victory.