GETTING READY — Head coach Reno Saccoccia and the Big Red football team are getting ready for another big game as they are set to battle defending state champion Bishop Watterson in the Division III Region 11 championship game on Friday night in Newark. - Andrew Grimm

NEWARK — Big Red is preparing for its biggest test yet.

After a thrilling comeback victory at Newark Licking Valley last Friday in the regional semis, Reno Saccoccia’s team is headed back to the same town. This time, to a different field, as Steubenville is set to battle Columbus Bishop Watterson in the Division III, Region 11 championship game at Newark High School’s White Field.

The undefeated, No. 1 ranked Eagles are the defending state champion in Division III. MaxPreps ranks them as the No. 7 team in the state in any division, and they are the AP Poll Champions in Division III this season.

The teams met in the regional final last season, Watterson winning on its way to the title on a rainy night at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium.

The Eagles (11-0) went 16-0 a year ago and have not lost since the state championship game in 2023, a streak of 27 straight wins.

They have reached the regional final via home playoff wins over Granville (56-0) and Tri-Valley (48-6).

“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Saccoccia said. “We had a really good practice (Tuesday) and our players and coaches are excited.”

Big Red is playing in the regional final for a fourth-straight season, having won their region in Division IV in 2022 and 2023 and now have reached the contest back-to-back years since moving up to Division III.

After a first-round bye, they won at home over Delaware Buckeye Valley (51-21). Big Red then went on the road and erased a 14-0 halftime deficit to topple No. 2 seed Licking Valley 17-14 on Cole Bowers’ school record field goal as time expired to set up Friday’s meeting with the Eagles.

Big Red, after starting 0-2, has rattled off nine-straight victories. While they received votes but did not crack the top 10 in the final AP poll, they have jumped up to No. 4 in Division III in the MaxPreps rankings and No. 19 in the state at-large.

“Starting 0-2 and now playing for a regional championship, that shows the kind of kids that we have,” Saccoccia said. “They did not let up and have worked hard to earn their way here. I’m sure they will be prepared mentally and physically for Watterson.”

Last week was just the latest comeback for Big Red. They have shown the ability to overcome deficits multiple times — including erasing two-score deficits in the second half of wins against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and New York Canisius. Against a team like Watterson, though, they’ll look to avoid needing a comeback as it could prove to be difficult.

The Eagles are led by senior quarterback Drew Bellisari, who has thrown for 1,830 yards, completed 63 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He’s also ran for 632 yards and 11 more scores.

Jack McCoy, another senior, is the team’s leading rusher with 868 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns, while junior Carter Bellisari has 46 catches for 843 yards and 11 scores to lead the team’s receiving corps.

The Eagles average 47.5 points per game and allow just an average of 7.3.

“They have very good players and are very well-coached,” Saccoccia said of the Eagles. “They start a lot of juniors on both sides of the ball, so they have a wealth of experience but also young ages. They’re just a really good team.”

Big Red’s offense is led by senior tailback Ca’Juan Bryant, who has passed the 1,000 yard mark for the season after missing a couple of games and is the East District offensive player of the year. He was instrumental in the win over Licking Valley, breaking a 63-yard game-tying touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finishing with 184 yards in the game, 130 in the second half as Big Red stormed back.

The Big Red defense has come up big all season. It did so again last week pitching a second-half shutout to set up the comeback, forcing key three-and-outs and getting a couple of big turnovers that swung the momentum.

Big Red scores an average of 33.5 points and allows 22.3. On the nine-game win streak, those averages are 40.2 points for and 19.8 against.

The opening kick Friday night at White Field is set for 7 p.m.