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CONNORVILLE -- The Hayden Daley era begins Friday night under the lights at Nelson Field.
There Buckeye Local will face a talented Bellaire team coming off a injury-riddled 3-7 season as the Big Reds look for their first winning record since 2022.
And the Red and Black is in prime position to do it.
Speed, talent and experience are plentiful in the All-American town in 2026, none moreso than senior Raekwon Pettigrew, a 6-2, 190-pound combination of size and speed that terrorized opposing defenses in 2025 before an injury cut short his season.
In four games, Pettigrew snagged 20 passes for 517 yards and eight touchdowns, including a monster 261-yard, four-touchdown outing. For those doing the math, that's 129.3 yards per game with a 25.9 yards per catch average.
And he's far from alone.
Throwing Pettigrew, and a host of other talented receivers passes will be senior and three-year starter Michael Dippel.
Dippel passed for 2,136 yards and 20 TDs against 12 picks as a junior, averaging more than 200 per outing.
He's joined in the backfield by leading returning rusher Rylin McMahon (538 yards and eight TDs) and senior Trevor Dowry at fullback (6-2, 195). Dowry, who came up playing the position moved to offensive line in recent years but returns to his home spot opening holes and fighting for tough yardage.
Daley knows the challenge awaiting his players come Friday.
"They are definitely explosive on offense," Daley admitted. "They have a lot of different skill guys they can get the ball to that will make stuff happen, plus a good amount of speed.
"(Dippel) can make every throw on the field, plus they have two Pettigrews, who are dynamic with the ball in their hands."
The younger Pettigrew, 5-11, 170-pound sophomore Ray-Shawn, saw sparing utilization offensively as a freshman last season but look for his role to increase to match his already proven defensive production.
Buckeye does return to talent and experience on both sides of the ball. It was tested vigorously in the team's first scrimmage against Fort Frye.
It was an eye opener, but a tri-scrimmage against both Magnolia and Belpre the following week yielded much better results, especially for the defense.
"We struggled a bit against a big Fort Frye team and their Wing-T," Daley admitted. "But we came out healthy. We moved the ball well at times but struggled stopping their offense.
“But our second scrimmage, our defense improved a ton during the week and we kept both teams out of the end zone."
Daley noted the defense came out seeking redemption and from the opening whistle, had guys flying around and making plays.
Given the program's penchant for slow starts to games in recent years, that was encouraging to see.
"It was a pleasant surprise, to be able to see that adjustment from the first scrimmage to the second. There was a lot of improvement."
They will need that attitude come Friday against Bellaire's high-powered offense.
Daley is trying to teach a "one-11th" approach for his defenders. Do your job as one of 11 and count on the other guys to do their share. So far, it's worked.
The key will be if Buckeye's solid offensive and defensive lines can control the line of scrimmage, opening up lanes on offense and getting into Bellaire's backfield and causing havoc.
"We think we match up with them up front, and that's a matchup we have to win," Daley said. "We have to control the line of scrimmage so we can run and control the ball, take care of it and not have any bad turnovers."