Trending
CARROLLTON -- The battle for Route 43 is set for this week.
The Edison and Carrollton football teams are looking to bounce back this week as the Wildcats are scheduled to take on the Warriors at 7 p.m. Friday night on the road out at Warrior Stadium.
Edison enters the game coming off a heartbreaking 24-21 loss to Coshocton last week on the road.
"I am extremely proud of how hard we played," Edison (0-1) head coach Mike Collopy said. "I thought we played physical. We made some mistakes. I thought we played with emotion. I think we played with too much emotion at times. We have addressed. I think the kids were just excited. They played with emotion, and you have to play with emotion. You have to play together as a team. We had a good meeting today, we had a good lift and we had a good practice. We have moved on. I am looking forward to tomorrow."
Carrollton comes into this week's contest coming off a 19-10 loss to East Liverpool up at Patterson Field.
"What I saw is they are a well-coached football team," Collopy said. "Their kids play extremely hard on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they throw some different fronts at you. They get to the football. They are fundamentally sound.
"Offensively, their running back Levi Kiko is very good. Their quarterback is very good. He's elusive. He's shifty. He has good speed. They have a good receiver in Jaden Murphy. They use him in different ways.
"They are big upfront. They are going to be a challenge. We have a lot to prepare for."
The Warriors ran the ball 30 times for 99 yards against the Potters, while throwing for 110 yards on 17 attempts. The visitors completed eight passes on the night.
"Some of that is following your gameplan, and some it is the flow of the game," Collopy said. "They were down nine late in the game, and they tried to get the ball down the field anyway they could. Their quarterback and tailback are good with the ball in their hands. Their running back, we had a hard time stopping him last year. He had some big plays against us. Their quarterback is a handful. He is tough to bring down. He's good in the open field. They have Murphy as their slot receiver. He's a senior. Their running back is a senior. They have played for a long time.
"They are big upfront. They have size. They are fundamentally sound. They are disciplined. They play hard. They are well coached. They do what they are supposed to do."
Carrollton defeated Edison, 16-14, last season out at the Edison Unified Sports Complex. The boys from Jefferson County know what it is going to take to leave Carroll County with a victory this season.
"We are going to have to take care of the football," Collopy said. "We had way too many penalties. We had a lot of penalties in Week 1, and that is on me. Defensively, we are going to have to stop the run. They have a potent rushing attack. We are going to have to play solid special teams. We are going to have to win the field position. Offensively, we are going to have to convert drives. Defensively, we cannot give up the big play."
The two school districts bumps up against each other.
"I think it is pretty cool," Collopy said. "Our school districts butt up against each other. A lot of the kids know each other, especially the ones from Amsterdam, Bergholz and East Springfield. High school football is about playing local teams. We are in a small area. You have teams from other areas – you have the Olentangys and the Westervilles. I am sure they have rivalries as well, but it is different with small town rivalries. Small town rivalries are special. I think it is great for the communities.
As coaches and players, we have to execute. We have to make sure what we do in practice carries over into the game."