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(Statistical Information Courtesy of NWPASports.com archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News; Coach interviews courtesy PIC SportsLine on 790 WPIC/Sports Radio 96.7)

WEEK THIRTEEN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

The 13th weekend of high school football in Pennsylvania features a pair of all-Mercer County area matchups in District 10 title games. Friday night, archrivals Sharon and Hickory will clash for the Class 3A district title. Saturday night, Wilmington and Greenville square off for the Class 1A championship.

The PIAA playoffs also begin this weekend in Class 2A as Farrell hosts District 9 champion Central Clarion (11-0). Farrell earned its berth in the state playoffs with a 28-18 win last week over Sharpsville in the District 10 Class 2A title tilt.

FRIDAY NIGHT

CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP

No. 2 Hickory vs. No. 1 Sharon, 7:00 p.m., Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, Slippery Rock University

Series History: Sharon, 43-17-1
Last Hickory Win: November 17, 2023 (14-6, District 10 Class 3A championship at Farrell)
Last Sharon Win: September 13, 2023 (20-14 at Hickory)
First Meeting: September 25, 1959 (Sharon won 45-28)
All-Time District 10 Playoff Record: Hickory 37-9, Sharon 51-18

For the third time in four seasons, Shenango Valley archrivals Sharon and Hickory will meet in the District 10 playoffs. The Sharon Tigers hope that the proverbial third time is indeed, the charm.

Three years ago, Sharon defeated Hickory in the regular season, 14-7, but then dropped a 36-20 verdict to Hickory in the District 10 Class 3A quarterfinals. Last season, Sharon blanked Hickory in the regular season, 12-0, but Hickory picked up a 14-6 win over the Tigers in the District 10 title game.

This year, Sharon earned a 20-14 win in Week Four at Hickory, setting Sharon on its way to the Region 4 title and the top seed in the District 10 playoffs. Hickory has won seven straight games since that home setback while Sharon enters the title game on a 10-game winning streak.

That's Sharon's longest win streak since the 2015 team won 10 straight games before falling to Hickory in the D-10 title game, 32-19. Interestingly, Sharon also defeated Hickory in the regular season that year, 35-34.

While there are a number of historical parallels or coincidences between the programs in recent yore, the 2024 Sharon and Hickory teams boast countless similarities on both sides of the ball. Sharon junior quarterback Ethan Engelmore has thrown for a county-high 1,524 yards while Hickory senior quarterback Zander Telesz leads the area with 21 touchdown passes and a 65.9 percent completion rate.

Friday night's game will also feature two of the area's most prolific running backs. Sharon senior tailback Ike Friday ranks second in the area with 1,533 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Hickory sophomore Kelvin Morrison ranks fourth with 1,213 yards. His 10.4 yards-per-carry average ranks third, one spot behind junior speedster Jamal Calhoun. Calhoun averages 10.5 yards per carry while chewing up 484 yards.

Hickory leads Mercer County in scoring offense, averaging 45.1 points per game while Sharon ranks first in scoring defense (10.5). The teams also respectively rank first and second locally in total offense. Hickory averages 390.1 yards per game while Sharon averages 362.9 total yards.

The Sharon defense is second in the area, allowing only 4.2 yards per play and 188.9 yards per game. Hickory allows a county-best 4.0 yards per play. Sharon's 19 takeaways are No. 2 in the area while Hickory has a county-low five turnovers on offense.

"You could feel the weight of this one as soon as that one ended (last) Friday night," Sharon head coach Jason McElhaney said. "There's just this heightened level of everything. Not just that it's a District 10 championships game, but who the opponent is. It carries so much weight.

"This is what it's about. You couldn't ask for anything more than this, to have this matchup on this stage."

Hickory head coach Bill Dungee, who previously coached with McElhaney as a fellow Sharon assistant coach, shared similar sentiments. "It's exciting. It's great for the community and great for Mercer County. Two archrivals get to go at it again to crown a district champion. It's very exciting."

Both teams showcased their plentiful strengths in semifinal victories last week. Friday ran for 203 of Sharon's 310 rushing yards in a 40-7 triumph over Titusville. Engelmore completed 5 of 8 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Jazya Hueston recorded a sack while Brodie Miller and Cyliem Smith shared a sack on a third quarter safety.

Sharon outgained Titusville, 434-208. The Tigers led 31-0 at halftime.

Hickory bolted to a 28-0 halftime lead against Corry on the way to a 42-7 semifinal win at Meadville. Morrison ran for 157 yards and a touchdown while Telesz chipped in 73 rushing yards and two scores. He also completed 10 of 14 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Jadon Phillips caught seven passes for 120 yards and a pair of scores. Phillips, who also intercepted two passes at cornerback, has a team-leading 42 catches for 724 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Linebacker Trevor Borowicz recorded a sack while nose tackle Luke Lewis and end Ben Walls split a sack. Hickory outgained Corry, 430-208.

Sharon scored twice on special teams in its September 13 win at Hickory. Miller recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter. Kare'mez Norris opened the second half by returning a kickoff 83 yards to paydirt. Norris also caught a 67-yard touchdown strike from Engelmore to open the scoring.

Hickory held Sharon to 10 first downs and 192 total offensive yards. Friday had 74 yards on 21 carries. Dungee feels that his team will need a similar defensive outing Friday night. "On defense, the biggest thing is matching their physicality. They're obviously very physical and they have a very physical running back in Ike Friday. So that's Number One."

Hickory has allowed only 318 yards and 17 first downs over the last three games. Opponents are 7 of 32 on third down in those three games. For the season, Hickory opponents are 25 of 103 (24 percent) on third down.

"Our defensive staff does a phenomenal job of getting those guys prepared," Dungee said. "When you get a lot of hats to the football, you prevent big plays. Each week, to an extent, we've come out and done that."

McElhaney feels that his team's offense has evolved since the Week Four win in Hermitage. "We are very different than who we were then. We have a little more of an identity and understanding of what our team does well. All that being said, (we) are facing the defense that gives up the lowest yards per play of anybody in our area."

Sharon's defense held its last six opponents to a combined 3.7 yards per play. Hickory's 320 yards in Week Four marks the highest yardage total allowed this year by the Sharon defense, however.

"They do a lot of things well," McElhaney said. "They present you with formation variants. In terms of defending them, you have to get lined up. That's Number One. Coach (Dungee) does a really nice job of formationing you, motioning you (and) shifting you to create the matchups he wants to create.

"And then it's tackling," McElhaney continued. "When you have dynamic, big-play players, you have to make the tackles when you have the opportunities to make the tackles. That is paramount to any success we can have."

This will be the ninth meeting between the teams in the last five seasons. "They know our personnel. We know their personnel. We're not going to be able to surprise them with anything," Dungee said.

Telesz scored on a one-yard run with 2:02 left in the first half to give Hickory a 7-6 lead in last year's district title game. Phillips helped seal the win by returning an interception 30 yards for a touchdown with 8:29 left.

The teams combined for only 19 first downs and 295 total yards. Sharon had a 10-9 edge in first downs and a 165-130 yardage advantage.

Sharon's last 11-game win streak came 24 years ago, when the Tigers advanced to the Class AA state semifinals. Hickory is 15-1 in its last 16 road or neutral site games. Sharon has won four straight District 10 playoff games at Slippery Rock University. Hickory has won nine straight D-10 playoff games at Slippery Rock University.

This is the first Sharon-Hickory playoff game at The Rock. The teams played four times at Wilmington before meeting at Farrell in the 2023 postseason.

The Sharon-Hickory victor will play Penn Cambria or Somerset in the state quarterfinals next week. The Penn Cambria-Somerset PIAA first round game will be Friday night at Forest Hills High School in Sidman.

PIAA CLASS 2A FIRST ROUND

Central Clarion at Farrell, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: First Meeting (Farrell 1-0 against Clarion)
First Meeting: December 4, 2009 (Farrell defeated Clarion, 14-7, in PIAA Class A quarterfinals at Slippery Rock University)
All-Time PIAA Playoff Record: Central Clarion 0-2 (Clarion 2-4, Clarion-Limestone 2-2 all-time), Farrell 24-10

For the eighth time in nine seasons, the Farrell Steelers (7-5) will compete in state playoff action as the District 10 champions will host undefeated District 9 kingpin Central Clarion (11-0) in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs Friday night.

It's a short week for Farrell, which defeated Sharpsville for the District 10 Class 2A title last Saturday night, 28-18. Meanwhile, Central Clarion has not played since its 37-20 win over Karns City in the District 9 title game November 1. The Wildcats did not play last week as District 8 did not have a Class 2A entry in the PIAA subregional.

Farrell features Mercer County's top-ranked pass defense and overall defense as the Steelers have allowed only three touchdown passes and 447 total passing yards in 11 games. Opposing quarterbacks have completed only 49.4 percent of their attempts against the Steelers.

Overall, Farrell allows a county-low 185.5 yards per game. However, Farrell will face perhaps its stiffest test of the season Friday night when the Steelers look to slow down Central Clarion's high-powered offensive attack. The Wildcats average 49 points and 480 yards per game.

Record-setting senior quarterback Jase Ferguson pilots Central Clarion's one-back spread offense. He has thrown for 2,758 yards and 44 touchdowns this year while completing 71 percent of his passes. Ferguson also leads Central Clarion with 987 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. For his career, Ferguson has thrown for 9,803 yards and 141 touchdowns. A four-year starter, Ferguson has rushed for 2,400 yards and 32 scores, giving him 12,203 yards (6.93 miles) of total offense.

Sophomore wide receiver Ethan Rex leads Central Clarion with 61 catches for 684 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has 215 rushing yards. Junior Mason Burford has a team-best 869 yards on 36 catches. Burford, who has 15 touchdown catches, is the defending District 9 champion in the 110-meter hurdles.

The Central Clarion defense has five shutouts and 23 takeaways this season but will be without standout linebacker Braylon Beckwith due to injury. Beckwith owns a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss, along with 85 total stops. Junior linebacker Charlie Hepfl leads the Wildcats with 93 tackles. Ferguson has intercepted six passes.

Central Clarion kicker Thomas Uckert will also miss the game due to injury. He is 54 of 54 on extra points and has a pair of field goals, including a 40-yarder.

Farrell also owns plenty of offensive firepower as the Steelers feature Mercer County's leading rusher and the quarterback who has completed more attempts than has any other area passer. Junior running back Juelz Johnson has rushed for 1,565 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. He also leads the county with 154 total points, 25 touchdowns and 1,838 yards from scrimmage.

Johnson now has 2,762 career rushing yards and 3,166 scrimmage yards in his three seasons. He ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns against Sharpsville.

Sophomore quarterback Aaron Pegues has thrown for 1,516 yards and 16 touchdowns this fall. His 111 completions and 182 attempts are both tops in the 12-team area. Junior wide receiver Nemo Jones leads Farrell with 41 receptions and 502 receiving yards. Senior Julius Phillips has taken 8 of his 19 catches to the end zone. He averages 24.1 yards per catch.

Sophomore linebacker Omario Boatwright leads Farrell with 149 tackles and 15 tackles for loss from his middle linebacker post. Junior linebacker Rashaud Dunbar has a Farrell-best six sacks.

Losses to Hickory (35-31), Fort LeBoeuf (29-28) and Youngstown Ursuline (27-0) put Farrell in an 0-3 hole in early September. Since then, the Steelers have won seven of nine games. The lone setbacks came against District 10 Class 3A finalist Sharon (14-7) and at 5A power Cathedral Prep (7-0).

Central Clarion opened the season with a 66-14 win over DuBois, which defeated Cathedral Prep in a PIAA Class 5A subregional. The Wildcats closed the regular season with a 49-14 win at Class 6A Butler in Week 10.

Central Clarion went 7-0 in District 9 Region 1, owning league wins over Bradford, Brookville, DuBois, Karns City, Moniteau, Punxsutawney and Saint Marys. This is the sixth season of Central Clarion football. Central Clarion is a co-op between former archrivals Clarion and Clarion-Limestone. North Clarion High School, which previously co-opted with Clarion, is also part of the agreement.

Farrell is 5-0 all-time in the PIAA First Round (Round of 16). The Steelers are also 11-0 against District 9 opponents in the state playoffs. This is Farrell's first game against a D-9 foe since November 26, 2021, when the Steelers won 30-12 at snowy Karns City in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals.

This is the first time that a District 9 team has visited Farrell since September 20, 2013, when Redbank Valley came to the Shenango Valley. Farrell won that night, 40-22.

Clarion went 3-8 against Mercer County opponents. Clarion-Limestone went 2-0 against Mercer County teams, defeating West Middlesex in the 2002 and 2003 PIAA Class A playoffs. Central Clarion's lone game against a Mercer County area team came August 27, 2021, when the Wildcats fell at Slippery Rock in the season opener, 38-7. Those teams played due to their opponents canceling because of COVID-19 concerns.

The winner advances to next week's state quarterfinals against the District 6 champion, either Cambria Heights or Richland. The District 6 title game is Friday night at Mansion Park in Altoona.

SATURDAY NIGHT

CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP

No. 2 Greenville vs. No. 1 Wilmington, 7:00 p.m., Hickory High School, Hermitage

Series History: Wilmington, 26-5
Last Greenville Win: October 25, 2013 (41-21)
Last Wilmington Win: August 23, 2024 (28-7)
First Meeting: October 16, 1998 (Greenville won 14-0)
All-Time District 10 Playoff Record: Greenville 25-27, Wilmington 43-12

Wilmington hosted Greenville in Week One nearly three months ago. Now, Saturday night, the teams meet again to determine who is Number One in District 10 Class 1A. Greenville makes its first title game appearance in five seasons while Wilmington returns to the championship round for the first time since 2021.

The respective teams advanced to the championship game by defeating region rivals in the semifinals. Wilmington forced a season-high four turnovers in its 49-14 victory over Region 1 brethren Reynolds. Greenville, meanwhile, stopped a two-point conversion with three minutes left to pull out a 27-26 semifinal win over Region 2 foe Cambridge Springs in the other semifinal.

Forcing turnovers has been Greenville's forte in 2024 as the Trojans have a county-best 34 takeaways this season. But Wilmington, which had only four caused turnovers in the regular season, had four interceptions in the semifinals. Junior cornerback Freddie Zehetner intercepted two passes while freshmen Cam Kettering and Rowan Miller also had interceptions.

Zehetner also caught a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Wesley Vass-Gal and ran for 49 yards on an reverse. Overall, Wilmington ran for 348 yards, marking the fourth straight game in which the Greyhounds have rushed for 300 or more yards.

Not surprisingly, Wilmington leads the county in rushing offense, averaging 272.2 yards per game. Sophomore halfback Chase Mitcheltree leads Wilmington with 728 yards while junior fullback Jamie Miller has added 690 yards on the ground. Halfbacks Michael Mistretta (415 yards) and Cael Kettering (385) have also been featured ballcarriers in Wilmington's Wing-T attack.

Wilmington also leads Mercer County in rushing defense, allowing only 3.0 yards per carry and 88.7 yards per game. Wilmington's pass rush also stepped to the forefront against Reynolds by recording four sacks. Junior end Maverick Whiting had two sacks while junior defensive tackle Collin Rolli had one sack. Junior middle linebacker Danny Leonard and Cam Kettering shared a sack.

"Wilmington is an excellent football team," Greenville head coach Mike Menold said. "They have great coaches, great kids and great tradition. The things they do, they do very well. But there are some wrinkles in there from the first time we played them. We know that's going to be a challenge."

"I think when you look at our team, the thing that our coaching staff is most proud of is that we have grown so much as a team," Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian said. "I think that is a testament, first and foremost, to our players. They've remained humble and they've remained hungry to get better each and every week. I'm very proud of the growth, but we need to grow again this week. This will be our biggest challenge of the season."

The Greyhounds will be tasked with slowing down one of the area's most balanced offensive attacks as Greenville ranks third in the 12-team area in rushing offense, pass efficiency, scoring offense and total offense. Senior quarterback-halfback Nick Solderich threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns in the semifinal win over Spa while also rushing for 61 yards. All three touchdown passes went to sophomore wide receiver Justin Schell, who caught six passes for 159 yards.

Junior halfback Rudy Gentile ran for a team-leading 67 yards and went over the 1,000-yard plateau for the season. Gentile now has 1,020 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Solderich needs 43 yards rushing to join Gentile in the 1,000-yard club.

Schell leads the county with 13 touchdown catches and a 22.3 yards-per-catch average. He also has a county-best 11 interceptions.

Overall, Greenville averages 8.4 yards per play, the No. 2 mark in the area. Greenville averages 229.7 rushing yards per game, third-best in the 12-team area.

"Coach Menold and his staff have done a tremendous job," Phillian said. We have such respect for the way they play the game. They're physical on the line of scrimmage and they pursue to the football very well. When they get there, they're sure tacklers. We know that we're going to be in for a physical and aggressive football game.

"Greenville has improved drastically throughout the season. It's very clear to see the leaps and bounds that they have made. This is a very, very good opponent that we will face."

The Trojans managed only eight rushing yards August 23 against Wilmington in the Greyhounds' season-opening 28-7 triumph. Meanwhile, Wilmington ran for 249 yards as a team as Mitcheltree racked up 157 yards. Jamie Miller ran for two scores and also scored on a 37-yard punt return.

Solderich completed 14 of 21 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Schell had six catches for 59 yards and a touchdown while Keith Covert collected five receptions. Mistretta intercepted a pass as each team had one takeaway.

"We're really excited to have the opportunity to play them again," Menold said. "There's been a lot of growth. The kids have come together as a team. It's very much a team concept. They're selfless, they cheer for each other and are happy for each other. We're excited to see what happens."

Greenville's 11-game win streak is its longest since 2013, when the Trojans won their first 11 games before falling to Girard in the District 10 Class AA semifinals, 16-14. Greenville's last 12-game win streak came in 1996, when the Trojans reached the state semifinals and finished 13-1.

Wilmington has won 13 straight overall games against Greenville. The Greyhounds are 7-0 against Greenville in the postseason, including D-10 title wins in 2000, 2001, 2017 and 2019.

Wilmington is 9-3 all-time in the playoffs against teams that it previously defeated in the regular season. Greenville is 1-6 in the postseason against teams that the Trojans lost to during the regular season. The lone win came in 2017, when Greenville downed Sharpsville, 28-14, in the District 10 Class 2A semifinals. Greenville then fell to Wilmington in the 2017 title game, 31-13.

Greenville is 4-8 all-time in District 10 title games. Wilmington has won 15 of 19 District 10 title game appearances. The Greyhounds also went 2-0 in District 7 championship games, winning in both 1987 and 1988.

The Greenville-Wilmington winner will play the District 9 champion in the state quarterfinals next week. Port Allegany faces Redbank Valley at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bradford.