NWPASports.com

(Statistical Information Courtesy of NWPASports.com archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News)

WEEK EIGHT FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

All 12 local teams will play region games this weekend as the 2024 regular season enters the final furlongs. Four all-local matchups highlight this week's eight-game schedule, with games being played Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

First place in Regions 1 and 2 is at stake this week. In Region 1, Farrell hosts Sharpsville in a battle of teams with 3-0 league records. The winner will have at least a share of the conference title and the probable top seed in the District 10 Class 2A playoffs. Meanwhile, Greenville (3-0 Region 2) visits Saegertown (2-1 Region 2) in league action. Greenville clinches no less than a share of the title with a win and would have the outright title if Cambridge Springs loses to Maplewood.

Sharon clinches a share of the Region 4 title with a win at Conneaut.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Lakeview at Cochranton, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Lakeview, 23-12-1
Last Cochranton Win: September 9, 2005 (14-0 at Lakeview)
Last Lakeview Win: September 28, 2023 (20-12)
First Meeting: October 20, 1979 (Lakeview won 12-0)

Lakeview plays its sixth road game in eight weeks Thursday night when the Sailors make the 14-mile jaunt up State Route 173 to face longtime rival Cochranton in Region 2 action. Both teams aim to end losing streaks that have dented their respective playoff hopes. Lakeview's 36-0 loss at Greenville lowered the Sailors' record to 3-4 after a 3-1 start. Cochranton, meanwhile, dropped its fourth straight game as Cambridge Springs downed the Cardinals, 54-0, in Region 2 action.

Lakeview committed a season-high three turnovers at Greenville. Lakeview finished with 140 total yards, 200 yards below the Sailors' season average.

Still, Lakeview leads the county in passing offense, averaging 130.9 yards per game. Senior quarterback Leyton Zacherl leads the area with 1,182 total offensive yards and 887 passing yards. Senior wide receiver Blake Skiles caught four passes last week to retake the area lead in receptions. He has 33 catches for a county-best 547 receiving yards.

Skiles also leads the area in yards per carry, 10.8. He has 412 rushing yards, the No. 10 mark locally. His 959 scrimmage yards are second-best in the area.

Cochranton (2-4, 0-3) has been shut out in each of the last three weeks. Eisenhower defeated the Redbirds in Week Six, 27-0, after Greenville picked up a 62-0 victory the previous week.

This is the second straight season in which the teams have met on a Thursday night. Lakeview pulled out a 20-12 win September 28, 2023 over visiting Cochranton. Skiles returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown to give Lakeview the lead for good in the first quarter. He also had an interception.

Zacherl threw for 68 yards and two touchdowns while Brayden Booher ran for a Lakeview-high 63 yards on 17 carries. Cochranton held Lakeview to 65 rushing yards on 29 attempts.

The Sailors have won nine straight meetings with Cochranton, including four straight wins at Cochranton. Lakeview went undefeated in its first 10 all-time meetings with Cochranton, with the only blemish being a 0-0 tie in the 1984 finale. Cochranton's first win over Lakeview came October 14, 1989, when the Cardinals won 16-6 at home. The series began in 1979, the final season of the Crawford County League. The schools then met annually as members of the French Creek Valley Conference from 1980 to 2003. 

Lakeview is 10-6 all-time at Cochranton. The Sailors have never lost at Cochranton in a night game. Lakeview fell at Cochranton in 2003, 7-0, in a Saturday matinee. Cochranton did not add lights to its home field until 2005.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Sharpsville at Farrell, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Farrell, 26-18-4
Last Farrell Win: October 6, 2023 (62-6)
Last Sharpsville Win: October 23, 2015 (26-8 at Farrell)
First Meeting: c. October 15, 1921 (Farrell won 20-12)

Farrell looks to continue its second-half surge in 2024 when the Steelers host streaking Sharpsville at Pegues Sports Complex. Three straight league wins have placed Farrell (3-4, 3-0) in a tie for first in Region 1 with Sharpsville (6-1, 3-0), which carries a five-game win streak into Friday night's clash.

Mercer County's two most accurate passers, in terms of completion percentage, will guiding the respective offenses Friday night. Sharpsville senior Aiden Cadman leads Mercer County with a 64.6 percent completion rate while Farrell sophomore Aaron Pegues has connected on 63.1 percent of his attempts. Pegues also leads the area with 65 pass completions and averages a county-best 128.8 passing yards per game.

Cadman, meanwhile, averages an area-best 13.2 yards per pass attempt. He averages 20.5 yards per pass completion.

While both teams feature efficient passing games, strong rushing attacks complement those aerial attacks. Farrell junior running back Juelz Johnson leads Mercer County with 1,021 scrimmage yards. He has rushed for 794 yards and 12 touchdowns in five games. He leads the county in rushing yards per game (158.8). Johnson also has 18 catches for 227 yards and two scores.

Sharpsville also boasts a dual-threat running back in senior halfback Jaiden White. White leads Sharpsville with 682 rushing yards this year. He also has 10 catches for 164 yards and three touchdowns. White caught 33 passes last year for Sharpsville.

Freshman fullback Geno Currie leads Sharpsville with 11 rushing touchdowns. He has added 498 rushing yards in his rookie season.

Sharpsville added a wrinkle to its Delaware Wing-T offense last week in its 35-6 win over Mercer at West Middlesex. The Blue Devils moved wingback Haidyn McFeaters into the backfield, giving the team a "T" formation look. The 225-pound bruiser ran for 45 yards on four carries.

White led Sharpsville with 155 yards rushing while Currie added 99 yards and two scores. Cadman completed 5 of 6 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Currie caught a 34-yard touchdown pass while senior Aiden Puskar grabbed three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Puskar averages 24.5 yards per catch this year. He has 11 catches for 269 yards.

Farrell received a forfeit last week from Kennedy Catholic. The Steelers forced four Wilmington turnovers two weeks ago in a 38-0 home victory. Dorean Cain's 55-yard interception return for a touchdown closed the game scoring. Johnson intercepted two passes and Julius Phillips picked off a pass.

Johnson ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, giving him 309 scrimmage yards for the game. He also threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Zameer Thomas. Pegues completed 10 of 13 attempts for 122 yards.

Farrell has held its last three opponents to 3.2 yards per carry. Sharpsville is the fourth different team Farrell has faced that uses a variation of the Wing-T. The Steelers have also played Wilmington and Mercer. In Week Two, Farrell visited Fort LeBoeuf, which used more of a hybrid shotgun/wing-T offense compared to previous years.  

Farrell has won six straight games against Sharpsville. This will be Sharpsville's fourth straight game away from McCracken Field. In addition to road games at Slippery Rock and Lakeview, Sharpsville "hosted" Mercer at West Middlesex last week, as part of the Sharpsville-West Middlesex co-operative agreement.

It's the fourth time since 1959 that Sharpsville will play four straight regular season games away from home in the same season. The Blue Devils also had that situation in 1959, 1961 and 2021. Sharpsville also played four or more consecutive games away from home in 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1943.

Farrell rolled to a 62-6 win over Sharpsville in Week Seven last year. Johnson ran for 117 yards and a touchdown. Farrell limited Sharpsville to 135 total yards and a 2-for-12 performance on third down. Cain caught a touchdown pass from Pegues in the fourth quarter.

Sharpsville is 7-11-1 all-time against the Steelers at Farrell. The lone tie came October 4, 1941, when the teams battled to a 0-0 deadlock. The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph reported a crowd of 12,000 people witnessed the tie, played in a cold and steady rain. Interestingly, the 1942 Farrell High School "Reflector" yearbook noted a "capacity" crowd of 3,000 for Farrell's home game the following week with Youngstown Chaney. The (Youngstown) Vindicator noted in its October 5, 1941 edition that "A small crowd was on hand for the battle between the rivals, who have been clashing since 1921."

The game will be broadcast on News/Talk 790 WPIC.  

Grove City at Hickory, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Hickory, 44-31-3
Last Grove City Win: October 15, 2021 (20-7)
Last Hickory Win: November 10, 2023 (38-7, District 10 Class 3A semifinal at Farrell)
First Meeting: October 31, 1947 (Hickory won 34-24 at Grove City)

It might not garner the immediate attention of Sharon-Farrell, Greenville-Reynolds, Hickory-Sharon or Grove City-Slippery Rock, but one of Mercer County's oldest, fiercest and most competitive all-sports rivalries will be renewed Friday night in Hermitage as Hickory hosts longtime nemesis Grove City in Region 4 play.

It's the 79th meeting between the programs in a 77-season span. There have been only four seasons (2010-11 and 2016-17) that the two Mercer County rivals have not met. Friday night's meeting has playoff implications for both teams. A victory would also keep Hickory mathematically alive for a share of the region title.

Hickory concluded an unbeaten three-game road trip last Friday night by rolling past Titusville, 56-21. Hickory averaged 18.0 yards per play and scored on its first seven possessions. Hickory executed only 20 offensive plays, thanks in part to three touchdowns of 38 or more yards, along with two touchdown drives that started inside the Titusville 20.

Sophomore halfback Kelvin Morrison ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He also returned a kickoff 75 yards for touchdown. Senior quarterback Zander Telesz ran for an 88-yard touchdown in the first quarter. He finished with a team-leading 114 rushing yards. Junior Jamal Calhoun added 67 yards on four carries, highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown sprint in the fourth quarter.

Hickory leads Mercer County in rushing offense by averaging 229.0 yards per game and 8.1 yards per carry. The Hornets average an area-high 8.7 yards per offensive play. Hickory also has committed a county-low four turnovers.

Turnovers have plagued Grove City this season as the Eagles have turned over the ball 13 times in 2024. The Eagles absorbed their first shutout defeat in 10 years last week as Sharon blanked host Grove City at Forker Field, 35-0. That broke a 115-game streak of not being shut out. It's just the second time in 17 years that Grove City had been blanked.

Grove City is 3-0 this year when out-rushing its opponent. Junior running back Jaxyn Wilson leads the Eagles with 661 rushing yards while versatile junior Jonah Stucchio has 249 yards and a team-best 5.9 yards-per-carry average. Senior wide receiver Nathan Greer paces Grove City with 30 receptions, which ranks No. 2 in the area. His three interceptions also lead Grove City.

The Eagles have been outscored 52-3 in the first quarter this season. Grove City is the only local team with a full schedule to not have a first-quarter touchdown this year. (Kennedy has not scored in the first quarter of its four games). Hickory's 98 points in the first 12 minutes are tops among the area's 12 teams.

Hickory swept Grove City last year, including a 38-7 win over the Eagles in the District 10 Class 3A semifinals at Farrell. Telesz's 98-yard interception return in the fourth quarter sealed the win. He also threw for 151 yards and a touchdown. Morrison ran for two touchdowns and Telesz scored on a 15-yard scamper. Greer caught five passes for Grove City.

Hickory downed Grove City in the regular season meeting, 29-15, at Hornet Stadium. Hickory outscored Grove City 22-0 over the final 20 minutes of the game after Greer's 95-yard kickoff return gave the Eagles a 15-7 lead. Telesz gave Hickory a 21-15 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter by scoring on a 39-yard run.

Hickory is 25-13-2 all-time at home against Grove City. The Hornets have won seven straight home games against Grove City. Grove City's last win at Hickory came September 29, 2006, when the Eagles earned a 24-12 win in Hermitage.

Grove City and Hickory met in the season finale every season from 1950 to 1970. Grove City's 1961 team capped a 9-0 season by defeating visiting Hickory, 19-13. Eight years later, Grove City capped another undefeated season (7-0-2) with a 20-14 home win over Hickory. In 1964, 6-0-2 Grove City dropped a 13-0 decision at Hickory in the season finale.

Grove City and Hickory met every year from 1947 to 2009. The teams did not play in 2010 or 2011 due to Grove City being in Class AAA and Hickory in AA. The series also went on hiatus in 2016 and 2017 when the Eagles competed in Class 5A and Hickory played in Class 3A. 

The game will be broadcast on Sports Radio 96.7. Live Stats available here.

Mercer at Wilmington, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Wilmington, 37-12-1
Last Mercer Win: October 21, 1994 (34-21 at Wilmington)
Last Wilmington Win: September 9, 2023 (48-14)
First Meeting: October 7, 1960 (Mercer won 20-0)

It's the 51st all-time meeting between neighboring Mercer and Wilmington and Friday night's Region 1 meeting will certainly have an "old school" feel to it. Both teams will feature the ground game out of their respective version of the Wing-T offense. Combined, Mercer (46) and Wilmington (33) have attempted only 79 combined passes this year, which are the two lowest figures among the 11 local teams to have played full schedules this season.

Wilmington averages 220.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in the area. No area team has run the ball more frequently than has Mercer, which has 276 team rushing attempts this season. The Mustangs average 39.4 carries per game but will face a stiff test in Wilmington's top-ranked rush defense. Wilmington allows an area-low 2.7 yards per carry and only 71.5 rushing yards per game.

Wilmington held Reynolds' powerful ground attack to 76 yards last Saturday night in a 56-9 Greyhound victory. Offensively, Wilmington ran for a season-high 307 yards. Sophomore Chase Mitcheltree ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns while Jamie Miller added 73 yards. Halfback Cael Kettering ran for 70 yards and a score. Mitcheltree took over at quarterback in the second half as Wilmington shifted to an option-heavy attack.

Starting quarterback Wesley Vass-Gal completed 5 of 7 attempts in the first half for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Split end Freddie Zehetner caught both touchdown passes. He also returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown.

Mercer regularly featured the power-I last week against Sharpsville at West Middlesex. Colin Wise led Mercer with 42 rushing years while Alex Leftheris added 41 yards and the Mustangs' touchdown in a 35-6 setback.

Each of Mercer's three regular starting running backs has eclipsed the 200-yard mark this season. Wise leads Mercer with 221 yards while Leftheris has 216 yards and a team-leading four rushing touchdowns. Junior fullback Parker Puskar has 200 yards.

Mercer and Wilmington are the only two local teams to have three running backs with 200 or more rushing yards. Miller leads the Greyhounds with 404 yards and five touchdowns. Mitcheltree has added 327 yards while Kettering has amassed 260 yards on 29 carries, an average of 9.0 yards per tote.

Wilmington downed visiting Mercer in non-conference play last year, 48-14. Mitcheltree and Miller both had rushing touchdowns for Wilmington. Puskar and Bradie James each scored rushing touchdowns for Mercer.

Wilmington is Mercer's most-frequently played active opponent. The Mustangs have faced West Middlesex 54 times. Likewise, Mercer is Wilmington's most-frequently played opponent. Wilmington has played Slippery Rock 49 times since beginning varsity football in 1960.

Mercer and Wilmington played yearly from 1960 to 1989 in the Tri-County League/Tri-County North A. In 1990, Mercer joined the Mercer County Athletic Conference, which temporarily halted the series. The series resumed in 1994, when Wilmington joined District 10. That year, Mercer earned a 34-21 win at Wilmington in the regular season. However, Wilmington defeated Mercer in the District 10 Class AA title game at Sharon, 27-0. That title game win started Wilmington's 19-game win streak in the series. 

Wilmington is 15-6 all-time at home against Mercer. Mercer is 3-3 in District 10 playoff games at Wilmington. This is the first time since the 1979 and 1980 seasons that Mercer has played at Wilmington in consecutive seasons.

Sharon at Conneaut, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Sharon, 2-0
Last Conneaut Win: None
Last Sharon Win: September 27, 2019 (43-24 at Conneaut)
First Meeting: September 28, 2018 (Sharon won 48-12)

Winners of five straight games, Sharon visits Conneaut in Region 4 action Friday night. A win gives Sharon at least a share of the Region 4 title. Wins by Grove City and Slippery Rock, coupled with a Sharon victory would give the Tigers the outright title with a week remaining in the conference schedule.

Balanced offense and stout defense have been the hallmarks of the 2024 Sharon Tigers and no game this year better represented those strengths than last week's 35-0 win at Grove City. Sharon became the first team in 10 years to blank Grove City as the Tigers held Grove City to 109 total yards. Brock Ondo intercepted a pass while Brodie Miller picked up a sack. Linebackers Logan Perks and Bryson Roberson shared a sack.

Offensively, Sharon ran for 174 yards and added 155 passing yards in the victory. Junior quarterback Ethan Engelmore completed 8 of 13 passes. Perks entered the game with one catch on the season but hauled in three balls for 77 yards and a touchdown from his H-back position. He became the sixth different player to lead Sharon in receiving this season.

Engelmore leads the county with nine touchdown passes while his 850 passing yards rank second locally. Seven Sharon players have caught a touchdown pass.

Senior tailback Ike Friday leads the county with 135 rushing attempts while his 739 yards are the fourth-highest total in the 12-team area. He ran for 97 yards last week at Grove City.

Conneaut returns home for back-to-back league games in Linesville after a 16-13 setback last week at Region 4 foe Slippery Rock. Joe Furgiuele ran for 159 yards on 17 carries, including an 81-yard touchdown sprint. He also caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Easler.

Furgiuele leads the Eagles (3-4, 0-3) with 1,168 rushing yards. Easler has thrown for 726 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sharon has won 11 straight games when having a zero or positive turnover margin. Sharon is 4-13 under head coach Jason McElhaney when losing the turnover battle. The Tigers own a plus-6 turnover margin this season.

McElhaney is 2-0 in his career against Conneaut. He earned a win at Conneaut in his first season as Sharon head coach in 2019. In 2012, McElhaney's West Middlesex team downed Conneaut, 32-7, in Linesville. McElhaney went 8-5 at West Middlesex against the three schools that merged into Conneaut. He went 4-0 against Conneaut Valley, 3-1 against Conneaut Lake and 1-4 against Linesville while coaching the Big Reds. 

Sharon has won 15 straight games in Crawford County. The last loss came November 2, 1951, when host Meadville handed Sharon a 26-0 defeat.

Titusville at Slippery Rock, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Slippery Rock, 6-2
Last Slippery Rock Win: September 27, 2019 (42-13)
Last Titusville Win: October 12, 2007 (34-7)
First Meeting: October 13, 2006 (Titusville won 27-0 at Slippery Rock)

Slippery Rock plays the second of three straight home league games Friday night by welcoming Titusville to Butler County for a Region 4 Class 3A battle. Titusville needs a win to keep alive hopes of grabbing at least a share of the region title while Slippery Rock can boost its playoff hopes with a second straight win.

Slippery Rock rallied for a 16-13 league win last Friday over visiting Conneaut as junior wide receiver-turned-quarterback Doug Popovec ran for a pair of touchdowns. Popovec replaced sophomore Fred Campagna due to injury and finished the game with 153 total offensive yards.

Popovec's 51-yard touchdown run with 3:25 remaining gave Slippery Rock the lead for good. His two-yard touchdown run in the second quarter opened the scoring. He finished with 73 yards on 13 carries while also completing 6 of 11 passes for 80 yards. Junior running back Owen Long ran for a season-high 104 yards on 28 carries. Long is the third area back to have as many as 28 attempts in a game this year, joining Farrell's Juelz Johnson and Sharon's Ike Friday.

Whether it is Campagna or Popovec piloting the offense, the Rockets will likely feature the passing game. No area team has completed (71) nor attempted (134) more passes this season than has Slippery Rock. Senior wide receiver Cooper Glass ranks fourth in the area with 22 catches while Popovec's 19 receptions are No. 7. Long has added 16 catches out of the backfield.

When to comes to running backs who are also threats as pass receivers, few District 10 players better fit that description than does Titusville senior Jaxon Covell. Covell leads Titusville with 1,237 rushing yards while also accumulating 299 receiving yards on 13 catches. He has 22 total offensive touchdowns this year.

Covell left last week's 56-21 home loss to Hickory due to an injury, however. He finished the game with 45 yards on 10 carries. Senior quarterback Ian McDonald led Titusville (5-2, 2-1) with 74 rushing yards. He also threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-25 accuracy. Titusville outgained Hickory, 389-361, and held a 24-8 edge in first downs.

McDonald has thrown for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns this year. He also has 273 rushing yards in seven starts. Senior wingback Kameron Mong leads Titusville with 26 catches, 344 yards and five touchdown receptions. Mong also has 208 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

Slippery Rock has won each of the last six meetings. The teams met yearly from 2006 to 2009.

Including next week's home date with Hickory, it will be the first time in 20 years that Slippery Rock will play three straight league games at home. Slippery Rock also played three straight District 7 Midwestern AA games at home in 1983

This is the first District 10 football game this year in which the teams have the same nickname. Next week, Grove City visits Conneaut in an all-Eagles game.

Greenville at Saegertown, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Greenville, 2-0
Last Greenville Win: September 13, 2013 (50-7)
Last Saegertown Win: None
First Meeting: September 14, 2012 (Greenville won 42-6 at Saegertown)

Two of District 10's hottest teams meet Friday night at Canon Memorial Field when Greenville visits surging Saegertown. Greenville carries a six-game win streak into Friday night's encounter while Saegertown has won its last three outings.

Defense has been the calling card of both teams during the winning streaks. Greenville has allowed 26 total points in the six wins, including four shutouts. The Trojans have forced 21 turnovers during the streak. Fourteen of the 21 turnovers have been interceptions.

Greenville leads the county in scoring defense (7.7), total defense (196.1) and yards per play (4.0). Greenville has also allowed a county-low four rushing touchdowns.

Greenville posted a 36-0 home win over Lakeview last week in Region 2 action. Sophomore cornerback Justin Schell intercepted a pair of passes, giving him six picks in 2024. Kyle McGirr also intercepted a pass as Greenville held Lakeview to a season-low 140 yards.

Schell and Cael Thurber caught touchdown passes from Nick Solderich, who also ran for 127 yards. Junior halfback Rudy Gentile added 83 yards and two touchdowns as Greenville ran for 269 yards. It marked the fourth straight game in which the Trojans surpassed the 250-yard rushing mark as a team.

 Gentile ranks seventh in the county with 545 rushing yards while Solderich is eighth with 505 yards. Solderich averages 9.9 yards per carry, the No. 2 average in the area.

Last week's whitewash marked Greenville's fourth shutout in a five-week span. It's the first time since 1998 that Greenville has shut out four opponents in one season. It is the first time since the start of 1978, Bob Stone's first season as Trojan head coach, that Greenville has posted four shutouts in a five-game period. Greenville also had four shutouts in a five-game span between the end of 1983 and the start of the 1984 campaign.

Saegertown blanked host Maplewood last Thursday night, 23-0. The Panthers have allowed only 21 points during their three-game win streak. The streak started with a 21-14 win at Union City in Week Five. Two weeks ago, Saegertown held off Mercer, 14-7.

Running back Aaron Shartle ran for 112 yards and a touchdown at Maplewood. He leads the Panthers with 533 rushing yards. Cru Scott ran for one touchdown and also caught a touchdown pass from William Shaffer. That marked Shaffer's first touchdown pass of the season.

Greenville seeks its first seven-game win streak since 2014, when the Trojans won 10 consecutive games. Saegertown's three-game win streak is the Panthers' longest run since winning the last four games of the 2020 COVID-abbreviated season. 

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Reynolds at Kennedy Catholic, 1:00

Series History: Reynolds, 25-8
Last Kennedy Win: September 3, 2004 (21-0 at Reynolds)
Last Reynolds Win: September 29, 2023 (60-20)
First Meeting: September 16, 1967 (Kennedy won 13-0 at Sharon)

Two of Region 1's three Class 1A teams meet Saturday afternoon in Hermitage. Kennedy returns to on-field action after forfeiting its Week Seven game with Farrell. Reynolds looks to rebound from back-to-back losses to Class 1A powers Cambridge Springs (34-0) and Wilmington (56-9).

Field position hampered Reynolds last Saturday night against Wilmington as the Greyhounds' average drive started at the Reynolds 49. Junior cornerback Parker Nay maintained a share of the county lead by intercepting his sixth pass of the season while kicker Gerardo Hernandez kicked a 22-yard field goal, his first three-pointer of the season. Junior running back Gabe Minjarez ran for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Minjarez continues to rank among the county leaders in rushing as his 749 yards are No. 3 on the local leaderboard. No team has run the ball more often than has Reynolds, which has 250 rushing attempts as a team in 2024.

The Raiders are far from one-dimensional, however. Nay ranks fourth in the county with 22 receptions while junior wide receiver Giovanni Guerino has 11 catches. Junior quarterback Xavier Zachrich has thrown for 441 yards and five touchdowns. He has added 369 rushing yards this year, second-best among Mercer County quarterbacks.

Reynolds ranks second in Mercer County with 15 caused turnovers. The Raiders' plus-5 turnover margin is third-best locally. However, Reynolds has allowed its last four opponents to convert 16 of 25 (64 percent) third down opportunities. The Raiders are 1-3 in those four games.

Injuries forced Kennedy to play short-handed on occasion two weeks ago in a 50-0 home loss to Iroquois. The injury rash forced Kennedy to forfeit last week's game at Farrell.

Reynolds secured a 60-20 home win September 29, 2023 over Kennedy. Minjarez ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns while Nay and Zachrich also ran for touchdowns. Minjarez and Zachrich both caught touchdown passes. Kennedy quarterback Rayvion Wilbon-Venable ran for 48 yards to help lead the Golden Eagles.

Reynolds is 13-3 all-time at Kennedy, including a 12-1 mark at Butala Stadium. Kennedy's last home win over Reynolds came 24 years ago in the season opener, a 27-0 triumph September 2, 2000.

Kennedy won the first four meetings in the series (1967-70). Reynolds then won the next five meetings from 1971 to 1975. The series resumed in 1981, when Reynolds earned a 33-6 win at Kennedy. In 1982, the teams began play in the Keystone Football League. Under head coach Jack Leipheimer, Kennedy earned a 20-12 KFL win at Reynolds, coached by Frank Amato. Leipheimer later worked as Thiel College head football coach from 2001 to 2008, with Amato working as a Thiel assistant coach throughout that eight-year period.