NWPASports.com

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

WEEK NINE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

Region play concludes this weekend in District 10 and for a couple of Mercer County area teams, it's the end of the regular season. Seven games comprise this week's schedule, including three all-local matchups. Of the seven matchups this week, only one pre-dates the 1980s: the Lakeview-Cambridge Springs series.

Six of the seven games will be played Friday night. Greenville hosts Maplewood in a Saturday night tussle. The Mercer-Kennedy game is off the schedule due to Kennedy forfeiting because of roster limitations. Kennedy concludes the season 0-8 while Mercer improved to 2-6 and will host Slippery Rock in Week 10.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Sharpsville at Wilmington, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Wilmington, 14-6
Last Sharpsville Win: August 25, 2023 (49-42 at Wilmington)
Last Wilmington Win: October 1, 2021 (28-27 at Sharpsville)
First Meeting: October 28, 1994 (Wilmington, won 40-0)

Two of the area's top rushing attacks meet in New Wilmington as Wilmington hosts Sharpsville in the Region 1 windup Friday night. Both teams' Wing-T attacks have propelled the respective teams to 3-1 conference records.

Wilmington ranks second in the area by averaging 239.6 yards per game. Sharpsville's 21 rushing touchdowns are third-most in the area and the Blue Devils' 271 rushing attempts are second-most in the county.

Wilmington improved to 5-2 overall last week by earning a 49-8 home win over Mercer in Region 1 play. The Greyhounds produced a pair of 100-yard rushers as sophomore halfback Chase Mitcheltree ran for 123 yards and three scores while halfback Michael Mistretta added a career-high 115 yards and two touchdowns. Junior fullback Jamie Miller added 99 yards.

Mistretta and freshman Cael Kettering have both emerged in Wilmington's three-back attack in recent weeks. Mistretta has rushed for 310 yards while averaging 9.4 yards per attempt. His 73-yard run against Mercer last week is the longest of the season for Wilmington. Meanwhile, Kettering has 268 yards from his halfback position.

Miller leads the Greyhounds with 503 yards while Mitcheltree has 450 yards and a team-best six touchdowns in five games. Mitcheltree has also played quarterback in the second half of each of the last two weeks, operating an option-based attack out of the Wing-T.

Sharpsville went 6 of 9 on third down in the first half last week at Farrell. Touchdown runs from senior halfback Jaiden White and freshman fullback Geno Currie forged a 14-14 tie with five minutes left in the first half. However, Farrell pulled away for a 40-21 win over the Blue Devils.

White ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns while Currie posted 68 yards. Sharpsville lost starting center Colton Spangler and two-way starting tackle T.J. Locklear to injury in last week's setback, further thinning the Blue Devils on the offensive and defensive lines.

White ranks fourth in Mercer County with 792 rushing yards. Currie now ranks ninth with 566 rushing yards. His 12 touchdown runs are No. 3 on the local leaderboard. White and senior split end Aiden Puskar share the team lead with 11 catches. Puskar averages 24.5 yards per catch, with four of his receptions going for touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Aiden Cadman leads the county in completion percentage (66.0) and yards per attempt (13.3). He has completed 33 of 50 passes for 667 yards and eight touchdowns.

Sharpsville will face a Wilmington rushing defense that allows a county-low 2.7 yards per carry. Wilmington also yields only 73.6 rushing yards per game, tops in the 12-team area. Wilmington held Mercer to 86 yards on 35 carries. The 86 yards are the second-most allowed by Wilmington in a game this season.

Wilmington opponents are 17 of 64 (26.5 percent) on third down this season, including a 7-of-38 performance over the last four games.

The teams combined for 995 total yards and 40 combined first downs last year as Sharpsville pulled out a 49-42 road win in the season opener over Wilmington. Puskar's 63-yard touchdown catch in the final minute erased Wilmington's 42-41 lead. White caught a touchdown pass while Mitcheltree had 54 rushing yards and a score.

This is the latest regular season meeting between the teams since 1995, when the teams also met in Week Nine. 

Sharpsville owns an 9-8 all-time record at Wilmington, including District 10 playoff action. The Blue Devils are 2-5 against Wilmington in New Wilmington after last year's win. Sharpsville's lone loss in its 1997 state championship season came at Wilmington. The Greyhounds pulled out a 13-7 overtime win September 26, 1997. Sharpsville went on to win the state title in Class A while Wilmington reached the state semifinals in Class AA. 

Sharpsville head coach Paul Piccirilli is the father-in-law of Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian. Wilmington has won 6 of the 8 meetings between the in-laws but Sharpsville has won the last two games.

Both teams will host District 9 opponents in Week 10. Sharpsville hosts Punxsutawney next Saturday night. Wilmington will host Karns City one night earlier.

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

Farrell at Reynolds, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Farrell, 9-2
Last Farrell Win: October 11, 2019 (51-0)
Last Reynolds Win: September 14, 1984 (27-6)
First Meeting: October 1, 1982 (Reynolds won 24-14 at Farrell)

Farrell (4-4, 4-0) makes its first trip to Reynolds (5-3, 2-2) in six seasons Friday night when the teams meet in the Region 1 finale. Farrell has clinched a share of the league title and wins it outright with a victory. A win would likely improve Reynolds' District 10 Class 1A playoff seeding.

Farrell closed its home schedule by pulling away from Region 1 foe Sharpsville last Friday night for a 40-21 victory. Farrell scored on each of its first four possessions. The Steelers sewed up the win with a 16-play, 72-yard drive that used 8:54 of second half clock.

Junior running back Juelz Johnson capped that lengthy possession with a one-yard touchdown run, his fifth score of the night. Johnson ran for 149 yards and five touchdowns on 20 carries. Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Aaron Pegues added 76 rushing yards on nine carries. He also completed 8 of 14 passes for 148 yards.

Senior wide receiver Julius Phillips opened the scoring with a 32-yard touchdown catch from Pegues. Phillips set up Johnson's go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter with a 72-yard kickoff return to the Sharpsville 8.

Johnson has rushed for 943 yards and 17 touchdowns. He averages a county-best 157.2 yards per game. Pegues leads the area in passing yards per game, averaging 131.6. His 73 pass completions also lead Mercer County.

Defensively, Farrell ranks second in the area by allowing 198.4 yards per game. The Steelers will be tested by Reynolds' spread attack, however.

Like Farrell, Reynolds features one of the area's top rushers, junior running back Gabe Minjarez. Minjarez ran for 77 yards and two scores in last week's 43-8 win at Kennedy Catholic. Minjarez has rushed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns this year. He ranks third locally in rushing yardage and ranks second with 132 rushing attempts.

Another similarity between the programs is that Reynolds also has a first-year starter at quarterback. Junior Xavier Zachrich has thrown for 441 yards and five touchdowns while adding 406 rushing yards and five scores. He caught a 97-yard touchdown pass from junior slotback Parker Nay last Saturday.

Nay has been on the receiving end of Zachrich tosses this season as he leads Reynolds with 22 catches for 274 yards. He has scored rushing, receiving, passing and has two interception returns for scores this year. Nay also scored on a kickoff return as a sophomore in 2023.

Nay ranks second in the county with six interceptions this year. Overall, Reynolds ranks second in the area with 17 takeaways and a plus-7 turnover margin.

Farrell is 0-2 on the road this season. The Steelers last lost three straight road games in October 2006, when Farrell fell at Deer Lakes, West Middlesex and Linesville.

Farrell is 5-0 all-time at Reynolds. The teams met each year from 1982 to 1985 as members of the Keystone Football League. The road team won all four KFL meetings.  

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

Series History: Hickory, 25-13
Last Hickory Win: September 29, 2023 (48-14 at Slippery Rock)
Last Slippery Rock Win: November 11, 2022 (28-0, District 10 Class 3A semifinal at Wilmington)
First Meeting: October 14, 1988 (Hickory won 28-7 at Slippery Rock)

Hickory closes the regular season Friday night by playing its fourth road game in a five-week span as the Hornets visit Region 4 foe Slippery Rock. Being away from Hermitage has not been a cause of concern for Hickory, though, as the Hornets currently own a school-record 10-game road win streak.

Hickory put a proverbial exclamation point on its home schedule last Friday night with a 69-6 win over visiting Grove City. Hickory scored on its first 10 possessions and led 35-0 after one quarter. Seven of those drives started in Grove City territory.

Despite the short fields, Hickory still accumulated 494 total yards. Sophomore running back Kelvin Morrison went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season as he ran for 169 yards and four touchdowns. Senior quarterback Zander Telesz added 70 rushing yards. Four of his five completions went for touchdowns. Sophomore Jadon Phillips caught two scores while junior Sebastian Bromley caught one and assisted on another touchdown. He caught a screen pass from Telesz and pitched the ball to tackle Spencer Lee, who rumbled into the end zone.

Defensively, Hickory held Grove City to 10 net yards, one first down and an 0-for-10 effort on third down. Hickory leads the county in yards per play allowed (4.05).

No local team has minimized turnovers better than has Hickory as the Hornets have a county-low four giveaways this season. That has helped Hickory produce the county's top scoring offense. Hickory averages 44.1 points per game, along with a county-best 369.0 yards per game. Hickory also leads the area in yards per play, averaging 8.9. 

Morrison leads Mercer County with 1,056 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. With 12 passing touchdowns and seven rushing scores, Telesz leads the area with 19 total touchdowns. His 1,281 total offensive yards are No. 2 in the area. Phillips has emerged as a favorite target, pulling in 28 passes for 492 yards and eight touchdowns. He ranks second in the area in receiving yards and touchdown catches. The 28 receptions are third-most locally.

Hickory's 174 points over the last three weeks are the most for the Hornets in a three-game span since 2013, when the Hornets scored 180 points over the final three games of the regular season that year.

Slippery Rock closes a three-game homestand Friday night. The Rockets have split the first two games of the homestand against Region 4 opponents. Two weeks ago, Slippery Rock pulled out a 16-13 win over Conneaut. Titusville blanked Slippery Rock last week, however, 42-0.

Junior wide receiver-turned-quarterback Doug Popovec made his first start behind center last week after playing the final three quarters at quarterback against Conneaut. Popovec completed 8 of 13 passes for 52 yards. Senior wide receiver Cole Pearson caught a career-high four passes.

The Rockets played without starting running backs Owen Long and Alex Cornelius against Titusville, as well as sophomore quarterback Fred Campagna. Long leads the Rockets with 347 rushing yards. Cooper Glass leads Slippery Rock with 24 receptions for 286 yards.

Hickory amassed 473 total yards September 28, 2023 in a 48-14 win at Slippery Rock. Morrison ran for 119 yards. Telesz completed 8 of 17 throws for 156 yards and a touchdown. Pearson returned an interception 91 yards for a Slippery Rock touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Hickory is 11-5 all-time at Slippery Rock. Hickory has won the last three meetings in Butler County. The teams first met October 14, 1988 as Keystone Football League members. Slippery Rock led 7-6 at halftime but Andre Coleman gave Hickory the lead for good with a 99-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Coleman also caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jason Lener.

This is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the teams will have met at Slippery Rock. The programs played a home-and-home series during the COVID-affected 2020 regular season. 

Cambridge Springs at Lakeview, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Cambridge Springs, 22-8-2
Last Cambridge Springs Win: November 18, 2023 (32-29, District 10 Class 1A title at Meadville)
Last Lakeview Win: October 6, 2023 (28-22 at Cambridge Springs)
First Meeting: September 24, 1965 (Cambridge Springs won 20-7)

It's a District 10 championship game rematch Friday night in "The Twin Cities" as Lakeview hosts Cambridge Springs in Region 2 action. Cambridge Springs still can nab a share of the league title with a win and a Greenville loss Saturday night. Lakeview can earn a piece of second place in the league with a victory while also potentially improving its playoff seeding with a win over the 7-1 Blue Devils.

Lakeview has an extra day of preparation for this week's game, thanks to a 55-14 win last Thursday night at Cochranton. Senior Brayden Booher ran for 80 yards and three touchdowns while also catching four passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Booher also intercepted three passes, helping Lakeview hold Cochranton to 142 yards.

Senior quarterback Leyton Zacherl completed all nine of his pass attempts for 156 yards. Eight backs combined for 220 rushing yards in last week's win.

Zacherl leads Mercer County with 1,337 total offensive yards while his 1,043 passing yards are No. 2 locally. His top two targets, Booher and senior Blake Skiles, both rank among the county's receiving leaders. Skiles leads the county with 35 catches and 584 receiving yards. Booher now has 21 catches for 316 yards. He sits fifth in the area in receiving yards and seventh in catches.

That tandem has also combined for 925 rushing yards. Skiles leads Lakeview with 468 yards and Booher has accumulated 457 yards rushing.

Cambridge Springs also boasts a dynamic pair of ballcarriers in junior Brett Kania and sophomore Jordan Washington. Kania has amassed 1,127 yards and nine rushing touchdowns while Washington has 671 yards and 14 scores.

Kania has 3,167 career rushing yards after charging through the Maplewood defense for 193 yards on 21 carries last week in Spa's 44-20 win. Washington added 83 yards on nine attempts.

Cambridge Springs has blanked four opponents this season. Senior linebacker Zeke Carson-Smith leads the Blue Devils with 85 tackles, including 11 for loss. He has nine sacks. Junior Latavion Fitzpatrick has added four sacks, helping Cambridge Springs accumulate two dozen sacks as a team this year.

Cambridge Springs has forced 16 turnovers and owns a plus-10 turnover margin.

The teams split their two meetings in 2023. Lakeview earned a 28-22 win October 6 at Cambridge Springs but the Blue Devils pulled out a 32-29 win over Lakeview in the district title game at Meadville.

Cambridge Springs is 10-2-2 at Lakeview all-time. Cambridge Springs is Lakeview's oldest active series. The Sailors played Townville September 10, 1965 in their inaugural game. Townville merged with Randolph-East Mead to form Maplewood in 1973.  

Titusville at Sharon, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Sharon, 7-3
Last Sharon Win: November 5, 2016 (56-24, District 10 Class 3A semifinal at Oil City)
Last Titusville Win: September 14, 2012 (35-33 at Sharon)
First Meeting: November 11, 1989 (Titusville won 18-7 at Sharon, District 10 Class AAA semifinal)

The Region 4 title and District 10 Class 3A playoff seeding are at stake when Sharon welcomes Titusville to Tiger Stadium. Titusville would gain a share of the league title with a win while Sharon takes the conference crown outright with a victory. It is Sharon's first home game in four weeks, thanks to a three-game road trip in which Sharon went 3-0.

Friday night's game features a classic clash of prolific offense meeting a stout defense. Titusville (6-2, 3-1) averages 444.4 total yards and 38.8 points per game. Meanwhile, Sharon's "Orange Crush" defense allows a Mercer County-low 187.2 yards per game. The Tigers have yielded only 88 points this year and have forced 13 turnovers.

The Rockets surpassed both of their season averages last Friday night in a 42-0 victory at Slippery Rock. Titusville piled up 453 total yards, including 348 rushing yards. Senior Jaxon Covell ran for 226 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries while quarterback Ian McDonald added a 24-yard touchdown run. He also completed 5 of 7 passes for 101 yards and a score.

Covell leads Titusville with 1,470 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is Titusville's all-time leading rusher with 3,677 rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns. He also 86 career catches for 1,419 yards and 16 touchdowns.

McDonald has completed 69 percent (75 of 108) of his passes this year, good for 1,010 yards and a dozen touchdowns. McDonald has thrown for 2,737 career yards, along with 32 touchdowns. He has 3,397 total yards and 46 combined scores. Fellow senior Kameron Mong leads Titusville with 29 catches for 377 yards. He and Covell both have five touchdown catches.

That balanced attack faces a Sharon defense that holds opposing quarterbacks to a county-low 40.9 percent completion rate in 2024. Senior defensive end Brodie Miller leads Sharon with 4.5 quarterback sacks and eight tackles for loss while senior inside linebacker Bryson Roberson has recorded a team-leading 71 tackles.

Sharon also has scored seven return touchdowns this year, including six on punts. The seventh score game last Friday night at Conneaut when Brock Ondo recovered Cassius Hosey's blocked punt in the end zone as the Tigers rolled to a 63-7 win.

Sharon limited Conneaut to six first downs and 107 offensive yards.

The Tigers' defensive and special teams have merited plenty of headlines in 2024. But Sharon's offense has been more than a mere sidebar this season. The Tigers own Mercer County's top passing offense as junior quarterback Ethan Engelmore has thrown for an area-high 1,046 yards and 12 touchdowns this year. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns at Conneaut.

Roberson and Ra'Keem Hughes both caught a pair of touchdowns last week, with Hughes gaining 103 yards on four catches. Roberson leads Sharon with 16 catches and four touchdowns. His 204 yards are third on the team. Hughes leads Sharon with 225 yards on 13 catches. Meanwhile, junior Brock Ondo has 10 catches for 213 yards, good for a team-leading 21.3 yards-per-catch average.

Sharon's passing attack leads the county in spite of injuries to starting wide receivers Bishop Root and Kare'mez Norris.

Senior running back Ike Friday missed last week's game at Conneaut but still leads the Tigers with 739 rushing yards. Terrian White started in Friday's place and ran for 73 yards on six carries. White has added 232 yards on 24 totes this year.  

During Sharon's six-game win streak, opponents are 16 of 60 (26.7 percent) on third down.

Sharon has won four straight meetings. This is the first regular season meeting since September 18, 2015, when Sharon earned a 42-13 win at Titusville. In 2016, Sharon downed Titusville in the District 10 Class 3A semifinals at Oil City, 56-24. Sharon quarterback J.P. McComb completed 14 of 20 passes for 213 yards and five touchdowns that night.

All three of Titusville's wins over Sharon have come in Tiger Town. In 1989, Titusville shocked undefeated Sharon (9-0-1) in the District 10 Class AAA semifinals, 18-7. Titusville also won at Sharon in 2011 (14-6) and 2012 (35-33).

Sharon hosts Brooke (W.Va.) in Week 10 while Titusville hosts Class 3A Fairview in a game that will likely affect District 10 playoff seeding.

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

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

Series History: Grove City, 4-0
Last Conneaut Win: None
Last Grove City Win: October 11, 2019 (46-14 at Conneaut)
First Meeting: September 9, 2016 (Grove City won 48-6 at Conneaut)

Banged-up Grove City concludes the 2024 regular season Friday night at Region 4 Class 3A foe Conneaut. Both teams aim to rebound from one-sided setbacks last week against the league's pacesetters. Grove City fell at Hickory, 69-6, while Conneaut dropped a 63-7 verdict to visiting Sharon.

Two-way starters Logan Dice (center/linebacker), Ian McCreary (tackle/linebacker), Jonah Stucchio (running back/cornerback/kicker), Jaxyn Wilson (running back/safety) and Jack Wolfe (guard/defensive end) all missed last week's game due to injury. A sixth two-way starter, senior wide receiver/cornerback Ta'Rel Richardson-Heasley, left the game in the first quarter due to injury. The status of all six men is unknown for Friday night's game at press time.

Wilson leads Grove City with 661 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Stucchio has added 249 yards, a touchdown and 21 kicking points. McCreary and Wolfe are multi-year starters on both sides of the ball while Dice anchored a relatively young and reshuffled offensive line. Richardson-Heasley started at running back at Hickory.

Sophomore Peyton Miller posted Grove City's third return touchdown of the season when he returned the second half kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown.

Conneaut (3-5, 0-4) also faced an early large deficit against Sharon as the Tigers scored twice in the first 65 seconds last week in Linesville. Sharon held Conneaut to six first downs and 107 total yards.

Senior running back Joe Furgiuele leads the Eagles with 1,250 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He has six 100-yard outings this year, including a season-high 264 yards September 27 in a 41-0 win over Maplewood.

Conneaut is 3-1 when out-rushing the opposition. Grove City is 3-0 when out-gaining its opponent on the ground. Grove City has held opponents to 30 percent (21 of 70) success on third down this year.

Grove City does not have a first quarter touchdown this year, having been outscored 87-3 in the first 12 minutes.

Grove City fell at Titusville in Week Three, 39-6. The Eagles have not lost twice in Crawford County in the same season since 1978. That year, Grove City fell at Titusville, 26-6, and dropped a 32-12 decision at Meadville. Both of those games were Northwest Conference clashes.

Conneaut will play at Girard in Week 10.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Maplewood at Greenville, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: First Meeting

Greenville will sew up the Region 2 title with a victory Saturday night as the Trojans host Maplewood in the first-ever meeting between the conference opponents. A Lakeview win Friday night over Cambridge Springs would also give Greenville the outright title. Still, the Trojans would love to secure their first perfect league record since 2013.

Maplewood, meanwhile, would solidify its case for a playoff invitation with a victory Saturday night at Greenville.

Saturday's game features two of Class 1A's most potent rushing attacks. Greenville's multi-back attack averages 207.6 yards per game as junior halfback Rudy Gentile has rushed for 578 yards and senior quarterback Nick Solderich has added 576 yards. The two men have combined for 16 rushing touchdowns, with Gentile reaching paydirt nine times. Seven different ballcarriers have accounted for Greenville's 24 rushing touchdowns this year.

Maplewood also averages over 200 rushing yards per game as the Tigers rush for 206.8 yards per week. Senior Andrew Proper leads the Tigers with a career-high 924 yards and six touchdowns while sophomore quarterback Kyle Jordan has 362 yards and five scores. Jordan has thrown for 489 yards and five touchdowns on 31 of 100 passing this year.

Completing passes has not been a problem for Solderich, who ranks second in the area in completion percentage, having connected on 62.7 percent of his attempts. Solderich has thrown for 698 yards and eight touchdowns. He also ranks second in the area in yards per attempt (11.8) and passer rating (196.7).

Sophomore wide receiver Justin Schell leads the area by averaging 23.0 yards per catch. Nine of his 19 receptions have gone for touchdowns. He leads the area in touchdown receptions and ranks third with 437 receiving yards.

Schell also leads the county with eight interceptions. Greenville's 26 forced turnovers and plus-19 turnover margin are tops among the area's 12 teams. Greenville also ranks second in the area by allowing only 4.09 yards per offensive play.

Greenville displayed all of those attributes last Friday night in a 35-13 win at Region 2 foe Saegertown. Solderich and sophomore wide receiver/quarterback Cael Thurber both ran for two touchdowns while Schell had five catches for 113 yards and a score. Schell also intercepted two passes.

Greenville forced four turnovers and held Saegertown to 231 yards on 50 plays. The Trojans led 28-0 at halftime.

Greenville has outscored opponents 90-7 in the first quarter and 201-28 in the first half this season.

A slow start hampered Maplewood last Friday in its 44-20 loss to longtime rival Cambridge Springs. Spa jumped out to a 22-0 lead after one quarter. Maplewood cut the lead to 22-14 by halftime, however. Jordan's 12-yard touchdown pass to Proper early in the fourth quarter pulled the Tigers to within 28-20.

Jordan threw for 41 yards and also ran for 49 yards. Derek Shaw led Maplewood with 73 rushing yards, including a 78-yard touchdown sprint in the second period. Spa held Proper to 30 yards on 13 carries.

Maplewood is 0-4 on the road this year. Greenville is 3-0 at home. The Trojans last finished undefeated at home in 2013.

This would be the second undefeated league record for Greenville since District 10 switched to the region format in 2004. Greenville went undefeated in the Northwest Conference in 1973, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000. The 1979 and 1990 teams each had one tie in Northwest Conference play.

Greenville also went undefeated in the Mercer County "A" league in 1965, 1966 and 1967.