NWPASports.com

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

WEEK SEVEN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

Ten of the area's 11 teams will compete in region play this week as the regular season enters the backstretch. Six of the seven games will be played Friday night while Wilmington will entertain undefeated Reynolds in a Saturday night Region 1 clash.

Farrell visits Ohio power Steubenville in the lone non-league game on this week's schedule.

FRIDAY NIGHT

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

Series History: Sharon, 41-21-2
Last Grove City Win: September 15, 2023 (17-14)
Last Sharon Win: October 4, 2024 (35-0 at Grove City)
First Meeting: c. October 14, 1916 (Sharon won 6-3 at Grove City)

Long a house of horrors for the Grove City High School football program, Sharon Tiger Stadium will be the site of Friday night's Region 4 Class 3A battle between the visiting Eagles (4-2, 2-0) and host Sharon (3-3, 1-1).

Grove City has only nine all-time wins in Sharon. But the Eagles have won three straight games at Sharon, picking up wins in 2020, 2021 and 2022 in Tiger Town. A fourth straight win at Sharon would keep Grove City in no less than a share of first place in the region race.

Grove City will look to slow down a Sharon offense that produced two 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver last week in a 49-10 victory over visiting Meadville. Senior tailback Terrian White ran for 149 of Sharon's 300 yards while senior wide receiver/running back Bishop Root ran for a career-best 113 yards and three touchdowns on six carries.

Senior wide receiver Kare'mez Norris had three catches for 100 yards. Quarterback Ethan Engelmore completed 7 of his 9 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Sharon's 300 rushing yards and 451 total yards both represented season highs for the Tigers. Sharon also had four sacks defensively, another season high. Senior defensive tackle Stone Root recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss while linebacker Marius Best added 1.5 sacks.

White ranks second in Mercer County with 744 rushing yards while Norris ranks No. 2 locally by averaging 25.8 yards per catch. His 387 receiving yards are third-most on the local leaderboard.

While Sharon snapped a two-game slide with its win last week, Grove City's bid for five consecutive wins evaporated in a 28-10 Homecoming loss to Oil City at Forker Field. Special teams accounted for all 10 of Grove City's points against the Oilers. Junior Peyton Miller returned the second half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown, cutting Oil City's lead to 14-7.

Miller then blocked a punt, which set up Jonah Stucchio's 22-yard field goal on Grove City's first drive of the second half. However, Oil City held Grove City to 107 total yards. The Eagles went 1 for 14 on third down.

Grove City held Oil City to an 0-for-8 performance on third down. For the season, Eagle opponents are 14 of 58 (24 percent) on third down. Those teams are also 3 of 15 (20 percent) on fourth down against Grove City's defense.

No local defense has been on the field for more plays than has Sharon, which has had 344 defensive snaps this year. Grove City's offense has executed an area-high 355 offensive plays through the first six weeks of the season. Grove City's defense has been on the field for the second-most plays by any local defense so far, 331.

Grove City has attempted a county-high 114 passes this year while Sharon's 100 pass attempts are No. 2 in the area. Engelmore and Gha'fir Lampkins, currently limited to defensive duty only due to a left arm injury, have combined for 12 touchdown passes. That mark ranks second in the area. The Tigers' 775 passing yards are third-most in the area while Grove City ranks second with 783 passing yards.

Grove City freshman quarterback Heath Hohman ranks second in the area in passing yards (783) while leading the county with 60 completions. Junior Levi Toth leads the Eagles with 19 catches for 271 yards and two scores. Freshman running back Gavin Purdy leads the Eagles with 498 rushing yards and senior Jaxyn Wilson has added 399 yards in four games. Stucchio led Grove City with 35 rushing yards against Oil City.

Sharon held Grove City to 109 yards in a 35-0 win last year at Forker Field. Engelmore completed 8 of 13 passes for 155 yards. White and Cassius Hosey both ran for touchdowns while tight end/fullback Logan Perks caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Sharon is 20-9-1 all-time at home against Grove City. Thirty-three years ago, Sharon rallied from a 26-14 deficit in the final two minutes for a 27-26 home win over Grove City. Current Sharon assistant coach Tom Wilson worked as an assistant coach on the Grove City staff in the 1992 season.

Grove City and Sharon played on Thanksgiving in Sharon in both 1928 and 1929. Snow postponed the 1930 Turkey Day meeting for nine days. Grove City won 6-0. The teams played to a 6-6 tie the previous year on Thanksgiving. Sharon won the 1928 Thanksgiving game, 13-0.

The game will be broadcast on Sports Radio 96.7 and News/Talk 790 WPIC. Live Stats available here.

Titusville at Hickory, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Hickory, 11-5-2
Last Hickory Win: October 4, 2024 (56-21 at Titusville)
Last Titusville Win: September 6, 2008 (20-18)
First Meeting: October 8, 1954 (Titusville won 13-6)

Hickory looks to maintain at least a share of the Region 4 lead Friday night when the Hornets host Titusville (1-5, 0-2) in conference play.

Hickory dropped to 5-1 overall with a 21-10 setback last week at 6-0 Canfield, Ohio. Hickory held the Cardinals to 203 total yards but two short fields in the third quarter allowed Canfield to erase Hickory's 3-0 halftime lead.

Sophomore quarterback Christian Dungee ran for a team-leading 47 yards and also threw for 81 yards on 7-of-11 passing. Logan Bromley added 37 yards rushing in relief of injured junior tailback Kelvin Morrison, who missed his second straight game.

Morrison still leads the county in rushing yards per game (159.5), having rushed for 638 yards in four games. Dungee has completed a county-high 65.1 percent of his passes.

After three straight weeks on the road, Titusville fell 35-7 last week to visiting North East in non-conference action. Junior running back Jaydin O'Neill ran for 147 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He leads the Rockets with 813 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He ran for 236 yards two weeks ago in a 26-7 victory at Warren.

Senior wingback Blake Ross leads Titusville with 17 catches for 191 yards. He missed last week's game with North East.

Morrison ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in Hickory's 56-21 win at Titusville last season. He also returned a kickoff 75 yards for a score. Dungee intercepted a pass, as did then-sophomore cornerback Jadon Phillips. O'Neill ran for 62 yards and a touchdown for Titusville.

Titusville held a 24-8 edge in first downs and outgained Hickory, 389-361. Hickory ran only 20 offensive plays and scored on its first six possessions.

Titusville seeks its first win at Hickory since a 29-22 Northwest Conference triumph September 25, 1971 in Hickory Township. Hickory went 2-3-1 against Titusville between 1971 and 1980 as members of the Northwest Conference. The teams did not play between 1981 and 2007. The series resumed in 2008. Hickory has won nine straight meetings between the teams. The Hornets are 7-1-1 at home all-time against Titusville.

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

Series History: Slippery Rock, 3-0
Last Conneaut Win: None
Last Slippery Rock Win: October 4, 2024 (16-13)
First Meeting: October 5, 2018 (Slippery Rock won 42-20 at Conneaut)

Slippery Rock (2-4, 0-2) makes its first trip to Linesville in seven years Friday night when the Rockets meet Conneaut (5-1, 1-1) in a Region 4 battle with Class 3A playoff implications. It is the first of three straight league games on the road for Slippery Rock. Meanwhile, Conneaut returns home after earning back-to-back road wins at Northwestern (28-14) and Maplewood (14-12).

Slippery Rock continues to feature one of the Mercer County area's top passing defenses as the Rockets have held opponents to 41 percent accuracy, the lowest mark among the area's 11 teams. The Rockets also allow only 4.6 yards per pass attempt, which ranks second in the area.

However, the Rockets will have to slow down a Conneaut rushing attack that averages 255.3 rushing yards per game. Conneaut has run the ball on 82 percent of its offensive plays this year. Junior Chance Meader leads the Eagles with 637 rushing yards while classmate Aidan Ford has 597 yards and a team-leading nine rushing touchdowns.

The Eagles ran for 205 yards at Maplewood, led by Meader's 73 yards. Quarterback Mason Stone threw for 76 yards on 5-of-12 accuracy.

While Slippery Rock features more of a balanced offensive attack than does Conneaut, the Rockets have still heavily relied upon the ground game. Senior fullback Kole Scott posted his second 100-yard outing of the season last week against Harbor Creek as he ran for 103 yards in a 20-14 defeat.

Scott leads Slippery Rock with 400 rushing yards while senior quarterback Doug Popovec has added 373 rushing yards. Senior halfback Owen Long averages 8.6 yards per carry and has 248 rushing yards. He also leads the Rockets with 13 catches for 160 receiving yards.

The Rockets will look to take advantage of a Conneaut defense that allowed 206 rushing yards last week.

Slippery Rock rallied for a 16-13 home win last year over Conneaut. Popovec's 51-yard touchdown run with 3:25 left gave Slippery Rock the lead for good. He also scored on a two-yard run in the second quarter while kicker Zach Lasko booted a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Long led Slippery Rock with 104 rushing yards while Popovec ran for 73 yards.

Slippery Rock has outscored its opponents in the first quarter, 56-7. But the opposition owns a 91-34 scoring edge in the second half. The Rockets are 2-0 this year when winning the turnover battle this year but 0-4 when having a negative margin.

Conneaut's current three-game win streak began September 12 with a 20-14 overtime win over visiting Titusville in Region 4 action. Conneaut opened the season with a 48-6 lumping of Warren and then eased past Iroquois, 23-13, in Week Two.

Slippery Rock owns a 7-3 all-time record in Crawford County.

Sharpsville at Mercer, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Sharpsville, 31-13
Last Mercer Win: September 7, 2013 (6-0)
Last Sharpsville Win: October 4, 2024 (35-6 at West Middlesex)
First Meeting: c. 1925 (Sharpsville won 18-2)

The Mercer and Sharpsville football programs do not lack for common traits. Both schools' colors are blue and white, albeit different hues of blue. Both teams run the Delaware Wing-T on offense. Sharpsville head coach Paul Piccirilli and Mercer head coach Jeff Lockard both worked as assistant coaches under former Mercer head coach Frank Makarevich in the 1980s and 1990s. Sharpsville and Mercer each have narrow wins this year over Lakeview and are both competing in Class 2A.

And, most notably and unfortunately in 2025, injuries have crippled both teams. Sharpsville lost starting quarterback Brady Gerlach in Week Two. Fullback Geno Currie has missed the last two games due to injury. Several linemen and tight ends have missed time as well for the Blue Devils.

For Mercer, starting halfbacks Parker Puskar and Alex Leftheris have been sidelined by long-term injury while fullback Preston Michael recently returned after missing time.

Those injuries have presented new opportunities for players on both teams, however. Last Friday night, Sharpsville sophomore split end-turned-signal caller Lincoln Breit threw for 196 yards on 14-of-23 passing in the Blue Devils' 21-20 overtime win over visiting Lakeview.

His 10-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Koncar in overtime tied the game and Finn Leary's extra point gave Sharpsville its first win. Koncar finished with a career-high six catches for 60 yards while sophomore Landen Hassel had six receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

The win marked Sharpsville's first-ever regular season overtime triumph.

Mercer produced a pair of 100-yard rushers last week in a 30-21 Homecoming setback against Saegertown. Tight end-turned-fullback Kyle Suhrie bulled his way to 105 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries while senior quarterback Rider Chiappini, the proverbial last man standing in the Mercer backfield, added 100 yards and two scores on 22 attempts.

Mercer ran for 266 yards as a team. The Mustangs had won six straight games when rushing for 200 or more yards in a game.

Sharpsville downed Mercer last year at West Middlesex, 35-6. Currie ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns while also scoring on a 34-yard touchdown catch.

Sharpsville has won three straight games at Mercer. Mercer's last home win over Sharpsville came 12 years ago, when Brayton Edwards' 41-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter accounted for all of the scoring in a 6-0 Mercer win. Sharpsville is 14-6 all-time at Mercer.

Mercer and Sharpsville played regularly from 1951 to 1964. The series resumed in 1990, when Mercer joined the Mercer County Athletic Conference after playing in District 7's Tri-County League. The teams played twice yearly from 1990 to 1993 in the MCAC's "Small School" division, along with Kennedy Christian and West Middlesex. The teams played every season in the 1990s, then played yearly from 2006 to 2017.  

Greenville at Lakeview, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Greenville, 7-0
Last Greenville Win: November 2, 2024 (28-7, District 10 Class 1A quarterfinal at Hickory)
Last Lakeview Win: None
First Meeting: September 23, 2016 (Greenville won 35-6 at Lakeview)

Winners of five straight, Region 2-leading Greenville (5-1, 2-0) returns to conference play Friday night at Lakeview in a District 10 playoff rematch.

Powerful rushing attacks have been synonymous with Greenville football throughout the program's history. The 2025 Trojans have not hurt that reputation this year by averaging 200 rushing yards per game. Senior Rudy Gentile has rushed for 556 yards and junior Kaysom Materia has added 385 yards.

But Greenville's passing game has moved to the forefront in 2025 as the Trojans own the area's most prolific passing attack. Greenville leads the area in passing offense, averaging 165.7 yards per game. Greenville's 61 pass completions and 13 touchdown passes are also tops locally.

Junior quarterback Cael Thurber leads the county with 1,020 total offensive yards and 16 total touchdowns. He has thrown for 973 yards and 13 touchdowns as a first-year starter. Junior wide receiver Justin Schell leads the county in the four major receiving categories: receptions (21), yards (544), yards per catch (25.9) and touchdowns (10). Classmate Keith Covert has added 16 catches for 228 yards and three scores.

Schell caught touchdown passes of 49 and 52 yards last week in a come-from-behind 25-19 win at Northwestern. Thurber threw for 149 yards on 8-of-14 passing. Gentile (110 and Materia (104) both ran for over 100 yards as the Trojans finished with 353 total offensive yards. Covert added an interception.

Greenville committed only 29 penalties in the first five weeks of the season. But the Trojans were flagged 19 times for 190 yards last week at Northwestern.

Lakeview rallied to force overtime last week at Sharpsville but a failed two-point conversion in the extra period proved costly in a 21-20 setback. Remington Marsh's three-yard run gave Lakeview a 20-14 lead in overtime. The Sailors trailed 14-6 with 1:42 left but tied the game on Owen Reynolds' 26-yard touchdown pass to Julian Zacherl and Gavin Schell's subsequent two-point run.

Schell led Lakeview with 88 yards while Marsh added 73 rushing yards. Lakeview's 163 rushing yards as a team marked a season-high.

Greenville defeated Lakeview twice in 2024. The Trojans downed visiting Lakeview in the regular season, 36-0, then picked up a 28-7 win over the Sailors in the District 10 Class 1A quarterfinals at Hickory.

Gentile ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the playoff win as Greenville finished with 377 rushing yards. Thurber, who primarily played wide receiver in 2024, caught an 11-yard touchdown pass. He also threw a 35-yard strike to Schell. Greenville went 7 of 10 on third down.

Schell also intercepted two passes in the playoff win. He had two thefts in the 36-0 regular season victory while Kyle McGirr also intercepted a pass. Gentile ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Greenville held Lakeview for 140 total yards. 

This is Greenville's third all-time trip to Lakeview. The Trojans earned a 35-6 win at Lakeview nine years ago, then captured a 20-0 win October 11, 2019 against the homestanding Sailors.

Farrell at Steubenville, Ohio, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: First Meeting

Farrell goes on the road for the third time in the last four weeks Friday night as the Steelers travel to perennial Ohio Valley powerhouse Steubenville (3-2).

"Defense travels" is a statement often said in all levels of football and the Steelers will take Mercer County's top-ranked defensive unit to Harding Stadium. Farrell allows only 6.0 points and 105.2 yards per game, the lowest respective figures in the 11-team area.

Farrell also leads Mercer County in yards allowed per play (2.7). The Steelers have held opponents to 22 percent (10 of 46) success on third down this year.

After allowing Wilmington to open the game last week with a 59-yard touchdown drive, Farrell held the Greyhounds to 74 total yards the rest of the night in a 44-7 Farrell win.

Junior quarterback Aaron Pegues completed 11 of 12 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 78 yards and two scores. Senior tailback Juelz Johnson picked up 143 yards and two touchdowns. Timmy Jackson opened Farrell's scoring by returning a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown. That marked Farrell's seventh return touchdown in five games played this year.

Pegues has raised his completion percentage for the season to 64.8 (46 of 71). A two-year starter behind center, Pegues has thrown for 677 yards and eight touchdowns. Johnson has 739 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in five games.

Steubenville has won three straight games after opening the season with losses to Ursuline (37-7) and Indian Valley (30-0). In Week Three, Steubenville trailed Cardinal Mooney 14-0 at halftime but rallied for a 27-24 overtime win. Steubenville followed up with a 55-7 win at Linsly School (W.Va.) and a 63-34 triumph last week at Dover.

Ca'Juan Bryant scored four rushing touchdowns for the Big Red and Landon Crosier scored three of Steubenville's nine rushing touchdowns against Dover.

The previous week, quarterback Santino Haney completed 9 of 10 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Linsly. Bryant ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns while Crosier added a pair of short touchdown runs.

Steubenville also features kicker Cole Bowers, who has committed to Army West Point.

Steubenville head coach Reno Saccoccia is in his 43rd season in charge of the Big Red program. He has guided Steubenville to state titles in 1984, 2005, 2006 and 2017. The Big Red also finished as state runner-up in 1987, 1988, 2008, 2015 and 2016.

Steubenville went 13-1 last season. The Big Red advanced to the state quarterfinals in OHSAA Division III before falling to state champion Columbus Bishop Watterson, 37-7.

The Big Red has won 12 straight games against Pennsylvania foes. The last loss came August 24, 2018, when Penn Hills handed Steubenville a 21-14 home defeat.  

This is Farrell's southernmost regular season road trip since August 29, 2003, when the Steelers visited Washington in the season opener. That game finished in a 0-0 deadlock due to lightning. Five years prior, Farrell lost at Wheeling Central Catholic, 21-12, in the season's second week.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Reynolds at Wilmington, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Wilmington, 30-2
Last Reynolds Win: November 19, 2005 (21-0, District 10 Class AA title at SRU)
Last Wilmington Win: November 9, 2024 (49-14, District 10 Class 1A semifinal at Farrell)
First Meeting: October 14, 1961 (Wilmington won 24-12 at Reynolds)

Reynolds, the area's lone undefeated team, returns to Region 1 action Saturday by visiting fellow Class 1A foe Wilmington (4-2, 0-1). It is the first trip to Wilmington for Reynolds (6-0, 2-0) since the 2021 District 10 playoffs.

Reynolds improved to 6-0 for the first time in five years by holding off visiting Cambridge Springs last week, 22-19. The Raiders led 22-7 at halftime but had three punts and two turnovers on its five second half turnovers. Wilmington, meanwhile, opened conference play with a 44-7 home loss to Farrell last week.

Saturday's game features the county's top two rushing attacks. Reynolds leads the area in yards per game, averaging 302.8. Reynolds also averages an area-best 9.5 yards per attempt. Wilmington ranks second in rushing offense, averaging 298.2 yards per game. No local team has executed more rushing plays than has Wilmington (255).

Both teams feature multiple dynamic ball carriers. Reynolds senior Gabe Minjarez leads the county with 800 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Fellow senior Parker Nay has added 545 yards while averaging 15.1 yards per attempt. Quarterback Xavier Zachrich has rushed for 305 yards while operating out of the quarterback, tailback and slot back positions.

Wilmington's Wing-T scheme has produced four men with 250 or more yards so far this season. Junior halfback Chase Mitcheltree has amassed 704 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in six starts. He ranks fourth in rushing yardage and trails only Minjarez in touchdowns.

Sophomore halfback Cael Kettering averages 12.3 yards per attempt, second only to Nay in the area. He has 284 yards while twin brother Cam Kettering has 271 yards from the fullback position. Sophomore quarterback Rowan Miller has rushed for 274 yards and five touchdowns.

Wilmington managed only 101 rushing yards against Farrell's top-ranked rushing defense last week. The Greyhounds utilized their seldom-used passing attack to take a 7-0 lead against the Steelers as Miller tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to split end Freddie Zehetner.

Wilmington has attempted only 13 passes this year, including one quarterback spike to stop the clock.

While Wilmington has thrown only 13 passes, Nay leads Reynolds with 20 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns. His 1,018 yards from scrimmage lead Mercer County. He ran for 133 yards and a touchdown against Cambridge Springs while also hauling in a Zachrich throw for a touchdown.

Reynolds has amassed a county-best 95 first downs while Wilmington is second with 92 first downs. Reynolds has an area-high 17 takeaways. Wilmington's two turnovers are the fewest in Mercer County. Wilmington leads the area with a plus-9 turnover margin. Reynolds is tied for second at plus-5.

Wilmington rolled to a 56-9 regular season win at Reynolds last year, then downed the Raiders in the District 10 Class 1A semifinals, 49-14, at Farrell. Mitcheltree ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns while Zehetner caught two Wesley Vass-Gal touchdown passes in the October 5, 2024 victory at Reynolds.

Zehetner caught two touchdown passes and also picked off two passes in the playoff victory. Mitcheltree ran for 94 yards and two scores while Cael Kettering contributed 89 yards and two touchdowns. Minjarez led Reynolds with 99 rushing yards and a touchdown. Nay returned a kickoff 80 yards for the Raiders.

Wilmington is 14-0 at home against Reynolds. Reynolds is 3-0 at Wilmington in District 10 playoff action.

Prior to 2020, Reynolds' most recent 6-0 start came in 1995. That year, the Raiders won their first six games before dropping a 24-21 overtime decision at Hickory in the first regular season game to go to overtime in Mercer County history. Reynolds' only other 7-0 start came in 1978. The 2020 team went 9-0 before falling to Jeannette in the state semifinals.

The game will be broadcast on Sports Radio 96.7.