NWPASports.com

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

WEEK NINE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

District 10's football teams finish up region play this week, despite having one more available week for regular season games. Farrell, Greenville and Hickory will all secure respective region titles with victories Friday night. Wilmington remains mathematically alive to get a share of the Region 1 title, as does Sharon in the Region 4 race.

Week Nine features three all-local matchups. Ten of the 11 area teams are in action. Mercer has an open date this week. The Mustangs will face Slippery Rock next week in the regular season windup.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Sharon at Titusville, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Sharon, 9-3
Last Sharon Win: November 8, 2024 (40-7, District 10 Class 3A semifinal at Franklin)
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)

Sharon makes its first trip to historic Carter Field in 10 seasons Thursday night when the Tigers visit Titusville in both teams' Region 4 finale. A Sharon victory, coupled with a Slippery Rock win Friday night at Hickory would give Sharon (5-3, 3-1) a share of the conference title.

Turnovers played a direct role in both teams' results last week. Sharon forced three Conneaut turnovers in a 47-7 win last Friday night in the home finale at Sharon Tiger Stadium. Bishop Root's 38-yard fumble return to the end zone closed the scoring while Terrian White's interception at the Sharon 45 set up a 55-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Engelmore to Ra'Keem Hughes in the final minute of the first half.

Titusville committed three turnovers in a 37-14 loss to visiting Slippery Rock. Titusville allowed an interception return for touchdown and also missed two field goals as five Titusville drives ended without points in Slippery Rock territory.

Thursday's clash features two of District 10's most productive running backs in White and Titusville junior Jayden O'Neill. White leads Mercer County with 1,051 rushing yards after he ran for 114 yards and three scores on eight carries last week. O'Neill, meanwhile, has amassed 932 yards rushing and six touchdowns this year.

O'Neill faces a Sharon defense that held Conneaut to 43 rushing yards on 30 attempts last week. Sharon ranks third in Mercer County in rushing defense, holding opponents to 4.2 yards per carry. The Sharon defense has faced 326 rushing plays this year, which is the highest total in the 11-team area.

Offensively, no area team has completed (78) nor attempted (137) more passes this year than has Sharon. Engelmore completed 12 of 15 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Hughes had four receptions for 112 yards while senior Brock Ondo caught his first touchdown pass of 2025.

Engelmore has thrown for 781 yards and eight touchdowns after returning from injury. Junior quarterback Gha'fir Lampkins continues to recover from a left arm injury that has limited him to free safety only.

Like Sharon, Titusville has utilized two quarterbacks this year in senior Brody Sellen and freshman Hunter Martin. Sellen threw for 91 yards and a touchdown against Slippery Rock while Martin completed 2 of 6 passes for 45 yards. Sellen has thrown for 575 yards and four touchdowns this year. He has been intercepted seven times. Martin is 15 of 33 for 168 yards, with three interceptions.

Senior wingback Blake Ross leads Titusville with 18 receptions for 220 yards.

Sharon twice downed Titusville in 2024. The Tigers earned a 63-22 regular season win at home over Titusville after rolling up 470 rushing yards as a team. White contributed 66 yards and two touchdowns while Marius Best added 54 yards. Engelmore completed 7 of 13 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Hughes and Lampkins both intercepted passes for Sharon, which led 36-16 at halftime.

Sharon then eliminated Titusville from the District 10 Class 3A playoffs with a 40-7 triumph in the semifinals at Franklin. Sharon chewed up 310 rushing yards. Yousef Kanan opened the scoring with a 32-yard field goal while White accounted for the Tigers' first touchdown when he raced 28 yards to the end zone with 2:13 left in the first quarter.

Hughes and Kare'mez Norris both caught touchdown passes from Engelmore, who went 5 of 8 for 124 yards. O'Neill led the Rockets with 67 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Sharon is 4-0 all-time at Titusville. All three of Titusville's wins over Sharon have come at Tiger Stadium. 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).

FRIDAY NIGHT

Reynolds at Farrell, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Farrell, 10-2
Last Farrell Win: October 18, 2024 (54-7 at Reynolds)
Last Reynolds Win: September 14, 1984 (27-6)
First Meeting: October 1, 1982 (Reynolds won 24-14 at Farrell)

Reynolds (6-2, 2-1) can forge a tie, or perhaps a three-way tie atop Region 1's final standings with a win Friday night at Farrell (5-3, 3-0). To forge that deadlock, Reynolds will have to do something it has not done since Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale campaigned for the White House - defeat Farrell.

Farrell clinched at least a share of the league title last Friday night with a 52-7 victory over Sharpsville at West Middlesex. Senior running back Juelz Johnson ran for 192 yards and six touchdowns in last week's win. Defensively, Farrell held Sharpsville to 102 total yards and seven first downs.

Those numbers are nothing new for the Steelers' defense, however, as Farrell leads the 11-team area in scoring defense (11.0), yards per carry allowed (2.9), rushing yards allowed per game (93.0), yards allowed per play (3.4) and total yards allowed per game (143.6). The Steelers also own a plus-10 turnover margin.

Johnson has rushed for 982 yards and a county-best 15 touchdowns. He leads Mercer County with 19 total touchdowns and 122 points. Junior quarterback Aaron Pegues has thrown for 965 yards and 11 touchdowns. Only one of his 102 pass attempts has been intercepted this season.

Farrell faces a Reynolds defense that has a county-best 17 takeaways this season. The Raiders rank second only to Farrell in total defense, allowing only 209.9 yards per game and 4.5 yards per offensive play. Reynolds did yield 312 rushing yards last week to Lucas, Ohio's double-wing attack as the visiting Cubs handed Reynolds a 22-15 defeat.

 Reynolds produced a pair of 100-yard rushers on offense as senior Xavier Zachrich ran for 127 yards and senior Parker Nay added 102 yards. Both men ran for touchdowns. Zachrich started at tailback in place of senior Gabe Minjarez, who missed the game. Junior Connor Belback replaced Zachrich as the starting quarterback against Lucas.

Minjarez leads the Raiders' diverse rushing attack with 887 yards. Nay has 670 yards while Zachrich has gained 426 yards while playing a variety of positions on offense. Nay also has 25 catches for 552 yards. He leads the county with 1,332 all-purpose yards.

Reynolds went 17 for 42 (40 percent) on its season-opening six-game winning streak. The Raiders are 1 for 20 on third down over the last two weeks, including an 0-for-8 performance against Lucas.

Farrell gained a season-high 509 yards last year in a 54-7 win at Reynolds. The 509-yard output last year marks Farrell's highest yardage total in the last three seasons. Johnson ran for 158 yards and a touchdown while current junior Dorean Cain added 102 yards and two touchdowns. Cain also had a sack on defense.

Pegues completed 10 of 13 attempts for 203 yards and four touchdowns. Two of Nemo Jones' six receptions went for touchdowns while Timmy Jackson also caught a touchdown pass.

Nay caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Belback in the second quarter for Reynolds. Giovanni Guerino returned an interception 61 yards in the fourth quarter.

The teams met each year from 1982 to 1985 as members of the Keystone Football League. The road team won all four KFL meetings. Reynolds is 1-1 in District 10 playoff action. The Raiders fell to Wilmington in the 2024 District 10 Class 1A semifinals, 49-14. Three years ago, Reynolds defeated Maplewood in the Class 1A semifinals, 44-6.

Wilmington at Sharpsville, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Wilmington, 15-6
Last Sharpsville Win: August 25, 2023 (49-42 at Wilmington)
Last Wilmington Win: October 18, 2024 (34-17)
First Meeting: October 28, 1994 (Wilmington, won 40-0)

After "hosting" Farrell last week at West Middlesex, Sharpsville closes its home and conference schedules Friday night by welcoming Wilmington to McCracken Field. Wilmington can grab a share of the Region 1 title with a win at Sharpsville, coupled with a Reynolds triumph over Farrell.

Wilmington kept its hopes alive for a share of the conference title and the potential No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming District 10 Class 1A playoffs by securing a 48-0 win last week at Mercer. The Greyhounds threw for a season-high 127 yards in the win, marking the first time in 28 games that Wilmington reached triple-digits in passing yardage.

Sophomore quarterback Rowan Miller went 5 of 8 for 108 yards and a touchdown while junior Wesley Vass-Gal completed his only attempt for 19 yards.

While Wilmington's passing attack has emerged from hibernation, the team's top-ranked rushing attack continues to be the driving force of an offense that averages 34.8 points per game. Wilmington leads the area in rushing offense by averaging 281.9 yards per game.

Last week, Wilmington ran for 290 yards at Mercer. Junior halfback Chase Mitcheltree returned from a one-game absence to rush for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He also opened the game with an 88-yard kickoff return for touchdown. Sophomores Cael and Cam Kettering also ran for touchdowns, as did reserve quarterback John Pataki.

Mitcheltree ranks fifth in the area with 846 rushing yards. The Ketterings have combined for 729 yards and nine touchdowns -- 403 yards and five scores from Cam Kettering; 326 yards and four touchdowns from fullback Cael Kettering.

Wilmington leads the area with a plus-12 turnover margin. The Greyhounds have committed a county-low two turnovers this year. Wilmington's 11 interceptions lead the area. Freddie Zehetner, who leads Wilmington with six receptions for 208 yards, also has caught three opponents' passes this year from his cornerback spot. Vass-Gal and Miller have two interceptions.

Conversely, Sharpsville's six takeaways this year are the fewest in the area. Sharpsville ranks 11th in Mercer County with a minus-10 turnover margin. The Blue Devils turned over the ball three times last week in a 52-7 loss to Farrell.

Sophomore fullback Geno Currie ran for 71 yards and a touchdown in his second game back from injury. He now has 636 rushing yards this season in six games. His 106.0 yards per game rank sixth in the area.

Like Wilmington, Sharpsville's passing game has continued to progress this year with a first-year starting sophomore at the quarterback position. Lincoln Breit has thrown for 427 yards and three touchdowns since taking over for injured classmate Brady Gerlach.

Sophomore Landen Hassel leads the Devils with 23 catches and 422 receiving yards. Hassel ranks fourth in the area in catches and fifth in receiving yards.

Slow starts have haunted Sharpsville this year as the Blue Devils have been outscored 100-6 in the first quarter this year.

Wilmington outscored Sharpsville 20-3 in the second half last year on the way to a 34-17 home win. Wilmington ran for 425 yards and finished the game with 24 first downs. Mitcheltree ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Cael Kettering also ran for a touchdown while Cam Kettering notched a quarterback sack.

Currie scored on a one-yard plunge in the second quarter for Sharpsville while linebacker Brennon Huffman tallied a sack.

Wilmington looks to finish off its first 6-0 road record since 2009. The Greyhounds also went 6-0 on the road in 1988. Wilmington won its first six road games in 1961. That year, the Greyhounds finished 8-1 while playing all nine games on the road.

Sharpsville head coach Paul Piccirilli is the father-in-law of Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian. Wilmington has won 7 of the 9 meetings between the in-laws. Wilmington is 6-3 all-time at Sharpsville.

Both teams will face District 9 opponents in Week 10. Sharpsville visits undefeated Punxsutawney (8-0) while Wilmington will host Karns City. Karns City (6-2) visits the Chucks in a non-league game Friday night. Punxsy rallied for a 22-19 win September 19 at Karns City. 

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

Series History: Hickory, 27-13
Last Hickory Win: September 18, 2024 (56-0 at Slippery Rock) (Hickory also received a forfeit in 2024 District 10 Class 3A quarterfinals)
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 (7-1, 4-0) returns home for the regular season finale Friday night with a chance to secure the outright Region 4 title. The Hornets face a Slippery Rock team that kept its slim District 10 playoff hopes alive last Friday night with a 37-14 victory at league rival Titusville.

While Slippery Rock rolled on the road, Hickory escaped Grove City last Thursday night with a 21-14 victory. Mearlon Petterson's pass breakup in the end zone on fourth down in the final minute helped preserve the victory.

The Hickory defense bent but did not often break at Grove City. Hickory allowed a 20-play, nine-minute drive to start the second half but kept the Eagles out the end zone. Grove City then drove to the 25 on its final drive but senior linebacker Matthew Myers recorded a tackle for loss on third-and-short, setting up Petterson's fourth-down pass breakup.

Hickory's defense also recorded a stop late in the second quarter, forcing a Grove City punt. Junior Kelvin Morrison subsequently returned the punt 71 yards for a touchdown, giving Hickory a 21-7 halftime lead. Morrison also ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Morrison, who missed two games due to a calf injury, averages a county-best 154.2 rushing yards. His 925 total yards ranks third in the area. Sophomore quarterback Christian Dungee continues to lead the area in completion percentage, having connected on 65.4 percent of his attempts this year. He has thrown for 758 yards and rushed for 458 yards. His 458 rushing yards are tops among area quarterbacks.

Injuries have considerably thinned Hickory's lineup this season. Junior strong safety Bryson Applegarth suffered a leg injury last week at Grove City. He also saw extended work at running back during Morrison's absence. The Hornets have also lost wide receiver/cornerback Jadon Phillips, wide receiver/linebacker Trevor Borowicz and three-year starting linebacker Jakiah King-Husband to potential season-ending injuries.

Slippery Rock captured its first league win of the season last week at Titusville, thanks in part to three forced turnovers. Defensive end Sawyer Allen gave Slippery Rock a 14-6 lead early in the third quarter by returning an intercepted screen pass 62 yards for a touchdown.

Doug Popovec also intercepted a pass for Slippery Rock, part of a full evening for the two-way starter. He also blocked a field goal, completed 9 of 14 passes for 91 yards, kicked off, punted four times and closed the scoring by kicking an extra point after Kole Scott's fourth quarter touchdown run.

Scott ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns while senior halfback Owen Long added 71 yards and two touchdowns. Scott leads Slippery Rock with 539 yards and eight scores while Long has 373 rushing yards and four scores. Long also has been Popovec's favorite target, having caught 17 passes for 206 yards.

Long's 1,026 all-purpose yards are No. 6 in the area while his 17 catches are No. 9 among the local leaders.

Slippery Rock is 3-0 this year when winning the turnover battle.

Hickory has won the last two regular season meetings, including a 56-0 win at Slippery Rock last year. Hickory bolted to a 42-0 lead in the first quarter. Phillips had seven catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns while Morrison had three receptions for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Morrison did not have a rushing attempt in last year's win.

Myers intercepted a pass for Hickory, which outgained the Rockets, 519-100. Allen caught two passes for 41 yards. Popovec threw for 55 yards.

Hickory has won 11 of its 16 home games all-time with Slippery Rock. Hickory "hosted" Slippery Rock at Kennedy Christian in 1996, with the visitors earning a 14-2 victory.

Slippery Rock is 1-1 all-time in the postseason at Hornet Stadium. Five years ago on Halloween, Hickory defeated Slippery Rock in a District 10 Class 3A semifinal, 51-0. In 2002, Slippery Rock captured its first District 10 title in football when the Rockets toppled Sharon in the D-10 Class AA title game at Hickory, 17-7.

The game will be broadcast on News/Talk 790 WPIC. Video at Sports Radio 96.7.

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

Series History: Grove City, 4-1
Last Conneaut Win: October 18, 2024 (40-7)
Last Grove City Win: October 11, 2019 (46-14 at Conneaut)
First Meeting: September 9, 2016 (Grove City won 48-6 at Conneaut)

District 10 Class 3A playoff positioning -- and perhaps a playoff berth, depending on the currently unknown final size of the postseason field -- hangs in the balance Friday night as Grove City (4-4, 2-2) welcomes Region 4 foe Conneaut (6-2, 2-2) to Forker Field.

The winner will secure third place in the league. If District 10 takes eight Class 3A teams, both teams are likely already in. But if the field is fewer than eight teams, the Region 4 fourth place team could be left out.

Both teams fell to 2-2 in the conference with setbacks last week. Grove City has an extra day of preparation after its 21-14 home loss last Thursday to Hickory. Meanwhile, Conneaut fell at Sharon last Friday night, 47-7, as the hosts outscored Conneaut 34-0 over the final 25 minutes of the game.

Balanced rushing attacks have been the calling card of both offenses this season. Senior running back Jonah Stucchio became the third different Grove City back to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season as he ran for 134 yards against Hickory. Freshman Gavin Purdy added 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Purdy leads Grove City with 626 rushing yards while Stucchio has 375 yards. Senior Jaxyn Wilson has 406 rushing yards in five games. He missed last week's game.

Conneaut junior fullback Chance Meader leads his squad with 723 rushing yards while junior Aidan Ford has added 666 yards from his wingback spot. Sharon held Conneaut to 43 rushing yards last week.

Conneaut did receive 132 passing yards from sophomore quarterback Mason Stone, who completed 19 of 26 attempts. The 19 completions are a career high. Seven of the completions went to 6-foot-4 junior Wyatt Luke, who finished with 74 yards.

Luke now has 11 catches on the season. Senior tight end Alex Paskorz leads Conneaut with 16 receptions.

Grove City freshman quarterback Heath Hohman ranks third in the county with 880 passing yards. He leads the area with 69 pass completions.

Conneaut picked up its first-ever win over Grove City last year in Linesville, 40-7. Conneaut outgained the visitors, 413-264. Conneaut went 7 for 11 on third down. Current junior Drake Moore started at quarterback for Grove City and threw for 101 yards on 6-of-13 passing. Wilson ran for 62 yards.

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

Greenville at Maplewood, 7:00 p.m.

Series History: Greenville, 1-0
Last Greenville Win: October 19, 2024 (50-20)
Last Maplewood Win: None
First Meeting: October 19, 2024

Greenville makes its first-ever trip to Maplewood (1-6, 1-3) Friday night when the Trojans look to secure the outright Region 2 title. Winners of seven straight games, Greenville clinched at least a share of the title with a 43-7 home win over Saegertown last week.

Last week's win followed a typical Greenville winning formula in 2025: a powerful rushing attack, explosive passing plays and stout defense. Senior halfback Rudy Gentile ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns while junior halfback Kaysom Materia chipped in 52 yards and a touchdown. Greenville finished with 298 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, junior quarterback Cael Thurber completed 6 of 8 passes for 118 yards, including touchdown strikes to Justin Schell and Zach Copeland. Copeland also intercepted a pass on defense to help lead a unit that blanked Saegertown until the fourth quarter.

Thurber leads Mercer County with 1,180 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. Schell's 649 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches are tops in the area. Gentile is closing in on a second straight 1,000-yard season as he has rushed for 825 yards and 13 touchdowns. Materia has 500 yards and six touchdowns in his first year as a starter.

Greenville leads Mercer County in total offense as the Trojans average 371.5 yards per game. Greenville has scored a county-high 300 points this season. The Trojan defense might be overshadowed a bit by the offense's gaudy numbers, but Greenville grades out highly in several key statistical categories.

Greenville's 16 caused turnovers are No. 2 in the area. The Trojans have allowed only 99 points this year, the second-lowest figure in Mercer County.

The Trojan defense will be tasked with slowing down Maplewood dual-threat quarterback Kyle Jordan. Jordan leads the Tigers with 515 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He has also thrown for 440 yards this year, his third season as the starter.

Jordan has accounted for 3,305 career yards of total offense, which includes 2,024 passing yards. He ran for 65 yards last week against Cambridge Springs. Maplewood led visiting Cambridge Springs last week at halftime, 12-10, but Spa rallied for a 25-12 victory.

 Jordan ran for one touchdown and threw for a second score last year at Greenville but the Trojans rolled to a 50-20 Saturday night home win. Thurber caught three passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Gentile and Keith Covert both intercepted Jordan.

Greenville seeks its eighth consecutive win. The Trojans won 11 straight games last season. This would be the first time since 2013-14 that Greenville has had consecutive seasons with eight-game winning streaks.

Greenville has won 40 straight games against Crawford County opponents. The last non-win came October 9, 1992, when the Trojans played to a 7-7 tie at Meadville. The Greenville unbeaten streak against Crawford County teams is 46 games (44-0-2). Meadville defeated Greenville, 26-13, October 6, 1989.

This would be the third 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. 

Lakeview at Cambridge Springs, 7:00

Series History: Cambridge Springs, 23-8-2
Last Cambridge Springs Win: October 18, 2024 (22-12 at Lakeview)
Last Lakeview Win: October 6, 2023 (28-22 at Cambridge Springs)
First Meeting: September 24, 1965 (Cambridge Springs won 20-7)

After rallying from a 21-0 deficit last Thursday night to topple visiting Cochranton, 46-41, Lakeview looks to continue its late-season momentum against one of its oldest rivals, Cambridge Springs. Cambridge Springs (5-3, 3-1) remains alive to grab a piece of the Region 2 title with a win, coupled with a Greenville loss at Maplewood.

Lakeview features numerous underclassmen throughout its offensive and defensive lineups but a pair of seniors helped ignite last week's comeback. Senior quarterback Owen Reynolds fired three first-half touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Julian Zacherl as the Sailors seized a 22-21 lead. Lakeview took the lead for good, 30-27, in the closing moments of the first half as junior Karson Mathieson caught Reynolds' fourth touchdown pass of the first half.

Senior running back Gavin Schell scored on a pair of touchdown runs in the third quarter to break open the game. Schell finished with 50 rushing yards while sophomore Remington Marsh led Lakeview with 78 rushing yards.

Zacherl caught six passes for a career-high 233 yards. Reynolds threw for a career-best 255 yards on 9-for-15 accuracy. Schell, Ethan Johnson and Trevor Shearer all had sacks on defense while Austin Toth picked off two passes.

Cambridge Springs also won in comeback fashion last week, erasing a 12-10 halftime deficit against Maplewood on the way to a 25-12 triumph. Senior quarterback Brandon Hoover led Spa with 235 rushing yards. He also completed all five of his pass attempts for 50 yards.

Cambridge Springs played without standout fullback Brett Kania last week. Kania leads the Blue Devils with 1,059 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He has 4,642 career rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns.

Hoover has 867 rushing yards. He has also thrown for 272 yards in Cambridge Springs' run-heavy offensive attack. Spa executes running plays on 83 percent of its offensive snaps this season.

Cambridge Springs downed Lakeview last season in Stoneboro, 22-12. Cambridge Springs went 7 for 12 on third down and outgained Lakeview, 224-153.

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. Lakeview is 7-11 at Cambridge Springs. The Sailors have won each of their last two trips to Baird Field, however.