READY FOR THE RIVALRY — Indian Creek’s Zion McGee and Edison’s Trevor Eisnaugle will look to lead their teams in the annual Route 43 Bowl on Friday. – Michael D. McElwain
RICHMOND — It is fitting the biggest game of the season takes play in Week 10.
The Edison football team — which may or may not have wrapped up a playoff spot — is set for a big battle when the Wildcats take on archrival Indian Creek at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.
Edison enters this week coming off of a 27-12 loss to local rival Harrison Central last Friday night out at Wagner Field. The loss to the Huskies was the Wildcats third in their last four games.
“I was really proud of how hard our kids played the whole game,” Edison (6-3) head coach Mike Collopy said. “We faced different scenarios in each half. In the first half, we had backs up against the wall a few times, but our defense responded. In the second half, we made some mistakes. They made fewer mistakes. It is not one play that determines the outcome, but if you string those plays together, and you look at our mistakes, they made more plays than we did, that was the difference in the game.”
On the other side, the Redskins enter this week coming off their second win of the season as Indian Creek defeated Mapleton, 40-12, Saturday on the road. The win snapped Indian Creek’s six-game losing streak.
“It was a big win,” Indian Creek (2-7) head coach Andrew Connor said. “It was a team win. The kids responded well. They handled the bus trip. It was two-and-a-half-hours one way. There were no complaints. They came out and played hard. It was a good team win.”
The Redskins did a good job of executing on the field against the Mounties.
“Execution,” Connor said asked what made the difference on the field. “I have been talking to you about execution for weeks now. We did a good job of executing.
“Defensively, we did a good job. We tackled well. We read our keys.
“Offensively, it was our running game. We almost had two kids get 100 yards rushing. It came down to execution. We were able to win the line of scrimmage.”
With last week’s game in the past, the two teams turned their attention to the rivalry game this week.
“It is always a big game,” Collopy said. “Our communities are close. The kids know each other. You have families where they went to one school and the kids are going to the other. That’s what high school football is about. It’s that way throughout the Ohio Valley. It is going to be a physical, hard-nosed game. Indian Creek has played an extremely tough schedule. Their record is not indicative of the type of team they are.”
Indian Creek should have some momentum on its side coming off last week’s victory.
“Anytime you are coming off of a win, you build momentum for the next week,” Collopy said. “Their schedule is very tough. They don’t have any breathers on their schedule. They play a really tough schedule.”
The teams look forward to this game all season long.
“It is a big game,” Connor said. “It is a rivalry game. It is big for the communities.
“Edison has a very good program right now. They have had the momentum the last few years. They have been playing well. They are well coached. It is definitely a big game.”
Led by standout Zion McGee, the Redskins are known for their ability to run the football.
“Zion McGee is a good running back, and they have good size up front,” Collopy said. “Zac Byard is a versatile quarterback. He does a good job of running the football. When he does throw the ball, he throws it well. Gavin Pownall is a good running back. They have weapons in Caleb Bodo and Kyle Schultz.
“They have some weapons. They do what they do, and they do it extremely well. They can spread you out. Zion McGee is one of the best running backs in the area.
“Defensively, they are aggressive. They are fundamentally sound, and they get to the football.”
The Wildcats have had success this season running and throwing the football.
“Their schemes are good,” Connor said. “They have got good players. They mix up the pass with the run. (Talan) McClurg does a great job as their feature back. They have a big offensive line. Joey Simpson leads the way up front.
“They like to mix it up. They give you a lot of different looks. They try to find holes in what you are doing, and they do it very well.”
Teams have put pressure on Edison quarterback JD Henderson, who is in his first season as the team’s starter, throughout the season. Indian Creek is not afraid to get after the quarterback, and the Red-and-Black play a physical style of defense.
“They mix up their fronts,” Collopy said. “They do blitz. They are aggressive. We are watching film on them, and what sticks out on film is they get to the football. They are good tacklers. They mix things up. They do blitz. They use different fronts. They give you different looks. We have a lot of things to work on this week as we prepare to play them.”
The 27 points scored by Harrison Central last week is the most points of the Silver-and-Black has allowed this season.
“Defensively, they are solid,” Connor said. “Again, it starts with Joey Simpson up front. They have great linebackers. They read their keys. They are well coached. They tackle well.”
Both teams have some good size up front as well as some athletes with speed.
“A lot of the intangibles with size and speed are close,” Connor said.
The Wildcats know what they have to do in order to be successful Friday night.
“We are going to have to stop the run,” Collopy said. “Defensively, we are going to have to tackle well in open space. They can throw the ball, so we have to defend that as well.
“Offensively, we have to eliminate turnovers and penalties. We have to stay ahead of the sticks.
“Our special team units need to be sound. All of our units need to do the best jobs they can. We can’t give up any big plays.”
The Redskins will looking to build off last week’s success this week.
“We want to build off Saturday night,” Connor said. “We want to play the same type of way we did this past week. We have to make Edison earn everything. We can give them things. We have to build off this past week.”
Edison has won back-to-back straight against Indian Creek.
“It is a great rivalry game,” Connor said. “There is close proximity. The festivities between the two schools started Sunday. It is a hard-nosed rivalry. There is a lot of respect between the two schools.”
The proximity of the two school districts makes this a special rivalry.
“I think so,” Connor said. “That was one of the things we talked about when we put this together and moved the game to Week 10 a long time ago. You have the proximity between the two schools. The kids grew up together. They know each other.
“I teach out at JVS, and there are kids from both schools out there. It is a big game for the two student bodies and for the parents.”
Edison enters plays this week in 11th place in the Ohio Division V Region 17 standings. According to Joe Eitel, the Wildcats have not secured a spot in the playoffs yet, however, Edison does control its own destiny meaning the team will be in the playoffs if it beats Indian Creek.
On the other side, Drew Pasteur has Edison already in the playoffs.
Edison is not focused on what may or may not be the case; the Wildcats are solely focused on this week and their game against the Redskins.
“Our opponent really helps with that,” Collopy said. “There have been years where we have had bad records, and we have played them as they moved on into the playoffs. The roles have reversed the last couple of years.
“It is going to be a physical game. It’s going to be old school football. Helmets are different, but back in the day, they would say it’s a two or three chinstrap game because of the physicality. I don’t expect it to be any different Friday night.”
A potential spot in the playoffs and year-long bragging rights are on the line this week.
“There is no trophy or anything like that,” Collopy said.
Indian Creek received a great amount of support last week as the team traveled to Ashland County, and the Redskins will have plenty of supporters in the crowd this week out at Edison.
“I want to thank the parents and the cheerleaders who came to our game last week,” Connor said. “They made it feel like we were at home. It was a long trip, and I just want to thank all of those people who came out and supported us last week.”
Edison defeated Indian Creek, 28-7, last season at Kettlewell Stadium to wrap up the school’s first 10-0 regular season. The Wildcats defeated the Redskins, 12-7, two years ago at home.
