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Local football teams aim for first win

Warren takes the field prior to its Region 5 contest against Grove City at War Memorial Field.

Week 3 of the high school football season is here, and Warren, Eisenhower and Sheffield are in search of their first victories of the season.

All three have faced incredibly tough schedules out of the gate, with their opponents so far having a combined record of 6-0 and all of whom are expected to be major factors in their respective conferences.

Not that any of the Warren County schools can’t do the same, but they must start this week.

Eisenhower has its Region 3 opener against Northwestern, while Warren travels to Franklin for its second Region 5 game and Sheffield hits the road to Curwensville to face star running back Nick Stewart and the Golden Tide in an AML crossover game.

Let’s delve a little deeper into each.

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WARREN (0-2, 0-1) at FRANKLIN (1-1, 1-0)

Expect to see some changes as the Dragons face their first road game of the season.

They are still looking to find there footing after a couple of very tough games to open the season. Brookville appears to be a revelation under new offensive coordinator Frank Varischetti and Grove City is on the short list of favorites in D-10 5A.

The Dragons lost to Franklin in the final minute of the game last season in a game they probably should have won.

The Knights are coming off a 44-36 win over rival Oil City after falling to Brashear in the opener.

Ian Haynes completed 17-of-30 passes for 287 yards against the Oilers, while Bredon Gorden had 112 yards rushing and 112 receiving. Brandon Johnson also had 87 yards receiving.

Containing those three will certainly be a point of emphasis for the Dragons.

“Their quarterback is an above average quarterback, number ten (Johnson) is a big playmaker for them,” Morelli said. “They also have a former offensive lineman at fullback – he’s going to be tough to bring down.”

Warren’s Noah Myers will look to have another big game on the ground, much like he did against Brookville.

But the real key, Morelli said, will come down to the offensive line, where Dylan Burt now joins the group at center.

“Offensive line wise, they’re probably our equal,” he said. “The team that wants to play up front and be physical is the team that will win. Are we capable of beating Franklin? Absolutely. I’m hoping that the kids learned their lessons from playing two good teams and apply them against Franklin.”

“If they want to win, their efforts on the field will dictate and show how badly then want to win. I’ve said this from day one. You have kids who are already pretty good who are continuing to work to be the best, kids who are borderline who want to be the best and there are kids who are status quo. We have to get those kids more toward the middle, and once we do that I think things will start rolling for us.

– – –

EISENHOWER (0-2, 0-0) at NORTHWESTERN (0-2, 0-1)

The Knights opening two games have been well-documented against much bigger schools – Mercyhurst Prep and Fort LeBoeuf.

Tonight they get Northwestern, a team that also lost to LeBoeuf (45-7) and fell to Region 3 foe Iroquois 40-16 last week.

This is a game the Knights feel good about as they look to get their offense on track.

Jaydon Hayes has averaged 3.6 yards per carry against two very tough defenses, and both he, Ethan Chambers and Spencer Head will look to spearhead that rushing attack, which is a priority for Ike.

Quarterback Killian Cooper has done a little bit of everything for the Wildcats, passing for 234 yards and rushing for 103 in the first two games. His top targets are Aaron Hull (121 yards receiving) and Mike Wolf (4 receptions).

Coach Jim Penley’s Knights are better than their record would indicate, and he said after the game against LeBoeuf just how excited he is for the rest of the season.

“I’m really excited about the next eight weeks,” Penley said. “I could not be more excited for this group.”

– – –

SHEFFIELD (0-2, 0-0) at CURWENSVILLE (2-0, 0-0)

Sheffield has played two competitive games against AML South foes Elk County Catholic and Brockway, and they will look to get over the proverbial hump when they travel to Curwensville tonight.

Nick Stewart is the story for the Golden Tide, as his 5,656 yards rank third in all-time District 9 history, and he can pass former Curwensville back Alex Holland for second on the all-time list with 78 yards against the Wolverines.

Sheffield, meanwhile, has shown flashes of brilliance, but coach Dave Fitch reiterated after last week’s loss to Brockway that his team needs to remain disciplined for four quarters.

“We played undisciplined football in many aspects, but more importantly the disappointment that I saw today was our discipline or lack there of mentally, making some key mental mistakes. We lost our cool,” Fitch said after the game against the Rovers, a 37-13 setback.

Kevin Evans was over 100 yards rushing and receiving for the Wolverines last week, while Cale Albaugh threw a pair of touchdown passes, but also was intercepted three times.

Taking care of the ball will be key against the Golden Tide, especially since possessions might be at a premium with their methodical, ball-control offense.

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