Ethan Chambers and the Knights host

With a 30-8 setback at Maplewood last week, Eisenhower’s playoff hopes were dashed.

A win would have given the Knights a chance to finish as one of the top teams in Region 2, and potentially a .500 record in region play. Both scenarios that coach Jim Penley could use to justify his team’s inclusion in postseason play. Best case now, Eisenhower can finish 2-3 in region play and 3-7 overall.

“We were playing for our playoff lives,” Penley told the Times Observer’s Cody Elms following last week’s game. “With a win here and a win next week, we could be as high as second seed in the region, even with all the tough games.”

The Knights officially opted out of the playoffs Monday, but can still play a bit of a spoiler this week when they travel to Cochranton.

The Cardinals could finish anywhere from third to fifth in the region, with Eisenhower and Cambridge Springs holding the other two spots. While both the Knights and Blue Devils have opted out of the playoffs, the record still matters as District 10 doesn’t reseed to account for teams opting out. Third place draws a match with West Middlesex, fourth gets to face Farrell and fifth meets up with Union City.

Cochranton and Cambridge Springs are both 2-2 in the region, with Cochranton holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. If Eisenhower defeats Cochranton and the Blue Devils lose at Union City, all three teams would finish with 2-3 records. A Cochranton win and CS loss would move the Cardinals to third, while Eisenhower and CS wins would put the Cardinals fifth.

More importantly for the Knights, a win would give them some momentum as they close out the regular season and something to build on as they look ahead to next year. To get there, Eisenhower will have to stop a Cardinals team looking to solidify their playoff position.

Cochranton is led offensively by dual threat quarterback Kohl Bernarding. Bernarding has thrown for 862 yards on 56-116 passing with two touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s also run for 361 yards and 10 touchdowns on 109 carries. When he turns to the air, Garrett Long and Jon Gallo have been his favorite targets. Long leads the team in receptions (18) and yards (242), with Gallo right behind in both categories (13-207). Long also has a touchdown catch on the year.

Curtis Freyermuth is the team’s leading rusher with 556 yards and three touchdowns on 117 carries. He’s also added eight receptions for 70 yards.

Eisenhower all-purpose back Ethan Chambers has a good chance to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the year. The senior currently has 779 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He’s also added 18 receptions for 225 yards and a score. Sophomore quarterback Owen Trumbull has been about as even as a player can be. He’s 53-122 passing for 658 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. In addition to Chambers, Garrett Head and Zane Alexander have been Trumbull’s go-to targets. Head has 16 catches for 221 yards and three touchdowns, while Alexander has 12 receptions for 146 yards and a score.

Head is second on the team in carries (52) and yards (187). Riley West has 22 rushes for 101 yards and a score and Nate Holt has 19 totes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Cael Black has seen his workload increase in recent games and is now up to 15 carries for 87 yards with a touchdown.

Kickoff at Cardinal Stadium is set for 7 p.m.