Eisenhower’s Nolan Gesing makes a tackle during last week’s game against Saegertown. Times Observer photo by Steve Younger

The Eisenhower Knights evened their record last week at 1-1 against Saegertown 34-28, but according to head coach Jim Penley it was far from a complete game.

“Last week we came out and played a really good half of football,” Penley said earlier this week.

“Now we have to learn how to put away a game and not let a team back into it.”

This week’s opponent is Iroquois and it’s also the Knights’ first Region 3 game.

The Braves come into the game with an 0-2 record, dropping games to Cochranton 24-12 and to Conneaut Area 23-13, but Penley and his team are not underestimating Iroquois.

“Iroquois is the type of team that if you give them a chance they can put up points very fast,” Penley said. “We have to be ready for them.”

The Knights are led by 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback/defensive back Caleb Jakubczak. The senior leads his team in rushing with 295 yards on 25 carries for an 11.8-yard average. He has crossed the goal line five times on the ground. He also passed for an efficient 186 yards, going 14 of 23 with a touchdown.

Eisenhower also has senior Logan Penley to run the ball. He is averaging 4.7 yards per carry on 28 rushes, and has two touchdowns. The emergence of junior Nolan Gesing at fullback will force teams to respect him. He is averaging 6.7 yards per carry on 18 attempts.

Iroquois is a more balanced team that is not afraid to pass. Senior quarterback Chase Cocolin has passed for 171 yards on 15 completions, with a pair of touchdown passes. The Braves are a rushing team by committee. Their stable of running backs has rushed for 138 yards on 47 attempts.

“Their quarterback, Cocolin, is a very dynamic player,” Coach Penley said. “He was injured last week. If he is able to play, he is definitely a threat running or throwing the football.”

The Braves like to blitz and utilize a lot of pre-snap movement on defense, and Penley knows they will challenge his team.

“They are an aggressive bunch for sure. They like to blitz and use multiple coverages in their defensive backfield,” he said. “In their first two games, they’ve done a good job at times, but have struggled with the big play.”

The key to the game may come down to who controls the line of scrimmage. Both teams will try to win it and whoever does will likely come out with the win.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Eisenhower Middle/High School.

WARREN VISITS FRANKLIN

The Warren Area High School football team will travel to Franklin this evening for a 7 p.m. varsity matchup against the Knights.

“We are still seeking to get this ship in the right direction,” Warren head coach Chris Korbar. “The seniors deserve a win and this program will begin to take root once that big goal is off the board.”

One of the teams will notch its first win of the season tonight as both squads have started their seasons 0-2.

“You win by … continuing to build on the good and flush out the bad. These kids want to end this streak. I want to end this streak, and so do my coaches,” Korbar said. “I’ve been preaching coaches are going to coach. I think the kids are seeing that. We will cross this gap eventually, and continue to build the bridge until we get there, and then start on the next one.”

Warren’s first two matchups were against the Conneaut Eagles and the Corry Beavers, where Franklin fell to the Mercer Mustangs and the Slippery Rock Rockets to kick off the year.

“Last week, we hit some of our small goals, now it’s time to finish each play as positive as we can,” Korbar said. “Each kid does their 1/11th and us coaches put them in the right direction.”