Knights seek second straight win tonight
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Eisenhower is hoping it has turned the corner as it looks for its second win of the football season at 6 tonight at Northwestern for a Region 3 game.
After defeating Girard last week, the Knights will be facing a similar team as Northwestern is 1-6 overall and is winless in the region.
If Eisenhower is to add to the win column, it will have a big task in front of it as the Wildcats have a line that averages 231 pounds per player.
"Northwestern has a big, physical presence up front that explodes off the line and is led by one of the best lineman in Region 3," Knights head coach Jim Penley said. "In order to put ourselves in position to win, we must control the line of scrimmage."
The Wildcats are led by senior quarterback Ryland Copeland (86 of 152, 926 yards, six touchdowns.)
Northwestern has a stable of running backs, with four of them rushing for more than 125 yards on the season. The leading rusher is Joe Holdsworth, who has 355 yards on 71 carries and has scored six touchdowns.
Copeland spreads the ball around in the passing game and has five players with more than 100 yards receiving. They are led by sophomore KC Hoffman, who has 24 receptions for 291 yards and four touchdowns.
The Knights hope to build on last week's win over Girard. In that game, their offense rushed for 317 yards, led by senior Nolan Gesing, who exploded for 229 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns.
Eisenhower quarterback Joe Gigliotti continues to be a running (77-402-6) and passing (37-71-390-3) threat. Gesing (15-185) and senior Ollie Boozer (15-141) are Gigliott's favorite targets.
"We must play solid football and our line needs to step up and continue to improve," Penley said. "If we can do that, we put ourselves in the best position to get a win."