Yellowjackets want to sting early
Freeport started off the season in grand style following a 17-6 victory over Shady Side Academy last Friday, but coach Bill Dillen knows things will get turned up a notch this week.
Kittanning, a 28-0 winner over Deer Lakes, will host the Yellowjackets at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
"This is the team they've been waiting for for three years," said Dillen. "We'll definitely have to stop the run, but have to be ready for the pass. They have a good defense and they're well-coached."
Derek Taylor scored on runs of 42 and 32 yards and Ryan Shepard did likewise on a 28-yard run to lead the Wildcats (1-0, 1-0).
Freeport (1-0, 1-0) led just 3-0 at halftime but touchdown runs of 64 and 1 yard by Brady Sherrieb — who rushed for 192 yards on 30 carries — allowed the team to pull away. Quarterback Brian Zimmerman completed eight of 13 passes for 94 yards.
"The second half, we played real well," said Dillen. "We were sluggish in the first half and once we made corrections, we did what we wanted to do."
Last season, the Wildcats defeated Freeport 46-27.
"We're a little older," said Dillen. "We have a saying to 'Take Care of Business' and they know what to do. We'll go up there, play the game and see what happens."
Redbank Valley (1-0) at Union (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday — After 30 games and 30 losses, the members of the Union football team were able to walk off the field as a winner last week."We've noticed a different team ever since the beginning of the year," Kidder said. "We had a good first scrimmage, and, yeah, there is a little extra spring in the step, a swagger, maybe, this week."Union is coming off a 6-0 win over Cambridge Springs. Its opponent this week,Redbank Valley, is coming off a shutout of its own, 13-0 over Keystone.But it's Redbank's offense that concerns Kidder the most."Cambridge Springs was a running team," Kidder said. "Redbank can run and pass. It's a different sort of challenge."Kidder said the Knights must score more than one touchdown to win."We have to score more than six points to beat them," he said."
Corry (1-0) at Grove City (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday — The Clark and Martin show may be a tough act to follow.Last week in a 21-13 win against SlipperyRock, fullback Chris Clark rushed for 150 yards and wingbackDwayne Martin added 141 more on just six carries."They're both pretty quick," said Grove City coach Jeff Bell, who watched his two ballcarriers gain 189 yards on their three long touchdown runs.But the Eagles toughest task, even more difficult than recreating their running game magic, may be adjusting to Corry's new offense.The Beavers switched from a power I running game to a spread shotgun offense in the offseason.Corry also likes to run a no-huddle attack — something the Eagles struggled with late in the game against the Rockets."This team will definitely be a challenge for us," Bell said.This is the first meeting between the two schools in 30 years.
A-C Valley (0-1) at Clarion-Limestone (0-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday — Both teams are coming off lopsided losses. A-C Valley dropped a 53-6 decision to Clarion last week while C-L was dominated by Moniteau, 42-6.It was the Lions first season-opening loss in five years and look for the team to turn to its running game to get back on the right track.Junior running back Harry Cooper was limited to 28 yards on 11 carries last week against Moniteau, but he will be facing a Falcons' defense that surrendered 331 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last Friday, albeit versus conference-favorite Clarion.A-C Valley's best performance last week came from junior back Mike Himes, who rushed for 62 yards on 12 carries and caught a 13-yard scoring pass from Brad Rembold.
Neshannock (0-1, 0-0) vs. Summit Academy (1-0, 1-0), 12:30 p.m. Saturday — The Knights are coming off a 12-0 blanking over Union-New Castle, the second consecutive season they blanked the Scotties and the first time Summit Academy has ever opened the season with a victory.Stephen Grandison played a dual role as the team's leading passer and rusher. He completed five of 13 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown to Leonard Brown and added 78 yards on 16 carries.Ryan Robinson's 13-yard run accounted for the Knights' other score.Speaking of shutouts, Neshannock lost 34-0 to West Middlesex last Friday.
