Union on new ground
In a season that has already contained a few firsts for Tom Kidder at Union HighSchool, this week presents another one.
His Knights football team is widely considered a favorite to beat A-C Valley when the teams clash in Rimersburg at 7 p.m. Friday.
"It's a different feeling for the kids," Kidder said. "But it's a good one."
Kidder picked up his first win at Union (1-4, 0-4) in the season opener as the Knights broke a 30-game losing streak.
As well as the season started, it turned bad last week against Clarion in a 55-6 loss. Union fell behind 41-0 at the half.
"Clarion was a real tough matchup for us," Kidder said. "They just got off the ball so fast. We couldn't compete with them up front."
Up until the Clarion game, Union's offense has had some good things going for it.
The running back tandem of Nate Boltz and Colby Davis has gained more than 400 yards and quarterback Zach Himes has given Union an aerial attack, throwing for 348 yards.
"Nate and Colby are two completely different kind of backs," Kidder said. "They compliment each other well. It's also nice to have Zach, who throws a decent ball."
For A-C Valley, the season is quickly slipping away.
Falcons coach Randy Lemmon is hoping his team's bye week came at the right time.
Lemmon watched the Falcons lose their first four games by a combined score of 148-12, the latest defeat a 46-0 setback to West Shamokin Sept. 22.
The Falcons (0-4, 0-3) headed into their off week riddled with injuries.
"We still have some guys limping around," said the third-year coach. "But we'll probably dress 30 kids Friday night, and that's the most we've had all season."
Mike Himes is the Falcons' main weapon on offense and has tallied about 200 yards rushing so far in 2006.
"If the running game isn't working, we'll do what we have to do to win the game," said Lemmon. "I'm sure that's the case with coach Kidder as well. All the tricks will be pulled out of the bag."
A-C Valley has won three straight against Union, including last year's 26-13 decision.
West Shamokin at Freeport, 7:30 p.m., Friday — With its heartbreaking 16-6 loss to Burrell last Friday, Freeport's playoff chances took a serious hit.Coach Bill Dillen knows the climb won't be easy, but one he knows his team is ready to continue."We have to win the rest of our games and get a little help, but we have to take care of our own business,"said Dillen.The Wolves (1-4, 0-4) are coming off a 47-0 drubbing by Deer Lakes. Their lone win came two weeks ago, a 46-0 triumph over District 9 opponent A-C Valley."We've got to prepare for them like we generally do," said Dillen. "They give you a lot of different looks. They run a lot of spread formations."
Grove City (3-2) at Fairview (4-1), 7 p.m., Friday — Give Chris Clark and Dwayne Martin a little wiggle room, and look out.That's what the Grove City High School football team has proven recently.The Eagles unleashed their ground game on Hickory Friday, gaining 327 yards in a 24-12 win in a game that was pivotal.Clark and Martin are talented backs, but the offensive line has made their life easier the last two weeks.The blockers, who consist of tight end Dustin Demarion, left tackle Jordan Gruber, left guard Greg Palmer, center Matt Duncan, right guard Greg Reiber, right tackle Josh Woods and split end Drew Bestwick, have opened up running lanes of late.Grove City will need a similar effort from its beef up front against Fairview Friday.Fairview (4-1) shut down Ft. LeBoeuf 34-8 Friday, rushing for 236 yards in the process.
Summit Academy (3-2, 3-1) at Riverside (4-1, 4-1) — The Knights fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in the Tri-County North last week with a 40-8 loss to Laurel and will face another playoff favorite in Riverside.Summit's lone score was a 63-yard run by Ryan Robinson in the fourth quarter. David Lawrence added the conversion run to close out the scoring.The Panthers, who are coming off a 12-0 blanking against Neshannock, returned 16 players from last year's starting lineup. They are led by quarterback Chance Kelosky and running back Jake Wickline.
