Week 5 preview: Dover rides win streak into fierce rivalry vs. Steubenville

Two schools steeped in Ohio football tradition will renew their annual rivalry Friday night when Dover hosts Steubenville before what is expected to be a capacity crowd at “The Brick House” (Crater Stadium). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

“They (the Big Red) are very-well coached, first of all,” said Dover head coach Dan Ifft. “They play extremely hard. We expect a packed house here, and hopefully we can show well of ourselves.”

Dover enters the contest 2-2 but is on a two-game winning streak with a talented, growing football team.

Last Friday, the Crimson Tornadoes jumped out to a 26-0 lead after one quarter, stretched it to 47-0 at halftime and played with a running clock throughout the second half in a 47-14 rout of overmatched Taylor Allderdice (Pa.). That win followed a 27-14 Dover triumph over Indian Valley in Week 3.

The Tornadoes’ losses this season are to a pair of teams in Green and Canton South, which have a combined record of 7-1.

“We do (feel good about the one-sided win over Allderdice), but (last) Friday night’s opponent, with all due respect to them, they weren’t what we’ve been playing, but we feel like we’ve found a little bit more of our identity and we’ve opened it up a little bit more,” Ifft said.

Meanwhile, Steubenville is 3-1 on the season. It opened the year with a 36-28 loss to unbeaten Youngstown Ursuline on the road, followed by home wins over New Philadelphia (29-14), Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (29-14) and Obama Academy of Pennsylvania (43-20) last Friday.

“This opponent, not to disparage anyone else, but they’re probably the best opponent we’ve played to date, there’s no question about that,” Ifft said. “They’re the whole package. Steubenville’s got the offense, defense, special teams and the temperament. They’re blue bloods. The next three teams we play (Steubenville, Canfield and Columbus St. Francis DeSales) have all won recent state championships. That’s kind of where we are.”

Big Red leans heavily on its rushing attack featuring the backfield combo of Je’Mier Faulks and Julius Mullins, who is also a key player on defense and had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown against Ursuline. The quarterback is senior Aydan Manning.

Steubenville is averaging 30.2 points-per-game, while its defense is giving up 21 points-per-contest.

“Steubenville gives up yards grudgingly, and they look for the big play on defense, and on offense, what he (Steubenville head coach Reno Saccoccia) does is just grind you (with the running game),” said the Dover head coach. “They can throw, the quarterback does have a good arm, but if you can’t deal with the run against Steubenville, it’s going to be a long night.”

Ifft said the thing that perennially stands out about Steubenville is the efficiency of its play along the offensive line.

“The thing you don’t hear enough about is how well-coached their offensive line is,” he said. “We’ve played them a number of years now, and that’s the key: They have hard running backs with talent, absolutely, but their offensive line coaches do a marvelous job, they really come off the ball and get you. Their kids move hard, finish blocks and things of that nature. Not all high school teams do that, so when you face that, it’s a little different. It’s something that you’ve got to get used to the speed up front and get used to it in a hurry, or you bat your eye, and you’re down 14, and that’s not where you want to be.”

Like it is in Dover, high school football is a big deal in Steubenville.

“Football is important in all our towns, but football down there is really big,” said Ifft. “It’s more important than it is in any other town we play. In that community, it’s really important to them and really important to their kids.”

Since going to the five-wide offense in Week 2, Dover has scored 124 points, an average of 41 points per game in its last three games. Sophomore quarterback Jack Judkins and running back JJ Barton continue to lead Dover’s offense.

“Our young quarterback is getting better with every rep,” Ifft said of Judkins. “And we do have some skilled kids on the perimeter that can do things with the football. We’re trying to get it wider and spread the field a little bit — it’s 54 yards by 100 yards, and let’s see if we can make people defend space a little bit. We put Barton in the slot and we put him at running back. There are times he’ll be in the slot, and we’ll be in an empty set, so we move him around a little bit.”

Steubenville defeated Dover 29-13 last season at Harding Stadium and leads the all-time series with the Tornadoes 20-6-1, but Dover has won two of the last three meetings with Big Red.

The key to beating Big Red on Friday night?

“We’ve got to play well up front,” said the Dover head coach. “We’ve got to give ourselves a chance. That’s the way it is always. If we play well up front, then our skill can maybe get the ball in space. If you can’t play well up front, you don’t know if your skill can do anything because you can’t get them there.

“I think our whole team is growing rather rapidly,” continued Ifft, “but we’ve got to grow in a hurry, to be sure (leading up to Steubenville).”

New Philadelphia at Mansfield Senior

Coming off back-to-back Ohio Cardinal Conference wins, New Philadelphia will play a huge conference game Friday evening at 7 p.m. when the Quakers travel to Arlin Field to play the Mansfield Senior Tygers.

The Quakers check into the matchup with a 3-1 overall and 2-0 OCC record, while Mansfield Senior is 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the OCC.

Both New Philadelphia and Mansfield Senior are coming off wins. The Quakers were impressive in a 28-0 shutout of Ashland last Friday at home, while Mansfield posted a 38-28 OCC triumph over a 2-2 West Holmes team at Arlin Field.

“(The win over Ashland) was huge,” said New Philadelphia head coach Mike Johnson. “The defense played wonderful, really lights out, I think we held them to like 105 yards passing, which is impressive.”

The Quakers are averaging 26.5 points per game, while their stellar defense has been even more impressive, surrendering just 15.7 points-per-game.

“Jordy Delacruz, who is a defensive back for us, has done a really, really good job,” Johnson said. “He’s a senior and he usually takes away the other team’s best receiver and has done a good job of pressuring those wideouts. He also had a big interception at the end of the game last week to make sure it was sealed.”

Offensively, the Quakers were successful running the ball and hitting timely passes against Ashland.

“Carson Long had a great night catching the ball, and (running back) Etnie Richardson is on a tear,” said Johnson. “We’re four games in now, and he’s got 627 yards on 95 carries (6.6 yards per carry). And (quarterback) Keaton (Fausel) did great last week, he was 16-for-20 for 150 yards and a touchdown. When you get that percentage number, you’re pretty happy.”

Mansfield had 255 yards of offense in its win over West Holmes last week, led by running back Jamir Petty with 102 yards rushing.

“We’ve got to eliminate the big plays,” said Johnson of Mansfield’s speed-laden offense. “We have to protect the ball offensively, because last year we turned it over a couple times against them and they hit some big plays against us, so we have to eliminate those big plays and make sure we tackle them in space, because they’re very good at running the ball and running after catching it. Their yards after catch have been very good, so we need to eliminate that.”

Meanwhile, the Tygers’ defense held West Holmes to just 46 yards on the ground, led by standout defender Symirr Phillips who had four of Mansfield’s seven sacks in the game.

“They get after the quarterback, they’re talented and they’re athletic,” said Johnson. “Really, we just have to go and play our best game.”

Mansfield has lost to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (35-14) and Massillon (51-10) and has defeated a banged-up Canfield team (24-14) and West Holmes (38-28) last weekend.

The Tygers are averaging 21.5 points-per-game on offense and surrendering 31 points-per-game on defense.

Johnson said a number of first-year starters have played great for the Quakers, which has played a role in their early success.

“We’ve had a lot of seniors and first-year starters that have stepped up on both sides of the ball,” said Johnson. “Some of those players are on the defensive line and some are on the offensive line but I’m really happy with what they’ve done to give us a chance and help us win some games.”

The Tygers defeated New Philadelphia 21-10 last season and lead the short all-time series with the Quakers, 2-1.

The key to winning Friday night’s game?

“Again, it comes back to the line of scrimmage,” said the New Philadelphia head coach. “When you run the ball, you’ve got a chance, so we’ve got to run the ball and get a couple chunk plays in the pass game.”

Garaway at East Canton

Garaway will take its perfect 4-0 record to East Canton Friday night to play the Hornets. Game time is 7 p.m.

Garaway, which has been impressive on both sides of the ball, is coming off its biggest offensive output of the season in a 41-7 rout of Carrollton last weekend. Quarterback Brady Geibel passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns for the Pirates. Receiver Jensen Garber had 128 yards in receptions.

East Canton is 1-3 on the season and is coming off its first win in a 40-8 romp over winless St. Thomas Aquinas last Friday.

Garaway has been lights out on defense, giving up just 25 total points in four games, an average of just 6.2 points per game. Meanwhile, its offense has also been impressive, scoring at a 36.7 points-per-game clip.

East Canton is a new opponent on the Garaway schedule.

Indian Valley at St. Clairsville

Indian Valley will play one of the strongest teams on its regular-season schedule when it treks to St. Clairsville Friday night to play the Red Devils at 7 p.m. in an independent game.

Both teams are 3-1 on the season and are coming off wins. The Braves whipped the winless Cambridge Bobcats 45-7 last Friday, while the Red Devils blasted Wheeling Central Catholic, 60-24.

St. Clairsville is averaging a whopping 50.1 points per game, and its only loss of the season occurred in Week 1 to unbeaten Division IV power Canton South, 42-40.

Indian Valley, which returns many starters from last year’s regional final team, is averaging 34.7 points-per-game, while on defense the Braves are giving up just 16 points-per-contest.

St. Clairsville is a new opponent on Indian Valley’s schedule, and it’s only the second meeting in their history. The two teams haven’t played each other since 1996.

Claymont at Buckeye Trail

Claymont hits the road Friday night at 7 p.m. to play at Buckeye Trail.

The Mustangs (1-3) will be looking for their second win of the season against the winless Warriors (0-4).

Claymont dropped a close 32-28 decision to Marietta last weekend, while Buckeye Trail was edged 23-20 by the Shenandoah Zeps.

Two of Claymont’s three losses this season have come by a combined six points.

The Mustangs whipped Buckeye Trail 27-0 last season. The two teams have split their last two meetings.

Ridgewood at Tusky Central Catholic

Tusky Central Catholic will host Division 5 power Ridgewood Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Saints (0-4) dropped a 38-12 decision to the Windham Bombers last weekend.

Tusky Central has been outscored 174-24 this season and is facing one of the toughest teams on its schedule in Ridgewood.

Ridgewood (3-1) is coming off its first setback of the season in a last-minute 32-29 loss to Division IV power West Branch last Friday night in West Lafayette.

Ridgewood rushed for 178 yards against West Branch, led by Dyllan Austin who had rushing and receiving touchdowns and quarterback Grant Lahmers who tossed two scoring aerials.

The Saints and Generals did not play last season.

Tusky Valley at Strasburg

Tusky Valley will play a road contest Friday at 7 p.m. when it travels to Strasburg to meet the Tigers.

Tusky Valley (3-1) is coming off its first loss of the season in a 27-20 loss to unbeaten Malvern (4-0). The Trojans rushed for 171 yards in that game.

Strasburg is 1-3 on the campaign and dropped a 20-14 decision to the Conotton Valley Rockets in IVC action last Friday.

The Trojans and Tigers did not play last season.

Martins Ferry at Newcomerstown

Newcomerstown will entertain a new opponent when the Martins Ferry Purple Riders visit Friday night at 7 p.m.

Newcomerstown is 3-1 on the season and sustained its first loss of the season last weekend in a 41-0 setback to the unbeaten Barnesville Shamrocks.

Newcomerstown is averaging 30.2 points-per-game.

Meanwhile, Martins Ferry is 2-2 and defeated Fisher Catholic 48-20 last Friday.

Sandy Valley at Malvern

Potentially one of the best games in the area will take place Friday night when unbeaten Malvern (4-0) entertains Sandy Valley (3-1) at 7 p.m.

Malvern handed Tusky Valley its first loss of the season last Friday by a 27-20 final as the Hornets threw for 277 yards in that contest.

Meanwhile, Sandy Valley routed the winless Minerva Lions 48-6 as Cardinal quarterback Nick Petro threw three touchdown passes.

Malvern is averaging 25.7 points-per-game on offense and surrendering just 11.7 points-per-game on the defensive side of the ball.

Sandy Valley’s only loss of the season occurred in a close 35-27 setback to unbeaten Canton South in Week 3. The Cardinals are averaging 37.8 points-per-game on offense and giving up 19 points-per-outing on defense.

Malvern and Sandy Valley did not play last season.

Akron Garfield at Carrollton

Carrollton will be looking to get back on the winning path Friday evening when the Warriors entertain the Akron Garfield Rams at 7 p.m.

The Warriors are 1-3 on the season and suffered a 41-7 loss to unbeaten Garaway last weekend.

Akron Garfield is also 1-3 on the year and hasn’t won a game since Week 1 when it bested winless Akron Springfield, 22-20.

Both Carrollton and Garfield are averaging 14 points-per-game on offense.

Carrollton defeated Garfield 49-18 last fall.

Conotton Valley at Bridgeport

Conotton Valley makes a trip to the Ohio River to play Bridgeport in an independent game Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Rockets are 2-2 on the year and recorded a 20-14 win over the Strasburg Tigers last weekend, while Bridgeport is also 2-2 and the Bulldogs are coming off a 48-14 loss to Bradford.

Conotton Valley defeated Bridgeport 42-18 last autumn.

Bridgeport leads the series with Conotton Valley, 10-5, but the Rockets have won the past two meetings by a combined score of 92-18.

Northwest at Fairless

A pair of 2-2 teams will collide Friday night at Brideweser Stadium when Fairless hosts the Northwest Indians in a PAC-7 contest at 7 p.m.

After opening the season with losses to Sandy Valley and Tusky Valley, Fairless has rebounded to post wins the past two weeks over Claymont (35-33) and Triway (31-24) in overtime last Friday.

In that win over Triway, Fairless rushed for 227 yards.

Northwest is coming off back-to-back wins over Louisville (26-14) and Manchester (42-21).

Fairless defeated Northwest 31-28 last season.

Morgan at Coshocton

The Coshocton Redskins will be looking for their first win when they host the Morgan Raiders Friday at 7 p.m.

Coshocton is 0-4 on the campaign and was defeated 30-7 by the John Glenn Little Muskies last weekend.

Morgan is 2-2 on the year and has lost back-to-back contests to Philo (34-13) and Sheridan (29-13).

Morgan defeated the Redskins 31-0 last season, but Coshocton leads the series with the Raiders, 5-1.

River View at Meadowbrook

Winless River View will travel to Byesville Friday night to play the Meadowbrook Colts at 7 p.m.

The Black Bears are 0-4 and have only scored 18 points all season, an average of 4.5 points-per game. River View is coming off a 46-6 loss to the Philo Electrics.

Meadowbrook is 3-1 this season and edged the Crooksville Ceramics 24-21 last Friday.

River View defeated Meadowbrook 39-28 last year, but the Colts lead the overall series, 15-12.

West Holmes at Mansfield Madison

West Holmes travels to Mansfield Friday night for an Ohio Cardinal Conference game against Mansfield Madison at 7 p.m.

West Holmes is 2-2 on the season and dropped a 38-28 decision to Mansfield Senior last week, while the Madison Rams are 0-4 and lost 27-14 to the Wooster Generals last Friday.

Madison has only scored 28 points this season, an average of seven points-per-game.

West Holmes defeated Madison 56-0 last season and has won eight straight meetings in the series. The Knights lead the overall series, 16-5.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dover football rides win streak into fierce rivalry vs. Steubenville