New Philadelphia football will host West Holmes in what should be a highly competitive Ohio Cardinal Conference game in Week 9.
New Philadelphia football will entertain West Holmes in what should be a highly competitive Ohio Cardinal Conference game between two teams with similar records Friday night at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium.
New Philadelphia has dominated the all-time series with the Knights, 11-3. The Quakers won, 38-31, last year.
The Quakers enter the contest with a 4-4 mark overall and 3-2 ledger in the OCC, while the Knights are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
The Quakers are coming off a 44-20 OCC loss to a 7-1 Lexington team in a game where it fell behind early and found itself chasing the Minutemen on the scoreboard.
"We got some stops, but we couldn't capitalize," said New Philadelphia head coach Mike Johnson. "We just couldn't get back what we needed. We fought back a little bit, but by the time we scored and went onside kick, it was too little, too late."
New Philadelphia has a number of players who have put up some impressive numbers this season. Junior quarterback Parker Rieger has completed 99 of 153 passes for 1,083 yards and 11 touchdowns. His top receivers have been senior TJ Carlisle with 450 yards in receptions, TR Harriman with 198 reception yards and Lincoln Murphy with 196 receiving yards. The top rushers have been Kolston Fox with 425 yards on the ground and Myles Tyson with 377 yards.
On defense, linebacker Vincent Migoni leads the Quakers with 114 tackles.
West Holmes is also coming off a defeat as the Knights were pounded 40-7 by defending OCC champion Ashland (8-0) last weekend.
The Quakers enter Week 9 averaging 26.3 points-per- game and surrendering 23 PPG. West Holmes is averaging 26.2 points-per-game and giving up 17.8 PPG.
Johnson said his team is ready for its final home game of the season.
"We're going to keep fighting and competing," he said. "What's nice is this week's game is at home, and it's the last home game of the year, and that's worth something getting excited about. It's a big deal for our seniors, and it's a big deal for our community."
Dover (3-5) at Linsly (Wva.) (1-5)
Last year: Dover 34, Linsly 25
Dover will hit the road to West Virginia Friday night when the Crimson Tornadoes play the Linsly Cadets at West Liberty University in Wheeling. Dover leads the all-time series with Linsly, 3-1.
The Tornadoes are riding a two-game winning streak after posting a 32-17 win over the Mansfield Madison Comprehensive Rams last weekend.
"We're continuing to grow," said Dover head coach Matt Rees, who has had a number of sophomores thrust into starting roles due to injuries to upperclassmen. "It's a been a process all season, and the bright spot is we continue to see growth week in and week out. That's what we continue to preach is take growth day by day."
On offense, Dover's sophomore quarterback Dieter Weber has gone over 1,000 yards passing for the season in just a handful of starts and sophomore running back Cohen Murray has rushed for over 200 yards since taking over for an injured senior starter.
Defensively, the Tornadoes are led by linebacker Carson McGarry with 75 tackles, followed closely in stops by linebacker Mayson Royer.
Dover's Friday night opponent, Linsly is in the midst of a four-game losing skid. The Cadets dropped a 34-7 setback to the Division V Barnesville Shamrocks last Friday.
Friday's game marks the final time Dover is scheduled to play Linsly in the foreseeable future. With the Tornadoes going into the Ohio Cardinal Conference next season and with a full complement of league games to play, Dover has kept GlenOak and Steubenville on its schedule and will add Louisville as a third independent game.
Indian Valley (7-0) at Tusky Valley (1-7)
Last year: Indian Valley 48, Tusky Valley 7
Indian Valley, who is second in Division IV Region 15 in this week's OHSAA computer ratings, is coming off its most impressive victory of the season. The Braves whipped previously unbeaten Ridgewood 40-14 in a key IVC South showdown last Friday.
"We were pleased to get the win against a very good Ridgewood team," said Indian Valley head coach Matt Lancaster. "We improved from Week 7, which is what we want to see every week. They (the Generals) kept the pressure on us and forced us to face adversity that is also important to be put in those situations against a very good team in order to see what you're made of."
The Braves enter Week 9 averaging 42.7 points-per-game.
Indian Valley's star senior running back Grady Kinsey, one of the top rushers in the nation, is averaging 232 yards-per-game and has scored 22 touchdowns. The Braves are averaging 430 yards of offense per-game.
The Braves have also shown tremendous improvement on defense this season which was a point of emphasis stressed before the season started. The Braves are only allowing 11.8 points-per- contest.
Meanwhile, Tusky Valley has struggled this season and has lost seven games in a row after winning their season opener against Waynedale. The Trojans are averaging just 10.6 points-per-game and yielding 34.3 PPG.
Indian Valley holds a 24-11 lead in the 35 year-old series with the Trojans.
Sandy Valley (0-8) at Garaway (6-2)
Last year: Garaway 41, Sandy Valley 6
Garaway, which has played a very tough schedule, will be looking to record a second straight IVC South win. Garaway owns a commanding 21-2 lead in the series with the Cardinals, including wins in the past five straight meetings.
Garaway, whose only losses this season have come to unbeatens Girard and Indian Valley, rolled to a 50-7 IVC South triumph over Tusky Valley last week.
"It was a pleasure to see our kids come out and execute and fly around," said Garaway head coach Jason Wallick. "We've been harping about consistency and I thought we were consistent on both ends."
Garaway is scoring 34.1 points-per-game and surrendering 18.3 PPG.
Sandy Valley, which is youthful, sustained a 43-3 IVC South defeat to the Claymont Mustangs last week. The Cardinals are averaging 10.2 points-per- contest while allowing 47.6 PPG.
Tuscarawas Central Catholic (2-6) at Malvern (5-3)
Last year: Malvern 41, Tuscarawas Central Catholic 0
TCC was defeated 42-0 by a 6-2 East Canton team in IVC North action last week.
"Even though the scoreboard doesn't show it we had a lot of positives in our game with East Canton," said Tuscarawas Central head coach Giovanni Ionno. "When you watch the film we do a lot of things right and need to work on the few bad things we do to take that next step."
TCC has improved tremendously on offense this year and is averaging 21.3 points-per-game while giving up 35.7 PPG.
Malvern, which is currently sixth in the Division VII Region 25 computer ratings, will be looking to rebound from a 40-12 IVC North loss to the Newcomerstown Trojans last Friday.
Malvern quarterback Jaxon Jones has passed for over 900 yards and six touchdowns this season, while standout senior running back Aaron Gore has rushed for 1,040 yards.
Malvern is averaging 34 points-per- contest and allowing 21.3 PPG.
Ridgewood (7-1) at Claymont (6-2)
Last year: Ridgewood 49, Claymont 19
Claymont currently sits in fifth place in the Division V Region 17 computer ratings. The Mustangs check in with a 6-2 record.
Claymont secured its first winning season since 2017 after rolling to a 43-3 IVC South win over Sandy Valley last week.
Meanwhile, powerful Ridgewood, which is steaming toward another D6 playoff qualification (the Generals are currently eighth in the D6 Region 23 computer ratings) will be looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season. Ridgewood dropped a 42-14 IVC South setback to unbeaten Indian Valley last week.
Claymont, under second-year head coach Buddy White, who will deservedly get a lot of consideration for IVC Coach of the Year for Claymont's turnaround, has been led by an outstanding defense.
Claymont is scoring 22.8 points-per-game, while its defense is giving up just 12.1 PPG.
Ridgewood, which sports one of the best winning point differentials in the area (the Generals are averaging a running clock win for the season), are scoring 35.8 points-per-game and giving up just 5.3 points-per-contest.
Ridgewood holds a 7-1 advantage in the series with the Mustangs
Newcomerstown (5-3) at Strasburg (6-2)
Last year: Newcomerstown 26, Strasburg 14
The Trojans own a 35-21-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Tigers, including triumphs in the past four meetings.
Newcomerstown defeated Malvern 40-12 last week, while Strasburg rolled to a 36-14 win over Buckeye Trail.
Newcomerstown is averaging 34.0 points-per-game and surrendering 21 PPG.
By comparison, Strasburg is scoring 29.8 points-per- contest and yielding 13.3 PPG
Carrollton (3-5) at West Branch (7-1)
Last year: West Branch 33, Carrollton 6
West Branch has won 14 straight meetings with Carrollton. It's the longest consecutive winning streak by one league team over another in NBC turned EBC history. West Branch has dominated the all-time series with Carrollton, 37-9.
Carrollton is in the midst of a two-game losing streak after dropping a 48-20 EBC decision to high-scoring Salem last week.
Meanwhile, West Branch, which is closing in on winning a sixth consecutive EBC crown, posted a 34-28 win over a 6-2 Alliance team in a conference showdown last Friday.
Carrollton's offensive scoring has improved over the past two weeks. The Warriors are scoring 16.7 points-per-game on offense and allowing 26.3 PPG.
West Branch, which is one of the top scoring offenses in Ohio D4 football, is averaging 40.5 points-per-game and giving up 11.1 PPG.
Steubenville Catholic Central (4-3) at Conotton Valley (6-2)
Last year: Conotton Valley 47, Steubenville Central 26
The Crusaders lead the all-time series with the Rockets, 6-4, but Conotton Valley has captured four of the last five meetings.
Conotton Valley, which is fourth in this week's D7 Region 27 computer ratings, is coming off a 34-15 win over a 5-3 Crestline team from last weekend.
The Rockets' standout quarterback Kaden Leggett has enjoyed an outstanding season. He has passed for 1,860 yards and 27 touchdowns. His top receiver is another standout in Kamden Wright, who has caught a team-high 52 receptions for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Conotton Valley checks in to Week 9 putting up 39 points-per- game and yielding 23.8 PPG.
Meanwhile, Steubenville Catholic Central has lost back-to-back games, including last week's 27-20 setback to the unbeaten Fairport.
The Crusaders are scoring 16.3 points-per- contest and giving up 18.7 PPG.
Northwest (5-2) at Fairless (3-5)
Last year: Northwest 31, Fairless 14
Northwest holds a 24-13 lead in the 37 year-old all-time series with the Falcons.
Fairless, which has lost four games in a row, dropped a 31-14 PAC decision to Canton South last week, while Northwest, which has won two games in a row, posted a 13-12 decision over the Tuslaw Mustangs.
Fairless is scoring 27 points-per-game and yielding 23.6 PPG.
Northwest is scoring 20.7 points-per- contest and features one of the area's top defenses. The Indians are allowing just 13.1 PPG.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: New Philadelphia high school football vs West Holmes in Week 9
Category: General Sports
