WINTERSVILLE — The Indian Creek football team is looking forward to playing at home.

The Redskins played their two scrimmages as well as their first two regular season games away from Kettlewell Stadium, and Indian Creek is looking forward to playing in front of their faithful fans Friday night as Buckeye 8 rival Union Local comes to town for a 7 p.m. kick off.

“We are excited about playing at home,” Indian Creek (2-0) head coach Andrew Connor said. “Our two scrimmages were away from home and our first two were on the road. It is nice to be able to play at home.”

Indian Creek enters this week’s game coming off a 37-19 victory against rival East Liverpool last week up at Patterson Field.

“It was a great game between two good schools,” Connor said. “We were able to capitalize in that 45 second stretch at the end of the first half. That changed the game. We were able to get a couple of turnovers, and we were able to get points on the scoreboard. That gave us a big lead going into halftime.”

The Redskins led the Potters, 23-0, at halftime.

On the other side, Union Local enters this week’s game coming off a heartbreaking 25-19 loss to Wheeling Central last week on the road. A late touchdown allowed the Maroon Knights to rally and defeat the Jets.

“They have a good mix on offense,” Connor said. “They return their quarterback (Colby) Carpenter. He can run and throw. Their tailback is a downhill runner. He can get to the corner. They have a duel threat offense.”

Union Local opened the season with a 42-12 victory against Warren JFK on the road.

“Defensively, they do a good job of not letting anyone get behind them,” Connor said. “They don’t give up many big plays.”

The Redskins led the Potters, 39-7, in the fourth last week before East Liverpool tacked on a pair of late touchdowns.

“Defensively, we tackled well,” Connor said. “That was one of the keys for us. We had to tackle well.”

The boys from Belmont County have some big boys up front, but the Redskins are not lacking in size either.

“I would say we are about the same,” Connor said. “It is going to be a good matchup. They have speed, and we have speed. We have good skill players, and so do they.”

The Red and Gold is looking to get another strong outing from quarterback Ian Starkey this week.

“He has done a really good job of distributing the ball,” Connor said. “He has done a good job whether he is running or passing. Our two tailbacks have run well. That has helped us in the passing game. It has helped us be successful so far on offense. Our guys up front have been doing a really good job as well.”

The Jets edged the Redskins, 27-26, last season at home in a game marred by inclement weather.

“We had a rain delay,” Connor said. “It is supposed to be nice Friday night.”

Indian Creek opened the season with a 35-6 victory against Cambridge on the road.

“We have to tackle well,” Connor said. “We have to get 11 hats to the ball. We have to be able to tackle in space. We want to be patient on offense. We to control the line of scrimmage with our offensive line. We want to establish the run. We have got some good running backs. That will help us in the passing game. That is the formula we have been using, and we hope to use it again Friday night.”

The Bobcats lone touchdown in the opener came on a kickoff return, and East Liverpool returned a kick for a touchdown in its opening win against Carrollton on the road.

“I think our special teams did a really good job last week,” Connor said. “Our kickoff coverage teams did a good job. We worked on special teams last week in practice. I thought we did a good job against East Liverpool. The kids stepped up and played pretty well.”

The Redskins are going to have to continue to play well in all three phases of the game to come out with a victory this week.

“The big thing is we have to stick to same the formula we have been using,” Connor said. “We have to stay in front of the chains. We have to eliminate turnovers. We have some things we have to clean up. We have to stop them from having big plays. We have to tackle well. We’re excited about having the chance to play at home.”