RICHMOND — The Toronto football team picked up a big win last week, while Edison suffered a devastating loss.

In a battle of unbeatens, Toronto went on the road and shut out Oak Glen, 26-0, last Friday night up at the Bears’ Den.

“Our kids executed the gameplan,” Toronto (5-0) head coach Jaret Aubiel said. “We were able to contain their guy No. 2. The second half was a little sloppy for my liking, but it was a good win overall. Our scheduled doesn’t get any easier. Now, it is on to the next one.”

Unfortunately, the Wildcats were not near as fortunate. Not only did Edison fall, 27-10, to Caldwell on the road, the team also lost standout senior quarterback JD Henderson to a season-ending injury in the second quarter. On Monday, Henderson’s injury was confirmed to be a torn ACL.

“Our quarterback got hurt,” first-year Edison (3-2) head coach Anthony Pierro said. “JD got hurt in the second quarter. We were focused on having a three-year starter at quarterback. It has been wonderful having him here. He has not gotten hurt since he started as a sophomore. We were not able to adjust when he went down with that injury. We tried to simplify things without him.

“Unfortunately, we did find out today that he did tear his ACL, and he is out for the rest of the season. I feel tremendously bad for him. He was having a great year. He is a great leader. We are going to have to figure out way to get things going offensively without him. We are going to have to win games, 21-14, or 14-7. We are going to have to play and win low-scoring games. We are going to have to do what we can to win games.”

With Henderson unable to play, the Wildcats struggled to get anything going offensively against the Redskins.

The Red Knights and Wildcats are set to do battle at 7 p.m. Thursday night out at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.

“It changes things a little bit, but not too much,” Aubiel said about the difference between playing Thursday night as compared to the Friday night. “I adjusted practice, but other than that, it is pretty much the same.”

The short week makes things even more difficult for the Wildcats as they try to adjust to the reality of no longer having their starting quarterback on the field anymore.

“It is definitely a situation where it is with us having a short week,” Pierro said. “We are trying to figure things out with our quarterback. We are going to try and put together a couple different things. We are going to have to try and find some things that we are able to do. It is going to be tough this week with it being a short week. We are going to have to try and come up with some packages. We are going to have to come together as a team. We are going to have to try and pull through Thursday.”

The boys from the Gem City have shown the ability to create big plays and to score a lot of points this season as they have scored at least 26 points in all five of their games.

“They have a new quarterback this year,” Pierro said. “That is something different this year. They don’t have the superstars they have had the last couple of years. This year, they more so have a group of guys who go out and do their jobs. You can’t look at just one person. They get the football to a lot of different people. They have bought in. I think that makes them better. They can run the ball, and they can pass the ball.

“Heath Thomas is one of the best offensive and defensive linemen in the valley this year. We are going to have to make sure we get him blocked. We are going to have to be focused. We’re just taking things day by day.

“We are going to have to find a way to score a couple of touchdowns. That is going to be our formula the rest of the year.”

On the other side, Edison scored at least 35 points in four of their first five games before being held to a season-low 10 points against Caldwell.

“We have a lot of respect for Edison,” Aubiel said. “It is a big rivalry. We have a lot of respect for their players and for their coaching staff. Offensively, they are balanced. They can run, and they can pass. They are a threat all over the field. They are a threat in the flat, and they are threat deep.”

The Wildcats have given up 85 points through five games with 47 of those points coming in the last two weeks.

“Defensively, they have a really strong group of linebackers,” Aubiel said. “They are quick in the secondary. They are big up front. They are going to be a challenge for us. We will have to see if we are able to answer the call.”

The Red Knights have only allowed 41 points through five games. Toronto led Newcomerstown, 26-0, early in the third quarter in Week 4 before the Trojans scored the final 16 points of the game.

“Defensively, they have shown a couple different looks,” Pierro said. “They have run a 4-3, a 4-4 and a 6-1. They go in and out of different defenses. Their defensive line is a strength. (Drake) Bouscher at Mike linebacker does a really good job.

“We are going to have to nickel-and-dime teams. When we do have drives, we are going to have to be able to finish them. We are going to have to be able to score points anyway we can.”

The game is Toronto’s fourth away from home this season, and the Red and White are expecting a big crowd to turn out in support of their Jefferson County rivals.

“We have played out there before,” Aubiel said. “We know what the atmosphere is going to be like. Their crowd is going to be loud. It is a TV game. It is something we are going to have to be prepared for.”

The Wildcats are going to rely on their fans to support the team through this difficult time.

“We are going to need all of the support we can get,” Pierro said. “We are going to need their support to help the morale of the kids. We still have a long way to go this season. We still have things we can accomplish. They playoffs are still a possibility. We are going to need the support of the community. We are going to have to rally together.

“I want to give JD Henderson his flowers for everything he has done for this program. He has been a major part of it. He is one of the main reasons why I took this job. I cannot feel worse than I do for him. He has been a major part of our offense.

“He is my man. I have told him I will always be here for him. He has a long road ahead of him. He has already said he wants to do whatever he can from the sideline to help the team win. He didn’t deserve this. He has done the best he could this year. It’s unfortunate for this to happen to him his senior year.”

Toronto is looking to follow the same formula it has in all five of its victories so far this season.

“We are going to have to win the turnover battle, play a clean game, get stops, score points, all the coach speak stuff,” Aubiel said.

Edison is going to have to control the ball in hopes of keeping Toronto’s high-powered offense off the field.

“We are going to have to keep control of the ball,” Pierro said. “Time of possession is going to be huge for us. When we get drives, we are going to have to finish them. We are going to have to score points.

“Defensively, we are going to have to bend but not break. We are going to have to keep them out of the end zone. We are going to have to hold teams to field goals, or get turnovers on downs, or force them to punt. We are going to have to keep the game low scoring if we are going to have a shot to win.”

Toronto enters play this week in sixth place in the Ohio Division VI, Region 23 rankings.

“It is not something we will have to worry about this week,” Aubiel said. “This week is Edison. This week, we are going to be focused on this week and only on this week. When you play Edison, you are not looking at anything more than that.”

On the other side, Edison enters the game in 12th place in the Division V, Region 17 rankings. The top 12 teams in each region qualify for the playoffs with the top four teams in each region getting a bye in the first round.

“With a rivalry game, it stands for itself,” Pierro said. “Even if we were out of the playoffs, the kids would still be fired up. We’re 15 minutes away. The kids all know each other. I am not going to have to do much to rile the kids up. The kids are going to be ready to go. It is a rivalry. It’s a big game. They are going to be ready to play Thursday night. Plus, it is a TV game.”

Edison defeated Toronto, 35-19, last season at Clarke Hinkle Field. The Red Knights defeated the Wildcats, 28-20, in 2023 – the last time the two teams met out at Edison.