REPUBLIC — The Toronto football team was on a mission to secure a playoff berth win a win last week against Jefferson County foe Buckeye Local.

The Red Knights accomplished their mission in grand style against the Panthers as the boys from the Gem City rolled to a 44-8 victory last Friday night at Clarke Hinkle Field.

The Red and White played every available player on the roster on their way to picking up a big win on senior night.

“Everybody got to play,” Toronto (8-1) head coach Jaret Aubiel said. “That’s awesome. It’s great for the program. I’m at a JV game at Bridgeport right now. Hopefully, things work out well here, too.”

Following the win against Buckeye Local, Toronto turned its attention to Week 10 — the last week of the regular season.

“The season goes quickly,” Aubiel said. “People say its the fastest 10 weeks of the year, and I believe them. We’re looking forward to playing Brownsville.”

This week, Toronto is set to conclude the regular season with a trip Friday night to take on Brownsville with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at the Merrittstown Athletic Field.

“They have a pretty good running back,” Aubiel said. “Their quarterback has a good arm. He can throw the ball. They have some weapons on offense. We’ll see what happens.”

The Falcons are winless on the season entering play this week. Brownsville (0-7) is coming off a 62-21 loss to Albert Gallatin last Friday night at home.

“Defensively, they have some speed,” Aubiel said. “They have some size, for sure. That is going to be a problem for us creating a push up front.”

The Red Knights have made the playoffs seven years in a row.

“It means a lot to us,” Aubiel said. “It means a lot to the people of Toronto. Hopefully, we are able to go on a good run.”

The Falcons were a late addition to the schedule as Toronto was forced to pick up a game after Madonna canceled its season. The Red Knights were originally scheduled to take on the Blue Dons this week.

“We want to play a clean game, not have any turnovers and get stops on defense,” Aubiel said asked what it is going to take for his team to come away with a win this week.

The Red Knights have secured a playoff spot in Ohio Division VI, Region 23. Toronto is currently in sixth place in the standings. The boys from Jefferson County can end up anywhere from first to 10th in the region. The top four teams in each region receive a bye in the first round.

Brownsville’s last win came in a 36-30 victory against Carrick Sept. 22, 2023 on the road. The win is the lone one by the Falcons this decade. The team’s previous win was a 27-26 victory Sept. 16, 2019 at Bethlehem Center.

The Falcons left the WPIAL following the 2021 season to play an independent schedule.

Brownsville had to cancel its Week 6 game against Martins Ferry this season. The Purple Riders picked up another game only to see that time back out as well. Instead of playing Brownsville, Martins Ferry went on the road and defeated Uniontown PA, 59-13.