Red Knights hit the road to Southern for opener
Trending
SALINEVILLE – The Toronto football team is looking to continue its winning ways this season.
The Red Knights are set to begin what they hope is the first step in a long journey Friday night as Toronto takes on Southern Local at 7 p.m. on the road up at Wigwam Stadium.
The boys from the Gem City put in a lot of hard work in during the offseason as they prepared for this upcoming season.
“We really improved from our first scrimmage to our second scrimmage,” Toronto head coach Jaret Aubiel said. “Things clicked for us. We are on a good path.”
The Red Knights shut out the Indians, 34-0, in last season’s opener at Clarke Hinkle Field.
Southern has a new head coach this season as Jimmy Malone is now the man in charge of the program.
“Whenever you play Southern Local, you are going to play a hard-nosed disciplined team,” Aubiel said. “We are expecting the same thing Friday night.”
Southern ended last season with a record of 2-8. The boys from Columbiana County scored 18.1 points per game on offense, while giving up 40.4 points per game on defense.
Offensively, Southern’s base offense is a hybrid of the pistol. The Indians want to run the ball, but they will need to replace standout Landen Heffner, who graduated in the spring. Heffner led the team in rushing and receiving. He ran for 1,222 yards and 15 touchdowns, while adding 123 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. Jack Pitts – the team’s starting quarterback, threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns last season.
“Defensively, they are very formidable in the box,” Aubiel said. “It is going to be tough to run on them. It is going to be tough to throw on them. They are a well-coached team. We are expecting a good challenge Friday night.”
The Indians use a 3-5 on defense. Southern returns eight starters on defense.
The Blue-and-Gold have a good group upfront on both sides of the ball.
“They have decent size up front,” Aubiel said. “We are looking forward to a good matchup.”
The recipe for success for the Red-and-White remains the same.
“We are going to have to limit turnovers, get stops on defense and do things the right way,” Aubiel said.
After putting in a lot of time and work in the offseason, the boys from Jefferson County are excited about opening up the 2026 season this week.
“Absolutely,” Aubiel said. “Whenever you have a chance to play a real game for the first time, you are excited. Our kids are really excited about playing a game Friday night.”