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YORKVILLE -- Catholic Central's football game this week against Buckeye Local will be a family affair.
The Crusaders are in the first season under the guidance of head coach Greg Bahen, while the Panthers are in their first season under the tutelage Of Hayden Daley. Bahen and Daley are cousins.
The two teams are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Friday night down at World War II Memorial Stadium.
Both teams are entering this week's matchup coming off a loss last week.
The Crusaders put up a fight last week, but it was not enough as Toronto defeated Catholic Central, 33-6, last Friday night at Clarke Hinkle Field.
"Offensively, we have a lot to build off," first-year Catholic Central (1-3) head coach Greg Bahen said. "That was the best we have played upfront all year. We ran for almost 200 yards. That was our best total of the season. We're just turning the ball over too much. We shows flashes. We show potential, but it is the little things that we have to pay attention to. The football is gold. We have to value it. We have 12 or 13 turnovers in four games, and I have been a part of teams that haven't had that amount in 14 or 15 games. That is a point of emphasis. We are turning the ball over too much."
On the other side, Buckeye Local comes into this game off of a 48-7 loss last week to a talented and undefeated Barnesville team.
"We knew going in it was going to be a tall task," first-year Buckeye Local (0-4) head coach Hayden Daley said. "In the past seven or eight years, Barnesville has not lost a lot of regular season games. They have a four-year back in Trey Toliver.
"There is always things you can take away from a game. We showed that if we did this a little better we would have had a little more success. There are always positives you can show them as well."
The Panthers have faced stiff competition all season long as their last three opponents are all undefeated.
"Their schedule has been brutal," Bahen said. "Like you said, Barnesville is one of the better teams in the valley. They have played an undefeated Shadyside team. They opened up against Bellaire, who has the Pettigrew kid. They have played a tough schedule.
"I know they are going to be well coached. I know who is on their staff. They are family, and they are winners. We are going to have to be prepared. We are going to have to be focused. We are going to have to be ready for a fight. No matter their scores, they are going to be ready Friday night."
This week, the Panthers are going to have to contend with Catholic Central's talented skill position players.
"They have a lot of good skill players," Daley said. "Rahim Mitchell started out at wide receiver, and now he is playing running back. He is elusive. He's explosive. He runs hard. He can break tackles. They have Daveon Thorn at wide receiver. He is a good athlete. He can take the top off a defense. Michael Fabbro catches everything thrown toward him. They have good skill guys. They also have Ryan Holzworth. He's a good runner. They have Matty Jones at quarterback. He can run and throw. Their offensive line gets off the ball well. They ran the ball well against Toronto. That is an emphasis for us this week. We have to stop the run."
The Panthers have some wrinkles in their offense, and the Crusaders are going to have to be prepared to stop them.
"Offensively, they run RPOs, they run read option and they run counter and power," Bahen said. "We are going go have to be ready for the run and for the pass. Their quarterback will either give it or run with it. You don't see that a lot around here. They have some good receivers. No. 11 (Daniel Divjak) is a good player. We have to make sure we are lined up right. We have to make sure we know our responsibilities. They are going to run dives, and the quarterback is going to keep it. They are going to use a lot of motion. We have to be aligned properly and ready to go."
Buckeye Local is aggressive on the defensive side of the ball.
"Defensively, they run a 3-4," Bahen said. "It is going to be similar to what we saw last week in terms of the looks they are going to give. No. 53 (Ryder Tibbs) plays linebacker and defensive end. He is physical. He's aggressive. We are going to have to know where he is at. We are going to have to get a hat on him. They play hard, and they are aggressive. I know Hayden is going to be focused on stopping the run and making us throw it. We are going to have to be able to get the ball to our skill players out on the perimeter."
Catholic Central has a swarming mentality on defense.
"Like their offense, they play really hard," Daley said. "They have some blitz packages. They fly to the ball. They have Kyran Busic and Seth White at linebacker. They can get downhill. They tackle well."
The hosts are going to need to be able to throw the ball this week in oder to be successful against the Blue-and-Gold.
"We have to be efficient with our passing game," Daley said. "We are going to want to give Tyler Schubert some confidence. We are going to have to run the ball well. We are going to have to be efficient with our running game. We cannot rely on just one guy to carry the ball. We are going to have to try and use some different guys to carry the ball. Offensively, they have some blitz packages that can give you fits.
"Defensively, the first thing we have to do is stop the run. We have not done a good job of stopping the run this year. If we are not able to stop the run, it is going to be a long night. We are going to have to contain their athletes, we are going to have to limit the big plays and we are going to have to force some turnovers."
The turnover bug has bit the Crusaders so far this season, and that is one area Catholic Central is going to need to clean up to be successful this week and for the rest of the season.
"We are going to have to value the football," Bahen said. "You were there last week. We moved the ball pretty well at times, and then we would get to the 30 and we would have turnovers or some pre-snap penalties. We are going to have to stay ahead of schedule. We are going to have to take care of the football. We can't turn the ball over. We have to get the ball to our skill people.
"Defensively, we are going to have to be sound on the backend. They had more than 300 yards passing. We are going to have to clean up the flanks. They were able to hurt us there. Defensively, we need to play much better this week. We had been playing pretty good defense, but that was the worst defense we have played this season.
"We are going to have to be efficient. We are going to have to protect the football. We can't have any turnovers."
Daley is a graduate of Catholic Central, and it will be different for him being on the opposite sideline from his alma mater Friday night.
"Absolutely," Daley said. "I have a couple cousins on the coaching staff – the head coach and the defensive coordinator. I have Gregg Bahen on my staff along with Kenny Richardson. I am really excited about the game. It is going to be a cool experience."
Both coaches will have plenty of family members in attendance Friday night supporting them.
"There is going to be a lot of family there," Bahen said. "Hayden is my cousin, and my uncle Gregg is on the staff. He did a lot at Catholic Central. He won a state title here. They have another cousin – Kenny Richardson on staff. I have got Joe (Bahen) on my staff. There is going to be a lot of Potenzinis and Bahens there. There is going to be a big tailgate. There is going to be a lot of Potenzinis and Bahens there. It is going to be a lot of fun."
Daley said he expects to be nervous and excited when he steps onto his home field Friday night.
"It is a combination of those things," Daley said. "Someone said for me before the game to look around and to soak it all in. We have had some great conversations. I have talked to Greg every day since it has been game week. We talked Saturday and Sunday. We are going to talk before the game. I am excited about. At the same time, I am going to be nervous. We know what each other wants to do. We are very similar with what we want to do on offense and on defense. It is going to be like looking in a mirror when we play. It is going to be exciting, for sure."
The two coaches spent time together this past weekend.
"Hayden and I hung out all weekend," Bahen said. "People were asking if we should have been together, but misery loves company. We both lost Friday. It is going to be fine. We are probably not going to talk this week, but we will talk after the game. I do think there is going to be a mix of excitement and nerves. My uncle Gregg did a lot for Catholic Central. He means a lot to Catholic Central. It means a lot for me to be coaching here. I have got Joe on my staff. It is going to be fun."
Both coaches and all their family members are excited about this week's matchup.
"I'm excited," Daley said. "It is going to be a big family event. There is going to be a lot of people there."
Friday night is the first meeting on the gridiron between the Jefferson County schools since 2020.
"For a 1-3 team to be playing an 0-4 team, we are expecting there to be a big crowd," Bahen said. "It is going to be a show."