Trending
NEW MANCHESTER -- The Oak Glen Golden Bears will be looking to snap a three-game losing skid Friday when winless Buckeye Local heads to New Manchester.
The Bears' latest defeat came at the hands of Toronto in a 28-7 setback across the river in Jefferson County.
The Panthers, while still searching for a victory, are coming off statistically their best game of the season.
In fact, Buckeye trailed only 13-8 in the third quarter and mounted a potential leading changing drive, only to see a pass intercepted in the end zone which.
Now both teams are eyeing Friday's clash as a chance to get right for one, and an opportunity to potentially crack the win column for the other.
Oak Glen enters with an offense that, thus far, is the picture of balance
Through four games, the Bears have executed 97 rushing plays and also 97 passing plays.
While the yardage discrepancy leans greater to passing success -- 781 versus 329 for the run game-- the play calling displa ys an emphasis on both.
Junior quarterback Maddox Bown is 66-of-97 for 781 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions through four games, averaging nearly 200 yards (195.3) per game.
That's not a statistic seen often in New Manchester but it shows the trust head coach Derrick Stickles has in his quarterback.
On the ground, sophomore Jacob Everett leads the rushing attack with 157 yards and three TDs as the team's major successes largely come through the air thus far.
Also of note is how Bowen spreads the ball around.
He's utilized four receivers thus far, with senior Chase Hartung, senior Cameron Carter and sophomore Daniel Ginier snagging 21, 20 and 20 receptions, respectively.
Hartung leads the way with 265 yards while Ginier has two of the team's five TDs.
For Buckeye, it's been a tough road from Game 1.
Through five games, the Panthers' opponents have a combined record of 20-5, including three teams (Barnesville, River, and Shadyside) who spot spotless 5-0 records at the midpoint of the season. The other two? A dangerous Bellaire team (3-2) plus Catholic Central (2-3) it's most recent opponent.
Oak Glen started the season strong with a 35-0 win against rival Weir before traveling and also falling to River, 49-14 before a humbling 54-14 loss on the road at South Harrison.
On paper, this is Buckeye's best shot to get a win before the season-ending rivalry game against Harrison Central. Oak Glen can say the same, with theoretically more challenging opponents to follow.
What that usually translates into is two teams thirsting for a win and battling hard for four quarters.
Will Buckeye Local, led by quarterback Tyler Schubert and running back Xzavier Eastham be able to string together multiple scoring drives and get that first 'W' of the season? Or will the balanced attack of Oak Glen prove to be too much?