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WINTERSVILLE -- The time has come.
The Indian Creek and Edison football teams rallied for victories last Friday night setting the stage for their annual showdown as the two Jefferson County rivals will renew their annual rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday night at Kettlewell Stadium.
"We are going from one big game to another," Indian Creek (6-3) head coach Andrew Connor said. "Edison is our main rival. There have been some great games between our two schools in the history of the rivalry. I know it is a cliché, but we are not worried about anything else other than this game this week between these two schools. Both teams play hard. I know some of the kids through JVS. They play really hard. They are well coached. Coach Collopy does a great job. We know we are going to get their best when we step on the field Friday night."
This week's game is one both teams look forward to all season.
"It's a rivalry game," Edison (3-6) head coach Mike Collopy said. "It is great for the communities. Growing up in the area, there were a bunch of small town rivalries. It is big for the communities, and it is big for the kids."
Indian Creek trailed St. Clairsville, 12-0, last week on the road down at Red Devil Stadium before the Redskins staged a rally and scored the final 13 points of the game to eek out a 13-12 victory.
"Resiliency," Connor said asked what made the difference for his team in the second half. "Our defense played phenomenal in the second half. Offensively, we had two drives in the second half where we were able to get scores. The big drive was we got the ball back with 7:30 to go, and we did not give them the ball back. We were able to hold onto the ball. That was big. We made a lot of big plays. That was a tremendous team win."
The Red Devils have been a big thorn in the side of the Redskins through the years, so for the boys from Jefferson County to leave Belmont County with a win was a big deal.
"It was," Connor said. "The kids had a great week of practice. They had the mindset going into the game that we were going to go down there and get the win. That mindset did not change even when we fell behind. They continued to believe. It was a great team performance."
On the other side, Edison trailed Harrison Central, 21-20, before the Wildcats tallied the final 20 points of the game to defeat the Huskies, 40-21, on Senior Night out at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.
"Our kids kept battling," Collopy said. "They have battled all year. They play extremely hard. It is tough when you are not on the right side of things. It's human nature for people to get frustrated, and I'm not saying we haven't been frustrated, but no matter what is going on these have done what we have asked them to do all year. They have done what we have asked them to do, and they have done it to the best of their abilities. They play hard.
"We play another good team this week. They are well coached. We are excited we get another week together."
The victory against the Huskies was important for the Wildcats as Edison was able to send its seniors out with a win in their final game at home.
"It was very important," Collopy said. "I have known a lot of these guys since they were little. They have had family members who have played for us. Not all of the kids, but I have known them since they played for us in middle school. It was awesome for them. You want to win your last home game. You want to send them on the right side. There hasn't been too many of those this season, but it was good to send them out with a win in their last home game."
With the victory against the Huskies, the Wildcats were able to snap their three-game losing streak, and now Edison has turned its attention to the game people have been looking forward to all season.
"Coach Connor can attest to this, these teams have been playing for so long," Collopy said. "Coach Connor has been a part of this rivalry as a head coach longer than I have. This is one week where you can throw the records out the door. This is the seniors last game. You want to play for your program. You want to play for your community. It is cool. These kids have grown up playing in youth leagues together. They know each other. It is big for the communities. It is special, for sure."
This week bragging rights will be on the line as well as potential playoff birth for the Redskins as Indian Creek currently finds itself in 13th place in the Ohio Division IV, Region 15 standings. The Red-and-Gold do not control their own destiny meaning Indian Creek is going to need to beat Edison and get some outside help in order to make another trip to the playoffs.
"We can only control what happens in the game," Connor said. "What happens after the game will take care of itself. Our main focus is to win the football game Friday night. We know it is not going to be easy. They are going to give us everything they have got. We are going to have to play four quarters of football against Edison."
Unfortunately for Edison, the Wildcats were eliminated from playoff contention in Division V, Region 17 this past weekend, however, the Silver-and-Black can play the role of spoiler this week against their rivals.
Edison had qualified for the playoffs in six-straight seasons before falling short of that goal this season.
After starting season at 1-2, the Redskins have won three-straight games and five out of their last six to get back into playoff contention.
Offensively, Indian Creek wants to run the football and set up its passing game off the run.
"First and foremost, they are well coached," Collopy said. "Their offensive scheme is really good. Bruce Mazar is a really-good running back, but their quarterback Ethan Starr is a running threat and a passing threat. He runs their offense to a T. They have Nizair Vick and Sawyer Pietro at receiver. They have weapons on the outside. We are not going to be able to stop everything, but we are going to have to be able to slow them down.
"Mazar is one of their linebackers. Their secondary is really good. They have a lot of speed. They get to the football. Offensively, we are going to have to be able to convert on third down. We are going to have to be able to stay in front of the sticks. I sound like a broken record, but it is true. We have to avoid turnovers, we are going to have be able to convert on third down and we are going to have to try and slow them down."
The Wildcats also have a strong running game.
"Brett (Hyler) is a heck of a running back," Connor said. "He has done a lot throughout his career. He's a hard-nosed runner. He can take it the distance. He can make big plays. He can run for five, run for five and then all of a sudden go for 75.
"They have (Bryson) Cunningham ay quarterback. He does what he does well. They are balanced offensively. They have got some good receivers. They are capable of making big plays.
"One thing Edison really does well is they mix up their formations. They give you different looks. They may come out in a double tight look, or they will come out with three or four wide receivers. They do a lot. They put a lot of pressure on the defense. You have to be gap sound. You have to be in the right place. They do a lot, and what they do do, they do well."
Edison's defense has kept thee Wildcats in nearly all of their games this season as this week's visitors lost three games by a total of eight points.
"They run a 4-3," Connor said. "They get after you. Throughout the years, Edison has always had really-good linebackers. They graduated three great ones last year. This year, the three they have are young, but they get to the football.
Defensively, the Redskins have given up 13 points a game in their last three outings, and Indian Creek has 12 or fewer points four times this season. They fill. They get to the football. They have a good secondary. They have good defensive linemen.
"We watched them play against East Liverpool. They played unbelievable defense against East Liverpool. We have seen them in person. We have seen them on film. They have gotten better defensively year as the year has gone on."
Indian Creek has given up 39 points in its last three games, and the Redskins have limited their opponents to 12 or fewer points four times, including one shutout.
"They mix up their fronts," Collopy said. "They like to bring pressure. They mix up their coverages. They like to give different looks. Indian Creek kids always play hard. When you watch them, what stands out is how hard they play and how much enthusiasm they play with.
"Indian Creek has gotten hot at the right time. They have won some big games. We are going to have our hands full."
Special teams often play a key role in rivalry games.
"Special teams are big in any game," Collopy said. "You kickoff coverage has to be sound. You have to be sound with your return game. You have to defend everything from a field goal to a point after. You have schemes for that. One point can be huge. A breakdown can lead to them having good field position. A breakdown could lead to a blocked extra point. A breakdown could lead them to go for 2. Special teams are very important."
Indian Creek has done a good job in terms of special teams this season.
"Special teams are always important," Connor said. "Edison has returned some kickoffs returned for touchdowns. They have had one called back. You can tell they are well coached. They put a lot of time of effort into special teams. I think our special teams have gotten better throughout the year. We had big kickoff return against St. Clairsville. Franco Barcalow does a good job for us whether it is punting or kicking. We have a lot of younger kids playing on our special teams. They take great pride in it. We are able to get some more kids into the game."
The Redskins are looking to follow its winning formula once again this week.
"we are going to have to get off to a fast start," Connor said. "Offensively, we are going to need to establish the run. Defensively, we cannot give up any big plays. We want to get 11 hats to the ball. That is the course we have had the last three weeks, and we want to stick with it. We want to be focused. We are going to have to be physical. We are going to have to play with emotion. We know we are going to get their best game, so we are going to have to give them our best game."
The Wildcats are hoping to end the season on a positive note.
"We have to stay away from the big play," Collopy said. "Indian Creek has made some big plays. Offensively, we are going to have to convert on third down. We are going to have to stay in front of the sticks. We can afford to have penalties. We are going to have to take care of the football."
Indian Creek defeated Edison, 21-15, last season in overtime on the road. Two years ago, the Redskins drove down the field and scored a late touchdown on a pass to defeat the Wildcats, 20-13, at home.
"There have been some fantastic games in the history of the rivalry," Connor said. "The games have come down to the end the last couple of years. We keep tabs on each other. We keep watch on each other week to week. Now, the game is here. Both teams are going to give a great effort."