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CADIZ -- The Harrison Central and Buckeye Local football teams have faced a gauntlet this season, and the Huskies and Panthers get to conclude the season against each other in the annual V.A.L.E.S. game.
The two rivals are set to meet at 7 p.m. Friday night at Harrison Central out at Wagner Field.
"We are close to Buckeye Local," Harrison Central (1-8) head coach Anthony Hayes said. "Our two school districts are similar. There is a lot of crossover with open enrollment. The kids are excited about this game. The coaches are excited about this game."
Buckeye Local (0-9) head coach Hayden Daley is in his first season as boss of the Panthers, and he has learned a lot about the rivalry between the two schools.
"I have learned a lot about the rivalry in the last couple of weeks," Daley said. "I am excited to be a part of it. The two communities are closer than I realized when I took the job. I am excited about it. It is great to be a part of the V.A.L.E.S. game."
Both teams enter this week coming off losses last week. Harrison Central led Edison on the road, however, the Wildcats stormed back and took down the Huskies, 40-21, on Edison's Senior Night out at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.
"We felt we had a chance," Hayes said. "We felt good going into the week and the game. We played with a lot of emotion early on. We executed our gameplan. In the second half, we made some mistakes. It was basic stuff like our alignment. It was little things. We have to close out games. We have to learn how to close out games. Learning to close out game is part of the maturation process.
"We are getting better each week. A lot of people measure that by the scores of the games, and that is fine. There is a reason why we keep score. The score matters. We have improved every week. We are excited about this week. We are excited about this game. It is always an exciting game. It is a game people talk about all year. As coaches, we talk about how important this rivalry is, and it is equally as important for Buckeye Local."
On the other side, Toronto tallied the first 42 points in the pouring rain en route to defeating Buckeye Local, 42-13, on Ron Pobolish Field down at World War II Memorial Stadium to spoil the Panthers' Homecoming festivities.
"I told the kids to control what we can control," Daley said. "We can't control the weather, and we did not handle it very well. The weather disrupted our running game, and we forced to throw the ball. They shut down our running game. I thought we did a better job defensively against Toronto, but our offense did not give our defense much help. We gave them some short fields. We dug ourselves a hole, and we were not able to overcome it."
The boys from Jefferson County have faced a brutal schedule this season as Buckeye Local has played two undefeated teams – River and Barnesville – and three teams with records of 8-1 – Shadyside, Martins Ferry and Toronto. The Tigers lone loss came against the Tigers. Also, the team has faced seven-win Union Local and six-win teams in Bellaire and Catholic Central along with 4-4 Oak Glen. The Purple Riders handed the Jets their first loss of the season with their second loss coming last week at the hands of the Big Reds in overtime.
"They are young," Hayes said about the Panthers. "Buckeye Local has played a really-tough schedule. They have faced a gauntlet. They have had some injuries. We have had to play kids earlier than we would have wanted to or earlier than we would have preferred. They have done a heck of a job. They have made progress throughout the season. That is a credit to their coaching staff. They have done a really-good job. They have kept things together in a difficult situation."
Harrison Central has also faced a brutal schedule as eight of its first nine opponents currently have winning records. That list includes undefeated Claymont and Barnesville, eight-win Martins Ferry and seven-win Union Local. Also, the team has faced six-win teams in the form of Strasburg, Indian Creek and Bellaire along with five-win East Palestine. The lone for the Huskies came back in Week 2 against the Bulldogs.
Last week's game against Edison is an annual rivalry game between the two local schools.
"I think they have played a really-strong schedule," Daley said. "Offensively, they can do a lot of things to hurt you. They have a good quarterback. He can throw. He can run. He can do a lot of things to hurt you. They have some nice wide receivers. They do a lot of things with formations that gives you fits. They do some unconventional things. We have to be prepared for that."
The Huskies can put points on the scoreboard by running and throwing the ball.
"It depends on the week," Daley said. "They go week to week. They can spread you out. They can run the ball. Their quarterback does a good job. They give the defense different looks. Anything they need their quarterback to do, he can do it. He can make all the throws. They keep you off-balance."
The Panthers have played a lot of younger guys this season, and the team has gotten better throughout the season.
"They have gotten better throughout the year," Hayes said. "They have gone with a younger quarterback. He has done a nice job. They do not ask him to do a lot, but what he does he does well. They have a good running back. No. 6 (Xzavier Eastham) runs extremely hard. No. 11 (Daniel) Divjak is a playmaker. He is also one of their safeties. He can make a big play at any time.
"Upfront, they are a typical Buckeye Local team. They are big. They're strong. They have made to move guys around on their offensive and defensive lines. They have had to try and figure things out, and their kids have responded well.
"Defensively, they put a lot of pressure on you. They are very aggressive. They have a lot of faith in the corners. They play man coverage. They lineup with your receivers 1-on-1.
"There are a lot of contenders and a lot of pretenders. You are going to find out who is who. You are going to find out who really wants to play. They put pressure on your wide receivers with their defensive backs. They force you to play, and at some point someone is going to back down. They are very aggressive."
Harrison Central has allowed 34 or more points in eight of its nine games this season.
"They play a base three down linemen," Daley said. "They do some different things. They can give you a four-man front look by blitzing a linebacker. We have to be prepared for that. They try to confuse you. We are going to have to give our quarterback some good looks. We need to prepare him for what they do. If they are able to get you into 3rd-and-long situations, they do some exotic things. We are going to need to keep them out of their exotic looks."
The boys from Harrison County know what it is going to take in order to be successful come Friday night.
"I go back to the first part of our conversation, we have got to finish," Hayes said. "We have gotten better throughout the year of carrying that over. We just have to finish games. It's a case of honest pay for an honest day of work. Our payoff this week will be to be successful Friday night.
"We are going to have to play with intensity. We are going to have to play with emotion. You don't want to play with too much emotion."
This annual game means a lot to both teams.
"If you have seen this game, you know both teams play extremely hard," Hayes said. "This is an incredible rivalry. You have everything with the V.A.L.E.S. We are grateful to all of the people at the American Legions and at the VFWs. They have given us this great trophy, but they also are involved in the education of the kids. They have educational scholarships. These men and women do a great job of bridging the gap between the younger generation and their elders. They are helping them to take better care of themselves. We are just so thankful to these ladies and gentlemen for all they do. We take a lot of pride in all of this."
The Panthers have lost 14-straight games overall, and Buckeye Local would love to end that streak this week.
Harrison Central defeated Buckeye Local, 41-14, last season on the road. The Huskies defeated the Panthers, 34-14, two years ago the last time the two teams played out at Harrison Central.
"We are going to have to take care of the football," Daley said. "We are going to have to control the clock. We are going to have to be able to score. We are going to have to get stops on defense."