ProfessorBriggs.com Week Six Mercer County Football Previews
Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News
Billy Splain | September 26, 2019
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(Statistical Information Courtesy of Professor Briggs’ archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News)
WEEK SIX FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
League play returns in full force Friday night as 11 of the area’s 12 teams will play region games. Seven games comprise this week’s schedule, with six being region games. Six games will be played in the area while Sharon treks to Linesville to face Conneaut in a key Region 5 Class 3A game. Eight of the area’s 12 teams could clinch playoff berths, depending upon how results turn out.
The Wilmington-Greenville game is a rematch of the 2018 District 10 Class 2A semifinals. Slippery Rock is the odd team out this week in Region 5 and hosts Titusville in a non-conference meeting of Class 3A programs.
Grove City at Hickory, 7:00 p.m.
One of two undefeated teams left in the area, Grove City begins a three-game road trip through Region 5 with a Friday night visit to one of its oldest rivals, Hickory. Grove City opened league play last week with a 31-16 Homecoming win over Slippery Rock while Hickory moved to 4-1 overall with a 28-7 win at Greenville in non-conference play. Grove City and Conneaut share first place in the region at 1-0 while Hickory and Sharon each own 1-1 league marks.
Grove City owned a 24-0 lead in the fourth quarter before holding off a Slippery Rock rally. Colby Nelson’s four-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes sewed up the victory, Grove City’s 23rd straight regular-season win. Nelson ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. He reclaimed the county rushing lead as he now has 642 yards on a county-high 112 attempts.
Curtis Hovis added 78 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Eagles finished with 269 rushing yards as a team. Junior quarterback Logan Breese completed 9 of 19 attempts for 122 yards and a touchdown. Breese shares the county lead with 10 touchdown passes, ranks second with 730 passing yards and third locally with 861 yards of individual total offense.
Senior wide receiver Jake Reddick caught six balls for 82 yards and a score. He has emerged this season as a first-year starter. Reddick ranks second in the area with 18 receptions, 326 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. Grove City ranks second locally in passing offense, averaging 147.6 yards per game. The Eagles are also No. 3 in the area in rushing offense at 240.2 yards per game.
Defensively, Grove City has allowed an area-low five touchdowns this year. The Eagles lead the county with 12 interceptions, 19 total takeaways and a plus-11 turnover margin. Grove City recorded four interceptions in Week Five against Slippery Rock.
The Eagles’ defense will be tested by a Hickory offense that has three games of 330 yards or more this season. Last week at Greenville, Hickory amassed 333 yards on only 44 plays. Quarterback Michael Henwood threw for 112 yards and added 72 rushing yards. He threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score. Senior running back Hunter Stoots charged through the Greenville defense for 112 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown sprint.
Hickory held Greenville’s power-based rushing attack to 123 yards on 51 attempts. Overall, Hickory yielded only 152 offensive yards while blanking the Trojans until the fourth quarter.
Henwood leads county quarterback with 379 rushing yards. He averages 7.9 yards per carry and ranks second in the area with 862 yards of total offense, one yard ahead of Grove City’s Breese. Stoots now has 292 rushing yards and senior Kameron Fisher has added 218 yards. Senior wide receiver Nathan Richards leads Hickory with 11 receptions.
No area offense has executed more plays this season that Grove City, with 312. No defense has been on the field for more snaps than the Hickory defense (321). Grove City (223.2) allows 59 yards fewer per game than Hickory (282.4), but the Hornets hold opponents to fewer yards per play (4.4 to 4.6). Hickory ranks 10th in rushing yards allowed per game, 196.6, but allows only 4.1 yards per carry, third-lowest in the area.
Grove City won last year’s meeting, 35-14. Grove City outgained Hickory, 426-175. The Eagles held Hickory to 15 rushing yards. Henwood completed 13 of 30 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions. Prior to last year, Hickory won six straight games against Grove City.
First-year Hickory head coach Bill Dungee is 4-0 in games played in Mercer County this season, as Hickory’s loss came at Conneaut in Week Four. Jim Bell is the last Hickory head coach to defeat Grove City in his first season (17-7, 2003). In 2007, Grove City defeated Hickory, 14-0, in Frank Antuano’s first season in Hermitage. Grove City and Hickory did not play in 2010, Bill Brest’s first season as Hickory head coach.
Grove City defeated Hickory 20-7 in Phil Annarella’s first season (1998). The Eagles fell to Hickory, 14-12, in Guy Gibbs’ first season in 1987.
Hickory has been involved in some historical notes involving Grove City over the years. Grove City won a program-record 26 straight regular season games from 2009 to 2012. That streak began after a loss to Hickory. The Hornets then ended that streak September 21, 2012, with a 41-12 victory.
In 1969, Grove City closed its last undefeated season (7-0-2) with a 20-14 win over Hickory on Halloween night. In 1995, Grove City clinched its second-ever District 10 playoff berth with a 15-6 win at Hickory in Week Nine. The next year, Hickory knocked Grove City out of playoff contention in the season finale with a come-from-behind 21-18 win at Forker Field.
The game will be heard on Sports Radio 96.7.
Sharon at Conneaut, Pa., 7:00 p.m.
Two of District 10’s hottest teams will meet Friday night in Linesville as Conneaut hosts Sharon in Region 5 Class 3A play. Conneaut has won four straight games after a 28-24 setback at undefeated Oil City in the opener. Meanwhile, Sharon has bounced back from an 0-2 start by recording three straight shutout victories.
Sharon ran its win streak to three games last Saturday night with a 47-0 win at Sharpsville while Conneaut piled up 475 offensive yards in a 36-14 humbling of Class 5A General McLane in Edinboro.
Sharon held Sharpsville to seven first downs and 116 offensive yards last week. The Tigers also scored twice on special teams as Ty Eilam returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown and Tyvell Richardson returned the second half kickoff 78 yards to the end zone Eilam also caught a 50-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Lane Voytik and Richardson scored on a touchdown run.
Sharon needed only 26 offensive plays to finish with 318 offensive yards. Senior Brady Ortiz led Sharon’s burgeoning rushing attack with 93 yards and a touchdown. Ortiz has broken into the area’s top 10 with 331 rushing yards this season. Eilam leads the county with 20 catches, 401 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. He also averages a county-high 20.0 yards per reception.
Voytik continues to lead the county in passing yards (820), touchdown passes (10), completions (57) and attempts (113). He also has the area’s second-lowest interception rate, having been picked off only once.
While Voytik’s name can be found throughout the area’s passing leaders, both this season and career-wise, Conneaut quarterback Tanner Niemann has produced one of the best statistical starts for any District 10 quarterback in recent memory. Niemann has completed 75 of 109 (68.8 percent) of his passes for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranks fourth in District 10 in passing yards and leads D-10 in completion percentage.
Niemann also ranks eighth in D-10 with 625 rushing yards this year. He has rushed for eight scores and averages 9.6 yards per carry. Niemann leads District 10 with 1,506 total offensive yards, a sum greater than the total generated this season by Sharon (1,468). He completed 16 of 22 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns last week at General McLane. Niemann also rushed for 103 yards, giving him five 100-yard rushing efforts this season.
Calling Conneaut a one-man show offensively would be a major blunder, however. Running back Devin Neal has 464 yards on 74 attempts while tight end Noah Richardson has 37 catches for 493 yards and four scores. He ranks second in D-10 in receptions and receiving yards. Richardson also has rushed for four touchdowns as a goal line quarterback.
Overall, Conneaut averages 436.4 yards per game and 7.2 yards per offensive play. Sharon only allows 4.3 yards per play, the third-best figure in Mercer County. Sharon also ranks third in pass defense efficiency rating (82.0).
This is the first time since 2000 that Sharon has blanked three consecutive opponents. That year, Sharon shut out four straight foes: Mercer (63-0), Reynolds (42-0), Hickory (49-0) and Wilmington (16-0). Mike Donato served as Sharon’s defensive coordinator in 2000; current Sharon defensive coordinator Dave Bodien worked on Donato’s staff during his tenure as Kennedy Catholic head coach in the mid-2000s.
Last year, Conneaut entered Sharon Tiger Stadium on a four-game win streak but Sharon mauled the Eagles, 48-12. Sharon held Conneaut to 224 offensive yards and a 2-for-14 performance on third down. Niemann started at wide receiver and caught four passes for 27 yards.
Voytik completed 19 of 30 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. C.J. Parchman caught a game-high six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. That marked the first-ever meeting between the schools. This marks Sharon’s first trip to Linesville.
The game can be heard on 790 WPIC. Live stats available here.
Greenville at Wilmington, 7:00 p.m.
First place in Region 4 Class 2A is at stake Friday night when Wilmington (5-0, 1-0) hosts Greenville (3-2, 1-0) in New Wilmington. The winner of Friday night’s game will also clinch a playoff berth. It is a short week for Wilmington after a 51-14 home win Saturday night over Conneaut, Ohio. Greenville aims to bounce back from a 28-7 home loss to Class 3A Hickory.
A 30-point outburst in the first half helped Wilmington hand Conneaut its first loss of the season. Junior halfback Ethan Susen ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns while fellow halfback Darren Miller added 90 yards and touchdown. Junior quarterback Caelan Bender ran for one touchdown and also threw touchdown passes to seniors Shane Cox and Junior McConahy.
Wilmington finished with 367 rushing yards and 422 total yards. Meanwhile, the “Hounds Hammer” defense recorded a safety, forced two turnovers and limited the Spartans to 1-for-8 efficiency on third downs.
The Wilmington defense leads the county in scoring (8.4), rushing (54.4), yards per carry (2.2), yards per play (3.4) and total defense (143.2). The Wilmington offense has been equally proficient, leading the area in scoring offense, averaging 40.2 points per game.
Bender has accounted for a county-high 13 total touchdowns from the quarterback position. He is also the only area quarterback to not be intercepted this year. His 198.5 rating (NCAA formula) leads the county. Susen leads the area with 11 touchdowns and 66 points. He ranks third in the county with 531 rushing yards while Miller’s 386 yards rank sixth.
McConahy leads Wilmington with 13 receptions for 234 yards. He ranks third locally in both categories.
Greenville’s punishing ground game stalled out last week against Hickory as the Hornets held Greenville to 123 yards on 51 carries. Levi Swartz led Greenville with 57 yards on 13 attempts while Kaleb Achuff and Swartz both had two receptions.
Only Grove City (229) has attempted more rushing plays than Greenville (224) this season. The Trojans feature one of the area’s most balanced ground attacks, averaging 221.8 yards per game. Swartz leads Greenville with 325 yards while Isaac Sasala has 270 yards. Achuff has added 209 yards and quarterback Jon King has contributed 142 yards.
Turnovers could factor into Friday night’s game. Greenville ranks second locally with a plus-10 turnover margin. Both teams have committed only three turnovers this season.
Wilmington swept both meetings last season with Greenville. The Greyhounds ran for 425 yards in a 54-7 win September 28, 2018 at Greenville. In the District 10 semifinals at Slippery Rock University, Wilmington secured a 44-13 victory. Susen ran for 96 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Wilmington has won 15 of the last 16 meetings in the series. Greenville prevailed five years ago, 41-21, snapping Wilmington’s nine-game win streak in the series. Greenville’s previous win over Wilmington came September 24, 2004, 20-10.
Lakeview at Sharpsville, 7:00 p.m.
Injury-riddled Sharpsville looks to bounce back from its worst regular season loss in over a decade when the Blue Devils host Lakeview in Class 2A region play Friday night at McCracken Field. Lakeview enters with momentum after blanking Seneca, 29-0, last Friday night, giving the Sailors their first home win since 2015.
Sharpsville fell to visiting Sharon, 47-0, last Saturday night in non-conference play. That marked Sharpsville’s worst home and regular-season defeat since a 48-0 loss September 21, 2007 to Linesville. Last Saturday, Sharpsville turned the over the ball twice and allowed Sharon a pair of special teams touchdowns.
Tristan Besser leads Sharpsville with 221 rushing yards and Chris Roth has added 215 yards on a team-high 63 carries. Both players have taken on an increased role after a season-ending leg injury to senior fullback Chayse Stevens-Luchey. Roth leads Sharpsville with three touchdowns and 20 total points.
Lakeview amassed a season-high 366 total yards last Friday night against Seneca. That marked Lakeview’s highest yardage total since its last home win, when the Sailors had 375 yards in a 31-12 win over Grove City in the 2015 finale. Senior Domanic Leonard led Lakeview with 85 rushing yards and quarterback Gavin Murdock added 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, Lakeview finished with 288 rushing yards as a team. Murdock completed 9 of 19 attempts for 78 yards. Lane Barber caught a career-high five passes for 34 yards while senior Justin Osborne opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal. That kick marked Lakeview’s first score in the first quarter this season.
Defensively, Lakeview forced six turnovers in posting its first shutout since September 18, 2015, when the Sailors blanked Mercer 37-0.
Murdock has been involved in 129 offensive plays this year, second-most in the county. He ranks fifth in both rushing attempts (65) and pass attempts (64) this season.
Sharpsville has won each of the last four meetings. Sharpsville thundered past the Sailors last year, 73-0. Lakeview last defeated Sharpsville October 3, 2014, 12-6, at McCracken Field. In 2013, Lakeview earned a 19-13 home win over the Blue Devils. That year, Lakeview blanked Sharpsville in the District 10 Class A title game, 27-0.
Reynolds at West Middlesex, 7:00 p.m.
West Middlesex (3-2, 0-1) hosts Reynolds (4-1, 1-0) in Region 1 Class 1A play Friday night. West Middlesex seeks its second two-game win streak of the season while Reynolds aims to bounce back from its first loss of 2019.
Both Reynolds and West Middlesex traveled to Crawford County last week to face Class 1A foes in regional crossover games. Reynolds fell at undefeated Maplewood, 25-14, while West Middlesex picked up a 35-0 triumph at winless Cochranton.
Three turnovers, six second-half penalties and a 1-for-11 performance on third down helped foil Reynolds’ hopes last week at Maplewood. Cole Toy led Reynolds with 108 rushing yards while fellow halfback Sean O’Hara added 62 yards. O’Hara also opened the scoring for Reynolds by catching a five-yard touchdown pass from Bryce McCloskey in the first quarter.
Reynolds also forced three turnovers and Luke Faber blocked an extra point. Reynolds has forced 10 turnovers this year, all fumbles. The Raiders are the lone area team without an interception this season.
Reynolds continues to lead the area in total offense (388.8) and rushing offense (281.2). Toy ranks second in the area with 605 rushing yards and O’Hara sits ninth at 370. McCloskey has accumulated 674 yards of total offense, fifth-best in the area. McCloskey leads Mercer County in yards per pass attempt (10.3) and is second in completion percentage (65.4).
West Middlesex featured a new starting signal-caller last Friday night as senior guard-turned-quarterback Chase Tomko helped lead the Big Reds to the road win. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. However, West Middlesex’s double-wing ground attack took center stage as the Big Reds ran for 347 yards. Jason Davis posted 157 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown run. Alex Rea added 99 yards and fullback Ian Smith netted 52 yards on 14 carries. Tomko added 39 yards and a score on five attempts.
Davis now ranks eighth in Mercer County with 374 rushing yards. His 9.6 yards-per-carry average is third-best in the area. Rea is the only area player this season to have a touchdown rushing, receiving and on a return. He averages a county-high 10.6 yards per carry.
Four of West Middlesex’s first five games have been on the road. Reynolds is on the road for the second consecutive week after opening with four straight home games. This is the first meeting between the teams in West Middlesex since 2014. West Middlesex won the 2014 meeting, 34-6. The Big Reds won last year at Reynolds, 42-6.
Farrell at Mercer, 7:00 p.m.
Winners of three straight, Farrell visits Mercer in Region 1 Class 1A play Friday night. A win clinches a playoff berth for Farrell while Mercer would improve its playoff hopes by earning a home victory.
Farrell flattened Cambridge Springs, 63-0, last week in non-conference play as the Steelers scored all 63 points in the first half. Farrell recorded its third straight shutout.
Senior quarterback Ray Raver completed 8 of 10 passes for 100 yards and two scores, improving to 3-0 as Farrell’s starting quarterback. Christian Hartley came on in relief during the second quarter and threw for 121 yards. Anthony Jackson and Anthony Stallworth both ran for 80 yards and a touchdown. Overall, Farrell finished with 270 rushing yards and 491 total yards. The Steelers averaged 13.6 yards per play.
Stallworth leads Farrell with 446 rushing yards, which places him fourth in the area. Fellow Farrell back Jaden Harrison averages 10.3 yards per carry and has 257 rushing yards. Harrison also leads Farrell with 13 receptions. Brice Butler leads Farrell with 162 receiving yards on 11 catches and Brian Hilton has 10 catches for 117 yards. Raver leads Mercer County by completing 67.9 percent of his passes.
Thanks to its three straight shutouts, Farrell now ranks third locally in scoring defense, allowing only 10.8 points per game. Farrell also ranks second in rushing defense, allowing 128.8 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry, and total defense (173.6).
A slow first half doomed Mercer last week in a 32-13 loss at Union City. Mercer trailed 26-0 at halftime before cutting the lead to 26-13 on a pair of Logan Conner touchdown runs. Conner led Mercer with a season-high 84 yards on nine attempts.
Senior quarterback Gabe Wiley made his first start for Mercer and completed 4 of 7 passes for 58 yards. Aidan Bright, who also rushed for 44 yards, had three receptions. Bright leads Mercer with 270 rushing yards and 11 receptions for 187 yards. P.J. Boggs (199), Conner (130) and Logan Turton (100) have also reached triple figures in rushing yardage this year. Bright ranks fourth in the county in receiving yards.
Farrell has committed a county-high 10 turnovers this year while Mercer has a county-low three miscues. Mercer has not scored in the first quarter this year.
Farrell has won three straight meetings in the series. The Steelers earned a 47-0 home win last season. Mercer’s last win in the series came October 25, 2013 when the Mustangs secured a 26-15 win at Farrell. The two programs competed against each other in District 7’s Tri-County North A from 1986 to 1989 before being reunited earlier this decade in Class A play.
Titusville at Slippery Rock, 7:00 p.m.
After consecutive road setbacks in Region 5 Class 3A play, Slippery Rock (2-3) returns home to face Titusville (3-2) in non-conference action.
Slippery Rock fell to 0-2 in league play last week with a 31-16 loss at archrival Grove City. The Rockets trailed 24-0 in the fourth quarter before pulling to within eight on Vito Pilosi’s touchdown run and John Sabo’s touchdown catch. Five turnovers proved costly to Slippery Rock, however.
Nathan Hyatt led Slippery Rock with 57 rushing yards and David Duffalo added 56 rushing yards. Pilosi completed 8 of 17 passes for 98 yards but had four passes intercepted.
Pilosi leads the area with 872 total offensive yards. He has also been involved in a county-high 148 offensive plays this year. Hyatt is fifth in the area with 416 rushing yards while Duffalo has 304 yards. Pilosi has added 296 yards. Duffalo (14) and Hyatt (12) lead Slippery Rock in receptions. Duffalo ranks third in the area in catches while Hyatt ranks sixth.
Slippery Rock owns a minus-7 turnover margin this season. The Rockets have an area-high 10 giveaways and an area-low three takeaways in 2019.
Titusville opened the season with wins over Saegertown (35-0), North East (28-27) and Cochranton (21-0). Mercyhurst Prep blanked Titusville in Week Four, 56-0, and the Rockets then fell to Corry last week, 13-10. Titusville held Corry to minus-10 offensive yards and two first downs but dropped to 1-2 in Region 6 Class 3A play.
Charlie Nicholson leads Titusville with 584 rushing yards and six touchdowns while quarterback Garrett Knapp has thrown for 414 yards and five touchdowns. Bryan Baldwin is in his second season as head coach.
Titusville is 2-0 on the road this year while Slippery Rock is 2-0 at home.
Slippery Rock earned a 55-31 win last year at Titusville. Pilosi completed 3 of 7 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 102 yards and a score. Duffalo caught a 70-yard touchdown pass and Hyatt had a 53-yard scoring catch.
Slippery Rock has won the last five meetings in the series, defeating Titusville in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2018. Titusville’s last win over Slippery Rock came October 12, 2007 — a 34-7 win at Carter Field. Titusville won at Slippery Rock in 2006, 27-0.
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