With a showdown looming in Week 10 against London that could decide the outright Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division champion, it would be easy for Bellefontaine to look past a 2-6 Kenton Ridge team Friday.
But head coach Jason Brown said his team’s sole focus is on Friday’s away game with the Cougars.
“We have a standard we want to play to every week,” said Brown. “This is another chance to play to our standard. Our goal is to play the best complimentary football we can play. We feel like our best football is still ahead of us as far as playing our best in all three phases.”
Bellefontaine (7-1) currently sits atop the Kenton Trail standings with a 3-0 mark. A win over the Cougars would clinch at least a share of the division title.
The Cougars started the season strong, getting out to a 2-1 record through the first three games.
But they have since dropped five in a row and have been outscored 187-37 during that stretch.
Kenton Ridge is coming off a 34-0 loss to London. The Cougars were held to 211 total yards.
“They have good size and they are physical,” said Brown of the Cougars. “They like to play in a phone booth. They will show a lot of double-tight formations. They will do a lot of inside run and counter trey.
“Defensively, they try to be disruptive and get you off schedule.”
The Cougars have shown good balance on offense with 729 passing yards and 1,165 rushing yards.
Quarterback Brady King has completed 34-of-73 passes for 675 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions.
The KR ground game is powered by senior Gavin Higgins, who has rushed for 832 yards and four touchdowns on 193 carries.
Junior Heath Jones has added 166 rushing yards and two TDs.
The top threats at wide receiver for the Cougars are sophomore Jamil Miller (16 catches, 194 yards, two TDs) and junior Bryce Smith (five catches, 237 yards, two TDs).
For Bellefontaine, the focus will be on fixing some lingering issues like penalties. The Chiefs were penalized nine times for 85 yards last week in a 27-7 win over Jonathan Alder.
“We are our own worst enemy at times,” said Brown. “We have to eliminate the pre-snap penalties and we can’t hurt ourselves.”