Riverside is just one of two teams to make it through the first three weeks of Three Rivers Conference football play with an unblemished record. The Pirates will attempt to stay atop the conference Friday when they host Lehman Catholic for a TRC contest.
The Pirates (4-2, 3-0) have won four straight games and outscored their opponents 128-29 during their winning streak. They are currently tied with Milton-Union for first place in the TRC.
“We always talk about focusing on what we need to do and getting better every week,” said Riverside head coach Bryce Hodge. “Regardless of the opponent, we have to make sure we are doing what we need to do to get better.”
The Pirates are coming off a 42-0 shutout of Troy Christian.
Despite losing a couple of starting offensive linemen to injury early on and having to replace some key skill players from last year, the Pirates are now clicking on all cylinders.
“We’ve had a lot of kids step up and fill key roles for us,” said Hodge. “One of the best things about coaching is watching a kid who was a role player earlier in his career grow up and become one of your play makers. We’ve had several guys do that for us, and it’s been fun to watch.”
The biggest challenge for Hodge this week is to make sure his players don’t overlook a Lehman team that has struggled to a 2-4 (1-2 in the TRC) start.
“Lehman is one of our rivals and they always play us tough,” said Hodge. “We’ve won two in a row against them, so I’m sure they will be fired up to turn that around.”
The Cavaliers have struggled to get their offensive attack going this season. They are averaging 188 yards of offense and 12.8 points per game.
Lehman does have a very capable quarterback in junior Donovan O’Leary, who was an honorable mention all-TRC selection last year.
The 6-4, 210-pound O’Leary has thrown for 354 yards while rushing for 236 yards.
“They have a new coach and they like to show you a lot of different things on offense,” said Hodge. “They will get under center at times, they will go shot gun and they will go spread.”
O’Leary is the team’s leading rusher. Senior Nathan Sollman has added 141 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries.
The Cavaliers’ leading receiver is junior Seth Knapke, who has 10 catches for 170 yards and one score.
Lehman is coming off a 24-14 loss to Bethel, a team the Pirates beat 34-7 in Week 4.
Elsewhere around the area:
West Liberty-Salem will be chasing its fourth straight victory Friday when it travels to West Jefferson for an Ohio Heritage Conference North division contest.
The Tigers (4-2 overall) fought off Fairbanks 21-14 in last week’s North division opener.
West Jefferson is facing some unfamiliar territory this season. The Roughriders, who have been a perennial power, have struggled to a 3-3 record.
They were handled 49-13 by Northeastern a week ago.
Despite some inconsistent stretches, the West Jefferson offense does have some firepower.
Freshman quarterback Austin Buescher leads the OHC in passing yards with 1,547. He has thrown for 16 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Senior Ethan Hostetler has been a big threat both running and catching the ball for the Roughriders. He leads the team in rushing with 512 yards and six TDs on 72 carries and has 28 catches for 417 yards and three scores.
Junior Mason Book has been a weapon in the passing game as well with 28 catches for 533 yards and eight touchdowns.
In last week’s loss to Northeastern, the Roughriders were limited to 191 yards while giving up 408 yards to the Jets.
Ben Logan at North Union
Benjamin Logan picked up a much needed win last week with a 44-7 rout of rival Indian Lake.
The Raiders (2-4 overall, 1-0 in the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division) will try to build on that momentum as they go on the road to face a talented North Union squad on Friday.
The Wildcats (5-1, 1-0) were the pick by many coming into the year as the favorite to win the Mad River title this fall.
North Union’s lone blemish was a 31-28 loss to Jonathan Alder in Week 5.
The Wildcats are coming off a 34-14 win over Northwestern, a game North Union led 34-0 at halftime.
North Union is led by senior linebacker/running back Owen Davis, who has verbally committed to Purdue University.
Davis, who will likely play on the defensive side of the ball in college, leads the Wildcats in rushing with 582 yards and 11 touchdowns on 68 carries. He is averaging 8.6 yards per rush.
Junior Nolan Draper has provided some depth at running back with 306 yards and three TDs on 40 carries.
Quarterbacking the Wildcats is senior Cayden Lassister, who is 57-of-89 passing for 882 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
Lassister’s favorite target has been senior Troy Bossaller, who has caught 22 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns.
The Wildcats have been stout defensively. They are giving up just 9.2 points per game and have two shutouts.
Indian Lake at Urbana
Indian Lake’s journey for victory number one goes to Urbana on Friday as the Lakers will take on an energized Hillclimbers squad.
Head coach Carleton Cotner has led the Climbers to an impressive turnaround this fall. Urbana won just two games all of last season, but enters Friday’s contest with a 4-2 overall record and 1-0 mark in the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division.
Urbana has been extremely impressive over the past two games, with a 47-7 victory over Kenton Ridge in Week 5 and a 42-7 blowout of Graham last week.
The Hillclimbers have shown good balance on offense, with 1,244 passing yards and 651 rushing yards.
Junior quarterback Will Donahoe currently ranks second in the CBC in passing yards with 1,210. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Seniors Rayvon Rogan and Jonathan Hildebrand have been putting up big numbers catching the football.
Hildebrand had made 21 receptions for 533 yards and seven touchdowns, while Rogan has 33 catches for 457 yards and five scores.
The team’s top rusher is freshman Austin Hill, who has 426 yards and five touchdowns on 75 carries.
In last week’s win over Graham, the Hillclimbers held the Falcons to 119 total yards while rolling up 388 yards of their own.
Triad at Fairbanks
Triad is in search of its first Ohio Heritage Conference North division win as it prepares to play at Fairbanks on Friday.
The Cardinals (2-4 overall) fell to Mechanicsburg 34-12 in a North division opener last week.
Fairbanks (3-3, 0-1) is coming off a 21-14 loss to to West Liberty-Salem.
The Panthers continue to be a run-heavy offense. They have rushed for 1,652 yards, while passing for just 330.
Fairbanks has seven players with at least 120 rushing yards.
Ryker Green is the team’s leading rusher with 350 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 carries. Noah Rhea (58 carries, 280 yards) and Nick Rhea (42 rushes, 286 yards, five TDs) have also been key cogs in the running game.
Quarterback A.J. Landon has completed 27-of-58 passes for 323 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Ridgemont at Perry
Ridgemont will try to bounce back from a 40-0 loss to Waynesfield-Goshen last week when it hosts winless Perry on Friday for Northwest Central Conference action.
The Gophers (3-3) saw a two-game winning streak end against the Tigers.
It has been a tough go of it for Perry this season. The Commodores have scored a total of 27 points in six games. They have given up at least 26 points in every game.