Football Preview 2017

McKenzie Takes Over as Coach at Beaver Local

By TRACY WATSON LISBON — After a season off from coaching, Mike McKenzie has found his whistle again after taking over the reins at Beaver Local High School. McKenzie, an assistant principal at Weir, was the offensive coordinator for the Red Riders from 2013-15 after a seven-year stint at Edison High School. “Last year was actually the first year that I didn’t either play or coach football since I was in the fifth grade,” McKenzie said. “But I took a year off and did a lot of stuff with my two sons. “I really missed two-a-days and being on the football field. And I am ...

Frontier Will Be Loaded With Underclassmen

By MIKE MORRISON NEW MATAMORAS — With two-thirds of their roster made up of underclassmen, the Frontier Cougars will go to battle in 2017 with a young, yet battled tested squad. With seven seniors and three juniors on their roster, Frontier returns 10 sophomores who all saw playing time last season as rookies. Third-year head coach Johnny Schmidt hopes his team can find a balance in an attempt to improve upon last season’s 1-9 record. “These kids have done everything that we have asked of them and they have been coming to practice every day and getting after it,” Schmidt ...

Lumberjacks Looked Poised for Success

By BUBBA KAPRAL PINE GROVE — The Lumberjacks will be wielding a much sharper axe this fall. Injuries wreaked havoc with the Valley High football team last season. Head coach Logan Miller enters his second season brimming with optimism, and with good reason. Last year’s physical maladies have forged a much stronger and deeper team, one that has also invested much valuable time in the weightroom during the offseason. The Lumberjacks — boasting some dynamic skilled players to go with good bulk up front — are primed for success this fall. Valley has nine returning starters ...

Wildcats Look to Replace Major Offensive Weapons

By CODY TOMER PADEN CITY—Paden City only lost five seniors to graduation but two of them garnered the majority of the Wildcats’ yards a season ago and will be greatly missed. Quarterback Aaron Heasley and running back Hayden Hizer combined for more than 1,600 yards of offense throughout the 2016 campaign and the upcoming squad will be looked upon to fill the void left behind. “Heasley and Hizer were a big part of our offense last year,” Paden City coach Brent Croasmun said. “That is why we are going to change our philosophy and turn toward the power running ...

What Can Cameron Do for an Encore?

By JOSH STROPE CAMERON — Last season was one for the ages for Cameron football. But that was then. This is a new team that is looking to take what was created in 2016 and build upon it this season. “We started with what we feel is a pretty experienced group so we feel like we have a lot of kids that know where they are going already,” Cameron coach Scott Holt said. “We expect to perform at a high level. How many wins that translates to, we will see from now until when we kick off.” The Dragons went 10-0 last season, completing the second perfect regular season in ...

Isaly Looks to Lead River Back to Playoffs

By SETH STASKEY HANNIBAL — The bar has been raised at River. Now it’s simply a matter of sustaining the level at which the Pilots have played the last several years. Though the Pilots, who finished 10-0 last season before falling to Columbus Bishop Ready in the opening round of the Division VI playoffs, were hit relatively hard by graduation to a tune of six starters on offense and seven on defense, Coach Mike Flannery likes what returns. “We have some big question marks, but we feel confident about things,” Flannery said. “The expectations and goals are always high ...