Quakers are ready for more
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A lot of eyes are going to be on the Salem at Beaver Local game on Friday night.
The two are the last Columbiana County teams that are undefeated this season. Beaver Local (4-0) is going for its sixth 5-0 record to start the season since 1956 and has won six straight games going back to last season.
Salem is 4-0 for the fifth time under coach Ron Johnson and will look to go 5-0 for the first time since 2019.
According to Drew Pasteur’s Fantastic 50 predictions and analytics page, the Quakers have the fifth strongest schedule in Div. III so far this season. The site has the Quakers beating the Beavers by 13.
Beaver Local’s combined opponent records so far this season is 3-12, but the Beavers have scored at least 28 points in every game.
The Quakers sit second in Div. III, Region 9 behind Willoughby South in the weekly computer rankings. Beaver Local is sitting seventh in Div. IV, Region 15.
Salem has won five out of the last seven in the series and holds an all-time advantage of 8-5.
The only other area undefeated team is West Branch (4-0). The Warriors are set to travel to Marlington (2-2), which has lost five straight against West Branch.
Youngstown State recruit Grady Hirst has 482 rushing yards with nine touchdowns while throwing for 774 yards and six touchdowns for West Branch.
The Warriors are fourth in Div. IV, Region 13.
Also in Div. IV, East Liverpool (2-2) will look to snap a two-game losing skid as it hosts a surprisingly-winless St. Clairsville (0-4). The Red Devils haven’t been 0-4 since 2001.
East Liverpool is ranked 15th in Div. IV, Region 15.
EOAC
Southern was the last Columbiana County team to get a win on the board with a 34-30 win over rival Southern last Friday. Chase Utt sparked the winners with 120 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also had 12 tackles on defense. Logan Mettenberger had 14 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown as well as 15 tackles. Jaymen Maines had 79 yards receiving.
The Indians (1-3) will travel to 2-2 East Palestine on Friday. East Palestine opened its league campaign with a 27-13 win over Lisbon last week. Clark Rutledge had two touchdown passes each to RJ May and Tanner Morrow. Rutledge finished the night 12 of 18 for 189 yards. For Lisbon, standout quarterback Grant Minor had 232 yards passing and a touchdown with two interceptions.
The Blue Devils (2-2) will have an even tougher task on Friday as they travel to United. The Eagles put Columbiana away in the first quarter on Friday in a 56-7 win. It was the Clippers (3-1) most-lopsided loss since 1989. United should be heavily favored the rest of the way in the EOAC and the scary thing for the rest of the league is the Eagles have depth.
The Clippers will have to try to rebound against an unbeaten team they have never played in Elmore Woodmore (4-0). Woodmore is a replacement game for the spot Leetonia left when it went into a new league.
Valley Christian (0-4) is the lone EOAC team left without a win. The Eagles will travel to a 1-3 Wellsville team which has been competitive in its last three games under new coach Shawn Carter.
NAC
Believe it or not, Leetonia (2-2) won its third league game in five games when it bested Middlefield Cardinal 36-0 to open its Northeastern Athletic Conference slate. The Bears, which beat Southern and Wellsville in its last season of EOAC play last year, will host Mathews (2-2) to end its four-game home swing on Friday.
MVAC
Crestview (1-3) has had quite the schedule so far and last Friday’s game was probably the tallest task of them all as the Liberty Leopards scored a 37-7 victory to open the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Gray Division slate. Liberty’s Dawaun Moody had five touchdowns against the Rebels. Trevor McElhaney led the Rebels with 109 yards rushing.
Crestview does get a breather this week as it heads to 1-3 Southeast. It looks like the league is going to be a lot more challenging than in previous seasons, however.
WEST VIRGINIA
Oak Glen’s long road trip to South Harrison came away with a 54-14 loss. The Golden Bears fell to 1-2 under new coach Derrick Stickles. It won’t get any easier this week as the Golden Bears head to 4-0 Toronto.