HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW Friday night football

CHANEY VS. RAYEN
When: 7.
Where: Stambaugh Stadium.
Chaney (6-1, 1-0 City Series) scouting report: Only loss was 10-7 to Boardman. Out-scoring opponents, 150-51. Although the Cowboys are Division II, Region 5's top-ranked team, they haven't clinched anything in the City Series yet because Canton Timken (1-0) has yet to play Chaney and Wilson. TE/DE Kielen Dykes was named player-of-the-week in 27-10 win over Mooney for his extra-point catch, several other receptions, two sacks and 89-percent grade, offensively. Also in recent games, senior C Joe Herman has been playing steady and anchoring the line. He also sees time at defensive end. Instrumental in holding opponents to 51 points so for is the front four of DE Dykes, DE Ed Molina, T Salih Robinson and T Fernando DeChellis.
The coach says: "We had an erratic first half against Mooney, then settled in and played pretty well. Rayen is wide open. They spread you out. Ron Lampkin can throw it around and they have guys who can catch. On a dry track, they're as dangerous a team as you can play. They scored 30 points against a good East Liverpool team, but got bogged down in the mud and rain at St. Vincent-St. Mary's. But they can light up in hurry. We're preparing for very talented team." -- Ron Berdis.
Rayen (0-7, 0-1) scouting report: The Tigers didn't see much of basketball phenom LeBron James in the 43-0 blowout to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's. QB Lampkin works out of the shotgun formation with RB Jamal Monroe and RB alternate Phil Morgan the lone backs. Rayen's army of receivers include Craig Ladson, Keith Ratliff, Justin Underwood and Billy Jones. Up front are C Andre Eiland, G Andre Stewart and T Bobby Hughes. This week's changes include Marcus Love at tackle and possibly Ray Barnett at guard. It will be strength vs. strength when Rayen has the ball. Rayen is the No. 1 offense in the city, while Chaney is the No. 1 defense.
The coach says: "We expected a big game from LeBron James, but it didn't happen. He went deep a couple times and caught a couple short passes in the flat, but he didn't go over the middle any. Except for last week, we've scored points, but we just can't win a game. We'll score 30, but an opponent will score 40. The defense gives up the big play. Mistakes have hurt. The kids have hung in there for seven games. The coaches -- assistant head Dennis Parise, offensive coordinator Brian Shaner, defensive coordinator Roger Gasser and Booker Newberry and Nick Horvath -- have a good relationship with the kids." -- Pete Lymber.
POLAND vs. HOWLAND
When: 7:30.
Where: Howland High Stadium.
Poland (6-1, 2-0 Metro Athletic Conference) scouting report: The Bulldogs rebounded from a loss against Chaney by defeating Salem 21-10 last week. Senior TB Lou DaVanzo has 122 carries for 653 yards and 10 touchdowns. Junior QB Sean Clayton has completed 75-of-111 pass attempts for 907 yards and six touchdowns. Senior WR Jake Bajerski has 28 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns. Junior DB Neil Harris has four interceptions. Senior OG/DE Brendan Moran is still out after injuring his ankle and knee against Chaney.
The coach says: "Our kids showed character [against Salem] because we struggled offensively against Chaney. Salem put together a nice opening drive, but we went down and matched it. We were extremely pleased with that. Our young people have to play with great passion to have a chance against Howland. They're giants. This is like David and Goliath. Obviously, Doug Datish is big, but the rest of them are big, too. As competitive as our league is, I don't know if anyone is ever in the driver's seat. The way our league is, you go week-to-week and hope you have a chance." -- Paul Hulea.
Howland (6-1, 2-1) scouting report: The Tigers were stunned last week in a 14-0 loss to Niles. The closest Howland got to scoring was the Niles 35 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Senior RB Mark Rek leads the Metro Athletic Conference in rushing with 124 carries for 912 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior QB Rick Clark has completed 12-of-30 pass attempts for 156 yards and one touchdown. The Tigers also boast a dangerous kickoff return team in Rek and senior D.J. Divieste.
The coach says: "You can't play a conference game [against Niles], tackle poorly, not convert third downs and still win. There were some poor decisions on our part. They got us. We think we're a good football team. A good football team has to find a way to bounce back from setbacks. The jury is out whether we're a good football team. [Poland] is the premier program in our conference. They are where we want to take our program. They're unbelievably fundamentally sound defensively and their offense is a threat every time they touch the ball. That's why they're 6-1 and a great team." -- Dick Angle.
CRESTVIEW vs. COLUMBIANA
When: 7:30.
Where: Firestone Park, Columbiana.
Crestview (6-1, 4-0 Tri-County League) scouting report: Last week, the Rebels survived a close call against Lisbon before winning 23-12 to retain first place in the TCL. Josh Louk scored twice, once on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Seth Antram. The quarterback also connected with Joe Leskosky on a 22-yard touchdown. Chris Walton, a linebacker, had an interception last week against Lisbon and center Jim Raley made good calls.
The coach says: "They [Columbiana] are a big-play offense. We have to make them drive the ball on us. We must try to contain their quarterback [Derek Garrod]. He runs the offense really well. He had over 1,600 yards rushing last year. They run the option; they do a good job of moving him around and getting him the ball. He just may be the fastest kid in the county." -- Paul Cusick.
Columbiana (5-2, 3-1) scouting report: The Clippers rushed for 357 yards and scored five running touchdowns last week against Southern. Senior FB J.P Jenkins scored two touchdowns and gained 145 yards. Garrod gained 107 yards on 11 carries, while QB Adam Fast completed 6-of-8 passes for 95 yards. Jenkins also plays defensive end. FB/DT John Wayne Hatala has been playing well, as have offensive linemen Brian Hart and Tim Reash.
The coach says: "For anyone who graduated in the '90s, this is the big rivalry. We have to be highly charged but hold onto the ball and don't have any stupid penalties. We stumbled early in the season, but hopefully we got things going now. We want to be peaking at this time. Crestview runs well and we have a pretty good run defense. That's one key. Conversely, they have a great run defense and we're running with some effectiveness lately. Both teams want to run the ball, so it'll come down to that." -- Bob Spaite.
CHAMPION vs. HUBBARD
When: 7:30.
Where: Hubbard Stadium.
Champion (3-4, 1-3 Trumbull Athletic Conference) scouting report: In TAC play, the Flashes defeated Brookfield 24-0 and lost to Girard 47-13. Junior QB Brian Smith has completed 54-of-120 passes for 1,202 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior TE Max King has 31 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns, while senior WR Craig Allen has 16 catches for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Senior RB Adam Wargo has 116 carries for 748 yards and eight touchdowns. King also has 15 1/2 sacks from linebacker.
The coach says: "We're going to do what we do best. We're going to run our offense and Hubbard will have to stop it. We realize Hubbard is the better football team, but we feel we can compete with them. In order to come out on top, we need to control the ball. The less they have the ball, the better our chances are." -- Greg Lazzari.
Hubbard (7-0, 4-0) scouting report: The offense gets contributions from senior running backs Anthony Smith, Antonio Owens and Jerad Jordan. Junior Gabe McKee is the quarterback. In four games, Hubbard has limited opponents to six points or less.
The coach says: "We're doing the best we can to work through injuries. We're lucky to have pretty good numbers. At this point, we're ahead of where we thought we'd be. Coming into the year, we had lost the entire offensive line to graduation. It's really a credit to our kids up front. Champion runs a lot of spread formations; they make you cover the field horizontally and vertically. We're going to have to be prepared for all different formations and different looks. Defensively, they're pretty big and a very dangerous team." -- Jeff Bayuk.