Undecided on what game to take in this weekend? There are some solid matchups. Let’s start with:

Ursuline
vs. Warren Harding

It’s a Steel Valley Conference game, so that should be enough incentive right there. The Raiders have a little more incentive — having lost to Mooney in week 4, they must win to have any chance to share the conference championship. The key for Harding is simple — stop Ursuline’s ground game. The Irish are averaging 231 yards per game on the ground and the Raiders are giving up 207 per game. The other factor could be turnovers — Ursuline is plus-7 in turnover margin this season, and the Raiders are plus-2.

Columbiana
vs. Mineral Ridge

The Clippers face a similar situation to Warren Harding — they come into this Inter Tri-County League showdown with a 1-1 conference record and, with South Range being the elephant in the corner, two losses will just about knock Coach Bob Spaite’s team out of title contention. That’s not the case for the Rams, who have swept through the first half of the season. The schedule gets markedly tougher the rest of the way, though, with a Week 9 date against the Raiders shaping up to be a dandy.

Western Reserve
vs. McDonald

Last season these teams played a great game, with McDonald claiming a 35-28 victory in week 5. But Western Reserve wouldn’t lose another regular season game and won the ITCL’s Tier Two crown. This season both teams are 2-0 in league play, with the winner of this guaranteed to be in a two-way tie with the winner of the Lowellville-Leetonia showdown. In fact, Western Reserve gets the Bears and Rockets in weeks 7 and 8, so this game could set the tone for another title run.

Girard
vs. Champion

OK, so there were some doubters about the Indians, particularly after 21- and 20-point losses to Niles in week 1 and JFK in week 3. But if a 23-0 victory over Brookfield in the Trumbull Athletic Conference opener didn’t silence the critics, last week’s 31-30 thriller against Liberty certainly should have. Girard’s trip to Champion Friday night should be a dandy — don’t be fooled by the Golden Flashes’ two struggling losses in TAC play — this team is closer to the one that swept through the first three weeks of the season.

LaBrae
vs. Liberty

Here we are, halfway through the regular season, and it’s safe to say these two TAC rivals are still searching for an identity. The Vikings’ two losses have been blowouts — 43-7 to Crestview and 30-7 to Hubbard — but they’ve had no trouble scoring points in two of their three wins. Liberty was hardly tested in the first four weeks, albeit against suspect competition (those teams have a combined 4-16 record) and must find a way to bounce back from last weekend’s heartbreaking loss to its rival.

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