Last fall, after covering Fitch’s 49-12 win over East in Week 2, I asked then-senior Nick

Last fall, after covering Fitch’s 49-12 win over East in Week 2, I asked then-senior Nick Groat whether the Falcons were for real, or if they were just beating up on rebuilding teams.

“You know what?” Groat said. “I can’t answer that now. Come ask me after the middle of the Federal League, then we’ll see how good we are.”

Fitch then lost its first four Federal League games — three of them by 10 points or more — and finished 5-5. It was a step forward from a 1-9 record in 2007, but after starting 3-0, the Falcons weren’t satisfied.

One year later, Fitch is again 3-0. The Falcons beat Chaney, East and Painesville Riverside by a combined score of 159-28 over the last three weeks. (Compare that to last year, when they beat Chaney, East and Parma by a combined score of 125-46).

Again, I find myself asking the same question. And not even coach Phil Annarella is sure.

“I think that’s why this [Saturday’s] game is pretty darn important,” said Annarella, whose team travels to play Canton McKinley at Fawcett Stadium. “It’s going to allow us to find out where we’re at.”

McKinley (2-1) isn’t a state championship-level team this year, but the Bulldogs are more than capable of winning the Federal League. Led by linebacker Jewone Snow and defensive end Steve Miller, the Bulldogs are a fast and physical team led by a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters.

“They’re a great football team,” said Annarella. “They’re good, they’re athletic, they’re talented and they’re well-coached. We certainly have our hands full.”

Annarella would have loved a better test in the first three weeks — the Falcons have a two-year contract with Poland starting next year, which should help in the future — but said his team can’t worry about that.

“We can’t control how badly or well the other team plays,” he said. “We can only control our play.”

The Falcons lost blank straight to McKinley. Annarella has only been there for two of them.

When asked if this was the biggest game in his three year tenure at Fitch, Annarella said, “It ranks right up there. If it’s not the biggest, it’s awful close.

“The kids understand the importance of the game. Fawcett has a tremendous amount of tradition and Canton McKinley has a proud history. We’re going to strap it up and hopefully we’ll come out with a win.”

Stadium upgrades

I covered last week’s Warren JFK-Girard game and the renovated Arrowhead Stadium looks tremendous.

It’s amazing to see such a (relatively) small community pull off such a terrific project.

Over the past five years, we’ve seen similar renovations in places like Campbell, Canfield, East Palestine, Fitch, Poland, Springfield and Warren Harding, with schools either building new stadiums or renovating existing ones.

Which leads me to ...

Readers survey

In 2005, we held a readers survey asking fans 10 high school football-related questions, such as “Where is the best place to watch a game?” and “Best area rivalry?”

More than 60 readers responded, which doesn’t sound like much until you consider we only accepted mailed-in responses.

In a few weeks, we’re going to do it again, only this time the voting will be our Blitz section on Vindy.com. If you have any specific questions you’d like to see, feel free to e-mail me at the address below.

Once the poll is posted online, we’ll give readers a few weeks to vote, then publish the results later in the season.

Power poll

The AP held its first poll of the season, so I’ll do the same. I don’t vote on the AP poll — my boss, Rob Todor, handles those responsibilities — so don’t blame me for those results.

You’re welcome to criticize my opinion on this one, though.

Big schools (Division I-III): 1. Mooney, 2. Poland, 3. Fitch, 4. Boardman, 5. Warren Harding. Honorable mention: Canfield, Howland, Hubbard.

Small schools (IV-VI): 1. Ursuline, 2. Girard, 3. Columbiana, 4. Lakeview, 5. McDonald. Honorable mention: Crestview, Western Reserve, Campbell, East Palestine.

Final thoughts

UGirard’s concession stand features a bread bowl, filled with cavatelli and meatball, for $4.

UYou have to love seeing Canfield go for two in overtime to beat Dover.

Heck of a call, Mike Pavlansky.

UKudos to Campbell for a huge win over Liberty.

The Red Devils (2-1) look poised for their first winning record since back-to-back 6-4 seasons in 2002-03. And how about this statistic: Campbell has not beaten a team that finished with a winning record since 2001, when it defeated Sullivan Black River (6-4). I have a feeling that streak will come to an end this year.

Covering football is more fun when new teams emerge, and it’s nice to see the Red Devils back in the conversation. Ditto for Newton Falls and Salem.

UI suppose even South Range has an off year every decade or so.

UThis year features one of the best groups of wide receivers I’ve seen in years.

I’ve already seen three legitimate Division I wideouts this fall — Boardman senior Chase Hammond, Poland junior Darius Patton and Girard junior Landon Smith — and it’s become routine to see eight-catch, 100-plus yard performances every week.

That’s a solid season for a Mooney receiver, but, then, some things never change.

X Joe Scalzo covers high school football for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.