For four Austintown Fitch High football players, this weekend had the makings for a perfect storm.

Ken Kilpatrick, Nick Sheely, Tony Mortaro and Casey O’Brien also are members of the Fitch boys soccer team, which won its first 17 games.

The Falcons were poised to have a monumental weekend. Tonight, the Fitch football team (8-1) plays host to Cardinal Mooney (3-5), which still has not been eliminated from the playoffs even though the defending Division III state champions are a whopping two games below .500.

Saturday, the Division I district soccer championship game will be played at Canton GlenOak. Unfortunately for the Falcons, their winning streak was snapped on Wednesday in a 1-0 loss to Massillon Jackson.

The only goal came after Sheely, the goaltender, stopped a free kick by the Polar Bears’ James Haupt. The ball bounced off Sheely’s chest to Noah Davies, who kicked it into the net.

Two nights later, the quartet gets another chance for an extended season, this time trying to secure a playoff berth in football’s rugged Division I Region 1.

In this week’s computer playoff ratings, the Falcons are seventh. (The top eight teams in each region advance to the postseason.) They need this win.

Playing soccer and football at the same time requires discipline, not just athletically. Kilpatrick, one of the Falcons’ kickers, said he experienced only one conflict this season.

“Surprisingly, it never conflicts,” said Kilpatrick who placekicks for the Falcons and plays defense for the soccer team. “It just gets really hectic, that’s all. We get physically worn out.”

Kilpatrick, whose soccer kicks are booming, said the most stress he felt was mental.

During the week, Kilpatrick said he worked on his football skills after school until about 4:30 p.m. Then he’d go home to eat a quick meal then head out to soccer practice.

After that, it was time for homework, then sleep.

“Then do the same process all over again,” he said.

During last Saturday’s 5-0 win over Massillon Perry, Sheely couldn’t resist teasing Kilpatrick when he booted the ball from near the 50-yard line through the football uprights.

“Hey, we needed that last night,” Sheely said as the Falcons student section responded with cheers for the “field goal.”

So how can Mooney, this week’s 17th team in Division III, Region 11 still be alive? The Cardinals would pick up a lot of points if they upset the Falcons.

A lot of points.

But they also need help, especially from Beaver Local (2-7) who is playing Poland (6-3). Poland is ninth in Region 11 and needs the win to get in. The best Mooney can finish is eighth, according to JoeEitel.com.

When Brandon Beachum transferred from Poland to Mooney eight years ago, the Poland-Mooney rivalry was launched and it has become one of the Mahoning Valley’s most heated. It may not be up there with Mooney-Ursuline, Fitch-Boardman or Canfield-Poland, but it’s close.

The transfer paid off for Beachum — he played in two state championship games and received a scholarship to Penn State. You can argue that he would have earned that scholarship if he had remained a Bulldog, but we’ll never know.

His legacy is clear — the Bulldogs and Cardinals take extra pleasure in eliminating each other, even if it’s not on the same field.

Welcome to Week 10!

Tom Williams is a sports writer for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.