Riordin Stauffer (24) of Fairbanks gains yardage last week against Triad. The Panthers will host state-ranked Mechanicsburg in a key Ohio Heritage Conference battle on Friday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
A football rivalry that goes back to the days of the old West Central Ohio Conference will take center stage on Friday at Fairbanks High School’s Kyre Field.
The Panthers (6-2) will put their six-game winning streak on the line against Mechanicsburg.
The Indians (7-1) are currently ranked ninth in this week’s Associated Press poll.
Since losing their first two games of the regular season, the Panthers have been on a roll.
The streak began with a 53-0 triumph over Cedarville and included a 26-20 victory over state-ranked West Liberty-Salem (No. 7 in D-V) a couple of weeks ago.
The Indians are a balanced offensive unit that features both the spread and a more running formation with one or two tight ends.
Running back Chayse Propst is the second-leading rusher in the Ohio Heritage Conference with 722 yards.
He receives help with the running chores from Jake Hurst and Parker Cook.
Mechanicsburg has alternated the quarterback spot between Logan Hurst and Aaron Conley.
“They will alternate their quarterbacks on each series, but at times they’ll also go with the guy who has the hot hand,” said Panther head coach Patrick Cotter. “They are both good athletes and can run the ball.
“There doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason why they alternate their quarterbacks,” he said. “They just try to get both of them on the field.”
When the Indians go to the air, the favorite target is wide receiver Keith Bebout.
He leads the team with 20 receptions, good for 329 yards.
Jake Hurst and Mack DeLong are right behind Bebout.
Hurst has 19 catches for 351 yards and four TDs, while DeLong has snared 18 passes for 256 yards and five scores.
Cotter said FHS’ defensive line play will be critical on Friday.
“We have to control the line of scrimmage and force them to go wide, instead of up the middle,” he said. “We have to string them out along the edges.
“Our defensive plan won’t be much different than any other game this year,” said Cotter. “We just have to have great tackling.”
The Indians will play a 44 defense with cover three in the secondary.
“They may spread a little bit of three-front against the spread,” said Cotter. “They are very aggressive and cover teams well.
“They have a very good linebacker in Jake Hurst and we will have to pay attention to where he is on the field,” he said. “Their defensive unit has very good speed.
“They are going to try and stop our running game and make us throw the ball.”
The Panthers have rushed for 1,837 yards through eight games, led by Brogan Green (64 attempts, 489 yards).
Green, though, is not FHS’ only ground threat.
Riordin Stauffer has rushed for 309 yards on 64 carries, quarterback Braxton Wilhelm has 261 yards and Braeden Fairchild has rushed for 224.
Mason Cushman, who has primarily been limited to punting duties due a knee problem, added 376 yards to the ground game early in the season.
Should the Panthers be forced to with the aerial game, it won’t provide an uncomfortable scenario.
Wilhelm has completed 51 percent of his passes for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The senior signal-caller has only been picked off three times.
The Panthers have five players in double figures as far as receptions.
Braylon Green has caught 17 passes for 221 yards, followed by Fairchild (15-118), Trey Good (15-382), Ashton Griffith (11-115) and Gatlin Luke (10-145).
“Our offense will adjust to what their defense gives us,” said Cotter. “Braxton does a great job of making decisions and putting us in good positions.”
The final two weeks of the regular season will present the Panthers with huge tests.
They will wrap up the 10-game campaign next week by traveling to West Jefferson (7-1), which is ranked ninth in the state Division V poll.
“These are going to be a couple of exciting weeks and it’s what you play high school football for,” said Cotter. “We just have to go out and do the same job we’ve been doing.
“When you do that, great things can happen,” he said. “If we do that the next couple of weeks, we will be headed for the state playoffs.
The Panthers are currently ranked sixth in Region 24 of Division VI.
The top eight teams in each region at the end of the regular season will advance to the post-season.