Even though it's a road game, Warren will be a slight favorite when it plays at Chillicothe in a Southeastern Ohio Athletic League football game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The Andy Schob-coached Warriors own a 2-4 overall mark (0-1 SEOAL) while the host Cavaliers are 1-5 (0-1).
Warren opened up league play last Friday night at Jackson, and gave the two-time defending SEOAL champion Ironmen (3-3, 1-0) a battle before falling 36-26. The visiting Warriors never led but were close throughout the contest.
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KAREN HENTHORN Special to Times
Warren wide receiver Andrew Vincent (3) is tackled by a Jackson defender during Southeastern Ohio Athletic League football action at Jackson High last Friday night. The Warriors dropped a 36-26 decision to the two-time defending SEOAL champion Ironmen. This Friday night, Warren faces host Chillicothe in another SEOAL contest.
"We have made big strides the last several weeks and are improving," Schob said. "Our kids have played hard and have stayed excited for the entire game. That resulted in a big win over Meigs and then battling two-time defending Champion Jackson to the end."
Warren senior quarterback Dylan Leffingwell led the way against Jackson, passing for 208 yards (15 of 29) and one touchdown, and rushing for 97 yards on eight carries and one scoring run of 56 yards.
"Dylan Leffingwell is really starting to play well, and probably played his best overall game of his career last week," Schob said. "He threw the ball extremely well and looked to run more which gives us another dimension on offense. Our seniors are doing a great job in helping with our attitude and effort, and some younger players are showing some good signs of improvement."
Andrew Vincent had 11 catches for 148 yards and one TD of 18 yards from Leffingwell. Chas Miller kicked a school-record 47-yard field goal in the second quarter for the Warriors.
Statistically, Warren had an edge on Jackson, amassing 402 total yards and 24 first downs.
Chillicothe also lost its league opener, falling 20-7 at Gallia Academy (4-2, 1-0). The Cavs were minus one of their running backs in Tim Beard, who was sidelined with an injury.
The Cavs had only 155 yards of total offense, 111 on the ground. RB Markel Cain scored his team's only touchdown, a 50-yard run in the third quarter.
"Chillicothe is very well coached is also getting better because of their very tough schedule," Schob said. "They have been playing teams that are very athletic and good teams from Columbus and Dayton. They had several opportunities to beat Gallia last week to open league play and competed well. So their record is very misleading on how good they can be.
"They have good speed, their quarterback Ryan Mathis is a returning all-league performer and runs their offense very well."
Last season, the royal blue and white dropped a nail-biting 15-13 decision to CHS in Vincent.
"The last two meetings have been very tight and been decided by less than a touchdown," Schob said. "We know we will have to play good football to be successful Friday, but I really like the approach our team is taking every day."
