×

Fort Frye, Trimble football finally facing off Friday night

Photo courtesy of Missy Huck Fort Frye’s Maeson Long (4) tries to shed a tackle during a high school football game last week against Warren in Beverly.

BEVERLY — Fort Frye vs. Trimble on the football field is a matchup local fans have been waiting for.

The wait ends at 7 p.m. Friday in Glouster when the two powerhouses are set to square off. The Cadets come in a perfect 5-0 while the Tomcats are 3-1 after a 34-33 overtime loss to W.Va. Class AAA 13th-ranked John Marshall.

It’s a matchup people were hoping to see in the 2019 regional finals. Trimble, normally in Division VII, had moved up to D6 that year and was on track to meet the Cadets in the third round of the playoffs. However, both teams dropped their regional semi contest and didn’t get to face off.

Then in 2020, Trimble was slated to make the trip to Beverly for a highly anticipated regular season matchup. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the regular season to be shortened to six games, so the Trimble-Fort Frye contest was removed from the slate.

Now, fingers crossed, the teams will finally meet in what figures to be an epic showdown.

“They have been good for a long time,” said Fort Frye head coach Eric Huck. “Their coaching staff does a very good job. They’re very well coached and they obviously have some very good players.”

The Tomcats lost their first regular season game in three years last week when they fell to the Monarchs. Quarterback Tabor Lackey threw for 248 yards, with 177 of those yards going to Tucker Dixon. Bryce Downs is the lead running back for head coach Phil Faires’ squad.

“We’ve got to read our keys and be disciplined,” Huck said.

Fort Frye is on a roll after back-to-back blowout wins against bigger schools in Zanesville and Warren. The Cadets have won 38 straight regular season games. Maeson Long ran for 115 yards on 16 carries against Warren, while QB Ian Ellis was 8 for 10 passing for 108 yards. Huck praised his team’s depth as several backup players stepped up due to injuries last week.

“It starts back at the grade school level,” Huck said of how the program develops depth. “They use our terminology at that level, and then at the junior high level they run our system. Plus, we always try to play a full JV schedule to get some of these guys experience.”

That depth proved valuable against Warren. With several key starters banged up, Fort Frye got major contributions from guys like Carter Brooker at left tackle, Keegan Strode and Stone Dixon at linebacker, Ethan Duskey at fullback and Clayton Miller at wide receiver. Those same guys are expected to be counted on against this week in what figures to be another physical game.

“We’ve been waiting for this one,” Huck said. “And, I’m sure Trimble’s been waiting for us. You can tell this week the focus is there for our players.”

Fort Frye enters this week as the top-rated team in D6, Region 23, while the Tomcats are rated fourth in D7, Region 27.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today