Fort Frye’s Tytan Waller (12) looks to make the tackle on Wheeling Central quarterback Nico Kusic (2) during a game earlier this season in Beverly. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

After dropping their first six games of the season before capturing their first win last week over Williamstown (14-6), the Marietta Tigers playoff hopes are slim to none.

That doesn’t mean there is nothing to play for as the Tigers begin Twin States League play Friday night when they welcome the Fort Frye Cadets to Don Drumm Stadium.

An upset win by the Tigers over Fort Frye would put them in the drivers seat to win the TSL as they finish the season against arch-rival Warren and Point Pleasant, a pair of teams with one combined win between the two of them.

MHS presented first-year head coach Mike Kupfner his very first win as a Tiger when they downed the Yellowjackets.

Owen Riley passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Tigers built a 14-0 lead and then held off the ‘Jackets in the second half.

Riley led the Tigers in rushing with 106 yards on 29 carries and also connected with Trenton McVey on a 10-yard touchdown pass to give Marietta the early lead.

Kobe Alexander ran for 89 yards on 15 carries and Will Tornes carried the ball 10 times for 41 as the Tigers piled up 258 rushing yards.

Fort Frye opens league play as heavy favorites to claim the TSL crown after reeling off five consecutive victories following a week one loss to Barnesville.

In those five wins the Cadets have outscored their opponents by a staggering 190-14 margin.

The Fort Frye defense has not allowed a single point in their last 18 quarters of football.

Last week in a 55-0 shellacking of Greenbrier West, the Cadets opened up a 35-0 lead in the first quarter despite running just six plays from scrimmage in the first 12 minutes.

Gavin Rauch, Tyce Beardsley and Kainan Bradford all had first quarter touchdown runs while Grady Hesson returned a punt 52 yards for a score.

Hesson also connected with Rauch on a 42-yard touchdown pass.

Former Tiger head coach Jason Schob will make his first appearance back at Don Drumm Stadium in his new role as the Cadets offensive coordinator.

Fort Frye is currently ranked number five in the latest D-6, Region 23 rankings.

Last season the Cadets had their hands full with Marietta before securing a 28-21 victory.

POINT PLEASANT (0-5) at WARREN (1-6)

VINCENT — In the other TSL opener the Warren Warriors will host the Point Pleasant Big Blacks in a battle of teams in the middle of lengthy losing streaks.

Point Pleasant has yet to taste victory through the first five games of the season after falling to Nitro (56-13) last week to complete the first half of their season.

Key players to keep an eye on for Point Pleasant include quarterback Caden Hill and receivers Isaiah Waminam and Gavin Barnett.

The Warriors do own one win but saw their losing streak stretch to four games last week with a tough 30-27 loss to John Marshall.

Warren got off to a great start when senior Eric Carr ran for an 85-yard touchdown in the first quarter but were unable to hold off the Monarchs.

Carr rushed for 105 yards on just 11 carries while Nehemiah Reeder rushed for 57 yards on nine totes.

Declan Johnson got his second start behind center and completed 10-of-20 pass attempts for 157 yards.

Davin Dickel came up with a huge play on defense for the Jason Gandee-coached Warriors when he scored on a 50-yard “Pick Six” in the third quarter.

Last season at Point Pleasant the Warriors downed the Big Blacks 44-13.

MAGNOLIA (0-5) at FRONTIER (2-5)

NEW MATAMORAS — Last year’s battle between Magnolia and Frontier was a good one.

The Cougars will host the Blue Eagles Friday night on Homecoming Night with hopes of paying them back for the 34-32 loss they suffered last season.

The 2025 season has not been a great one for either squad as Magnolia has yet to taste victory so far this season.

Last week the Eagles were shutout by Tyler Consolidated 35-0.

Those 35 points were the fewest the Eagles had given up in a single game this season.

Key players for Magnolia figure to be quarterback Finn Loy, running back Hunter Cooley and receiver Ethaniel Harlan

The Cougars do own a pair of wins on the season over Bridgeport (36-13) and Valley (52-8) but have dropped five of their last six games.

Last week the Cougars dropped a shootout to Conotton Valley 54-34.

Aaden Bills completed 17-of-28 pass attempts for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Austyn Kephart had a huge game for the Vegas blue and gold as he ran for a pair of touchdowns and also hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Bills.

Caleb Kirkpatrick led Frontier in rushing with 72 yards on 15 carries while Avery Powell hauled in four pass receptions for 117 yards.

FEDERAL HOCKING (1-6) at WATERFORD (5-2)

WATERFORD — The tough schedule the Waterford Wildcats have played so far in the 2025 season is paying huge dividends as they are currently ranked in the No.3 position in the latest D-7 Region 23 rankings as they prepare to welcome the Federal Hocking Lancers to Waterford Friday night in a Tri Valley Conference battle.

The game may be a chance for the Wildcats to catch a little breather as the Lancers come into the game with just a week one win over winless Green (58-26) on their resume.

Last week Federal Hocking was downed by Manchester (58-28) to stretch their losing streak to six.

Waterford returns home after three games on the road which started with a difficult loss to Nelsonville York (29-28) and ended with back-to-back TVC wins over Eastern (28-13) and Southern (47-0).

The Eric McCutcheon-coached Wildcats are led by quarterback Hayden Jones, receiver Weston Fairchild, running back Trevin Zimmer and lineman Dylan McCutcheon and Colby Roberts.

The two renew their rivalry after not playing one another in 2024.

WILLIAMSTOWN (1-4) at POCA (2-3)

POCA, W.Va. — At the halfway point in the season the Williamstown Yellowjackets find themselves in the unfamiliar position of having to string together a whole bunch of wins in the second half of the season to have any chance at all at advancing to the playoffs.

Friday night the Chris Beck-coached ‘Jackets travel to Poca to do war with the Dots.

After a solid week three win on the road over Roane County (45-21), the Yellowjackets have dropped back-to-back games to Chapmanville (50-13) and Marietta (14-6).

In the loss to MHS the ‘Jackets were able to tally just 162 yards of total offense while they allowed the Tigers to rush for 258 yards.

The Yellowjackets got on the board in the final quarter when Breck Allen fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Carson Haines.

The Dots come into the game with a two-game losing streak of their own after falling the past two weeks to first South Harrison (44-38) and then Braxton County (34-14).

Key players for Poca include quarterback Kamaauri McBride and running back Spencer Jones who rushed for 150 yards on 29 carries in last week’s loss.

Last year at home the Yellowjackets blanked Poca 48-0.

BELPRE (2-5) at SOUTHERN (1-6)

RACINE — The season hasn’t been the greatest for either Belpre or Southern but Friday night’s game has all the makings of a competitive one when the Tornadoes host the Golden Eagles in a TVC tilt.

Both teams come into the game after disappointing outcomes a week ago.

Belpre was blanked by Trimble (44-0) while Southern fared no better in a 47-0 loss to Waterford.

The two have played two common opponents in Green and Trimble with similar results as both of them dominated Green while falling to the Tomcats.

Key players for Belpre include receiver Malakai Ensor, running back Alex Parker and quarterback Malik Currie.

Last year in Belpre, Southern rolled to a 55-14 win over the Eagles.

CALDWELL (4-3) at SHADYSIDE (2-5)

SHADYSIDE — Two teams heading in completely different directions will go at it Friday night when the Shadyside Tigers play host to the Caldwell Redskins.

The Tigers have dropped three of their last four games including last week’s 37-0 loss to River.

Shadyside’s two wins have come against Southern (36-22) and Frontier (13-6).

Caldwell comes into the game winners of three of their last four including last week’s 63-28 win over Bishop Rosecrans.

Gavin Leake was the offensive star of the game for the Chance Rucker-led Redskins as he gained 304 yards on just 12 carries including four long touchdown runs.

Defensively Adan Bender returned an interception 78 yards for a score for Caldwell.

The win was the first of the season on the road for the ‘Skins who are a perfect 3-0 at home.

Despite the winning record the “Skins will have some work to do as they are currently ranked 14th in the latest D-6, Region 23 standings.

Last year Caldwell rolled to a 63-7 win over Shadyside.

RIVER (5-2) at SHENANDOAH (3-4)

SARAHSVILLE — After suffering a tough, week seven defeat to Monroe Central, the Shenandoah Zeps will look to keep their post season hopes alive Friday night when they play host to the River Pilots.

The Zeps saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with a 35-12 loss to the Seminoles last Friday.

Shenandoah had captured wins over Buckeye Trail, Trimble and Shadyside in their prior three games before the loss.

The Zeps will need to win out to have a shot at the postseason as they are currently ranked 19th in the latest D-6 region 23 standings.

Key players for the Mac McLean-coached Zeps include quarterback Brody Brown, Ethan Cutlip and Hunter Rossiter.

The Pilots can not avoid a blip the rest of the way as they are currently resting in the 12th and final playoff position in the latest D-7, region 27 rankings.

River has won three-of-four including last week’s 37-0 win over Shadyside.

Last season in Hannibal, the Pilots rolled to a 38-7 win over the Zeps.

MONROE CENTRAL (3-4) at TORONTO (6-1)

TORONTO — After a difficult beginning to the 2025 season, the Monroe Central Seminoles are beginning to show some life as they prepare to travel to Toronto to take on the Red Knights Friday night.

The Seminoles have scored back-to-back wins over Magnolia (47-12) and Shenandoah (35-12) to pull within one game on .500.

Toronto won their first six games of the season before last week’s 33-12 loss to Tuslaw.

This game could be closer than the records would suggest as three of the teams that Toronto has defeated have won one game or less.

The Red Knights currently are ranked in the number seven position in the latest D-6 standings.

The two did not play one another a season ago.

EASTERN (3-3) at TRIMBLE (5-2)

GLOUSTER — The Trimble Tomcats play host to the Eastern Eagles in a key TVC Hocking Division battle Friday night with both league and playoff consequences on the line.

Both teams will need a win to have any chance at either as the season winds down to the final three games.

Eastern comes into the game on a two-game skid after tough losses to Waterford (28-13) and Wahama (27-10).

The Eagles are currently ranked No. 17 in the D-6 standings and will likely need to win out to maneuver their way into the top 12 and secure a playoff berth.

Key players for Eastern include quarterback Braxton Wonker and running backs Ethan Edwards and Parker Durst.

Trimble comes into the game the winners of five of their last six games with their only blemish being a 36-6, week five loss to Shenandoah.

The Tomcats are currently ranked No. 6 in the D-7 standings.

Among the key contributors for Trimble are quarterback Paul Sharp and running backs Luke Orsborne and Trevor Gowen.

Last season Eastern downed Trimble 41-20 at home.

MORGAN (5-2) at SHERIDAN (5-2)

THORNVILLE — In perhaps the most intriguing match up of the week the Morgan Raiders visit the Sheridan Generals in a battle of teams with playoff aspirations.

Sheridan got off to an 0-2 start but have reeled off five consecutive wins including a 28-7 win last week over Philo.

Running back Logan Russell rushed for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Generals are currently ranked 11th in the latest D-3, region 11 standings.

The Raiders find themselves in the No. 8 spot in this week’s D-5 region 19 standings after stretching their winning streak to three last week with a 21-14 win over John Glenn.

Tanner Bankes ran for a pair of touchdowns for Morgan last week while quarterback Haiden Pauley connected with Arlis Ponchak on a 26-yard touchdown pass.

Hayden Bankes was the defensive star for Morgan is his first game of the season as he intercepted a pair of passes including one on the final play of the game to secure the victory.

Last season in McConnelville, Sheridan downed the Raiders 48-16.