Waterford’s Kameron Johnson (23) carries the ball during a game against Caldwell earlier this season. (Photo by Patti Miller)

WATERFORD — It’s been 307 days since Fort Frye held on to beat Waterford in a playoff game that won’t soon be forgotten by Washington County high school football fans.

When the two schools meet at 7 p.m. Friday in Waterford for a week four showdown, the Wildcats are hoping for a different outcome this time around.

“It’s a new year,” said Waterford head coach Eric McCutcheon. “They’ve got different players, we’ve got different players and it’s an all-different ballgame right now. We’re just going week to week. This week, Fort Frye is on our schedule, so it’s a very big week for our program.”

Fort Frye has won 18 straight matchups with Waterford dating back to 2008, last year’s memorable postseason showdown being the most recent. The Wildcats, though, are off to red-hot start this season with blowout wins over Vinton County and Shenandoah. They also defeated Caldwell 21-6 in week two. In that game, the Redskins keyed in on Waterford’s run game. The Wildcats were forced to lean on the right arm of junior quarterback Hayden Jones who, as he’s done most of career, delivered.

Jones is 27 for 41 passing for 462 yards, five touchdowns and one interception this year. He’s also rushed 25 times for 136 yards and two TDs.

Fort Frye’s Tyce Beardsley (4) carries the ball during last week’s game against Wheeling Central in Beverly. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“He’s a big part of our offense,” McCutcheon said. “He’s been a quarterback in our system for three years. He’s calm and collected back there. He knows where everybody needs to be. He’s able to read defenses quicker than last year, which comes with experience. He’s a big part of our team. He’s a great leader and an extremely hard worker. I’m excited for the opportunity for him to go out in front of our home fans and see what he can do.”

The Cadets have been clicking on all cylinders after shaking off a week one loss to Barnesville. They’ve outscored West Muskingum and Wheeling Central 76-7 over the last two weeks.

“I thought we started out well (against Central),” said FFHS head coach Eric Huck. “The defense played well. Guys were focused. The offense, for the most part, played without mistakes at the beginning. We overcame some penalties. Once we got out to a lead, I thought things fell into place.”

At Fort Frye, the program’s recent success against their rivals doesn’t affect the importance of Waterford week.

“It’s definitely different than any other week for sure,” Huck said. “So far the guys have been pretty focused. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the talk, but guys have been staying focused.”

Huck has been impressed with what the Wildcats have put on tape early in the season.

“They’re doing a lot of things well,” Huck said. “Offensively, everything is clicking for them. They’ve got a good quarterback, good skill guys, a good offensive line. Defensively, they’re really good up front. They definitely present a lot of problems.”

The biggest key for the Fort Frye offense is “take care of the football and not have turnovers,” Huck said. “The big thing defensively, slow them down. They’ve got some really good players and we’ve got to find a way to slow them down.”

McCutcheon has the utmost respect for the Fort Frye program and believes they’re starting to come into their own.

“They’re starting to jell,” McCutcheon said. “They’re getting their guys back and are pretty full force right now. They’re going to bring their best, we’re going to bring our best, and we’ll see what happens. They’re fast, they’re well coached and they do a lot of good things.

“We’ve got to be physical. We’ve got to take care of the ball. Our defense, we’ve got a lot of keys we need to read. We can’t let them push us around. We know they’re going to be very physical.”

As McCutcheon pointed out, the Fort Frye-Waterford game is typically decided at the line of scrimmage.

“I think it’s going to be a great matchup in the trenches,” he said. “That’s where the difference is going to be. I think we’re both very good up front, and that’s where a lot of games are won and lost. I think our skill guys match up pretty well. It’s going to come down to 48 minutes of hard-nosed football.”

With Waterford’s passing attack clicking, the Cadets’ secondary will need to be on top of their game. They did an exceptional job against West M and Central’s talented passing games.

“I feel like we need to still get more pressure on the quarterback,” Huck said. “Our linebackers and secondary have improved since the beginning of the season. They’ll continue to be tested and hopefully they’ll keep playing well.”

Gavin Rauch and Tyce Beardsley have been an unstoppable 1-2 punch on the ground for Fort Frye. Rauch has 284 yards on 12.9 yards per carry. Beardsley is averaging 7.9 yards per rush and has amassed 273 ground yards. Sam Bricker, Kainan Bradford and Wyatt Erb are other serious threats out of the backfield.

“Those guys have all gotten touches and have done really well,” Huck said.

Cadet QB Grady Hesson is 10 for 24 passing so far for 170 yards, two TDs and one pick. Luke Phillis is one of his favorite targets, having caught four passes for 52 yards.

Trevin Zimmer leads Waterford with 139 yards on 21 carries. Kameron Johnson has added 126 yards on 34 carries. Weston Fairchild is having a big year in the receiving game so far with 201 yards on eight catches. Zimmer has six receptions for 144 yards and three TDs.

“I feel like we’re getting a lot of players involved in our offense,” McCutcheon said. “Six guys scored last week. There’s a lot of opportunities for everybody to get touches. The offensive line is getting better each week. Our tight ends and wings are blocking much better. We’re fortunate to have receivers who are ‘block first’ and can catch the ball when we call their name.”

The excitement level for a Fort Frye-Waterford game is always sky-high, and this year is no different — if anything, it might be even bigger.

“Both towns are talking, that’s for sure,” McCutcheon said. “The kids are talking. We’re excited to get our work in here through the week. I’m excited for our community, and hopefully we can put on a good game for them.”

NOTE: Due to injuries for North Adams, Fort Frye’s week five home game against the Green Hornets has been canceled.

Stat Sheet

Rushing

Gavin Rauch 22 car. 284 yds 3 TDs

Tyce Beardsley 36 car. 273 yds 2 TDs

Sam Bricker 15 car. 118 yds 1 TD

Passing

Grady Hesson 10-24 170 yds 2 TDs 1 INT

Receiving

Luke Phillis 4 rec. 52 yds 1 TD

Tyce Beardsley 2 rec. 54 yds 0 TDs

Waterford (3-0)

Rushing

Trevin Zimmer 21 car. 139 yds 2 TDs

Hayden Jones 25 car. 136 yds 2 TDs

Kameron Johnson 34 car. 126 yds 4 TDs

Passing

Hayden Jones 27-41 462 yds 5 TDs 1 INT

Receiving

Weston Fairchild 8 rec. 201 yds 1 TD

Trevin Zimmer 6 rec. 144 yds 3 TDs