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Game of the Week: Wildcats visit Cadets

By Jordan Holland 4 min read

BEVERLY -- Entering week four of the Ohio high school football season, Fort Frye and Waterford are both undefeated and sitting atop their respective regions.

By the time Friday is over, though, one of the two teams will no longer be unbeaten, as the Cadets play host to the Wildcats for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Those who pay attention to the rivalry know the recent history -- Fort Frye hasn't lost to Waterford since 2007. In that time, the Cadets have won 19 straight meetings, including last year's 28-0 triumph.

Two individuals who aren't paying any attention to those numbers are each teams' coaches.

Eric Huck has watched his cadets win a pair of games that went right down to the wire, including last week's 29-27 thriller against Wheeling central.

"We definitely have a group that really wants to win," said Huck, whose squad also won 19-14 against Ridgewood in week one. "They've done some special things to start the season. It's a tough schedule and to start out 3-0 is big for us, but none of that really matters now. It's all about this week."

Fort Frye has not only made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons, but has won at least one postseason game every year for the last decade. This season, they've been put to the test early.

"We've responded to tough situations and handled adversity well," Huck said. "There's been a lot of back-and-forth in the first three games. When we've given up a score or turned the ball over, we've handled it well."

Waterford's schedule hasn't been easy, either. The Wildcats handed Vinton County and Shenandoah their only losses of the season -- both shutouts -- and also held on for a 15-8 road win over a Caldwell team that has postseason aspirations.

The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 86-8.

"The team's coming together every week," said Waterford head coach Eric McCutcheon. "Early in the season, we've been making some mistakes, and we're continuing to work on that stuff. We're getting better every week."

This year, Fort Frye is in Division V while Waterford is in Division VI.

"It's obviously a huge opponent for us," McCutcheon said. "They're No. 1 in their region. We're No. 1 in our region. That's remarkable for two programs as close as they are, to be on top almost midway through the season, but there's a lot of football to play yet."

Quarterback Grady Hesson has led the charge for Fort Frye's offense through three games. He's 18 for 31 passing for 404 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He's also ran it 25 times for 115 yards and three TDs.

Gavin Rauch has team-highs of 29 rushes and 148 yards to go along with two touchdowns. Sam Bricker (21-98, TD) and Tytan Waller (26-90, TD) get steady doses of carries as well. Clayton Tullius is the leading receiver with 210 yards and two scores on nine receptions.

"They're a solid football program and have been for years under Coach Huck," McCutcheon said. "They don't make mistakes. They're fundamentally sound. They go until the whistle. We've got to match that intensity, and I feel like we will."

Waterford's defense faces its biggest challenge to date.

"We have eight seniors on that side of the ball that have been in the system a couple years," McCutcheon said. "They're playing hard. The coaches are doing a phenomenal job with game plans and coaching them up, and the players have been executing very well."

Avery Pottmeyer is 26 for 39 passing for 367 yards. He's thrown five touchdowns and three interceptions. On top of that, Pottmeyer has carried 27 times for 147 yards and a TD. Hayden Jones leads Waterford's ground game with 314 yards and six touchdowns on 48 attempts. Jones is also the leading receiver with 114 yards and two TDs on six catches.

"They're really good up front on both sides of the ball," Huck said. "Obviously they want to run the ball, and we do as well. "It's definitely going to be a battle up there. They've also got good skill players to go with it. It'll be a challenge for our defense."

To claim their first win in the rivalry in two decades, the Wildcats know what they have to do.

"We can't make mental mistakes," McCutcheon said. "Can't get behind the chains. That's huge. On defense, we've got to be smart, read our keys and get off the field on third down. If we do those things, that should give us a shot to win in the fourth quarter."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.

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