Considering its Homecoming weekend, Greencastle-Antrim is going on the equivalent of a blind date Friday night. Fresh off their first win of the season, the Blue Devils (1-3) welcome Mid-Penn Colonial Division newcomer Mifflin County to Kaley Field in a matchup between two unfamiliar opponents. The football portion of Friday’s festivities is set to begin at 7 p.m. Formally a member of the powerhouse Commonwealth Division, the Huskies (1-3) landed in the Colonial this fall following the Mid-Penn’s slight realignment. The change has already paid dividends, as Mifflin steamrolled James Buchanan 61-0 last Friday after going winless a season ago.
Still, with the Huskies allowing at least 40 points in their first three games all losses the school located roughly two hours away in Lewistown really is somewhat of a mystery.
“It’s hard to get a real gauge on them because they beat JB by 60, but they also lost to State College the week before by 40-some (51-7),” G-A head coach Chuck Tinninis said. “They’re new to the division so it’s not an opponent that we’re familiar with, which presents its own set of challenges. You also can’t put a lot of stock in their 0-10 record last year when you look at the division that they played in.”
With several unknowns surrounding the Huskies, the Blue Devils’ primary focus will be building on their own performance last week. First and foremost, Greencastle finally got in the win column, defeating West Perry 35-21 on the road. The offense found some much-needed traction, racking up a season-high 374 yards.
Running back Demetrius Burton carried 19 times for 163 yards and a touchdown to headline G-A’s ground attack, serving as the second straight game the junior standout eclipsed 100 yards. Furthermore, quarterback Cade McDowell displayed his dual-threat abilities by rushing for two scores while adding another through the air to Cade Marshall. G-A also had a highlight-reel play on special teams as Austin Kane returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown.
Needless to say, the improvement shown a week prior against East Pennsboro carried over.
“The main thing is to keep getting better each week,” Tinninis said. “We made progress against East Penn, then we persevered and finished against West Perry. We’re handling this week with the same mindset to continue improving.”
One area that will certainly need cleaned up turnovers. Although able to overcome the mistakes, G-A lost three fumbles in the first half, allowing West Perry to hang around in a game otherwise controlled by the Blue Devils.
“We have to take better care of the ball, plain and simple,” Tinninis said. “You’re not going to be able to have three and four turnovers and expect to win games. It’s definitely something we need to do a better job with.”
With wet conditions a possibility according to Friday’s forecast, ball security could be magnified even more against Mifflin County.
“If we limit the turnovers and come out ready to go, I like our chances,” Tinninis said. “We’re expecting to be in close games the rest of the way, and this one is no different.
We just need to continue to show improvement and let the pieces fall where they may.
It’s always nice to be back at home in front of our crowd, and with it being Homecoming, it should be a great atmosphere.”
