Photo by Andrew Grimm Big Red’s Ky’jhuan Hopkins finds running room against the Archbishop Carroll defense.

STEUBENVILLE — A couple of state-ranked heavyweights (Big Red and Dover) will go toe-to-toe Friday in a Week 5 meetin’ of the unbeatens.

Steubenville remains fourth in this week’s Ohio AP Division IV poll while the Crimson Tornadoes are tied for 14th in Division II rankings. In the initial Ohio High School Athletic Association computer ratings, Big Red is third in Region 15. Dover stands third in Region 7.

Both teams prepped for the showdown with Week 4 victories over Pittsburgh schools. Big Red whipped USO 40-14 while Dover downed Allderdice 19-6.

Friday’s kick is set for 7 p.m. on Reno Field inside Harding Stadium. This will be the 27th all-time meeting between the programs, Big Red holding a 19-6-1 series lead. Dover has won the last two contests, 24-7 in 2021 and 41-20 in the 2020 playoffs.

Dan Ifft, who is in his 28th season at Dover and 43rd overall in coaching, guided his Crimson Tornadoes to a 12-1 mark in 2021, advancing to the Division III regional championship game. He lost a boatload of talent via graduation.

“They have adjusted to their major losses,” Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia said of Dover.

“They are doing what their talent allows them to do. They have a very good, physical offensive line and two really good running backs. The quarterback is a steady player–I have not seen him turn the ball over yet. And, their defense is solid.

“I think they are still a very, very good screen team. They have replaced their passing game with a solid running game. This season, Dover is more of a play action, rollout passing team.”

Ben Hamm, a 6-3, 175 pound senior, has taken over at quarterback for Dover. He has rushed for close to 300 yards. He also is a standout in the defensive secondary.

Mitchell Martin (5-10, 165) is Dover’s go to back. The speedy senior has run for 400 yards. He was injured in the Allderdice game and his status for Friday is questionable. Senior J.J. Barton (5-10, 175) is a bruising runner with some speed. He filled in last week when Martin went down with the injury. Junior Sean Baumberger (6-0, 175) also sees time in the Dover backfield.

Senior Tyler Stevenson (6-0, 170) has emerged as Dover’s leading receiver. Also a defensive back, Stevenson will run the football on jet sweeps. Tight end David Denny, a 6-4, 225 senior, caught two scoring strikes in the season opener. Senior Matt Gigax (6-4, 225) backs up Denny.

Dover has plenty of size in the trenches led by senior Jackson Lurie (6-3, 265) and junior Simon Lorentz (also 6-3, 265). Lorentz also starts along the defensive line.

Senior Jackson Storm (6-0, 201) leads the Dover defense from his inside linebacker spot.

The Crimson Tornadoes also have a dangerous kicker in senior Lucas Lane.

“We’re going to run the ball a lot and see if our passing game develops,” Ifft said during the pre-season. “Our offensive line is pretty solid.”

In addition to the win over Allderdice, the Crimson Tornadoes also have beaten Lake Catholic (16-13), Akron East (35-0) and Indian Valley (20-6). Dover has scored 90 points and allowed just 25.

“I think we have earned each other’s respect and that’s what makes the rivalry a great one,” Saccoccia said when asked about his relationship with Ifft. “When we first started playing Dover, they were a Wing T team and it looks like that is what they are working themselves back to being.”

Through four games, Big Red is averaging 27.5 points offensively while allowing 7. Saccoccia’s crew averages 339 yards of offense (196 on the ground and 143 via the air) an outing. Defensively, Steubenville is holding its opponents to 41 rushing yards and 103 passing.

Senior quarterback Phaeton Hill has completed 39 of his 63 passing attempts (a completion percentage of 62 percent) for 573 yards and seven touchdowns.

Junior Isaac Hill leads Big Red in receiving with 12 grabs for 160 yards and three scores. Seniors Hakim Edwards and Gavin Bozica have five catches each.

Bozica is the team’s top rusher with 328 yards on 58 attempts. He has four rushing touchdowns. Junior Savier Faulks has toted the pigskin 25 times for 172 yards and a score. Senior Spencer Ostovich has contributed 93 yards and found the end zone three times.

Saccoccia said his 2022 Big Red squad is one that “is working hard to improve.”

“We are improving little by little,” he said. “We have not had any leaps or bounds but we have improved each and every week–little by little. Hopefully, we can continue to do that going forward.”

The keys for a Big Red victory Friday are fairly simple, according to Saccoccia.

“Defensively, we have to read our keys–that is the key,” he said. “We can’t let all the motion interfere with our focus on our keys.

“Offensively, we can’t hurt ourselves. We need to keep doing what we do but not hurt ourselves. We have to avoid pre-snap penalties.”

A win Friday will give Big Red its first 5-0 start since the 2017 state championship season.