MOUNDSVILLE – An Ohio River rivalry will be resumed Friday night when Bellaire travels to Monarch Stadium to meet John Marshall in high school football action. Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock.

It will be the 39th all-time meeting, with the Big Reds (2-1) holding a 28-10 margin. The two programs haven’t met on the gridiron since 2019 when Bellaire prevailed, 35-7. They are 3-3 in the last six meetings.

The series started in 1968 and was played continuously until 1984. It resumed in 1999 but wasn’t contested again until 2000 when it continued until 2019.

Bellaire and John Marshall are both headed in different directions after last week as the Big Reds were throttled 40-0 by undefeated Barnesville at Nelson Field, while the Monarchs roared past host Weir, 42-12 at Jimmy Carey Stadium.

John Marshall has only started a season 3-0 on four occasions, the last coming during the 1996 campaign when it went undefeated and claimed the W.Va. Class AAA state championship. The other three years were 1973, 1989 and 1995.

Bellaire defeated Buckeye Local and Monroe Central in its first two games. John Marshall also edged Marietta in its season-opener.

River at Magnolia

NEW MARTINSVILLE – The Pilots (2-1) will navigate across the New Martinsville bridge to meet the Blue Eagles (0-1) for the 55th “Battle of the Bridge” on Alumni Field at Bill Stewart Memorial Stadium. River holds a 29-25 edge in the series, which has been played consecutively since 1970.

As close as the series is, the point differential is just as close. Magnolia has scored 1,062 points to River’s 1,055.

The Pilots have won five straight over the Blue Eagles, including 48-20 last season on Martin Flannery Field in Hannibal.

Edison at Martins Ferry

MARTINS FERRY – The Wildcats (2-1) travel down Ohio 7 to Purple Rider Stadium inside the Dave Bruney Athletic Complex to meet the Purple Riders (1-1).

Edison bounced back from a 16-14 setback to Carrollton in week 2 with a 41-8 demolition of Southern Local last week.

Martins Ferry, meanwhile, lost 35-14 to undefeated Independence High in Coal City, W.Va. It owns a win over Malvern, but its victory against Expression Prep Academy doesn’t count in the OHSAA rankings.

This will be the 10th all-time meeting between the two programs. Martins Ferry holds a commanding 8-1 advantage, with Edison’s lone win coming in 2012. They haven’t met since.

St. Marys at Cameron

CAMERON – The Blue Devils (1-1) will venture north on W.Va. 2 to meet the Dragons (1-0) at Dragon Field.

St. Marys defeated Ravenswood, 13-0, in its opener before falling to Oak Glen, 53-18, last week.

Cameron hasn’t played since defeating Clay-Battelle 22-16 in its season-opener two weeks ago. The Dragons were scheduled to play Expression Prep Academy last week, but football is no longer listed on their athletic website.

The Cee-Bees hold a 3-2 edge in their all-time series with the Dragons. However, Cameron won the last meeting, 46-21, in 2024. The Dragons also won the first meeting, 46-0, in 1916.

Union Local at Harrison Central

CADIZ – This is a matchup of teams headed in the wrong direction when they clash at Wagner Field.

The Jets (1-2) have dropped two straight on the road – Wheeling Central (25-19) and Indian Creek (23-15) – after opening with a 42-12 nod over Warren JFK at home. Meanwhile, the Huskies (0-3) haven’t found the win column yet with losses to Claymont (34-14), Newcomerstown (28-21) and Malvern (34-15). Those three are all 2-1.

This rivalry has been played consecutively since 1999 with Union Local holding a slim, 14-12, edge. The Huskies, however, have outscored the Jets 670-658 in those meetings. Union Local has won three of the last four contests, including 49-13 last year in Morristown.

IN OTHER games of interest, Steubenville (0-2) welcomes Cardinal Mooney (2-1) to Harding Stadium; Frontier (1-2) heads north on Ohio 7 to face Shadyside (1-2) at Fleming Field; Monroe Central (1-2) heads to Caldwell (1-2); Brooke (0-2) ventures west on I-70 to McFarland Stadium where Cambridge (0-3) awaits; Valley (0-1) heads east to Blackville to meet Clay-Battelle (1-1); Newcomerstown (2-1) treks to Clarke Hinkle Field in Toronto to face the Red Knights (3-0); Indian Creek (3-0) looks to remain perfect when it heads to Jimmy Carey Stadium to tangle with Weir (0-2); and Belpre (1-2) treks to New Manchester to play Oak Glen (2-0).

On Saturday, Bridgeport (1-2) heads north on Ohio 7 to Harding Stadium to meet Steubenville Catholic.