All times p.m. unless otherwise noted.

*Region 6 games

–Tom Reisenweber

Eli Rydzewski

Eli Rydzewski is a big believer in Central Tech’s potential turnaround in the football program.

He also played a key role in the Falcons’ 36-13 signature win over Mercyhurst Prep last week. Rydzewski scored two third-quarter touchdowns.

Also a punter, he pinned the Lakers inside their 5-yard line with a punt. Mercyhurst was eventually tackled in the end zone for a safety on that possession.

Rydzewski was also a big-time presence on defense and as a blocker for the Falcons’ backfield, which finished with 373 yards of total offense.

Poll results:

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A new feature we’ll unveil this week is the Triple Option. Three games. Two prognosticators. One weekly showdown.

In Triple Option, high school beat writer Tom Reisenweber and sports editor Jeff Kirik will make predictions about three D-10 football games they disagree on each week. See which games they pick, why they picked them and then track to see who gets them right.

This week, Tom and Jeff face off on the Conneaut-Girard, Sharon-Farrell and Mercyhurst Prep-Central Tech games.

Also, if you sign up for Varsity Letter before Friday, you’ll get a chance to win free Kickoff magazines from 2012, 2011 and 2010. Just go to GoErie.com/section/newsletters and click on Varsity Letter.

As always, Varsity Letter will provide readers with District 10 sports news, commentary and schedules, along with links to photos, video and blog posts.

It’s all delivered to your e-mailbox every Friday. Subscribe today at GoErie.com/section/newsletters.

Rob Matz

During Central Tech’s scrimmage against Meadville Saturday at Veterans Stadium, Falcons coach Rob Matz was pleased to learn that his team can be physical.

“Our kids are very hungry, (and) our kids are very physical,” Matz said. It was that physical play that Matz said helped keep Meadville’s running game in check, including Artrel Foster, the Bulldogs’ senior running back who has verbally committed to Temple University. Matz complimented Meadville as a fast and physical team.

Matz also was impressed with his team’s speed, particularly from his running backs. Among players he commended were three seniors, running back Cameron Sanders, fullback Eli Rydzewski and quarterback Paul Kafando, along with junior receivers Calvin Franklin and Eddie Tate.

Sometimes, Central Tech’s aggressiveness on defense backfired.

“There were a couple times we bit on a quarterback bootleg pass and paid the price for it,” Matz said.

He also said some of his players were injured during the scrimmage, but that he could not specify which players because of HIPAA laws. Matz said he was very impressed with the players who stepped in for injured teammates.

Position battles: Central Tech had several miscues involving snaps of the ball, and the starting center position is still up for grabs. Competing to start Week 1 are Matt Rea, Alex Rivera and Jeff Peyton. Darrel Beason, who impressed Matz with his play in the scrimmage, will compete with Albert Jones to start at defensive end.

Ford’s East squad small but improving

Leonard Ford

East coach Leonard Ford was pleased with his team’s effort in its scrimmage against Bradford Saturday at Veterans Stadium.

“It went very well,” Ford said, adding that the Warriors experimented with some defensive changes.

“We added more dimensions,” he said. “Just schemes up front, turning our linebackers into defensive linemen. We’re not the biggest team, so it allowed us to get some penetration in different areas that, being undersized, you wouldn’t get.”

Although Ford said his team has a low turnout this season, he is optimistic about the talent level on the roster.

“There are at least 11 guys willing to keep (the other team) out of the end zone,” he said. “Just the heart and tenacity that these kids are bringing on the defensive side, that really impressed me.”

Still, Ford said the team has a long way to go. With injuries and graduates leaving his offensive line mostly vacated, Ford said there is room for improvement in both run blocking and pass blocking.

Senior and second-year starting quarterback Jauwan Ford turned a bad snap into a 60-yard run on East’s first offensive play, and coach Ford was impressed with the way his son led the offense.

“Jauwan’s definitely going to be the coach on the offensive side that, when things go wrong, he makes things happen,” Leonard Ford said. “He’s carrying some big responsibilities.”

Another player that Leonard Ford said he was impressed with was Patrick Williamson, a senior and transfer from Cathedral Prep. Williamson will play guard and defensive tackle for the Warriors.

Position battle: Eddie Williams, Anthony Palau and Jon Peters are competing for a starting cornerback slot. Ford said that one of the players will be moved to safety, leaving the other two to battle for the cornerback position for Week 1.

The Falcons have holes to fill but they have plenty of talented players back to create hope for this fall. Paul Kafando emerged as a dual-threat with his arm and running ability last year. He eventually became the starting quarterback and threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Kafando also rushed for 1,152 yards on 144 carries and 14 touchdowns. Kafando’s biggest target could be Eugene Husband. Husband was basically instant offense each time he touched the ball. The senior carried the ball 43 times for 528 yards and five touchdowns as a senior and caught 19 passes for 458 yards and four TDs. Husband was voted to the all-region first team as a defensive back and the second team at all-purpose. Cam Ssanders, Andrew Welton, Anthony Duck and Eli Rydzewski are back for the Falcons as well. All four could be immediate impact players this season.

Central eventually found its identity last season with Kafando moving to quarterback. The Falcons were competitive in most games and had one of its best records in recent history after several seasons of two wins or less. Central opens the season with back-to-back home games against Mercyhurst Prep and East before hitting the road for games at Slippery Rock, Notre Dame Latin and Meadville. If the Falcons can get by an early test with East, they will have the second half of the season to fight for a playoff spot. Central’s two most important games could be Oct. 6 against Strong Vincent and Oct. 25 against General McLane.

Schedule
September
1 Mercyhurst Prep 7
8 East* 7
14 at Slippery Rock 7
21 at Notre Dame Latin 7
28 at Meadville 7
October
6 Strong Vincent* 7
12 Harbor Creek 7
19 at Cathedral Prep* 7
25 General McLane* 7
November
2 at McDowell* 7
*Region 6 games

Friday: Cochranton

– Tom Reisenweber

Earlier, the Times-News published the 112-page Kickoff preseason guide and posted the online Summer Huddle series on the Varsity blog.

Check out the links to the Times-News team previews:
Sunday: McDowell preview
Sunday: Region 6
Monday: Region 4
Tuesday: Region 5
Wednesday: Region 2
Thursday: Region 3
Thursday: Region 1

Brandon Akins-Jones led Vincent with 84 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown, while Emari Tangle had 83 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown.

Vincent takes on Franklin next week before its showdown with Cathedral Prep the week after.

Read the full game story and game stats.

– Tom Reisenweber