All times p.m. unless otherwise noted.

*Region 2 games

–Tom Reisenweber

Front of the rivalry T-shirt sold to fans.

With the changing of regions and classifications, Harbor Creek and Iroquois haven’t met on the football field since 2004. The Huskies beat the Braves 38-6 at Paul J. Weitz Stadium. The two rivals will meet Friday at the same place at 7 p.m.

The game has been dubbed the “Battle for the Bridge” and more than 800 black shirts were sold to fans on both sides of the rivalry. The front of the shirt is shown to the right.

Updates from the game can be viewed on the blog beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday. Fans can get updates from all 25 games involving District 10 teams and are encouraged to make comments and ask questions. Fans can also tweet score updates and photos from games using the hashtag #goerievarsity.

–Tom Reisenweber

With everything Iroquois lost to graduation, the Braves will have some experience back. Justyn Roda and Alex Williams saw plenty of playing time in the backfield last fall. Roda, a second-team kicker, ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries, while Williams carried the ball 45 times for 158 yards. Williams also led the Braves in receiving with five catches for 47 yards and Roda had four catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Zach Cassidy could take over at quarterback. As a junior, he completed 4-of-19 passes for 38 yards in a backup role to Desin. Cassidy will have another target in Michael Hasberry as the senior is back at wide receiver and defensive back. Jaydon Cagnoli, Anthony Visalle, Joey Robinson and Brandon Oswalt are back on the offensive line and each will have an important role on defense.

Iroquois has a solid line back but will be inexperienced at the skill positions. With a relatively new backfield, including a new quarterback, the Braves will need to come together quickly. Iroquois opens the season at rival Harbor Creek before heading to defending Region 2 champion Youngsville. The ensuing four games could determine where the Braves finish to end the season. Iroquois gets Eisenhower, Cambridge Springs, Maplewood and Cochranton before a brutal non-region game against Fairview. The Braves have a tough schedule and will need to build chemistry in training camp to survive it.

Schedule
August
31 at Harbor Creek 7
September
7 at Youngsville* 7
14 Eisenhower* 7
21 at Cambridge Springs* 7
28 Maplewood* 7
October
5 at Cochranton* 7
12 Fairview 7
18 at Mercyhurst Prep* 7
26 Union City* 7
November
2 Lakeview 7
*Region 2 games

Monday: Kennedy Catholic

– 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

Kevin Eyerly, Justin Brown, Markel Richmond, Jesse Ayala-Oquendo and Jeremy Ayala-Oquendo leave huge holes to fill for third-year coach Gerry Drozdowski. The Braves have a tough schedule, once again, and will need to survive the first two weeks in order to make a run at the region title. Iroquois starts the season on the road against Class AAA Oil City before defending champion Mercyhurst Prep for its home-opener. The Braves then have a trap game in Russell and another tough home game against Youngsville. The Braves’ most important stretch will come in the second half of the season. Iroquois will likely need to go at least 3-2 over its final five games to return to the postseason.

Schedule
September
2 at Oil City 7
9 Mercyhurst Prep* 7
16 at Eisenhower* 7
23 Youngsville*
30 at Southington Chalker 7
October
7 Cochranton* 7
14 at Saegertown* 7
21 Union City* 7
28 at Maplewood* 7
November
4 Cambridge Springs* 7

Monday: Kennedy Catholic

– Tom Reisenweber

View or purchase photos from Friday’s North East-Fairview and Mercyhurst Prep-Iroquois games and Thursday’s Corry-Strong Vincent game.

Also, look for a photo gallery after tonight’s Bradford-East game.

Casey Pace, RB, Fort LeBoeuf, 15 rushes, 179 yards, 2 TDs

Scottie Frisina, QB, Corry, 15-of-20 passing 250 yards, 2 TDs; 9 rushes
104 yards, 3 TDs

Justin Wiley, RB, Cathedral Prep, 18 rushes, 82 yards, TD; 3 catches
90 yards, 2 TDs

Shyquawn Pullium, QB, Cathedral Prep, 10 rushes, 120 yards, 2 TDs; 92 passing yards, 2 TDs

Zach Greenawalt, QB, McDowell, 16 rushes, 120 yards, 2 TDs

Pat Pascarella, RB, Bradford, 16 rushes, 242 yards, 4 TDs

Matt Sleppy, DB, Iroquois, 42-yard fumble return for winning TD

Cory Lee, RB, General McLane, 12 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TDs

Cody Crosby, QB, Eisenhower, 21-of-30 passing, 315 yards, 2 TDs

Gary Brown, QB, East, 10-of-13 passing, 195 yards, 3 TDs; 5 rrushes, 29 yards, TD

Josh Williams, RB, Girard, 7 rushes, 108 yards, TD runs of 65 and 23 yards

Or does someone else deserve the honor?

Iroquois Braves

Coach: Gerry Drozdowski
2008 overall record: 6-5
2008 region record (place): 5-3 (Tied for 3rd, Region 2)
Playoff results: Lost to Mercer 28-14 in the District 10 Class AA first round

Jake Szoszorek, ranks 2nd in school history with 325 tackles

Top players lost: RB/LB Zach Poulson, RB/LB Joey Finotti, OL/DL Brian Foley, WR/DB Jeff Harvey, K/WR Adam Krahe, OL/DL Jeremy Ropelewski
Top returning players: QB/LB Jake Szoszorek, OL/DL Trent Doxey, RB/DB Parrish Brown, WR/DB Justin Brown, TE/LB Tyler Fortin, OL/DL Erik Brown, OL/DL Josh Dornhoefer, OL Randy Boozer, RB/DB Ron Demchak
Key games: Sept. 25 vs. Union City, Oct. 9 vs. Mercyhurst Prep, Oct. 30 at Cambridge Springs, Nov. 6 at Eisenhower

Outlook: Few new head coaches are as familiar with their first team as Iroquois’ Gerry Drozdowski is. Drozdowski, who has been a football coach at some level at Iroquois for 20 years, a track and field coach for 21 years and a history teacher for 23, is taking over a program left behind by Mike Mischler who departed for Cathedral Prep. Adding to the familiarity, most of Drozdowski’s assistant coaches already have been in place at Iroquois for at least one season. It’s safe to say that Drozdowski has a winning tradition to keep up at Iroquois as the Braves have made the District 10 playoffs the past four years. Last season, Iroquois went 6-5 and finished in a tie for third in Region 2 before losing 28-14 to Mercer in the first round. The Braves were involved in four games decided by 14 points or fewer in 2008, posting a 3-4 record in them. By far the most important was their regular-season finale, a 13-10 win over Eisenhower that knocked the Knights out of the playoffs and catapulted the Braves into the field after tiebreakers were implemented. Coach Drozdowski feels a comfort level with his players, sharing time with them on the field and in the classroom for much of their careers. The team will look to again advance to the D-10 Class A playoffs but this time, try to advance past the first round which has been a sticking point for the Braves the last few years. The staff plans to continue to play “Iroquois football” which includes a balanced offense out of the I-back formation with some drop-back passes, mixed with play action and a healthy dose of the running game. That running game will be led by talented sophomore Parrish Brown, who looks to replace all-region runner and linebacker Zach Poulson (1,068 yards, 14 touchdowns). The Braves also lose their top pass catcher, all-region Jeff Harvey (382 yards, 5 touchdowns). Adam Krahe will be missed on special teams where he was all-region first team as a kicker and punter. However, the Braves do return their share of talented players, including linemen Trent Doxey, Erik Brown, Josh Dornhoefer and Randy Boozer and their quarterback Jake Szoszorek who was an all-state linebacker. Joining that group will be wide receiver/defensive back Justin Brown and tight end/linebacker Tyler Fortin. Along with a new head coach, Iroqouis will be playing on a new home field, recently installed A-turf. It’s safe to say that Iroquois will go through an easy coaching transition compared to what most programs go through, but it is yet to be seen if they will have enough to return to the Class A playoffs and advance deeper than they have in years.

Schedule:
September
4 at Conneaut Valley 7
11 Harborcreek Youth* 7
18 Warren 7
25 Union City* 7
October
1 at Saegertown* 7
9 Mercyhurst Prep* 7
16 at Youngsville* 7
24 Cochranton* 7
30 at Cambridge Springs* 7
November
6 at Eisenhower* 7

*Region 2 game

Thursday: Region 2: Mercyhurst Prep

Region 2
Region Overall
y-Saegertown 8-0 12-1
z-Cambridge Springs 6-2 7-4
z-Union City 5-3 7-4
z-Iroquois 5-3 6-5
Mercyhurst Prep 5-3 5-5
Eisenhower 4-4 4-6
Youngsville 2-6 2-7
Cochranton 1-7 1-9
Harborcreek Youth 0-8 0-10
y-clinched region championship
z-qualified for playoff spot

Key 2009 games: Oct. 1 Cambridge Springs at Mercyhurst Prep, Oct. 9 Cambridge Springs at Eisenhower, Mercyhurst Prep at Iroquois, Oct. 23 Mercyhurst Prep at Saegertown, Oct. 30 Iroquois at Cambridge Springs
Predicted champion: Mercyhurst Prep