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Austin Miczo

The graduation losses of several running backs hasn’t slowed Northwestern down.

Austin Miczo is a big reason why the Wildcats’ rushing attack hasn’t suffered.

The 5-foot 10-inch, 165-pound sophomore has stepped up in a big way with 624 yards and five touchdowns on 90 carries this season. Among his solid performances was a 192-yard game, including one touchdown, in a 42-7 win over Greenville.

Northwestern is on its way to the District 10 Class AA playoffs for the second straight season and Miczo has been a big contributor to the Wildcats’ success.

Poll results:

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Kyle McKeen

Versatility has been Kyle McKeen’s trademark for Northwestern. During the first half of his senior season and the throughout his junior year, McKeen has shown an array of all-around skills.

Last week’s game was a good example. McKeen, a wide receiver and defensive back, had three receptions, including touchdown catches of 13 and 14 yards while helping the Wildcats to a 48-7 victory. He also returned a punt 54 yards for a score in the game.

In Northwestern’s 26-19 victory over Girard Sept. 14, McKeen showed two other aspects of his game. He had a crucial interception in the end zone on the final play. Earlier in that game, he completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Grant Panko. It was the second consecutive year that McKeen has thrown a TD pass to Panko.

Through four games, McKeen has eight receptions for 162 yards — a 20.3-yard average — and four touchdowns. His contributions have been a key reason why Northwestern is off to a 3-1 start.

Poll results:

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It was the night of the sophomore running back in Region 4 Friday.

Three sophomores made impact performances in their teams’ winning efforts. Girard’s Kel Barnes led the way with 226 yards and two crucial touchdowns on 25 carries in the YellowJackets’ 24-7 win over rival Fairview.

Meanwhile, Northwestern’s Austin Miczo scored a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 66 yards in the Wildcats’ 35-6 win over Seneca. Another underclassman, junior Brandon Reiser, led Northwestern with 101 yards on the ground. Fellow junior Nate Noe had 54 yards, including a 43-yard first-quarter TD run.

Finally, Fort LeBoeuf sophomore Collin Fish scored a critical 2-yard TD and finished with 44 yards rushing in the Bison’s 17-14 win over Harbor Creek. Meanwhile, junior Cy Carroll led the Bison with 140 yards rushing.

Here’s a link to Friday’s District 10 statistics and state scores.

Northwestern Wildcats
Coach (season, record): D.J. Hough (2nd season, 5-6)
2011 overall record: 5-6
2011 region record (place): 3-3 (tied for third)
2011 playoff results: Lost to Hickory 33-12 in the District 10 Class AA quarterfinals.
Top players lost: Aaron Morley, Adam Alexander, Cody Parmerter
Top returning players: Chad Roberts, Garrett Behringer, Tom Head, Grant Panko, Kyle McKeen
Assistant coaches: Ron Glus, Dave Randall, Dave Merritt
Outlook: Northwestern made strides under first-year coach D.J. Hough last fall. The Wildcats made the playoffs and hung with District 10 champion Hickory for the first half. Northwestern will have to plug some holes in order to repeat that success. The Wildcats lost several key players to graduation, including all-region running back Aron Morley and all-region linemen Adam Alexander and Cody Parmerter. Morley, who was a first-team defensive lineman and second-team running back, ran for 1,053 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. He also had 32 tackles and one sack. Alexander was a second-team offensive lineman and Parmerter a second-team defensive lineman.

Grant Panko is back to lead the offense after throwing for 466 yards and six touchdowns last fall. He also ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Also back is playmaker Kyle McKeen, a second-team wide receiver. He caught six passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns last year and his speed along with his arm can be confusing for defenses. McKeen can take pitches and run the ball and can step back throw it downfield. Garrett Behreinger is back to anchor the defense after being voted to the all-region second team at linebacker.

Northwestern has an interesting schedule this season. The Wildcats will take on a talented team on each level. Northwestern plays Class AAA Meadville, Class AA Greenville and Class A Mercyhurst Prep to go along with a solid region schedule. The Wildcats hit the road for three of their first four games but get most of their key games at home. Northwestern hosts Girard, Corry, North East and Fairview in Region 4 play. The Wildcats have to win on the road to boost their record but taking care of business at home would be a huge help.

Schedule
August
31 at Meadville 7
September
7 at Seneca* 7
14 Girard* 7
21 at Harbor Creek* 7
28 Corry* 7
October
5 at Fort LeBoeuf* 7
12 Greenville 7
19 North East* 7
26 Fairview* 7
November
2 at Mercyhurst Prep 7
*Region 4 games

Wednesday: Oil City

– Tom Reisenweber

The Erie Times-News and GoErie.com are continuing District 10 football preview coverage this week, leading up to Friday’s season openers. Starting Sunday, the preview coverage included Region 6, McDowell and Region 4. The coverage will continue through Thursday. Included in each preview are complete rosters for each team.

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

Northwestern Wildcats
Coach (season): D.J. Hough (1st season)
2010 overall record: 3-7
2010 region record (place): 1-5 (sixth)
2010 playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 playoffs
Top players lost: Josh Paradise, Adam Ballard, Nick Noe
Top returning players: Steve Maskrey, Aaron Morely, Grant Panko
Assistant coaches: Ron Glus, Bob Behringer
Outlook: Northwestern will look for new direction this season with first-year coach D.J. Hough. Hough is a Northwestern graduate and was on the last team Erie County Class AA team to win a District 10 championship. The Wildcats have some holes to fill with the graduation of Josh Paradise, Adam Ballard and Nick Noe. Northerwestern returns standouts Steve Maskrey, Aaron Morely and Grant Panko at the skill positions, but the offensive and defensive lines will be new along with several starters on defense. The Wildcats begin the season with an interesting non-region game against Reynolds, but then they jump right into region play. Northwestern will take on rivals Fairview and Girard as well as powerhouse General McLane in the first month of the season. The Wildcats will likely need to sweep Seneca, Girard and Harbor Creek to get into the postseason.

Schedule
September
2 Reynolds 7
9 at Fairview* 7
16 Seneca* 7
23 at Girard* 7
30 General McLane* 7
October
7 Greenville 7
14 at North East* 7
21 Harbor Creek* 7
28 at Central Tech 7
November
4 at Wilmington 7

Look for the Kickoff magazine at a Country Fair near you beginning Aug. 15. The 112-page magazine previews the upcoming District 10 football season, including top returning players, schedules, stats and more.

Thursday: Oil City

– Tom Reisenweber

Northwestern took some positive steps last season with a 4-6 record and a couple of close losses to solid teams. Coach Aaron Shaw has some experience returning in the backfield, but the line is a question mark. Shaw talks about the team’s challenges ahead:

Readers can vote for their top performers in the new poll at upper right, or they can vote for one of the following by posting a comment at the bottom of this blog post. We put our finalists in the poll, but they are not the only nominees.

We had many strong performances Friday, including a career milestone and a superb defensive game. Here are some top choices:

Scottie Frisina, QB, Corry: 8-of-19 passing, 217 yards, 4 TDs. He also topped the 4,000-yard passing mark for his career.

Josh Rzepecki, TE, Harbor Creek: 6 receptions, 168 yards, TD catches of 9, 26, 27 and 70 yards.

Josh Giannamore, QB, Harbor Creek: 12-of-20 passing, 235 yards, 4 TDs

Mike Bizzarro, WR, McDowell: 2 receptions, 80 yards, TD catches of 17 and 63 yards

Scott Harris, RB, McDowell: 8 rushes, 113 yards, 2 TDs

Noah Ackerman, PK, Cathedral Prep: Three extra-point kicks and field goals of 35 and 43 yards. The 43-yarder tied him for the third-longest in Prep history.

Jordan Kerner, LB, Fairview: 12 tackles and 2 sacks, including key sack on Fort LeBoeuf’s final drive

Jared Lane, RB, Fairview: 15 rushes, 138 yards, 61-yard TD run, despite playing with injured hamstring

Corey McWilliams, WR, Fort LeBoeuf: 10 receptions, 168 yards

B.J. Arrowsmith, QB, Fort LeBoeuf: 13-of-22 passing, 220 yards

Casey Pace, RB, Fort LeBoeuf: 32 rushes, 147 yards, TD

Courtney Harden-Pullium, WR, Strong Vincent: 3 receptions, 95 yards, 2 TDs

Cory Lee, RB, General McLane: 15 rushes, 155 yards, TD

Casey Baker, QB, Conneaut Valley: 6-of-12 passing, 193 yards, 2 TDs

Nick Copeland, RB, Northwestern: 3 rushes, 102 yards, 2 TDs

Jared Burger, RB, Union City: 33 rushes, 169 yards, TD

Cody Johnson, RB, Oil City: 16 rushes, 200 yards; TD runs of 37 and 68 yards

Northwestern Wildcats

Aaron Shaw

Coach: Aaron Shaw
2008 overall record: 3-7
2008 league record (place): 2-6 (tied for fifth)
Playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 Class AA tournament.
Top players lost: RB/LB Kyle Peirson, TE/LB Kyle Maio, RB/DB Tanner Farver, RB/DB Tyler Jones, WR/DB Josh Hazlett, OL/DL Caleb Friend, OL/DL Cody Krahe, WR/DB Jake Rhinehardt.
Top underclassmen: OL/DL Nick Maskrey, QB/DB Nick Noe, RB/DB Nick Copeland, RB/LB Chris Harned, RB/DL Blaine Iskula, OL/DL Nick Gould.
Key games: Sept. 10 at Fairview, Oct. 16 Girard, Oct. 30 General McLane.

Nick Maskrey

Outlook: The Wildcats beat Reynolds 16-6 in last year’s season opener. That result helped Northwestern avoided repeating its 0-10 season of 2007 and gave Shaw a victory in his inaugural game as the program’s head coach. However, the Albion team didn’t have the experience or weapons to keep up with the region’s elite. Its only other victories came in consecutive weeks over Maplewood (47-35) and Harbor Creek (14-6). … The Wildcats must replace graduates Tanner Farver and Kyle Peirson, the latter chosen as an all-purpose player on the region’s all-star team. Combined, the duo rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2008. … Northwestern’s top returning runner is quarterback Nick Noe,

Nick Noe, QB

who fared better as a passer. As a sophomore, Noe threw for 423 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. His development could be vital until the Wildcats find a dependable ball carrier. … Noe also lost his top four targets from last season to graduation. Kyle Maio, who will try to make Edinboro University’s roster this fall, topped that quartet with 15 receptions for 295 yards and four scores. … If there is a good sign for the Wildcats, it could be depth along the line of scrimmage. Nick Maskrey, an all-region offensive lineman as a junior, highlights a list of 2008 underclassmen expected back. … Northwestern will be challenged with three of its first four games away from Rogers Field.

Schedule
September
4 at Reynolds 7
10 at Fairview* 7
18 Fort LeBoeuf* 7
25 at North East* 7
October
2 Maplewood* 7
9 at Harbor Creek* 7
16 Girard* 7
23 Seneca* 7
30 General McLane* 7
November
6 at Warren 7

*Region 4 games

Thursday: Region 4: Seneca

Fairview's Jared Lane is the top returning rusher from Region 4 after piling up 1,153 yards in 10 games last season.

When Region 4 was created, District 10 almost recreated the Erie County League. The only stranger was Maplewood and the only teams missing were Corry and Iroquois. North East surprised a few people and played its way to the region championship over former Class AAA team General McLane.  North East’s only problem last year was running into a hot, underrated Slippery Rock team in the D-10 playoffs. McLane, on the other hand, was the only Region 4 team to advance past the first round of the D-10 playoffs. The Lancers knocked off a tough Greenville team but couldn’t handle eventual PIAA champion Wilmington. McLane will have to replace all-around athlete Kellen O’Neill to run the offense. Fairview and Girard were right in the thick of the region race for most of the year but ran into injury problems late. With the ‘Pickers and Lancers losing important starters to graduation, Region 4 is up for grabs this season: Here is a look at last year’s standings:

Region 4
Region Overall
x-North East 8-0 9-2
z-General McLane 7-1 9-3
z-Fairview 6-2 7-3
z-Girard 5-3 7-4
Fort LeBoeuf 4-4 4-6
Seneca 2-6 3-7
Northwestern 2-6 3-7
Maplewood 1-7 3-7
Harbor Creek 1-7 2-8
x-region champion
z-qualified for playoff spot

Key 2009 games: Sept. 11 General McLane at North East, Oct. 9 Fairview at North East, Oct. 30 Girard at Fairview, Nov. 6 General McLane at Fairview, Girard at North East
Predicted champion: North East