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Hanging with the heavyweights

Oiler offense continues to struggle, but defense limits Prep to 0 first downs, 11 yards offense in first half

Prep 14, Oilers 0

The Oilers emerged from the teeth of their schedule – Sharon, General McLane and Cathedral Prep – with an 0-3 record, but they did give Cathedral Prep something to think about Friday.

Oil City held the Ramblers to zero first downs and 11 yards total offense in the first half, but yielded two explosive plays – one a punt return – after halftime and lost the game, 14-0.

The fourth play of the second half saw Cameron Lewis squirt loose for a 55-yard touchdown to break the scoreless tie. Seven minutes later Eli Elwell returned a punt 83 yards for a TD, and that was that.

For the second straight week the Oilers played rock-solid defense, yielding 122 yards to the 5-0 Ramblers. This came on the heels of a 136-yard effort last week against McLane.

But for the second straight week, the Oilers offense sputtered, gaining just 184 yards – their third lowest total of the season. Their biggest gainer from scrimmage was a 29-yard pass from Bryce Marchinke to Noah Lucarelli. There was also a 20-yard gain off a fake punt by Logan Heath on their second possession.

Penalties continued to nag the Oilers, who lost back-to-back games by shutout for the first time since 2007.

In between its two touchdowns, Prep had a 45-yard TD run called back by a block in the back and then proceeded to be whistled for consecutive false starts before getting off a 19-yard punt, which was shanked.

The Oilers (2-3) will be at home for its next game, but it will be on Thursday against Warren.

Iroquois 34, Knights 14

Caden Mincer’s return to the lineup wasn’t enough as the winless Knights bowed to visiting Iroquois, 34-14.

The teams were tied at the half, 14-14, before the Braves pulled away.

Mincer, who missed the last two games with an injury, carried 17 times for 94 yards. He also had a 28-yard punt return that set up his second TD – a 14-yard run on the next play. His first TD was a 1-yard run.

Jacob Fleming added both extra points.

The Braves broke the tie to start the second half, and then recovered an onside kick. But they had to wait to extend their lead as an 11-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 4 kept them out of the end zone.

Franklin then reached midfield on an 11-yard dash, a 28-yard catch and a four-yard run on fourth-and-two by Mincer before being stopped on downs.

Later on, Ryheem Abu-Zahbiba went 66 yards on a reverse on third-and-18 to make it 28-14. Iroquois added another touchdown on a 60-yard fumble return by Noah Olowinski. This came after Cooper Carll recovered a fumble at the Iroquois 28 with 4:18 to play.

Luke Marsteller had 14 more tackles, bringing his season's total to 49.

The Knights hit the road for three straight games, beginning Friday at Meadville. Mincer needs 796 yards in the last five games to tie Ian Quarles' school rushing record. Still doable.

NEXT UP: OLD, FAMILIAR FOES

Oilers vs. Warren, Thursday at Oil Field

First game was in 1900, a 40-0 Warren romp, which has ignited the Dragons for a 60-51-6 series lead. However, the Oilers have won the last four, 10 of the last 111 and 12 of the last 13 since w007. Warren's last win was 2018 when it upset the Oilers, 21-18. Other than that, Oil City has narrowed the gap.

The Dragons' most dominating decade was the 1940s when they were 8-1-1. This was just after the Lefty Check Era. Before the the Dragos started with a 15-14-3 record against the Oilers.

Lately, the Dragons have been pretty much in rebuilding mode, posting back-to-back 0-10 records in 2023 and 2024 and a 1--9 mark kin 2025. They are 1-4 this season, opening with a win (34-21) over Seneca before losing to Harbor Creek, Geneal McLane, Warren and North East. All have been lopsided, except Meadville (14-7).

Sophomore Parker Kiser has thrown for 437 yards. His favorite receiver is another soph, Gramt May, who has 15 catches and is averaging 15.8 yards per reception. Senior Chris Orth is averaging 15 yard per catch. Junior Aiden Eger is averaging 108 yards rushing per game.

Knights vs. Meadville, Friday at Bender Field

First game was in 1909 with Meadvillle pulling out a 6-0 victory. Except one hiccup from 1958-1992 when Franklin was dominant, the Bulldogs have owned the series, 66-45-2.

Actually, it's been a series of streaks with Meadville in the midst of a 17-2 runs since 2007. The 'Dogs have won seven straight and have scored 921 points, averaging 61.4, since 2009. They have five 70-point games, including four of 77. The Knights' last win came in 2018, 55-34.

There have been no defensive struggles lately; the last "normal" score was in 2008 when Meadville won, 14-7.

Getting back to a series of streaks: while Meadville has won the last seven, Franklin had a nine-game winning streak from 1998-06. Before that, the Knights won 12 in a row from 1965-76.

The two teams have taken turns in "mini streaks" since 1923.

Meadville was a perennial power in the early 20th century, going 21-3-2 against Franklin through 1939.

This probably wasn't supposed to be a rebuilding year for the 'Dogs, but it is.

They are 1-4, the victory against Warren. They lost by respectable scores to Oil City, Erie and Butler before being shown the door, 40-6, last week by the mighty Sharon Tigers.

Meadville returned some experienced linemen, but the skill position guys are new. The QB, Harrison Richards, is a freshman, and he mostly hands off. He averages 6.5 passes per, so nothing new here from the Meadville end. Soph Leo Collins was averaging 5.6 yards going into the Sharon game. His backfield mates are junior Jamel Mitchell (3.2) and senior Ben Howe (4.6). Carries have been evenly distributed, about 10 per game per player.

The legend of Lefty Check

Warren star threw then unheard of
5 TD passes against Oil City in 1937

The Warren paper described it as the “most brilliant game of his career." Not only did the appropriately named southpaw Warren "Lefty" Check throw passes with deadly precision, but he ran back punts and twisted through the opposing line for many good gains.

Other sportswriters of the day were more than impressed, including whoever covered that five-TD performance for The Derrick.

Not only was that scribe wowed by Check, but by the offense of coach Jake Leidig, a Warren legend himself.

“The winners’ offense, one of the fastest moving ever seen, featured double and triple laterals, which dazzled the Oilers and thrilled the crowd (at Warren)," the scribe from The Derrick wrote. Check through at least 43 TD passes for Warren from 1936-38. He also starred there in basketball and baseball.

(It’s kind of ironic, but fast-forward to the 1960s when Warren semi-ruled under coach Toby Shea. The Dragons’ offense was like Oil City’s of recent times, I-formation with the tailback doing most of the work. Warren’s big pass play then was a little look-in to the tight end. Hardly thrilling.)

Check – and I’m assuming he did all the passing – completed 15 of 25 for 195 yards, three of the TDs going to Joe Bonavita (now that’s a Warren name) against Oil City in the 1937 game.

The Oilers also got into the act, what with 49 passes attempted in the contest.

A week later, it was more the same with Franklin. There were 62 passes “flung” in that game at Mller-Sibley, with Check going 12 for 24 for 197 and three more TDs. The Nursery was 11 of 38 for 138 yards, putting the ball up 21 times alone in the fourth quarter.

And the ball was up for grabs; each team picked off three passes.

Earlier in the season in a 36-7 rout of Titusville, the Herald’s writer was just as moved by Check/Warren’s offense.

“Uncorking a razzle-dazzle attack which made them look like the proverbial million dollars, the Warren bla, bla, bla…

” The Dragons (Check) were 10 of 16 for 121 yards that game.

Warren was a good, but not a great team during Check’s time, but the Dragons did post two "signature” victories against Meadville in 1937 and 1938. The Bulldogs had big plans spoiled by Warren, 14-0, in 1937 and then 13-0 in 1938 when Check tossed two more TD passes.

Meadville and Warren were not big rivals back then; in fact, Warren was a member of District 9.

But the back-to-back victories might have gotten a rivalry rolling. The Check-engineered upset in 1938 spoiled Meadville’s chance of an unbeaten season and the mythical District 10 title.

2026 Franklin roster

2026 Oiler Roster

Photo by Christy Fackler

100 Years Ago: Remembering 1926

The only teams to score on Oil City were the three that beat them: the Alumni (7-2), Warren (13-7) and Steubenville, Ohio (49-0). Otherwise, the Oilers posted seven victories, including two over Franklin, a 0-0 tie with Sharpsville and gained a leg of the Alpha Cup.

Franklin, meanwhile, recorded five wins to go with four losses, the other two coming against Sharpsville and Meadville. Coach Ed Treadwell spent part of the season in Buffalo General Hospital with rheumatic fever, so assistant Earl McGill took over in his absence.

Oiler home games were moved to the West End field from Hasson Ramage, which school officials deemed too rough. They opened the season Sept. 18 against the Alumni, while Franklin kicked off the campaign Sept. 25 against Yougsville.

After tying Sharpsville during Week 2, the Oilers got in the win column when Al Henderson returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown in a 7-0 victory over Erie East.

The Nursery's first loss to Oil City on Oct. 9 was sandwiched around lopsided victories over Yougsville (37-0), Sandy Lake (28-0) and Union City (68-0). Paul Snyder scored four TDs against the Bears. He led Franklin with seven touchdowns that season.

Frank "Bruv" O'Day, who later coached St. Joe, ran for 133 yards before 4,000 fans in that 27-0 victory over Franklin, which included two TDs covering 25 yards by Henderson and Bob Moran and another for 21 by Walter "Spike" McLain.

O'Day also registered a pair of 55-yard plays in the second game against the Nursery, an 18-0 shutout on Nov. 25. One was a run from scrimmage and the other a Pick 6.

The Nursery had some so-so results in between the two games. There were shutouts against Union City, injury-riddled Greenville and Titusville (34-0), their first win over the Rockets in seven years. Ed Billig scored twice, the first on a 48-yard run to start the scoring. Billig scored six TDs on the season and Bob Muse added five.

Franklin lost to Meadville in its next outing before taking on Oil City again.

Before the back-to-back losses to Warren and Steubenville, the Oilers blanked Meadville, 40-0, and the mighty Sharon Tigers, 14-0. Ray "Chubby" Williams' 2-yard plunge clinched the win over Sharon as the Oilers handed the Tigers their first loss of the season.

The week before, Moran scored three TDs, one from Henderson for the Oilers' only scoring pass of 1926.

The Oilers measured Titusville, 33-0, the week before the second game with Franklin. McLain's 64-yard run was the highlight of the game.

Oil City was scheduled to play Greenville, but the Trojans canceled, saying it was unable to field a team. But later it was learned the PIAA was on Greenville's case for using ineligible players.

The Oilers' lineup in 1926 included 275-poound senior tackle Roy "Kippy" Schorman. Moran led the Oilers with eight touchdowns and Henderson added five and 38 points.

About this site

If you are from Anywhere, USA, and happened to stumble upon this site, Franklin and Oil City are about eight miles apart along Route 8 in Venango County, Pa. -- which is about halfway between Pittsburgh and Erie in the western part of the state.

yardsandpoints.com (formerly venangofootball.com and then route8rivalry.com) covers the grid doings of Oil City and Franklin high schools in Venango County. It also includes the football histories of the two schools, which date back to 1896, along with that of (RIP) Venango Catholic (nee Christian and formerly St. Joseph in Oil City), which dropped the sport in the 1990s. I've recently included more stuff on basketball as well as the doings in other sports.

Former Derrick sports editor Penny Weichel is webmaster.

Contact pennyweichel@gmail.com if need be.