Week 3 of the high school football season poses some intriguing matchups. There are two first-time meetings and a pair of backyard rivalries highlighting Friday night’s six-game slate.

Five of the contests have 7 o’clock starts.

Shadyside at Buckeye Local

In the first-ever meeting between these schools, the Tigers (2-0) head north on Ohio 7 to Yorkville’s World War II Memorial Stadium where the Panthers (0-1) await.

Shadyside has defeated Martins Ferry (26-6) and Shenandoah (47-13) behind a balanced offensive and a tough-as-nails defense. The 13 points allowed to the Zeps came after the Belmont Countians were ahead 47-0.

All-Ohio running back Wyatt Reiman had a game to remember against Shenandoah. The senior rushed for three touchdowns, caught two more and ran a punt back for six points. Quarterback Rhys Francis is a dual threat while wideout Mason VanNest is a prime target.

Reiman and Ryan Florence each have two fumble recoveries to spark the defense, while Korey Beckett has a pair of interceptions and Andrew Osman has a pick-6. Florence also has 1.5 quarterback sacks.

Buckeye Local hasn’t played since a 17-14 setback at Barnesville 15 days ago. The Panthers were sidelined last week against Union Local due to contact tracing from the Barnesville game.

Tailback Trey Hoover is the Panthers leading ground gainer. Hunter Darrah leads the defense, along with Dylan Palmer who returned an interception for a touchdown in the loss.

Barnesville at Buckeye Trail

Western Belmont County meets Eastern Guernsey County when the Shamrocks (1-0) travel west on I-70 to Old Washington and the Baker Activity Complex to meet the Warriors (1-1).

Barnesville was forced to cancel last week’s home game with Meadowbrook after having several players and coaches test positive for COVID-19. However, everything is back to normal as the Shamrocks take to the field.

Quarterback C.J. Hannahs leads the Barnesville offense with both his arm and legs. His favorite receivers are Spencer Bliss and Chase Conner. Owyn Wise and Connor Jones line up in the backfield.

The Warriors were dealt a 21-14 loss at the hands of visiting Harrison Central last week. They had defeated Caldwell, 38-22.

Franko Rome was explosive out of the backfield last week versus the Huskies.

Monroe Central at River

Bragging rights are on the line when the Seminoles make the short trip to Hannibal and Martin Flannery Stadium to meet the Pilots in a battle of 1-1 squads.

Monroe Central evened its record with a 42-22 triumph at Bridgeport last Saturday after debuting with a 40-18 loss to Union Local. Quarterback Malachi Rose-Burton is the triggerman for the Seminoles, both through the air and on the ground.

Dillon Lincoln and Michael Bunning are also standouts.

Kabel Isaly passed for a career-high 329 yards and four TDs on 23-of-29 in a 35-14 rout of visiting Marietta. His prime targets are Brody Longwell and Brody Lollathin.

Bridgeport at Trinity Christian

The Bulldogs (0-2) are seeking their initial victory season as they hit the road to Morgantown to meet the debuting Warriors.

Bridgeport has dropped 34-20 and 42-22 decisions to Frontier and Monroe Central, respectively.

Quarterback Colin Jackson and running back Peyton Pyle are two of the offensive leaders for Bridgeport.

Frontier at Beallsville

The Blue Devils (0-2) are also looking for that elusive win after losses to Miller (36-16) and Madonna (58-14).

The Cougars (2-0) have rolled past Bridgeport (34-20) and Paden City (34-0).

S. Allegheny at

St. Clairsville, 7:30 p.m.

The Red Devils look to bounce back from a tough, 18-14, reversal to Wheeling Park last week.

They rallied past Carrollton (42-35) in their opener.

Running back Jacob Jordan leads St. C. with 208 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He has four total TDs. Quarterback Drew Sefsick has passed for 318 yards while Colin Oberdick has caught eight passes for 169 stripes.

The Gladiators (0-1) lost to Serra Catholic (24-0) in their opener.