Photo by Kim North Barnesville’s Trey Toliver picks up yardage last Friday against Bellaire at Nelson Field. He and the Shamrocks return home Friday as Buckeye Local visits.

BARNESVILLE — Buckeye Local and Barnesville are both looking to extend winning streaks when they clash Friday night on the artificial surface at Shamrock Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock.

The Panthers (1-2) celebrated Alumni Night last week with a 20-12 overtime victory over visiting Shadyside at World War II Memorial Stadium in Yorkville. The Shamrocks (3-0) streak is just a bit longer. They have won 39 consecutive regular-season contests dating back to the 2021 season, which is the third longest in Ohio Valley history, trailing Steubenville’s 68 (from 2002-2009) and Sistersville’s 42 (from 1980-1984).

“We never talk about the streak or previous accomplishments,” Barnesville head coach Blake Allen said. “I always tell the kids that is always something that after they graduate they can go back and look at.

“This group of seniors have really stayed in the moment and showed a lot of leadership this year.”

Barnesville rolled past previously unbeaten Bellaire 40-0 last week at Nelson Field in the All-American Village and is perfect in six meetings with Buckeye Local, outscoring the Panthers by a whopping 222-37 margin.

“Barnesville is easily one of the best teams in the Ohio Valley right now and proves it week in and week out,” second-year Buckeye Local head coach Chris Kiedaisch said. “They are extremely well coached and the kids play hard every snap.”

Despite picking up win No. 1 last week, Kiedaisch and his staff still aren’t pleased with where the program is right now.

“To be honest we are not happy with how we played. We had more mental errors offensively last week than the previous two weeks combined. I think it was important for us to find a way to win without our best stuff,” he noted. “We were kind of melting down in the second half and we regrouped nicely in the break before overtime.

“The message Saturday morning during our film session was that if we play to our standard, we will live with what ends up on the scoreboard, that is what I really hope we can build upon.”

However, getting that win was monumental.

“It was huge. The kids have put in a ton of work all offseason. We lost a heartbreaker the week before at River and we talked to the kids about learning how to win and sometimes you have to lose a close game before you learn how to win a close game. We did that Friday.”

He is aware of what Barnesville possesses.

“Offensively they are two dimensional and defensively they have two different looks that make it tough on offenses,” Kiedaisch added. “We are excited to bring our ‘A’ game and see how we stack up against one of the best teams in all of Division V.”

The Panthers lost to Bellaire (31-6) in the season opener before falling at River (21-12) in week 2.

Allen said things have worked out perfectly for his squad entering the battle.

“Buckeye Local scrimmaged Fort Frye and played Bellaire, so we’ve seen just about every game they’ve played,” he said. “They seem to be getting better and better with each game. They could easily be 2-1 instead of 1-2.”

Xavier Eastham and Chad Worwa both eclipsed the 100-yard mark in last week’s victory, with Worwa scoring the game-winning touchdown in the extra session.

Barnesville has been explosive on offense, averaging 42 points an outing. It has three running backs that Allen wouldn’t hesitate to put up against any other group. They are seniors Koby Jones and Hines Ford, along with junior Trey Toliver.

“Trey gets most of the headlines and rightfully so,” Allen said. “But we’ve got a lot of confidence in all three of them. The best part about it is they are all so unselfish and they block for each other. They support each other.”

Defensively, Barnesville has given up just 28 points, with 21 of those coming in week 2 against Meadowbrook (51-21). They opened with an impressive 35-7 shellacking of Fort Frye.

“I’m really proud of our offensive and defensive lines,” Allen praised. “Coaches Brady Treherne and Zach Meade have put in a lot of work and effort in getting those guys in the right spots.”

Barnesville unveiled a new weapon last week in Spanish exchange student Luis Garcia. He kicked four extra points.

“He was a little nervous at first. It was his first time around an American football game,” Allen mentioned. “He’s used to being around soccer. He did well.”

Barnesville won last year’s matchup in Yorkville by a 57-7 count.

The Shamrocks were also 1-1 against Buckeye North and 1-2 against Buckeye South before the consolidation formed Buckeye Local.