Linsly’s Chris Upton (11) runs for yardage last Friday against St. Clairsville. Upton and the Cadets host Steubenville on Friday at West Family Stadium on the campus of West Liberty University. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Photo by Kim North

WEST LIBERTY — A pair of respected high school football programs that won’t shy away from a challenge will collide Friday night on the artificial surface at West Family Stadium on the campus of West Liberty University.

Steubenville will travel to the Route 88 hilltop to meet Linsly in a battle of teams with rare 1-2 records. Big Red leads the all-time series, 10-1-2. Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock.

“We’ve played them enough the last few years that it does feel like a rivalry,” Linsly’s B.J. Depew said. “I know that they have the upperhand in the series, but it’s a game we look forward to, and my guess is they do too.

“Neither one of us get to play a lot of OVAC opponents and for us it’s a great measuring stick so that we can get a feel for where we stand. They are one of the best programs around.”

Steubenville is coming off its first victory, a nail-biting, 27-24, decision in overtime after trailing 14-0 at the half to visiting Cardinal Mooney. The hosts scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter alone before the Cardinals tied the contest at 21. Cardinal Mooney kicked a field goal on its first possession of the extra session before Ca’Juan Bryant won it with a 9-yard TD run.

The win was important for one major reason — besides being the first — after an 0-2 start and an off week, according to veteran Big Red head coach Reno Saccoccia.

“It was just as important that we didn’t fold our tent at halftime. We got up off the floor and played well in the second half.”

Steubenville opened the season with a 3-7 setback to Ursuline and then dropped a 30-0 decision to defending Division IV state champion Indian Valley. The week 3 game against Dunbar (D.C.) was canceled by the visitors.

The Cadets, meanwhile, are coming off a hard-fought, 24-14, loss at St. Clairsville last Friday in a game that was deadlocked at 14 in the third quarter before the hosts scored the final 10 points.

“We played very hard,” Depew said. “We felt like that game was a real toss up, but they made more plays than we did down the stretch. We made our fair share of mistakes, so we feel that it was a game we could’ve won. It was a kick in the pants for us and opened our eyes in a lot of ways that will strengthen our resolve a little bit.”

Linsly debuted with a 32-7 defeat at the hands of Westinghouse High from Pittsburgh, which is currently 4-0, before blanking Brooke (42-0) on the road.

“Every team has certain areas they really work on and Linsly is no different,” Saccoccia added. “They protect their quarterback pretty well and the quarterback is a pretty good player. They also emphasize taking away the run on defense, and we like to run the ball, and they are well-prepared and well-coached.”

Linsly quarterback Brayden Wade has completed 47 of 86 passes for 532 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a trio of top targets in Chris Upton (14-125), Lucca Troullos (13-136) and Justin Heckman (12-196-td). George Mamakos is the leading rusher with 18 carries for 67 yards and a pair of six-pointers.

First-year Steubenville quarterback Santino Haney has passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns on 39 of 61. He also has a pair of INTs. Bryant has played just one game but rushed for 77 yards on 22 carries. Zaire Scurry is the leading receiver with nine catches for 117 yards and a TD. Bryant snagged four aerials for 81 yards and a 51-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

“It will take a total team effort for us to come out with a win Friday,” Saccoccia noted. “Execution is very important in football, but being able to come up with a plan is even more important.”