A season that felt as if it may never get here has finally arrived.
District 10 football officially gets underway tonight with a full lineup of games, albeit with a different look.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, regions were adjusted based on geographic location and school size, with teams in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 all playing each other twice.
A quick refresher on what the revised regions look like:
Region 1: Mercer, Reynolds, West Middlesex, Kennedy Catholic
Region 2: Farrell, Sharpsville, Greenville, Wilmington
Region 3: Grove City, Hickory, Sharon, Slippery Rock
Region 4: Cambridge Springs, Maplewood, Saegertown, Cochranton, Lakeview, Northwestern
Region 5: Union City, Eisenhower, Iroquois, Seneca
Region 6: Corry, Harbor Creek, General McLane, North East
Region 7: Fairview, Girard, Fort LeBoeuf, Mercyhurst Prep
Region 8: Titusville, Oil City, Franklin, Warren, Meadville, Conneaut
Region 9: Cathedral Prep, Erie, McDowell, Butler
Warren and Conneaut are idle. They will meet on Sept. 21.
Region 1
Kennedy Catholic at Mercer
The Golden Eagles make their return to the gridiron for the first time since 2013, and face a Mercer squad that won four games in 2019 and returns Ethan Wiley (397 passing yards) and Logan Turton (232 rushing yards).
Kennedy Catholic, under the direction of coach Joe Harvey, will be lead by Da’juan Young (QB/WR), Cody May (QB), Matt Jordan (RB), and Sky’Ler Thomas (RB/WR).
Reynolds at West Middlesex
The Reynolds Raiders are coming off a 7-win season, advancing to the District 10 Class A semifinals before falling to Maplewood. Cole Toy returns in the backfield after rushing for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The Big Reds also won seven games last season before falling to eventual Class A state champion Farrell in the D-10 semifinals. The return of quarterback Ty Tate and running backs Ian Smith and Alex Rea should help offset the graduation of several key lineman.
Region 2
Farrell at Sharpsville
After back-to-back state titles in Class A, the Farrell Steelers make the jump to Class 2A this season. The Steelers lost a lot of talent, but also have plenty coming back. Gary Satterwhite anchors the offensive and defensive lines, while the Steelers have big-time weapons in the form of Anthony Stallworth (1,777 yards rushing, 16 touchdowns) and Jaden Harrison (1,080 yards, 13 touchdowns).
They will be facing a Sharpsville team that returns quarterback Danny Henwood and receiver Jaden Townsend, among others. The Blue Devils went 3-6 last season.
Greenville at Wilmington
It was another banner season for the Wilmington Greyhounds in 2019, winning the District 10 Class 2A title and advancing to the PIAA semifinals. They return the bulk of their starters on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as quarterback Caelan Bender and a talented backfield of Ethan Susen, Darren Miller and Luke Edwards.
They will be facing a tough Trojans squad that returns the backfield of Levi Swartz (674 rushing yards) and Isaac Sasala (549 rushing yards).
Region 3
Grove City at Hickory
Coming off a 9-win season, Grove City is poised for another big campaign. Logan Breese returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,832 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Eagles must replace talented playmakers Jacob Reddick and Colby Nelson, a void that will be filled by the likes of Sayyid Muhhamad.
The Eagles knocked off Hickory in the D-10 playoffs a season ago, and the Hornets, coming off a 7-4 season, will turn to senior quarterback Michael Henwood (1,768 yards, 24 touchdowns, 671 rushing yards) and receivers Matt Cannone and Ramarion Whitehead to spearhead the offense.
Sharon at Slippery Rock
The defending District 10 Class 3A champion Tigers must replace a plethora of weapons, but do return running back Tyvell Richardson (667 rushing yards), as well as receiver Jaon Phillips (27 receptions, 330 yards).
Slippery Rock went 4-6 a season ago and also must replace many of its offensive weapons. They do return Ethan Plesakov (17 receptions, 238 yards), among others.
Region 4
Saegertown at Cochranton
Clifton Roberts takes over as head coach of the Cardinals, who return their top passer (Wyatt Barzak), rusher (Jon Gallo) and receiver (Kendrick Hostetler).
The Panthers, meanwhile, return Henry Shaffer (337 passing yards) and Jacob Resinger (449 rushing yards) to their backfield.
Maplewood at Northwestern
It was a historic season for Maplewood in 2019, going through the regular season undefeated before a 35-20 D-10 title game loss to eventual state champion Farrell. The Tigers return Kaleb Donor (1,670 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns) and Jesse McFadden (41 receptions, 863 yards, 7 touchdowns) among their skill players.
They will be facing a Northwestern team that is coming off a 7-win season and returns Ryan Tewell and Austin Swift in the backfield.
Cambridge Springs at Lakeview
Nathan Liberty takes over as head coach at Cambridge Springs, and the Blue Devils return Trenton Wheeler at quarterback to help lead the way.
They will face a Lakeview squad that counts Gavin Murdock and Isaac Devault among its key returners.
Region 5
Union City at Eisenhower
The Knights return one of the most exciting connections in District 10 in quarterback Owen Trumbull (1,446 passing yards, 11 TDs) and receiver Dillon Benson (62 receptions, 821 yards, 8 TDs).
The Bears got the better of them a season ago, however, and will feature an attack paced by Tallin Henry (717 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns), Logan Kesselring (532 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Caleb Stull (420 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns).
Iroquois at Seneca
A couple of teams that struggled to find wins a season ago look to come out of the gate strong in 2020.
Region 6
Corry at Harbor Creek
The Huskies enter the season with sky-high expectations with plenty of firepower returning from a team that had an unbeaten regular season in 2019. Quarterback Casey Smith (1,226 yards passing, 24 touchdowns) and brother Cody Smth (24 receptions, 9 touchdowns) return, as does Marrick Bauer and a host of key contributors.
They will facing a Corry team that brings back the talented Landon Weis and Nathan Lesher in the backfield.
General McLane at North East
One of the most consistent programs in District 10, the Lancers open the season on the road with plenty to prove. Matt Lehan and Jared Iavrone-Campbell will lead a talented offensive unit.
North East counts Keyen Skrekla, Wil Parton, Brandon Perez and Steven Herring among its key returners.
Region 7
Fairview at Fort LeBouef
The Bison make the move to Class 3A with high expectations. They returned experienced units on both the offensive and defensive lines, as well as backs Jack Rimpa and Tristin Harris.
Fairview returns the multi-dimensional Travis Burge to help lead the way.
Mercyhurst Prep at Girard
The Yellow Jackets will look to turn the tide after the Lakers scored 62 points on them a season ago. Head coach Jeff Root leads a Mercyhurst Prep squad that once again looks like a contender.
They will be facing a Girard team that went 4-6 a season ago.
Region 8
Oil City at Franklin
The Route 8 rivals get right to it in Week 1, as the Knights welcome the defending District 10 Class 5A champion Oilers to town. Oil City is dominant up front, paving the way for the likes of Holden Stahl, Cam Russell and Brayden Crocker.
Franklin, meanwhile, will see a bit of a re-boot after the graduation of all-state quarterback Ian Haynes.
Meadville at Titusville
The Rockets were originally scheduled to play Warren in Week 1, but now get Meadville instead. The Bulldogs are coming off an appearance in the District 10 Class 5A title game last season, but must replace a talented backfield.
The Rockets are coming off a 3-7 season in 2019 and return quarterback Garrett Knapp, who threw for over 1,000 yards last season.
Region 9
Erie at McDowell
These two teams are very familiar with one another, having met twice a year ago, with the Trojans winning both times, including in the D-10 6A title game. Senior quarterback Chris Juchno (1,929 yards passing, 21 touchdowns) is the leader of the offense. The backs are talented, led by Taha Ramahi, but must replace Elijah Lopez, who recently transferred to Florida.
For Erie, Jahlil Granberry returns at quarterback, and the Royals welcome electrifying transfer Steve Smith to the backfield behind an experienced offensive line.
Butler at Cathedral Prep
After going 0-10 a year ago, the Golden Tornado make the move from the WPIAL to D-10 in 2020, and begin the season against the powerhouse Ramblers. While Prep lost a big chunk of production to graduation, they do return quarterback Tamar Sample from last season’s team that advanced to the Class 4A PIAA quarterfinals.
Junior dual-threat quarterback Cooper Baxter leads the Golden Tornado.
