A week after facing McClain, East Clinton will complete its Highland County run with Hillsboro visiting Lees Creek Friday night.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Hillsboro won last season’s meeting 41-27, which ended a two-game win streak for East Clinton in the series. The Astros have won six of the 15 meetings between the two schools. These two neighboring rivals met for the first time in varsity football in Week 1 of the 1984 season with the Indians coming out on top 25-0.
The Indians are 1-3 this season. They defeated Goshen in Week 2, 56-19, but lost to Western Brown 38-27, Portsmouth West 49-34 and Williamsburg 57-27.
“Hillsboro has a good football team,” EC coach Steven Olds said. “I know their record says they are 1-3 but their non-league schedule has been tough and coach (Nathan) Horne has them playing well. Offensively, they want to run ball and they have a couple of nice backs that can hurt you. Defensively, they are running a 4-3 and their special teams are dangerous in the return game. We will need to be sound in all three phases this week in order to come away with the win.”
East Clinton is 2-2, alternating wins and losses through four weeks. They have defeated Huntington 12-0 and Fayetteville 62-12 while losing to Cedarville 35-0 and McClain 22-6.
”I thought we played our hearts out on Friday (against McClain),” Olds said. “The defense was great, our special teams were solid, and we ran the ball well. But, we turned the ball over four times and didn’t execute well in the red zone, which ultimately cost us the game.”
The defense for East Clinton has been the most consistent unit this season for East Clinton, Olds added.
”The pressure they put on the (opposing) offense has led to more turnovers and less scoring opportunities, which keeps us in games and gives us a chance to win. What more could you ask for?” the coach said.
