Times Observer file photo by Steve Younger
Logan Penley and the Eisenhower Knights lost to Reynolds 15-0 in the opening game of this season.
HERMITAGE — Every team’s record is the same once the playoffs start.
Well both teams playing in today’s 1 p.m. District 10 Class 1A quarterfinal at Hickory High School have fewer wins than they have become accustomed to.
No. 4 Reynolds finished the regular season 5-5 overall and 2-3 in Region 1, while No. 5 Eisenhower was 4-6 overall and 2-3 in Region 3.
Eisenhower head coach Jim Penley is hoping that the tough schedule his team has played this season will pay off now.
“You play this game for the opportunity to get in the playoffs and that is where we are,” Penley said earlier this week. “I hope that we have learned the lessons needed from the schedule we played and that will help us against Reynolds.”
Eisenhower kicked off the season against Reynolds with a 15-0 loss. The Knights and Raiders have a long history together and have played each other six times over the last five years with Reynolds holding a 5-1 record.
Penley has nothing but respect for his opponent today.
“Reynolds is just an outstanding team when it comes to effort and physical play,” he said. “They have a great coaching staff which puts them in the best position to be successful.”
The Raiders are led by a talented trio of juniors. Their quarterback, 5-foot-9, 165-pound Xavier Zacherich is a dual-threat player who has passed 121 times completing 56 for 592 yards and six touchdowns. He has carried the ball 86 times for 550 yards with seven touchdowns. Their leading rusher is 5-foot-9, 160-pound Gabe Minjarez, who is a threat whenever the ball is in his hands. He has rushed for 1,020 yards and 11 touchdowns on 183 carries. Their fullback is 5-foot-7, 160-pound Parker Nay, who has rushed for 164 yards on 32 carries.
Penley knows the Knights will have their hands full when it comes to this talented group.
“They have a tremendous tailback who is a very physical runner and is hard to tackle,” he said. “Their quarterback is an outstanding athlete who is just as dangerous if not more as a runner but he has a strong arm we have to defend against.”
The Knights are also led by a talented trio of underclassmen. Six-foot-3, 180-pound junior quarterback Caleb Jakubczak has passed for 603 yards on 42 completions with five touchdowns. An excellent runner, he has added 740 yards on 101 carries with seven touchdowns. Six-foot, 170-pound junior tailback Logan Penley is the Knights’ leading rusher with 813 yards and eight touchdowns on 157 carries. Penley is also averaging 11.2 yards per reception out of the backfield. Five-foot-9, 165-pound sophomore Joe Gigliotti has had a breakout season for the Knights. He is averaging nearly 20 yards every time he touches the ball with 18 carries for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and has three receptions for 95 yards.
Coach Penley is hoping his team learned from their first game of the season.
“We need to be able to be physical with them up front,” he said. “Unlike our first meeting, we have to be able to finish drives and get points in the red zone, which is something we did not do in our first meeting.”
The game is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Hickory High School, 640 North Hermitage Road, Hermitage. There will be no tickets for sale at the gate. They may be purchased through the PIAA District 10 website.