East Clinton will host McClain Friday night in the final home game of the 2016 season for the Astros.
Kickoff for the South Central Ohio League matchup is set for 7:30 p.m.
East Clinton is coming off a 28-14 loss to Hillsboro last week. The Astros had 206 yards of total offense, with 143 of those Anthony Osburn rushing yards.
“Anthony is the hardest worker we have,” EC coach Jeremy Yankey said. “He does everything that is asked of him and never complains about it. Physically, pound for pound, he is the strongest kid we have on our team.”
Osburn, who injured his knee in the second game of the 2015 season, has put together a solid season, but is improving each week.
Much like the offensive line in front of him, Yankey said.
“This is a very young offensive line with only two starters back from last season — senior Travis Knell and junior Nick Mess,” said Yankey. “Noah Suiter, junior; Tristan Hall, junior; and Cameron Yankey, sophomore, make up the rest of the unit that continues to get better each week.”
The Hillsboro matchup was the first since the initial game of the year when the Astros played a team with a losing record. A rugged stretch of six games against teams that all have playoff aspirations put East Clinton behind the 8-ball so to speak.
McClain is 1-7 overall and, like East Clinton, is still seeking its first league win of the year. The Tigers, again like the Astros, have played seven consecutive games against teams with winning records.
Yankey said McClain quarterback Tristan Pitzer “is their most explosive player and is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.”
Pitzer has 485 yards and two touchdowns passing but supplements that with 984 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Pitzer has 51 tackles and three interceptions on defense. He also returns kicks and punts … and sells popcorn at halftime.
Gabe Adams is a dual-threat player as well. He leads the Tigers in tackles with 92 and has 664 yards and nine touchdowns rushing.
