For fourth time ever and the third time this decade, Warren G. Harding and Austintown Fitch will square off twice in the same football season. In 2020, the Falcons won the regular season matchup 25-21 while five weeks later, the Raiders triumphed when it mattered most by the score of 24-10. However, they were paid back in full the following year as Fitch took the week 10 & 11 matchups as they handed Harding back-to-back losses to close their 2021 season out.
Warren G. Harding sophomore cornerback Matthew Richardson hauls in the first interception of hi young career during the 2nd quarter of their first round playoff game against Cleveland John hay on 11/01/2024.
Given the Raiders’ recent 35-21 win in Falcon Stadium just two weeks ago, the program is hoping for the 1990 season series to repeat itself. That year, Harding followed up their 20-14 week 9 victory with a 31-6 demolition of Fitch in the regional final. While a lot of time has passed since then, one thing that hasn’t changed after all of these years is the high level of skill and intensity that both teams will bring to the field.
Warren G. Harding junior defensive tackle Anthony Simpson (#56) leads a swarm of Raiders to a tackle for a loss against Cleveland John Hay on 11/01/2024.
While the Raiders made a very strong push in the 2023 postseason, the entirety of their 2024 campaign has been about growth and improvement. This time last year, they entered week 12 with a record of 5-6 before ultimately dropping a heartbreaking 24-21 decision to Hudson. This week, Harding will take an 8-3 record into Austintown as head coach Matt Richardson and his staff have shined their light on the players all season long.
Warren G. Harding senior De'Andre Thomas scores on a 12-yard touchown run against Cleveland John Hay on 11/01/2024.
If you need an illustration of the re-emergence of the program, look no further than senior Chaz Coleman, who went from a mildly used junior last year to consensus 3-star recruit. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound athlete definitely made his presence felt in the first meeting between the longtime rivals as he put his fingerprints all over the stat sheet. Offensively, he was 5-of-7 for 76 yards and threw one touchdown, had 15 carries for 76 yards and one touchdown, and hauled in two catches for 42 yards and another touchdown. With 1:35 remaining in the game, he put the cherry on top of the signature performance of his high school career when he scooped up a Fitch fumble and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. He enters week 12 with 1,438 yards (654 passing, 695 rushing, and 89 receiving) and 18 touchdowns (9 passing, 7 rushing, and 2 receiving) worth of total offense while defensively, he has seven tackles for a loss, four sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and another two touchdowns.
Warren G. Harding senior Michael McDonald records a sack against Cleveland John Hay on 11/01/2024.
In week 11 against Cleveland John Hay, Coleman was 7-of-9 for 112 yards and threw three touchdowns, the second most ever in a Harding playoff game (Chris Ensign: 4 touchdown passes against Austintown Fitch in 1990) while classmate Marcus Crum Jr. became the fourth wide receiver in school history to haul in two touchdown catches in a single postseason game. The elite company that he joins is Omar Provit (did it twice in 1990), Thomas Teco Powell (against Austintown Fitch in 1990), and Mario Manningham, who did it once against Solon in 2003 and again in 2004 against Lakewood St. Edward. Coleman’s other touchdown pass was grabbed by senior Devon Morgan III, who scored from 32 yards out.
Warren G. Harding seniors Chaz Coleman & Marcus Crum Jr. hook up on a 35-yard touchdown pass & catch against Cleveland John Hay on 11/01/2024.
While Coleman’s emergence as a leader has impressed many throughout the entire country, the Raiders’ overall growth across the board is what has them in the position that they’re in. Senior defensive tackle Kenneth Byrd Jr. has shown Allegheny College just how much of a “sleeper commit” he is as he’s stepped up with four tackles for a loss, four sacks, and one fumble recovery while Brown University commit Airiz Coleman Bey has snatched three interceptions, scooped up two fumble recoveries, and has score a touchdown defensively while on the offensive side, he’s accounted for 373 yards (234 receiving and 139 rushing) and two touchdowns worth of total offense. Meanwhile, Youngstown State University has gotten a more broader look at the skill set of senior commit Stephen Sims as he has 413 yards (244 rushing and 169 receiving) and three touchdowns worth of total offense to go along with his plethora of big hits from the secondary.
Warren G. Harding sophomore Xavier Bradley closes out the Raiders' playoff game against Cleveland John hay with a sack on the game's final play on 11/01/2024.
For Fitch, their present and near future looks very bright as they’re armed with an outstanding sophomore class. The headliner of their ‘27 group is Deon’Dray Richard, a 5-foot-9, 200-pound running back who compiled 102 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders in the regular season closer. After last week's 31-7 pounding of Mayfield, he enters week 12 with 1,278 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 148 carries. Those 8.6 yards per carry come in brutal fashion as his ability to plow through tackles keeps opposing defenses on their heels. Personally, his game reminds me a lot of former Falcons running back Will Mahone, a 2012 aum who eventually played at Notre Dame.
Austintown Fitch sophomore running back Deon'Dray Richard scores on a 10-yard touchdown run against Warren G. Harding on 10/25/2024.
The Falcons will be led onto the field by another sophomore in quarterback Collin Kallaher, who has shown a lot of toughness and discipline since he was handed the keys to the offense. He has completed 71-of-114 passes for 80 yards, nine touchdowns, and just one interception, which was hauled in by Harding senior Donovan Salero-McCoy back in week 10. Their top target this season has been Brady Evans, who has 47 catches for 588 yards and three touchdowns to his credit. In week 11 against Mayfield, he also threw his first touchdown pass of the season, a 45-yarder, to yet another sophomore in Isaiah Porch, who finished the game with three catches for 82 yards and the score. That said, the leading scorer among Fitch’s receivers this season has been, you guessed it, another sophomore in Brayden Bryant, who has hauled in 17 catches for 246 yards and four touchdowns.
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