Shady Side Academy football coach Dave Havern has memorized only a few names on Kittanning’s roster. “I just know their numbers,” Havern said of the Wildcats. If Kittanning executes better than it did against Armstrong County rival Ford City last week, Havern might be seeing those numbers from the back of the Wildcats’ jerseys on Friday afternoon at Shady Side. Of course, that all depends on the effectiveness of Kittanning’s running game. In last week’s 33-14 loss to Ford City, Kittanning rushed for 166 yards, 113 of which came from Bobby Keys, who scored an 80-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Kittanning’s offense, which was averaging 260 yards a game heading into last week, was held to 212 yards. “We just did not execute well,” Kittanning coach Sam Panchik said of his team’s Week 3 performance. “Not to take anything away from Ford City, but we didn’t block well. We didn’t tackle well. We went back and went over some fundamentals things (this week) and hopefully, the problem is corrected.” Havern attended Kittanning’s game with Ford City, and he expects to see a Wildcats team with a bit of a chip on its shoulder. “If I’m them, I’m looking to take (losing to a rival) out on somebody,” Havern said. For that to happen, Kittanning will have to control the line of scrimmage, which is something Panchik said the Wildcats didn’t do last week. “We did in the first two games, and we won. We need to get some of our linemen blocking,” Panchik said. “And, if we do that, we should be OK.” There is one player Havern knows by name. “Ryan Shepard is a tough football player,” Havern said. Shepard had 210 yards through two games but was limited to 41 yards on 10 carries last week. He’ll probably be a player to watch on Friday, considering that Shady Side has the seventh-worst defense in the WPIAL. The Indians have given up 1,028 yards, 710 of which are rushing yards. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. because Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday. Playing an afternoon game is a concern of Panchik’s. “Playing in the afternoon is their forte,” Panchik said of the Indians. Another forte of the Indians (1-2) is throwing the ball. Dan Rooney completed 7 of 17 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown against Ford City in Week 2. Last week, Ford City quarterback Ryan Hand showed that there are reasonable questions about Kittanning’s secondary, passing for 108 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, Panchik had said that the breakdowns in the secondary cost his team, and this week, passing coverage has been a focus in practice. “That’s the best thing (Shady Side) can do, just come out and throw, throw the ball deep,” Panchik said. “I think they’re going to come right out and go after our secondary.” On the season, Rooney has completed 21 of 49 passes for 321 yards. However, Havern insisted that his team’s first priority will be to establish the run. “We’ve got to run the football, and that’s not a lie,” Havern said. “You can’t win unless you can run the ball.” Another focal point at Kittanning’s practices this week has been special teams. Ford City’s Derek Bush stole the momentum from the Wildcats with a kickoff return, and Panchik doesn’t want to see that happen this week. “We’ve been working with the kickoff team every day,” he said. “We’re emphasizing special teams.”

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