You can’t win a conference championship in the eighth week of the regular season, but you can sure take a big step in that direction. That’s the mindset of the Riverside and Kenston football teams as they prepare to play each other in a key Western Reserve Conference game on Oct. 10 at Riverside Stadium. Not only do the Beavers and Bombers enter the game with identical 4-3 records, but their conference slates thus far mirror each other with identical 2-0 marks. The winner of this rare Thursday night game takes the league lead, while the loser will need help from others to get back in the conference title race. “Huge. Absolutely huge,” said Riverside coach Jeremy Ishmael on the magnitude of the game. “The winner of this game is in the conference driver’s seat, so it’s massive.” Kenston coach Jeff Grubich agreed, saying, ” for us, it’s a championship week from here on out. That was our approach Week 1, continued to be that way when we played Chardon and Mayfield, and it’s that way now. The load doesn’t get any lighter going forward either.” Tim Phillis’ photos from Kenston-Chardon football Sept. 27, 2024. Riverside’s two conference wins have come at the hands of the Willoughby-Eastlake school district, via a 35-28 win over South and 34-0 win over North. Kenston has already defeated Chardon, 20-3, and Mayfield, 21-3. Some felt Riverside might fall off a little after the graduation of a decorated senior class that helped lead the Beavers to a 21-5 record over the past two seasons, but that has not been the case. Despite many new starters, not to mention a new head coach, Riverside has won three in a row after a 1-3 start. “I kind of expected some early growing pains, but I always had confidence we’d battle and be competitive,” said Ishmael, who was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach when Dave Bors stepped down following the 2023 season. “These kids are resilient and have handled the adversity to put us in the position we’re in now.” The Beavers changed up their offense a bit three weeks ago, and it has paid dividends. Turning to more of a run-based attack, Riverside has won three in a row behind the ground game of Kyndall McCaleb (1,201 yards rushing), quarterback David Seibert (280 yards rushing) and Donovan Conwell (184 yards rushing). “We knew we had a good line, a special back in Kyndall and athletes who weren’t getting the ball,” Ishmael said. “We were like, ‘Hey, let’s not be stupid here. Let’s get the ball in the hands of the playmakers we knew we had at the beginning of the year — Kyndall, Donovan and David, kids who we knew could be game-breakers.” Grubich has taken notice of the physical attack Riverside has embraced. His Bombers shut down Chardon’s vaunted running attack in a 20-3 win, holding Chardon without a touchdown for the first time since 2015, but granted the challenge against Riverside’s attack is a steep one. “They’ve done a great job on offense of getting the ball to their playmakers,” Grubich said. “Their quarterback and both of their tailbacks carry the ball quite a bit. They’ve improved week by week. their offensive line is impressive. They’re big and physical up front.” Kenston has been more multiple than Riverside on offense. Veteran quarterback Lucas Kaltenbach has thrown for 933 yards and seven touchdowns, with experienced receivers Tymir Cardona (27 catches, 456 yards) and Dylan Krupp (14 catches, 188 yards) leading the way. Running back Cohen Clark returned from a back injury last week. He leads the team with 409 yards on the ground, but freshman Ethan Burge has put together a few big games in Clark’s absence and has run for 331 yards to supplement the ground game. “We’re improving every week,” Grubich said. “We’ve been moving some pieces around, especially on the offensive line, and moving Dylan Krupp around. It’s all about getting the pieces of the puzzle complete. I hope our best football is in front of us.” Said Ishmael, “Same as always — Kenston is very well-coached and very skilled; physical up front. We’re going to have our hands full.” Defense has come up big for both teams in recent weeks. Kenston is led by lineman Sam Meeks (five tackles for loss, three sacks), Ethan Black (six TFLs) and Cardona (three interceptions), while Riverside’s Brody Bunting (seven TFLs, four sacks), Matthew Priest (eight TFLs), Cayden Calogar (10 TFLs) and Conwell (three picks) lead the way. Kenston leads the all-time series, 5-3, including five of the last six. “This game is a question of who is going to control the line of scrimmage,” Grubich said. “Riverside is well-coached and physical. We’re going to have to match their physicality. That’s what championship football is all about, blocking, tackling and getting the job done up front. We’re gonna find out how tough we are tomorrow.” Kenston at Riverside What: Western Reserve Conference game When: 7 p.m., Oct. 10 Where: Riverside Stadium Records: Riverside 4-3 (2-0 WRC), Kenston 4-3 (2-0) Last week: Kenston def. Mayfield, 21-3, Riverside def. North, 34-0