An improved St. Marys High football team will take the field
tonight (7 o’clock) at Parkway Field to battle the Bradford Owls
(1-3).

St. Marys brings a 2-2 record into the Owls’ homecoming
game.

“St. Marys is a greatly improved team from the last couple of
years,” BAHS coach Steve Ackerman said. “Joe (Schlimm, St. Marys
coach) is doing a great job with them. I knew that would happen
when he was named coach down there. He’s got them moving in the
right direction. They are going to be a handful.”

The Dutch will be trying to beat the Owls for the first time
since 1995.

St. Marys has beaten Moniteau and Brookville, while losing to
Karns City and Clarion.

Schlimm expects to encounter a tough game.

“We expect that we’ll run into a very well-coached team, a
Wing-T team that is very similar to what we try to do,” Schlimm
reasoned. “We know that (the Owls) are very physical, very
aggressive and have a winning tradition. We expect a very difficult
ballgame.”

Schlimm also expects Bradford’s defense to be ready for what the
Dutch offense will have to offer at this point in the 2005
campaign.

“As the season goes on, defenses tend to catch up with
offenses,” he said. “Bradford has a very good defense. They’ll try
to pressure us and they’re going to be a formidable opponent, I’m
sure.”

The longtime coach also expressed the high regard in which he
holds Ackerman.

“We look forward to coming up and I know that it will be an
exciting ballgame,” Schlimm maintained. “I have a lot of respect
for what Steve Ackerman does and his program. Hopefully, we can
bring our best effort.”

Ackerman wants the Owls to play disciplined football.

“We turn it over or take a stupid penalty,” he said. “We keep
shooting ourselves in the foot. The mistakes we are making are
correctable. We have to concentrate on what we are supposed to be
doing.”

After tonight’s clash, the Owls will play their next three games
on the road.

“We have to play pretty good football in order to win games,”
Ackerman added.

Other key games tonight include three AML South showdowns and a
lone battle in the AML North that pits Otto-Eldred (2-2) against
Smethport (1-3).

Elk County Catholic, Curwensville and Johnsonburg – who share
first place atop the AML South – are all in action. J’Burg (3-1)
welcomes Brockway (2-2), Curwensville (3-1) invades Kane (2-2) and
ECC (3-1) travels to Ridgway (0-4).

Unbeaten Coudersport (4-0) is in Sheffield (0-4), while Port
Allegany (3-1) will host Cameron County (1-3) on Saturday
afternoon.