Bedford and Central ready for border battle

Central Catholic football head coach Greg Dempsey, left, and Bedford football head coach Jeff Wood. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Photo Reprints

There's been a buzz all week circling Bedford High.

A familiar excitement that was present during the Mules' impressive playoff run last fall has arrived in the second week of Bedford's 2011 regular season.

The fact the Mules opened the season a week ago by rolling to a 35-7 victory over Carleton Airport -- a perennial Michigan football power -- may have something to do with the extra enthusiasm.

Bedford (1-0) playing host to Central Catholic (0-1) tonight in a prime border-war battle is plenty reason for the hyped atmosphere around Temperance.

"That's what everybody is calling it -- border battle," Bedford coach Jeff Wood said. "I think it's great for high school football."

The Irish will be playing against a Michigan school for the second week in a row. They committed four turnovers and suffered a 25-20 defeat in a season opener against Detroit Crockett a week ago.

Central coach Greg Dempsey expects the Mules to also present a challenge from across the Ohio-Michigan state line.

"I think it's going to be a fun environment for the kids to play in," Dempsey said. "It's going to be a great high school football environment.

"I think both teams are looking forward to it. The kids from Ohio think Ohio football is the greatest and the kids from Michigan think Michigan football is the greatest."

It's also a game that pits Wood against his high school alma mater. Wood has been friends with Dempsey for nearly 20 years and played football at Central alongside Dempsey's older brother, John. Central defensive coordinator Nick Toth was the Irish head coach when Wood wore an Irish uniform back in high school.

"We're playing a classy program and it's hard to explain how much Central Catholic means to me in my heart," Wood said. "It's special when you play against them.

"Nick Toth taught me so much about football."

What is expected to take place before a packed crowd at Bedford's home field is a Mules team looking to employ a ground-and-pound brand of football against an Irish team that likes to light up the scoreboard with a spread attack.

Central, which is expected to contend in the newly formed Three Rivers Athletic Conference, is leaning on sophomore quarterback Deshone Kizer to gain experience and lead the way for an inexperienced Irish offense that returned zero starters from last season. Kizer threw a touchdown pass in the loss to Crockett.

Eliminating the mistakes will again be key for the young Irish lineup.

"We definitely have to protect the football when we're on offense," Dempsey said.

"If you let them [the Mules] do their thing, they're going to hold on to the ball all night."

Like the Irish, the Mules are working with a first-year starter at quarterback. With standout Jared Kujawa heading to Western Michigan University this fall to play baseball, Wood has handed over the quarterbacking duties to Aaron Szesak, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior.

Szesak (pronounced Chess-Sock) scored on runs of 3, 15, and 99 yards in the Mules win over Airport.

"I told him that if he keeps doing what he's doing, you won't have to worry about people knowing how to pronounce his name because everyone will know it," Wood said. "There are not many times that you can hit him square on. He's ready for the task."

Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com or 419-724-6302.