In this file photo, Fredericktown's Steven Tumbleson (10) carries the ball in a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference football game against Highland on Sept. 4, 2020 in Sparta. | Michael Rich/News

FREDERICKTOWN The Fredericktown football team had some familiarity with Marion Elgin as it prepared for its matchup in the first round of the Division VI, Region 23 playoffs on Saturday night in Marion.

As luck has it, the 21st-seeded Freddies and the 12th-seeded Comets just so happened to meet in the only scrimmage before the start of the season for both teams.

Were pretty familiar with each other, Fredericktown football coach Will Hartley said. We have that scrimmage film plus we exchanged three game films. Being as low of a seed as we are, I think its a pretty good matchup for us.

I think if we just keep to fundamentals and work together as a team just power through the night and put four quarters together, theyre a very beatable team, senior Steven Tumbleson said.

Fredericktown was also dealt a piece of bad luck with the injury of senior Jeremiah McKinley, who separated a shoulder early in Fredericktowns 48-9 loss at Centerburg on Oct. 2.

McKinley was second on the team in rushing with 238 yards and two touchdowns on 60 carries and second on the team with 44.5 tackles on defense.

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Tumbleson, who leads the Freddies (1-5) in both categories 291 yards and two touchdowns on 74 carries on offense and 51 tackles on defense hopes Fredericktown will be able to carry the load without McKinley.

Me and (McKinley) are kind of a tag team on defense, Tumbleson said. We work together a lot. Its a blow to our offense and defense that hes not in there because hes our starting tackle and running back.

Elgin (4-2) enters the game on a three-game winning streak and has scored more than 30 points in each of their last five games.

I think we match up with them in team speed-wise; size-wise, Hartley said. The things that theyve run, weve seen. They run primarily Wing-T stuff and we havent seen much of (that). But with their spread game, theyre running their quarterback quite with a permitter run thats a lot of the stuff weve seen throughout the year.

The Comets have a three-headed monster in the backfield of Jordan McCormack (48 carries, 379 yards, six touchdowns), Kevin Kline (31 carries, 383 yards, three touchdowns) and Cy Starcher (25 carries, 335 yards, five touchdowns).

McCormack has also thrown for 792 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 32 of 60 passing.

Read more:

Freddies to hook up with Comets in 1st round of Division VI playoffs - Mount Vernon News