So goes Brandent Englemon, so goes the Covington Holmes Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-1, 181-pound senior quarterback is the key offensive weapon for Holmes and he'll be on display Friday night as the Bulldogs visit the Ironton Fighting Tigers.

"He's a heck of an athlete," Ironton head coach Bob Lutz said. "He's got a great arm, but his ability to run scares us the most. He's got great feet and he can make you miss. He's a strong kid, so if you can get a clean shot on him, you have to wrap up.

"He's always looking to make plays. He can beat you running the ball, he can throw it, or he can pull it down and scramble."

Englemon sat out a loss two weeks ago, but returned last Saturday when Holmes lost 22-18 to unbeaten Conner. Englemon had 257 of Holmes' 281 total yards. He was 16-of-27 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

Last season, Englemon threw for 1,359 yards and 11 touchdowns while running for 735 yards and nine TDs. Two years ago had threw for 1,419 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Despite his offensive numbers, Englemon is being recruited as a defensive back by most Division I schools such as Michigan, Northwestern, and Nebraska. Only Toledo is recruiting Englemon as a quarterback.

But Englemon isn't the only problem. The Bulldogs had a strong group of skilled players surrounding their quarterback.

The fullback is Ryan Walton (5-8, 205), the slot backs are Bray Nelson (6-0,185) and Cordell Brown (6-0, 175), and the split ends Sam Elsbernd (6-2, 160) and Derrick Jennings (6-1,180).

"All their backs and ends can run," said Lutz. "They run a lot of double slots with a lot of motion. You can't lock in on their passing game because Englemon can run the option and Walton and Nelson can hurt you. Walton runs hard and Nelson has some speed."

Holmes has plenty of size up front with Chris Jackson (5-10, 215) at center, Geoff Butler (6-3, 265) and Eumakin Obiobasi (6-0, 286) the guards, and Justin Lillard (5-8, 235) and Dan Blevins (6-0, 235) the tackles.

The Bulldogs utilize a 4-3 defense with a formidable looking front four.

The tackles are massive Joe Engram who goes 6-6, 295, and Andrew Leach at 6-0, 240. The ends are Dave Madden (6-0, 200) and Mark Rice (6-1, 180).

Jackson is the middle linebacker flanked by James Fischer (5-10, 180) and Ben Jackson (5-10, 215).

The cornerbacks are Tony Ramsey (59, 165) and Elsbernd with Nelson and Eric Siemer (57, 180) the safeties.

"Their two tackles inside are a problem because of their size, and the two ends have some good quickness," said Lutz. "The linebackers are all over the place. You have to account for them on every play."