Austintown Fitch coach T.J. Parker had to endure an unpredictable off-season and an opening night postponement. Now, the rookie coach hopes that a victory and a sense of normalcy will help propel his Falcons to a successful 2020 season.

Fitch’s season opener against Boardman, scheduled for last Friday, was pushed back a day because of inclement weather. The Falcons came out Saturday and dominated the Spartans 33-3, giving Parker his first career win.

“It was a great win for this program, for everyone involved with Fitch football,” Parker said. “We came in here and changed a lot of things. We overcame a lot of hurdles, and seeing the kids execute the way they did in all three phases of the game, it was a rewarding night.”

Tonight, Fitch looks to make it two straight when it travels to Youngstown State University’s Stambaugh Stadium to take on Ursuline in a non-conference game, starting at 7 p.m. The Irish are 1-0 after rolling to a 29-6 win over Youngstown Chaney.

“This is a good match-up between two programs looking to have bounce-back seasons,” Parker said. “(Ursuline coach) Dan Reardon was brought back to win football games, and make no mistake about it, he’ll do just that. Our kids are excited. They’ll get to play on the new turf at YSU. They’ll get to go up against a storied program. This is a big game for both programs.”

Parker, who graduated from Fitch in 2003, was a sophomore on the Falcons’ roster in 2000. That year, Fitch beat Ursuline 27-12 — the Irish’s lone loss in a 14-1, state championship campaign. Ursuline defeated Fitch during Parker’s junior and senior years.

“I didn’t play in that win, so I feel like I’m 0-2 against Ursuline and I have some catching up to do,” Parker said.

This week’s non-conference slate also features a pair of tradition-rich programs seeking their first win. Cardinal Mooney travels to Mollenkopf Stadium to take on Warren G. Harding. Last week, the Cardinals lost to Steubenville while Harding fell to Cleveland Benedictine. Big Red and the Bengals own a combined 11 state titles.

Garfield and Rootstown both pulled out come-from-behind, last-second wins a week ago. Now, the G-Men and Rovers will square off in Rootstown. Both teams made the playoffs in 2019.

South Range and Girard will match 1-0 records when the two teams meet in a key Northeast-8 Conference game at Arrowhead Stadium. Last year, Girard began its season 4-0 before falling to South Range, 36-22. Both teams reached the playoffs.

“Year in and year out, South Range puts an outstanding product on the football field,” Girard coach Pat Pearson said. “This year is no different. This South Range team is aggressive. They are well-coached, and they don’t stop for four quarters. They’re big, and they will wear you down.”

Girard opened its season with a 35-0 win over Lakeview.

“It was a sloppy first half, both the weather and our play,” Pearson said. “But, I was happy with the way our kids responded after halftime. We have some strong senior leadership, but we also have seven sophomores. I was impressed with their poise and their play.”

Niles hopes to lift its record to 2-0 in the NE-8, but to do so it will have to get past nemesis Poland (0-1). The Red Dragons and Bulldogs have met 30 times, with the ‘Dogs owning a 26-4 edge in the series. In those games, Poland has outscored Niles, 732-255.

Brookfield (1-0) visits LaBrae (1-0) in a key Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference, Gray Tier game, while the MVAC Scarlet Tier features Springfield (1-0) at Western Reserve (1-0).