The Arcadia Titans could face their most formidable challenge of the young season Friday when they visit rival Coronado in the team’s first region game.

Coronado (2-2) handed Seton Catholic (3-1) its first loss of the season last week, defeating the Sentinels 34-28 in the region opener for both teams. The Dons have had an up-and-down season, but the one constant the team has is its staggering rushing attack. In the win over Seton, the team ran for nearly 500 yards.

Quarterback Alex Buya led the attack with 199 rushing yards. Dons running backs Blaze Dikeman and Derrick Henderson also put up big numbers. Dikeman reeled off 183 yards on 25 carries. Henderson carried the ball six times for 90 yards.

Arcadia has shown some vulnerability to the run this season, but its defense is improving on a game-by-game basis. In order to secure a victory, Jack Olson and the Titan offensive line will have to dominate at the line of scrimmage.

Additionally, the linebacking core, led by Landen Berry and Andrew Bradway, will have to keep an eye on Buya. If they can limit his scrambling ability, Arcadia is in line for a win.

Coronado’s weak passing game should play into Arcadia’s hands. Because the Dons offense is only averaging 43 yards through the air this season, the Titans can afford to bring safety Brendan Satran up in run support. Arcadia corner backs Kyle York and Justice Means have also shown an ability to effectively tackle ball carriers this season.

The Coronado run defense has become increasingly reliable in the past two weeks. After allowing almost 400 yards on the ground in the first two weeks, the team surrendered only 30 yards to Washington and 78 yards to Seton.

Arcadia will be able to throw different looks and running styles at Coronado thanks to the team’s depth at running back. Bradley Tefft and the multi-faceted Titans rushing offense should be able to break off at least a few nice gains in support of the pass.

However, the Titan passing game should be the focal point of the offensive attack. Despite shutting out the Camp Verde pass offense in week one, the Dons are allowing an alarming 249 yards passing a game over the last three weeks. Seton quarterback Anthony Wallace threw for 282 yards last week with one touchdown and one interception.

Arcadia quarterback Cole Richardson has struggled with his accuracy this season, but has shown the ability to complete the long pass. The Titans will look for Richardson to really make his mark on the game after putting up decent performances in his first three contests.

Expect Tefft and Richardson to exploit the weak Coronado secondary and connect on at least one big pass play.

In addition to the on-field talent, the Dons fan base will bring tons of intensity to the game. Arcadia dominated Coronado 49-7 in last year’s rivalry game, and the Titans can be sure that the Dons are out for revenge.