If it’s because somebody broke a mirror, then Meadville may have luck restored tonight at Erie Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. The Bulldogs (4-5) take on non-region opponent Strong Vincent (7-2) in a 7 p.m. kickoff.

It’s been seven years since Meadville has gotten the better of the Colonels. The last time the ’Dogs defeated Vincent was all the way back in 2001.

The two teams have met in each of the past 13 seasons with the Colonels winning 10 of 14. And they have done so by a considerable average margin of 34.1 points per contest.

Could tonight be the tide-turner? One thing is for sure: Meadville has the necessary momentum.

The Bulldogs did nearly everything right in a 47-8 win over hapless Franklin (1-8) last week, closing Region 5 play with a 2-2 mark.

Meadville returned the opening kick for a score, rushed for 321 yards, scored twice through the air and won the turnover margin 3-0.

While the ’Dogs have done well against teams like Strong Vincent which are primarily run-first, they have not yet faced a team with the speed of the Colonels. How quickly Meadville reacts and flies to the ball will be a key factor in determining the outcome tonight.

Vincent’s top back is Brandon Akins-Jones with 83 carries for 730 yards and 12 TDs. At 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, Akins-Jones can spin a defense pretty fast.

“When he sees an opening, he gets it,” Colonels’ coach Tom Cacchione said. “You can’t time that kind of fast.”

“He moves well,” said Meadville coach Mike Pendolino of Akins-Jones. “He has real good feet and real good vision. He runs with his eyes, and he’s just an athlete.”

Emari Tangle is the second-leading rusher in the Vincent Wing-T, taking 94 handoffs for 500 yards and nine touchdowns.

Mike Neavins is next on the team’s yardage list. He has been used sparingly but has a monstrous 22.1 yards-per-carry average with 265 stripes on just 12 rushes and five scores.

“We need to react to our keys with a sense of urgency,” Pendolino said. “We have to wrap up and make tackles before they have a chance to turn a corner or cut back on us.

The two coaches seem to agree that the recent Meadville-Vincent series has been closer than the numbers may portray.

“We haven’t really blown Meadville out ever,” Cacchione said. “It’s always tough. We’ve gotten the best of them the last few times we’ve played them. We are just ready to play a good game (tonight).”