High School Football Notebook 2018: Week 3
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The first two weeks of the Frontier Athletic Conference high school football season have provided some excitement with four teams winning their first two games of the season as the Chillicothe Cavaliers, Hillsboro Indians, Jackson Ironmen and Washington Blue Lions all have taken care of business the first two games of the season.
Now with Week 3 on the horizon, the games get a little more interesting with not only early undefeated records on the line in the third game of the season, but just as importantly, momentum gained in the early stages this fall is also on the line.
One team that has put up impressive numbers thus far has been the athletic Washington Blue Lions team, as it seems their offense is firing on all cylinders and the new additions to their roster are paving the way an exciting season through the first two games of the season.
Chillicothe is starting 2018 where they were in 2017 by winning games in the regular season, as have the Hillsboro Indians, who also are 2-0 thus far with wins over Western Brown and Goshen. Jackson is also still a strong competitor against whomever they face each week, and they are going for their third straight win this Friday.
The Miami Trace Panthers also gained their first win of the season in Week 1, allowing them to already match the same number of wins they had all last season. As for the McClain Tigers, although they are still looking for their first win of 2018, they are playing improved football through the first two games. If they are able to cut down on turnovers, the first two weeks could have looked a little different, especially in Week 2 as they had five turnovers in that loss.
All six FAC teams are writing the next chapter to their season on Friday, and though some have had high success in the first two chapters, this week should be just as exciting. Here are a look at the Week 3 matchups for the FAC.
• Chillicothe (2-0) vs. Watkins Memorial (1-1)
The Chillicothe Cavaliers enter Week 3 with an eight-game regular-season winning streak dating back to last season, coming off wins in 2018 against Teays Valley (14-13) and Mifflin (56-14) with some new faces in starting roles this season.
At quarterback this season, senior Adrian Beverly is 11-of-19 for 119 yards and one touchdown pass in the combined two games thus far this season. Beverly is averaging 10.8 yards per completion. Beverly has also rushed for 151 yards in 38 carries in those two wins.
Also for the Cavs on offense, McKellan Lee leads the Cavs with four rushing touchdowns, as he is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has 56 yards rushing on the season.
Defensively, the Cavaliers have two interceptions and three fumbles recoveries with J’Quan Harris and Chris Postage each having an interception this season, while Joel Barnes, Jaden McNish and Lee all have fumble recoveries.
As for Watkins Memorial, they defeated Whetstone in Week 1 by a 54-6 score and last week lost to Walnut Ridge by a 55-7 score. Watkins Memorial last had a winning season in 2015 when they were 6-4 overall. Last season, Warriors finished 2-8 overall. A player to watch is Austin Branham, who has 26 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns on the season, averaging 8.5 yards per carry.
• Hillsboro (2-0) vs. East Clinton (0-2)
It is no secret the Hillsboro Indians are mostly going to run the football, control the clock and at times sneak in a few passing plays in any given game. That has been the case thus far this season, and the formula has worked with the Indians having two wins in two tries this season.
This week, the Indians face a team in the East Clinton Astros who are still looking for their first win of the year, as they’ve already faced last year’s Division IV state runner-up Clinton-Massie, and last week they narrowly lost to Cedarville by a 18-14 score.
For East Clinton last week, they scored all 14 of their points in the second quarter with two touchdowns caught by Brandon Smith off passes by Gunner Neanover for 14 and 29 yards. East Clinton led at halftime by a 14-6 score but allowed 12 points in the second half, resulting in the loss.
Neanover was 13-of-20 for 190 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions last week. Smith finished with nine receptions for 106 yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns. Smith also led East Clinton defensively with 18 tackles.
The Indians have used their running game to their advantage, as last week in a two-day game the Indians defeated the Goshen Warriors, 26-7 with 20 of their points coming in the first half. This season, the Indians have been led by Deon Burns with four rushing touchdowns, followed by Josh Keets with two and Mason Swayne with two.
Hillsboro has won the past three meetings between the two teams, including last season when HHS won by a 48-7 score. EC last defeated Hillsboro in 2014 by a 3-0 score in overtime. EC has lost their past five regular-season games, with their most recent win coming on Oct. 6, 2017 at Fayetteville-Perry.
• Jackson (2-0) vs. Gallia Academy (2-0)
Jackson is also continuing their strong 2017 season into the ’18 campaign, and after two weeks where they gained wins against Wellston (54-14) and Fairfield Union (34-0), the Ironmen finally get to play on their home field as Week 3 against Gallia Academy is their home opener.
In their first two games of the season, Gallia Academy has defeated Meigs (47-34) and River Valley (46-0). Last season, Jackson defeated Gallia Academy, 34-0, as the Ironmen qualified for the playoffs and GA finished at .500.
• McClain (0-2) vs. Zane Trace (1-1)
The McClain Tigers had problems holding on to the football last week with five turnovers stopping all their momentum, leading to their second loss to start the season. In what was a 34-6 loss, the Tigers had their one touchdown come via special teams.
This season, the Tigers scored just one offensive touchdown coming in Week 1 when the Tigers had a score by David Jett near the goal line. McClain’s first TD of the season in Week 1 was off a kickoff return, as Colton Mossbarger went 85 yards.
The Tigers have shown improvement over other recent seasons, but they’re still looking for their first wins since the ’16 season. Now for the Zane Trace Pioneers, they are coming off their first loss of the season to Waverly, but in two games this season they are averaging 106.5 yards receiving per game and 53 yards rushing per game.
Like McClain, the Pioneers also have just one offensive touchdown this season (and just one TD all season), that from Cougar Stauffer as he leads ZTHS with 42 yards rushing on 16 carries after two games this season. Defensively for the Pioneers, watch for Austin Carroll, who has three sacks.
ZTHS defeated Logan Elm, 10-6 in Week 1 this season but followed that with a loss to Waverly by a 48-3 score.
• Miami Trace (1-1) at Logan Elm (0-2)
The Miami Trace Panthers have improved play over last season, already matching their season win total when they defeated Circleville in Week 1, 27-18 and this past Friday the Panthers lost to Wilmington, 38-7.
Logan Elm has played close to their opponents this season with a 10-6 loss to Zane Trace and a 20-14 loss to Westfall last Friday. In their loss to Westfall, the Braves were held scoreless in the first half but came back with 14 points in the final two quarters. That said, they trailed by just a 7-0 score at halftime. In their Week 1 game again, Logan Elm allowed just one score in the first half but led by a 6-3 score at halftime in that loss.
In Week 1 when they defeated Circleville, Miami Trace saw Tyler Taylor finish 9-of-18 passing for 114 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Also in that game, Dalton Mayer led MT in receiving with 102 yards on five carries and one touchdown. Caden Sweitzer was the Panthers’ leading rusher with 183 yards rushing on 32 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He also scored one touchdown. Defensively for MT, in their Week 1 win, Luke Henry led with 11 tackles and one forced fumble.
In their past five meetings (2013-17) Logan Elm leads the series, 3-2 with the Braves winning last season by a 17-12 score.
• Washington (2-0) at London (2-0)
This could be the game of the week for the FAC with the Blue Lions going head-to-head with the Red Raiders in a neighboring-county showdown with two undefeated records on the line.
The Blue Lions have been putting up massive points in the first two weeks of the regular season by defeating the Blanchester Wildcats in Week 1 at 58-42 and in Week 2 they defeated Circleville, 68-6.
In two games this season, Washington sophomore quarterback Gio Thomas has been on point, going 31-of-45 for 637 yards with nine touchdown passes and no interceptions. He’s averaging 318.5 yards per game passing and averages 20.5 yards per completion. Through two games this season, Thomas has a QB rating of 151.2. Thomas also has the second-most rushing yards on the team with 19 rushes for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Also for the Blue Lions, Dillon Steward has 12 carries for 77 yards rushing and a team-best four rushing touchdowns. As a team, the Blue Lions are averaging 319.5 yards receiving per game and 172 yards rushing per game. Defensively, Washington is averaging 41.5 tackles, plus they’ve totaled four sacks and one interception.
Also on the defensive side of the ball, Jayden Fettig leads the Blue Lions with 13 tackles as he is one of four Washington players with double-digit tackle totals. Rich Burns leads the Blue Lions with 2.5 sacks entering Week 3 play.
The Red Raiders are having quite a season too with two games and two wins under their belt. In Week 1 against Urbana, the Red Raiders won, 41-7 and in Week 2 they completely dominated their county rival Madison-Plains with a 61-0 victory. LHS led 55-0 at halftime.
A player to watch for London is KJ Price, who had three first-half touchdowns against Madison-Plains.
Now with Week 3 on the horizon, the games get a little more interesting with not only early undefeated records on the line in the third game of the season, but just as importantly, momentum gained in the early stages this fall is also on the line.
One team that has put up impressive numbers thus far has been the athletic Washington Blue Lions team, as it seems their offense is firing on all cylinders and the new additions to their roster are paving the way an exciting season through the first two games of the season.
Chillicothe is starting 2018 where they were in 2017 by winning games in the regular season, as have the Hillsboro Indians, who also are 2-0 thus far with wins over Western Brown and Goshen. Jackson is also still a strong competitor against whomever they face each week, and they are going for their third straight win this Friday.
The Miami Trace Panthers also gained their first win of the season in Week 1, allowing them to already match the same number of wins they had all last season. As for the McClain Tigers, although they are still looking for their first win of 2018, they are playing improved football through the first two games. If they are able to cut down on turnovers, the first two weeks could have looked a little different, especially in Week 2 as they had five turnovers in that loss.
All six FAC teams are writing the next chapter to their season on Friday, and though some have had high success in the first two chapters, this week should be just as exciting. Here are a look at the Week 3 matchups for the FAC.
• Chillicothe (2-0) vs. Watkins Memorial (1-1)
The Chillicothe Cavaliers enter Week 3 with an eight-game regular-season winning streak dating back to last season, coming off wins in 2018 against Teays Valley (14-13) and Mifflin (56-14) with some new faces in starting roles this season.
At quarterback this season, senior Adrian Beverly is 11-of-19 for 119 yards and one touchdown pass in the combined two games thus far this season. Beverly is averaging 10.8 yards per completion. Beverly has also rushed for 151 yards in 38 carries in those two wins.
Also for the Cavs on offense, McKellan Lee leads the Cavs with four rushing touchdowns, as he is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has 56 yards rushing on the season.
Defensively, the Cavaliers have two interceptions and three fumbles recoveries with J’Quan Harris and Chris Postage each having an interception this season, while Joel Barnes, Jaden McNish and Lee all have fumble recoveries.
As for Watkins Memorial, they defeated Whetstone in Week 1 by a 54-6 score and last week lost to Walnut Ridge by a 55-7 score. Watkins Memorial last had a winning season in 2015 when they were 6-4 overall. Last season, Warriors finished 2-8 overall. A player to watch is Austin Branham, who has 26 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns on the season, averaging 8.5 yards per carry.
• Hillsboro (2-0) vs. East Clinton (0-2)
It is no secret the Hillsboro Indians are mostly going to run the football, control the clock and at times sneak in a few passing plays in any given game. That has been the case thus far this season, and the formula has worked with the Indians having two wins in two tries this season.
This week, the Indians face a team in the East Clinton Astros who are still looking for their first win of the year, as they’ve already faced last year’s Division IV state runner-up Clinton-Massie, and last week they narrowly lost to Cedarville by a 18-14 score.
For East Clinton last week, they scored all 14 of their points in the second quarter with two touchdowns caught by Brandon Smith off passes by Gunner Neanover for 14 and 29 yards. East Clinton led at halftime by a 14-6 score but allowed 12 points in the second half, resulting in the loss.
Neanover was 13-of-20 for 190 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions last week. Smith finished with nine receptions for 106 yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns. Smith also led East Clinton defensively with 18 tackles.
The Indians have used their running game to their advantage, as last week in a two-day game the Indians defeated the Goshen Warriors, 26-7 with 20 of their points coming in the first half. This season, the Indians have been led by Deon Burns with four rushing touchdowns, followed by Josh Keets with two and Mason Swayne with two.
Hillsboro has won the past three meetings between the two teams, including last season when HHS won by a 48-7 score. EC last defeated Hillsboro in 2014 by a 3-0 score in overtime. EC has lost their past five regular-season games, with their most recent win coming on Oct. 6, 2017 at Fayetteville-Perry.
• Jackson (2-0) vs. Gallia Academy (2-0)
Jackson is also continuing their strong 2017 season into the ’18 campaign, and after two weeks where they gained wins against Wellston (54-14) and Fairfield Union (34-0), the Ironmen finally get to play on their home field as Week 3 against Gallia Academy is their home opener.
In their first two games of the season, Gallia Academy has defeated Meigs (47-34) and River Valley (46-0). Last season, Jackson defeated Gallia Academy, 34-0, as the Ironmen qualified for the playoffs and GA finished at .500.
• McClain (0-2) vs. Zane Trace (1-1)
The McClain Tigers had problems holding on to the football last week with five turnovers stopping all their momentum, leading to their second loss to start the season. In what was a 34-6 loss, the Tigers had their one touchdown come via special teams.
This season, the Tigers scored just one offensive touchdown coming in Week 1 when the Tigers had a score by David Jett near the goal line. McClain’s first TD of the season in Week 1 was off a kickoff return, as Colton Mossbarger went 85 yards.
The Tigers have shown improvement over other recent seasons, but they’re still looking for their first wins since the ’16 season. Now for the Zane Trace Pioneers, they are coming off their first loss of the season to Waverly, but in two games this season they are averaging 106.5 yards receiving per game and 53 yards rushing per game.
Like McClain, the Pioneers also have just one offensive touchdown this season (and just one TD all season), that from Cougar Stauffer as he leads ZTHS with 42 yards rushing on 16 carries after two games this season. Defensively for the Pioneers, watch for Austin Carroll, who has three sacks.
ZTHS defeated Logan Elm, 10-6 in Week 1 this season but followed that with a loss to Waverly by a 48-3 score.
• Miami Trace (1-1) at Logan Elm (0-2)
The Miami Trace Panthers have improved play over last season, already matching their season win total when they defeated Circleville in Week 1, 27-18 and this past Friday the Panthers lost to Wilmington, 38-7.
Logan Elm has played close to their opponents this season with a 10-6 loss to Zane Trace and a 20-14 loss to Westfall last Friday. In their loss to Westfall, the Braves were held scoreless in the first half but came back with 14 points in the final two quarters. That said, they trailed by just a 7-0 score at halftime. In their Week 1 game again, Logan Elm allowed just one score in the first half but led by a 6-3 score at halftime in that loss.
In Week 1 when they defeated Circleville, Miami Trace saw Tyler Taylor finish 9-of-18 passing for 114 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Also in that game, Dalton Mayer led MT in receiving with 102 yards on five carries and one touchdown. Caden Sweitzer was the Panthers’ leading rusher with 183 yards rushing on 32 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He also scored one touchdown. Defensively for MT, in their Week 1 win, Luke Henry led with 11 tackles and one forced fumble.
In their past five meetings (2013-17) Logan Elm leads the series, 3-2 with the Braves winning last season by a 17-12 score.
• Washington (2-0) at London (2-0)
This could be the game of the week for the FAC with the Blue Lions going head-to-head with the Red Raiders in a neighboring-county showdown with two undefeated records on the line.
The Blue Lions have been putting up massive points in the first two weeks of the regular season by defeating the Blanchester Wildcats in Week 1 at 58-42 and in Week 2 they defeated Circleville, 68-6.
In two games this season, Washington sophomore quarterback Gio Thomas has been on point, going 31-of-45 for 637 yards with nine touchdown passes and no interceptions. He’s averaging 318.5 yards per game passing and averages 20.5 yards per completion. Through two games this season, Thomas has a QB rating of 151.2. Thomas also has the second-most rushing yards on the team with 19 rushes for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Also for the Blue Lions, Dillon Steward has 12 carries for 77 yards rushing and a team-best four rushing touchdowns. As a team, the Blue Lions are averaging 319.5 yards receiving per game and 172 yards rushing per game. Defensively, Washington is averaging 41.5 tackles, plus they’ve totaled four sacks and one interception.
Also on the defensive side of the ball, Jayden Fettig leads the Blue Lions with 13 tackles as he is one of four Washington players with double-digit tackle totals. Rich Burns leads the Blue Lions with 2.5 sacks entering Week 3 play.
The Red Raiders are having quite a season too with two games and two wins under their belt. In Week 1 against Urbana, the Red Raiders won, 41-7 and in Week 2 they completely dominated their county rival Madison-Plains with a 61-0 victory. LHS led 55-0 at halftime.
A player to watch for London is KJ Price, who had three first-half touchdowns against Madison-Plains.