OPSMA High School Football Notebook: Week 7

COLUMBUS, Ohio – And just like that, the 2024 high school football season has just three games left in the regular season.

Week 7 provided plenty of highlights. Let’s check them out with this week’s Ohio Prep Sports Media Association High School Football Notebook compiled by members of the OPSMA.
 
• Shelby’s Brayden DeVito couldn’t have been better in the Whippets’ 55-21 win over River Valley. The junior quarterback accounted for seven touchdowns as he completed 18-of-22 passes for 279 yards and two scores and ran for 116 yards on 12 carries with five TDs. Marcus Gumbert added 130 yards on the ground on 18 touches and Nic Eyster caught seven passes for 92 yards with Brady Bowman adding four catches for 82 yards and a score.
 
• Ontario’s Bodpegn Miller had the best passing game of the season in a 35-14 win over Pleasant. He was 21-for-28 for 273 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 169 yards on 13 carries with two more scores giving him 442 yards of total offense and four TDs all by himself. Mason Vantilburg had 50 rushing yards on eight attempts with a TD. Landon Foltz caught six passes for 116 yards with a score while Jon Mahon added five catches for 93 yards and a TD. Landon Sowards led a spirited defensive attack with 12 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
 
• Lexington’s Joe Caudill was at it again in a 19-16 win over West Holmes that kept the Minutemen in the race for the Ohio Cardinal Conference football title. Caudill completed 13-of-22 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns while running for 20 yards on 11 carries and another score. Seven Allen was his favorite target catching three passes for 74 yards and two TDs while Brayden Fogle had seven catches for 40 yards. Markale Martin led Lex in rushing with 46 yards on nine carries. Lexington is now tied with Ashland atop the OCC standings.
 
• Crestview’s Liam Kuhn had a breakout game at quarterback completing 10-of-13 passes for 129 yards while the Cougars ran for five touchdowns in a 34-0 win over Plymouth. Ayden Reymer had 91 yards on 12 carries with two TDs while Bransen Hider had six carries for 58 yards and a score and Gavin Barker added 46 yards on six touches with a TD. Barker also had an interception on defense to go with his four tackles.
 
• Clear Fork’s defense was sensational in a 14-13 win over Marion Harding. It allowed just four rushing yards on 23 carries and 131 yards passing on 13 completions in an absolutely dominant performance. Offensively, Marcus Hoeflich completed seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown to Devyn Oswalt who caught two passes for 23 yards. Porter Schmidt had 40 yards rushing with a TD while Mason Sansom had a 42-yard reception.
 
• Licking Valley sophomore quarterback Brody Rodgers ran for 39 and 48-yard touchdowns, also throwing a pair of scores to Quinn Hornfeck, all in the first half of a 35-0 win against Zanesville.
 
• Johnstown recorded its fourth shutout of 2024 and didn’t allow a second-half first down until the closing minutes of a 28-0 win against rival Northridge. Junior Alexis Lowe has now made her last 17 PAT kicks for the Johnnies, 6-1 for the first time since their 2018 state runner-up finish.
 
• Hillsboro sophomore Collin Swackhamer played his best game to date on Friday, Oct. 4, making play after play, including a 60-yard interception for the first touchdown of the game, plus eight tackles (five solo) en route to the Indians’ 21-14 victory over the visiting Chillicothe Cavaliers. There was also a big game by HHS senior Logan Elliott, as the linebacker had seven tackles (five solo) and three sacks in a solid defensive performance. On offense, HHS sophomore Tre Captain finished with five carries for 108 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown run.
 
• Coldwater football coach Chip Otten won his 200th career game last Friday as the Cavaliers improved to 7-0 with a 52-7 win at Delphos St. John’s. Otten, a Coldwater graduate who played at Bowling Green State University, was 26-34 at Middletown before coming home to serve as an assitant coach to John Reed. Otten took over the program in 2010 after Reed’s death and has gone 174-30 with five state championships.
 
• Marion Local won its 55th straight game with a 62-0 win over Fort Recovery. The Flyers are 7-0 and have outscored opponents 365-22
 
• Kaiden Werntz caught  an 11-yard  touchdown pass from Bobby Morris with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, then caught the winning two-point conversion as Celina rallied to defeat Lima Bath 36-35. Werntz had seven receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
 
• Centerville made history on Friday night with its 33-13 win over Miamisburg. It was the 500th win in the history of the program which began in 1948. The Elks came into the season with 496 wins needing four to reach the milestone. Centerville was winless in its inaugural season of 1948 and got its first win the next season in 1949, according to records on the teams’ official website. Leading the Elks to the win over the Vikings were Parker Johnson and Shane Cole, who each scored two rushing touchdowns in the victory. Johnson carried the ball 10 times for 97 yards and two scores, and Cole had six carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
 
• Nick Bratton recovered a fumble and returned it one yard for a touchdown to give Springboro its first defensive score of the season in a 38-0 win over Beavercreek. The score put the Panthers on top 14-0 in the early part of the second quarter.
 
• Springboro running back Mattias Brunicardi had 15 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns and Brayden Wilhite had eight receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers win over Beavercreek.
 
• Brodie Hopkins ran for two touchdowns and caught another as Valley View shutout Madison 35-0 for its fourth straight win. The sophomore running back carried the ball just four times for 126 yards and his touchdown reception — his only catch of the game — went for 65 yards.
 
• Sophomore running back Damien Pattin had his first multiple touchdown game of the season in helping Fairmont beat Northmont 42-13. Pattin had five carries for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one coming in the first quarter for the first points of the game, and the other occurring in the third quarter for the Firebirds last points of the game. In between, Logan Doty also had two rushing touchdowns for Fairmont.
 
• Jericho Burns ran for 136 yards and three touchdowns to lead Piqua to a 44-0 shutout win over West Carrollton. It was his fourth 100-plus yard game and his fourth multi-touchdown game of the season.
 
• Waynesville senior quarterback Alex Amburgey completed 14-of-22 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-14 win over Carlisle. Eight of his completions were shared between Garrett Lundy and Trenton Davis, each of whom went over 100 yards receiving. Lundy had five receptions for 103 yards and Davis went for 122 on three grabs and also had a touchdown.
 
• Hamilton’s Gracen Goldsmith set a new school record with five touchdowns in a single game as the Big Blue defeated rival Fairfield 42-21 on Friday. Goldsmith ran for 244 yards on 29 carries in the win.
 
• Lance Cantrell ran the ball 40 times for 275 yards and four touchdowns in leading Talawanda to its third consecutive win after starting the season 0-4. The season totals for the junior running back are 142 carries, 722 yards and eight touchdowns.
 
• Fairfield’s Tyler George ran the ball 37 times for 206 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Hamilton.
 
• Ross sophomore kicker A.J. Sparks nailed a 32-yard, game-winning field goal in overtime to complete the Rams’ 17-14 come-from-behind victory over Edgewood.
 
• Brookville’s Jake Lesner and D.J. Moore each ran for more than 100 yards and both scored two touchdowns as the Blue Devils beat Oakwood 28-14. Lesner ran for 118 yards and two scores, and Moore had 108 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
 
• Chesapeake's Drew Plantz rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries in the Panthers' 41-26 victory over South Point on Friday night. The Panthers broke a 21-game Ohio Valley Conference losing streak, dating back to Sept. 18 of 2020 - when they beat Portsmouth 49-38.
 
• Fairland defeated host Portsmouth 22-21 in an outright Ohio Valley Conference first-place game on Friday night to remain undefeated- with indeed quite the crazy and epic ending. The host Trojans took a 21-14 lead with 28 seconds remaining, but Fairland finished with a flurry - behind senior quarterback Ethan Wall. The Dragons had the football with three timeouts remaining, and attempted a final pass with time running out from the Trojans' 45-yard line. The pass drew a Portsmouth pass interference penalty at the Trojans' 10, giving Fairland the ball at the 30 — and an untimed down. Wall went to the end zone on the untimed play, and found Keegan Smith — between three PHS defenders — for the unbelievable touchdown. The Dragons didn't have a healthy kicker on their roster for the week, thanks to injuries to their two in Fairland soccer matches. Fairland went for two trailing 21-20, and a shovel pass into the line fell incomplete. However, the officials called a penalty on Portsmouth — a sideline warning violation, which was its second of the game and thus an automatic penalty. The Dragons got another opportunity at the two-point conversion, and this time they converted on a quick slant pass from Wall to Jack Hayden for the win. For Portsmouth, which fell to 5-2, senior running back Chase Heiland had 199 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries. Heiland has rushed for at least 111 yards in each of the Trojans' seven games this season.
 
• Portsmouth Notre Dame's Bryce McGraw started the season as the Titans' starting quarterback, but in week 6 against South Gallia, was converted back to running back. On Saturday night, in the Titans' 30-0 South Ohio Conference Division I win against Franklin Furnace Green, McGraw rushed for 216 yards on 18 carries - and had all four of the Titans' touchdowns. His first score went for a 58-yard run. McGraw also ran in two two-point conversion runs. Notre Dame also scored on a third-quarter safety.
 
• Wheelersburg senior Xander Mowery made three receptions, all for touchdowns, for 135 yards in the Pirates' 45-14 Southern Ohio Conference Division II win over Oak Hill.
 
• Nelsonville-York's Austin Gautier rushed for 125 yards on 20 carries, and threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on his only pass attempt, in the Buckeyes' 39-14 Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division victory at Wellston on Friday night. Walker Stone rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
 
• Sandusky quarterback Jason Henlon completed 11-of-17 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns in the Blue Streaks' 42-0 win over Norwalk. Henlon was 10-of-16 for 271 yards and four TDs in the first half, throwing and completing just one pass in the second half, a 55-yard touchdown.
 
• Sandusky wide receiver Amir Aaron had three receptions for 158 yards and three touchdowns in the Blue Streaks' 42-0 win over Norwalk. Aaron had touchdown catches of 45, 58, and 55 yards as Sandusky won its fourth-straight game after an 0-3 start to the season.
 
• The Eastern Eagles moved to 7-0 on the season with a 53-29 win over the Symmes Valley Vikings Friday night in Willow Wood. To win the game, the Eagles had to do something that they had not done all year, come back from a halftime deficit. Eastern scored 33 points in the second half and didn't allow the Vikings to score again. Junior quarterback Eric Manley junior was 19-31 for 509 yards with 6 TDs. Senior receiver Tucker Leist led the way with seven receptions for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior receiver Carson Peters went over 100-yards for the first time this season, securing four passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Wyatt Richardson was two yards short of a 100-yard day, finishing with five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.
 
• The Piketon Redstreaks knocked off the unbeaten Paint Valley Bearcats Friday night in a defensive slugfest 13-12. Leading the Piketon offense was senior running back Buddy Wilson carried the ball 22 times for 156 yards and a touchdown. Piketon had four players with double-digit tackles, including juniors Treven Shanks (14), Wyatt Savage (13), Noah Ross (12) and Cohner Daniels (10).
 
• Beverly Fort Frye's Clayton Miller and Tyce Beardsley each rushed for over 100 yards and two scores in the Cadets 27-0 victory at Greenbrier West (W.Va.). Miller carried 11 times for 136 yards, scoring on runs of seven and 35. Beardsley had 118 yards on just six rushes, including TD runs of 80 and nine yards.
 
• Waterford's Colton Jones had a big night on both sides of the ball in the Wildcats 42-14 Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division win over Racine Southern. Jones rushed for 185 yards on 20 carries with four touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass. On defense, Jones led the Wildcats with 14 tackles, including six tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
 
• The Wapakoneta Redskins Football team remains undefeated following a 42-21 blowout victory over Kenton in a Western Buckeye League game. Following a pair of touchdowns from each team, the visiting Redskins went on to score 35 unanswered points in the second and third quarter combined, before allowing two scores with the majority of Wapakoneta's starters out of the game. Junior quarterback Caleb Moyer broke his own school record for most passing yards in a game, completing 23 of 25 pass attempts for 359 yards. He also had four rushing touchdowns for 82 yards. Moyer's favorite receiver, Kaden Page, tallied 12 receptions on 159 yards.
 
• Xenia made the most of limited possessions in a 21-18 win at Troy to remain undefeated. Gavin McManus was 14 of 15 passing for 160 yards, Trimonde Henry had his first 100-yard receiving performance and caught the winning score, and Deaunte White continued putting his team on his back down the stretch with 204 yards rushing and two TD runs. Ronnie Butler had 16 tackles, recovered a fumble, and made a big stop on a goal line stand during the second half.
 
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