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OPSMA High School Football Notebook: Week 3

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Ohio Prep Sports Media, Press Release

COLUMBUS – Week 3 is in the books.
 
Let’s take a look back at some of the best performances with this week’s Ohio Prep Sports Media Association High School Football Notebook.
 
• The Shelby Whippets destroyed Bellevue 34-0, the first time they shut out their old Northern Ohio League foe since 2017. Brayden DeVito was sensational going 6-for-10 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 157 yards on 20 carries with two more scores while Marcus Gumbert ran for 95 yards on 16 carries, Brady Bowman caught four passes for 80 yards and a score, Nic Eyster caught one pass for 67 yards and a TD and the defense was led by Brayden Scharitger recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. The Whippets are 3-0.
 
• The Ontario Warriors rumbled past Madison on Friday night behind the arm of Bodpegn Miller, who completed 10-of-12 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns and added 37 yards rushing on eight carries, and the legs of Mason Vantilburg, who ran for 162 yards on 12 attempts with two touchdowns while also catching two passes for 39 yards and a score, and the hands of Landon Foltz, who caught five passes for 86 yards and a TD. Alan O’Blisk and Trenton Maglott were forces on defense as O’Blisk  recorded nine tackles and five tackles for loss and Maglott had five tackles, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
 
• The Clear Fork Colts picked up their first victory of the season beating Lexington 28-3 behind a huge defensive effort that held the Minutemen to just 117 yards of total offense. Blake Schlosser had 16 tackles with four going for a loss while Kaiden Schlosser had 12 tackles and two for a loss. Nick Appleman collected 121 yards rushing on 23 carries and a touchdown while Mason Sansom added 60 yards rushing and a score. Jay Jackson caught a 62-yard TD to top things off.
 
• Ohio State-bound running back Bo Jackson of Villa Angela-St. Joseph ran all over the Mansfield Senior Tygers in Week 3 going for 197 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. The Vikings saw three players run for more than 100 yards as TJ Moore added 134 and Dom Bonner added 117 and they both scored twice. VASJ piled up 537 yards of total offense and held Mansfield Senior to -16 in a 60-0 beatdown that gave the Tygers their worst loss in Arlin Field history and their worst home loss since 1917.
 
• Wyatt Denney ran for 159 yards and Kalin Briggs added 139 as Cardington shut down Bucyrus 46-8 Friday night in non-league play. Denney scored three times from 2, 16 and 53 yards. Briggs added a 62-yard touchdown run. Demaris Munn-Page returned a fumble recovery 70 yards for the Redmen's lone score.
 
• Findlay’s Shawn “Sunny” Hines II checks at just 5-foot-6 and 145 pounds. The little guy has been making big plays for the Trojans, though. Hines scored on 27- and 83-yard runs in Findlay’s 35-31 loss to Lima in Week 2, then added an 85-yard kickoff return in  Friday’s 35-20 win over Sylvania Southview.
 
• In a wild game in which the lead changed hands on eight consecutive second-half possessions, Arlington quarterback Trenton Heacock connected with Brady Griggs on an 8-yard TD pass on the final play of the game to give the Red Devils a 44-43 win over Ada.
 
 -(Dola) Hardin Northern’s Nolan Hopson carried 25 times for 272 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-0 win over Cory-Rawson.
 
• Granville senior quarterback Beckett Long threw four touchdown passes, all to classmate Noble Terebuh, as the Blue Aces thrashed previously unbeaten Johnstown 48-12 and extended their regular season win streak to 16. Terebuh caught four passes for 116 yards, on scores of 26, 37, 11 and 42 yards.
 
• Five different players scored touchdowns, including a 41-yard interception return by junior Brody Driskel, as Newark jumped to 3-0 for the first time in 8 years with a 35-15 win against rival Zanesville.
 
• Senior Ethan Romine caught two touchdown passes and also forced and recovered a fumble, as Hebron Lakewood snapped a 9-game losing streak with a 25-12 win against Bexley.
 
• All-Ohio linebacker Jake Lopinto ran for a score and also threw a touchdown pass, as Licking Heights picked up its first win of 2024 with an impressive 27-7 victory at Sheridan.
 
• Also grabbing its first win was Utica, as quarterback Hayden Piper ran for 101 yards and all three of the Redskins’ touchdowns, and hit 14-of-18 passes for 118 yards in an 18-15 victory at Fredericktown.
 
• Monroe Central's Tucker Howell ran for six touchdowns in the Seminoles 52-6 rout of Monroe County rival River on Friday. The senior quarterback ran 10 times for 263 yards.
 
• The Buckeye Trail at Barnesville game had five different 30-minutes weather delays before finishing just before midnight. The Shamrocks remained unbeaten with a 47-8 victory, their 29th straight regular season victory.
 
• The Beaver Local at St. Clairsville game also endured weather delays, finishing at 12:30 a.m. Saturday as the Red Devils' Dino Burk ran the ball 25 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns as St. Clairsville won, 27-21.
 
• Union Local's Brody Perzanowski carried 29 times for 184 yards.
 
• Toronto quarterback Zeb Kinsey ran for two scores and threw TD passes of 64 and 85 yards as the Red Knights blanked Weirton, W.Va., 50-0.
 
• Edison quarterback JD Henderson factored into five of the Wildcats' six scores and 307 of its 367 yards of offense, throwing for 182 yards and a pair of scores on just six completions and rushing for another 125 and three trips to the end zone on nine carries.
 
• Chase Worwa had a big performance for Rayland Buckeye Local, lifting them to their first victory of the season, 41-20, over Shadyside. Worwa had a pair of rushing touchdowns, recovered a fumble for a third score and blocked a punt in the win. The victory was also the first for Panthers first-year head coach Chris Kiedaisch.
 
• Aidan Davis led another Steubenville Big Red comeback, this time against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. The senior QB factored into all four Big Red TDs in a 31-21 win, rushing for three touchdowns and adding a 50-yard passing score. He has factored into 9 of 10 Steubenville touchdowns through three games. Hall of Fame coach Reno Saccoccia’s Big Red, 3-0, has come from behind in all three wins after erasing an early deficit and the win also ties the all-time series between the storied programs at 7-7.
 
• While Cadiz Harrison Central may have dropped a 38-28 decision to Malvern on Friday, the Huskies potent ground attack had another big night. After rushing for 491 yards in Week 2, the Huskies racked up 360 more yards and all four of their touchdowns on the ground. The Huskies have rushed for more than 300 yards in all three of their games this season, totaling 1,173 for an average of 391 rushing yards per game.  Senior tailback Mykel Quito rushed for 280 yards and a pair of scores. On the season he has 646 yards and six TDs, averaging more than 215 yards per game.
 
• Steubenville Catholic Central’s defense bounced back in a big way in Week 3, shutting down a Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans offense that entered the game averaging more than 40 points per game and 360-plus yards in an 8-7 victory. The Crusaders held the Bishops under 100 yards of offense and off the scoreboard in the last three quarters. Senior Peyton Rauch had 6.5 tackles and two sacks to lead the defensive effort while also converting the game-deciding two-point conversion.
 
• Ironton senior standout Shaun Terry made five receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday night, as the undefeated Fighting Tigers crushed Cabell Midland (W.Va.) 63-7 at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Ironton also avenged its only regular-season loss of 2023, as the Knights won that same matchup which was also played at Marshall University.
 
• Coal Grove senior Kaden Murphy rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns, and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, in the Hornets’ 39-33 victory over Meigs on Saturday.
 
• Jackson senior Nolan Johnson rushed for 181 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and returned a kickoff for 77 yards for a touchdown, in the Ironmen’s 28-24 non-league win at Wheelersburg on Saturday. Jackson quarterback Bodhi Wolford ran in from a yard out with six-and-a-half seconds left to give the Ironmen the dramatic victory.
 
• With Wheelersburg’s 28-24 loss against Jackson on Saturday, the tradition-rich Pirates are 0-3 for the first time since 1969. That year, the Pirates started the season with losses against Portsmouth Notre Dame (20-6), Waverly (14-8) and Portsmouth West (20-8). This season, Wheelersburg has lost against undefeated Ironton (37-7), at 2-1 Cincinnati McNicholas (34-3) and against 2-1 Jackson (28-24). Since 1969, the Pirate program has reached the 600 all-time wins milestone, and has won two state championships (1989 and 2017). The Pirates are the defending Southern Ohio Conference Division II champions, and open defense of that championship on Friday night at McDermott Northwest.
 
• Portsmouth West senior running back Mason Parker rushed for a massive 311 yards and four touchdowns on a hefty 47 carries, and ran in a two-point conversion run, in the Senators’ 27-21 non-league win at Hillsboro on Friday night. Parker had touchdown runs of one, three, 19 and 56 yards.
 
• Fisher Catholic’s Hyde O’Rielley made two defensive interceptions, recovered a fumble on offense to maintain Irish possession, and caught two touchdown passes in Saturday’s 31-16 Irish victory at Portsmouth Notre Dame. All three of O’Rielley’s receptions for 61 yards came in the opening half —including his 55-yard TD catch on a go route. Fisher Catholic’s victory snapped a three-game losing streak against the Titans.
 
• Carlisle’s Blake Lawson had a monster performance in the Indians 37-30 win over Northridge. Lawson ran for 182 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries, and also caught four passes for 77 yards in leading the Indians to the victory. Lawson has 383 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in three games.
 
• Springboro junior Mattias Brunicardi had his first 100 rushing yard game of the season, albeit in a loss to Elder on Friday. Brunicardi totaled 123 yards on 27 carries and scored the Panthers only touchdown of the game. His season totals through three weeks are 56 rushes, 304 yards and five touchdowns. He also has three receptions for 70 yards and a score.
 
• Speaking of first 100-yard rushing games, Fairmont sophomore Logan Doty recorded the first one of his career in the Firebirds loss to La Salle last week. Doty had 23 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Lancers.
 
• Franklin senior Malachi Gipson also reached the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career last week. Gipson had 10 carries for 102 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats pounded Washington C.H., 42-7.
 
• Miamisburg’s Tamir Thomas had a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown and also scored a rushing touchdown in the Vikings' 44-0 shutout win over Ponitz CTC in a Thursday night game.
 
• New Miami's Dalson Hayes rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries in the Vikings' 32-21 victory over the C4 Lions on Saturday night at Carlisle. New Miami has won three in a row after snapping a 21-game losing streak that dated back to the 2021 season.
 
• Franklin's Malachi Gipson rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in the Wildcats' 42-7 victory over Washington Court House on Friday night.
 
• Ross senior Emory Severance rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in the Rams' 34-0 win over Northwest on Friday night.
 
• Karson Marcum and Brayden Reece combined to rush for 244 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-14 win over Fenwick on Friday night.
 
• Madison's Kaleb Miller rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in a 38-14 win over Blanchester on Friday night.
 
• Tyler George rushed for 194 yards and four touchdowns in Fairfield's 56-7 win over Sycamore on Friday night. The Indians totaled 636 yards of offense and 28 first downs.
 
• Xenia running back Deaunte White destroyed the school’s single-game rushing record in a 48-7 win at Sidney. He ran for 388 yards on 34 carries, breaking the old record of 285 yards set by Sincere Wells in 2018.  White also rushed for 7 TDs, breaking a 70-year-old record.
 
• Manchester senior Ronnie Elam returned a kickoff for a touchdown and hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Leland Horner as the Greyhounds defeated the Green Bobcats 28-21 to improve to 2-1 on the season. The game was once delayed by lightning and played in a heavy rain most of the contest.
 
• Arcanum High School sophomore running back MJ Macy ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-6 win over Mississinawa Valley.
 
• Tri-County North High School senior running back Franklin Filbrun had 201 yards rushing and scored twice in a 21-18 win over Bradford.
 
• Tri-Village High School junior Trey Sagester has thrown for 884 yards and 8 TDs in three games as a first-time starter at quarterback.  He threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns Friday night in a 38-6 win over Twin Valley South.
 
• Indian Valley’s Grady Kinsey finished with 238 yards on 19 carries with five TDs and the Braves had more than 460 yards in a 41-26 win against John Glenn.
 
• Meadowbrook’s Brayden Black ran for more than 200 yards and scored three TDs on 30 carries in a 46-0 win over Cambridge.
 
• Talon Preston was a one-man wrecking crew for Philo, churning up 160 yards, scoring three times and grabbing an interception in a 27-17 victory over rival Maysville.
 
• Carson Kellogg touched the ball nearly 30 times, as he totaled more than 180 yards with two TDs as New Lexington shutout Morgan 30-0.
 
• Northmont got its first win, 15-14 over Cincinnati Withrow, on Brady Lupton's fourth=-quarter touchdown run and an ensuing two-point conversion.
 
• Jericho Burns rushed for 192 yards and scored two second-half touchdowns to lead Piqua to a 24-13 win over Stebbins.
 
• Marion Local dominated St. Henry 42-9 to win its 51st straight game.
 
• Springfield earned its first win, 15-14 over Trotwood-Madison with final-minute theatrics. Braylon Keyes threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Sherrod Lay Jr. with 19 seconds left. Then the Wildcats faked the extra-point kick when holder Quenta Wafer Jr. pivoted to his right and threw to an open Zy'Aire Fletcher in the end zone for the winning two points.
 
• Vandalia-Butler moved to 3-0 with a 21-13 win over Troy. The Aviators had not defeated Troy since the Miami Valley League was formed in 2019. A fumble recovery on the second-half kickoff by Tayven Crump and a long interception return by twin Braylen Crump set up Butler's two second-half touchdowns.
 
• Miami East is 3-0 for the first time since 2018 after rallying to beat Springfield Northwestern 21-20. Northwestern quarterback Ried Smith was 31-for39 for 211 yards and a touchdown and rushed 17 times for 112 yards and a touchdown.
 
• Fairfield’s Tyler George rushed 21 times for 193 yards and four touchdowns, including a 94-yard touchdown run for his third score of the first half, in the Indians’ 56-3 win over Sycamore.
 
• Western Brown QB Brady Sutton threw for 486 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-20 win over Chillicothe.
 
• Wyoming’s Joel Hancock rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-13 win over Bethel-Tate.
 
• Batavia QB Carson Harrison threw for 432 yards and five touchdowns in a 50-14 win over Clermont Northeastern.
 
• Genoa running back Luke Clement rushed 36 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns as the Comets defeated Huron, 17-7. Genoa as a team ran 66 times for 334 yards.
 
• Danbury quarterback Thomas Dean completed 12-of-16 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns and ran in three two-point conversions as the Lakers topped Fremont St. Joseph, 30-18, in 8-man football. Wide receiver Parker LaMarca had six catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns for Danbury.
 
• Northmor's Cowin Becker was a swiss army knife in the Golden Knights 47-7 win against Mapleton scoring two rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown and a 79 yard kickoff return score.
 
• Bishop Watterson junior quarterback Drew Bellisari rushed 10 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns – including one for 92 yards – and was 7-14 passing for two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Eagles’ 41-6 home win over Westerville North at Ohio Dominican University.
 
• Napoleon’s Trey Rubinstein affected the game in almost every way possible in the Wildcats’ 53-0 rout of Sylvania Northview. The Kent State commit caught three passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns, returned a kickoff 94 yards to paydirt, recorded five tackles (three for loss) and a sack while also intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble.
 
• Defiance running back Anthony Wilder rushed for 203 yards on 12 carries, caught four passes for 50 yards, threw a go-ahead 10-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes and ripped off an 80-yard run to seal a 14-10 win over St. Marys Memorial to get the Bulldogs off an 0-2 skid.
 
• Liberty Center running back Waylon Rentz needed just seven carries to reach 166 yards and a touchdown while also leading the Tiger defense with 10 tackles (two TFLs) as LC rolled past Tontogany Otsego 37-7 for the team’s 28th straight regular-season victory.
 
• Paulding’s Blake Rhonehouse hauled in five catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns while tallying five tackles on defense and intercepting two passes as the Panthers moved to 3-0 for the first time since 1988 with a 27-2 win over Delphos Jefferson. Paulding has outscored its three opponents 119-2, the fewest points in its first three games of a season since 1941.
 
• Senior quarterback Brogan Stephey completed 20 of 24 passes for 214 yards and rushed for 94 yards to lead unbeaten Minster to a 41-14 victory over previously unbeaten Anna. Running backs Dominic Meyer and Connor Schmiesing rushed for 133 and 94 yards, respectively, as the Wildcats accumulated 321 yards on the ground.
 
• Fairborn christened its new stadium at its new school with a 42-6 victory over West Carrollton. Zyaire Cavitt rushed for 144 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the Skyhawks.
 
• Tippcanoe scored four touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to rout Greenville 72-7. Larkin Thomas was 13 of 14 for 263 yards passing and five touchdowns. Will Strong caught four passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson Davis caught five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
 
• Blake Lawson rushed for 182 yards on 26 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead Carlisle past Dayton Northridge 37-30.
 
• Running back Garrett Lundy rushed for 187 yards and quarterback Alex Amburgy rushed for 152 yards to lead Waynesville past Goshen 49-7.
 
• Springfield Kenton Ridge remained unbeaten with a 58-0 win over Columbus Mifflin. The Cougars didn't even need 300 yards, scored four touchdowns of 26 yards or longer, scored on a safety and got a 56-yard return for a touchdown by Caleb Hall following the safety.
 
• Tavien St. Clair passed for 126 yards and Carter Caudill rushed for 163 to lead Bellefontaine past Westerville Central 29-7.
 
• Alex Horney passed for 93 yards and rushed for 167 to lead unbeaten Greeneview past West Liberty-Salem 42-14.
 
• Beverly Fort Frye's Clayton Miller rushed for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the Cadets' 38-19 victory at Wheeling Central Catholic. Miller had TD runs of three, 64, and 24 yards. On defense, Miller intercepted a pass.
 
• Waterford's Hayden Jones scored four second-half touchdowns, leading the Wildcats to a 35-7 victory at Sarahsville Shenandoah. Jones' night featured TD runs of 80 and 39 along with a pair of two-yard plunges. He finished the contest with 175 yards rushing on 14 carries.
 
• Middlefield Cardinal's Reese Soltis caught 10 passes for 181 yards and a school-record four touchdowns, and he returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for another score to lead the Huskies over Orwell Grand Valley 36-33.
 
• Maumee quarterback Ben Kubicz completed 11-of-13 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers beat Toledo Bowsher, 56-18. Maumee is 3-0 for the first time since 2009, which is also the last time it hosted a home playoff game.
 
• Paint Valley senior Braylon Robertson rushed 18 times for 129 yards and one touchdown as the Bearcats defeated McClain 30-7 in Week 3. Robertson with his rushing yards became Paint Valley’s all-time leading rusher as he now has 4,100 rushing yards for his career.
 
• After having their game postponed for more than two hours due to lightning and storms, the Piketon Redstreaks defeated the Lucasville Valley Indians 25-14. With rain continuing through three of the four quarters, it was a challenge to get the passing game going. The Redstreaks won with their run game. Junior quarterback Luke Gullion scored the first two touchdowns of the game in the first half on runs of 65 and 38 yards. He scored his third of the night in the third quarter. In total, Gullion carried the ball 20 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns. The fourth Piketon touchdown came from Wyatt Savage, who finished his night with 138 yards on 13 carries, filling in for the starting running back, who was out with an injury. In all, Piketon had 325 yards on 42 rushes for an average of 7.7 yards per carry,
 
• The Eastern Eagles of Pike County completed their first ever perfect season and won their first playoff game after hosting a playoff game for the first time in the 2023 season. The Eagles lost eight starters to graduation, including four-year varsity quarterback Dylan Morton, as well as two receivers, a 1,000-yard rusher and four linemen. Despite those losses, the Eagles are off to a 3-0 start with junior quarterback Eric Manley Jr. under center and freshman Jack Montgomery leading the rushing attack.
 
The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association is an organization of 233 high school sports media members from all over the state. This list is compiled by those members. Visit the website at https://www.ohsaa.org/news/OPSWA.

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