OPSMA High School Football Notebook: Week 9

COLUMBUS – The high school football season has reached the final week of the regular season. Here are the top performances from Week 9.
 
• The Lucas Cubs beat Lakota 46-9 in a must-win game if they wanted to control their own playoff destiny. The Cubs ran for 390 yards on 47 carries and threw for 23 yards on two completions to roll to a victory. Dan Hockensmith ran for 109 yards on 12 carries while Zac Winters added 22 yards receiving and Bobby Grover threw for 23 yards. The Cubs can clinch an 11th straight playoff berth Friday against Whiteford.
 
• The Clear Fork Colts kept their playoff hopes alive with a huge 41-7 win over Highland when they piled up 339 yards of total offense. Marcus Hoeflich had his best game of the season at quarterback going 11-for-13 for 225 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 18 yards on seven carries. Mason Sansom had 30 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns while Brayden Hayed had 22 yards and a score and Black Schlosser added 17 yards and a TD. Devyn Oswalt caught four passes for 96 yards and a score and Jay Jackson had four catches for 78 yards and a TD. The Colts improve to 3-6 and host River Valley in Week 10 with a chance to clinch a playoff spot.
 
• The Crestview Cougars needed their big 28-8 win over Western Reserve on Friday night. Liam Kuhn led the Cougars going 9-for-14 for 159 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Karter Goon led the Cougars with three catches for 82 yards and a score while Tyson Ringler caught four passes for 49 yards and a TD and Gavin Barker caught a 20-yard TD strike. Ayden Reymer ran for 82 yards on 15 carries and Barker had two carries for six yards and a TD. Ringler led the way defensively with nine total tackles and an interception while Goon had eight tackles with two going for a loss with two sacks and Logan Friges had seven tackles with two TFLs. Joe Kososky and Dylan Burge had one interception apiece. Crestview (4-5, 4-2) hosts Mapleton in Week 10, where a win gives them a good chance at a playoff spot.
 
• The Lexington Minutemen kept their Ohio Cardinal Conference title hopes alive with a 14-7 win over Madison where Joe Caudill connected with Markale Martin on a 33-yard pass play to score the game-winning TD with 12 seconds left in the game. Caudill completed 19-of-35 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown while also running for 67 yards on 18 carries. Seven Allen caught eight passes for 55 yards while Gage Powell had four catches for 33 yards and Brayden Fogle had three for 30. Camden Boozer scored the first touchdown for Lex on a 1-yard run. The Lexington defense played lights out with three interceptions. Lexington heads to Ashland in Week 10, where a win would clinch a share of the Ohio Cardinal Conference championship.
 
• The game of the year in Richland County lived up to the hype when Shelby knocked off Ontario 50-36 in the battle of unbeatens. The win clinched the 30th league championship in Shelby football history and it happened behind one of the best individual performances of the season from quarterback Brayden DeVito who completed 20-of-27 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns while running for 174 yards on 23 attempts with four more scores. Brady Bowman had 12 catches for 139 yards and a score while Nic Eyster added four catches for 124 yards and a TD. Michael Shepherd also caught a touchdown pass. On the other side, Ontario’s Bodpegn Miller put up an insane performance going, 9-for-12 passing for 81 yards and running for 282 yards and two touchdowns while also collecting two interceptions and six tackles on defense. Shelby travels to Pleasant on Friday in search of its first 10-0 regular season since 2017.
 
• Maria Stein Marion Local tied the OHSAA record for consecutive wins with a 21-0 win over Minster for their 57th straight victory. The win ties Marion Local with fellow Midwest Athletic Conference member Delphos St. John's, which had its streak from 1996 to 2000. Marion Local's last loss came on Nov. 6, 2020 in the Division VI regional final to New Bremen. The last regular season loss was Oct. 18, 2019 to Minster. Coincidently, St. John's streak was snapped by Marion Local in the Division VI state semifinal. Minster coach Seth Whiting's father, Vic Whiting, was head coach at St. John's when its streak began. The win by Marion Local sets up a winner-take-all game at Coldwater for the MAC championship this Friday. The Cavaliers are also 9-0 after beating Versailles 52-14. Miles Pottkotter and Owen Kunk each had an interception return touchdowns in the victory.
 
• Celina's Cohen Harter had a 100-yard interception return touchdown in Celina's 28-6 win at Defiance.
 
• Galion (6-3, 3-3) ran the ball for 395 yards in a 42-34 win over MOAC rival River Valley. The emergence of recently installed quarterback Ayden Schmidt paid huge dividends. Schmidt, a 155-pound junior, passed for 109 yards and two scores and ran it 11 times for 210 yards. His runs of 83 and 70 yards for scores in the fourth quarter opened up a 28-13 game and kept Galion in good position to host a home playoff game in two weeks. Braxton Stuckman, who added 147 yards on the ground, got the Tigers on the board first with a 7-yard blast. River Valley (5-4, 3-3) relied on its 5-wide offense as quarterback Chase Ebert connected on 27-of-46 passes for 276 yards. His top target was Kolton Lang with 98 yards on seven catches. Eli Snyder added 61 yards on six receptions.
 
• Shane Cole and Parker Johnson combined for 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Centerville’s 28-10 win over Springboro. Cole had 131 of those yards and one of the TDs, while Johnson found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to help the Elks pull away.
 
• Hunter Derr ran for 191 yards and a touchdown in leading Miamisburg to a 30-27 win over Northmont, the Vikings first Greater Western Ohio Conference win of the season. Keith Henry also carried the rock for 63 yards and two touchdowns for Miamisburg.
 
• With its win over Springfield last week, Fairmont is primed to at least share the Greater Western Ohio Conference championship with a win over Beavercreek this week. The Firebirds have never won a GWOC title, according to information on the league’s website.
 
• Tristan Smith scored on an 8-yard run in double overtime to rally Valley View past Brookville, 27-21. Smith had an earlier touchdown in the third quarter that tied the game at 14-14. He ran for 45 yards on 10 carries in the game.
 
• Luke Richards ran in the game-winning touchdown from 3 yards away in overtime to lift Carlisle past Madison 38-35. It was the first and only carry of the game for Richards.
 
• Blake Lawson had a combined 225 yards rushing and receiving with one touchdown each as the Indians beat Madison 38-35 in overtime. Lawson rushed for 116 yards and had 109 receiving yards.
 
• Sophomore quarterback Kolby Morgerson completed 13-of-18 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in Carlisle’s overtime victory over Madison.
 
• West Carrollton’s Avante Pollard threw for 134 yards and a touchdown and also ran the ball for 85 yards and a score in the Pirates' loss to Vandalia Butler.
 
• Brody O’Banion ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns in leading Edgewood to a shutout win over Franklin, 21-0. It was the Cougars first Southwestern Buckeye League win of the season.
 
• Madison ran the ball for 430 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort to Carlisle. Kaleb Miller was the main workhorse with 26 carries for 202 yards. Kody Clark was the Mohawks' scoring machine with three touchdowns and 154 yards rushing.
 
• Gracen Goldsmith recorded his fourth consecutive multi-touchdown game running for three scores and 153 yards in Hamilton’s 38-0 win over Colerain. Goldsmith has vaulted into the rushing lead with 1,235 yards in the Greater Miami Conference. He is also the leader in touchdowns with 19.
 
• Visiting Newark trailed Reynoldsburg 20-7 at halftime, but rallied for a 21-20 victory, assuring the Wildcats of their first winning season since 2005.
 
• Heath is currently 4-5, and in its 4 victories has scored 201 points, scoring 50, 50, 51 and 50 points. In their 5 losses, the Bulldogs have scored a total of 78 points.
 
• Licking Valley sophomore quarterback Brody Rodgers was nearly perfect, hitting on 16-of-18 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-14 win at Mount Vernon.
 
• Van Wert trailed Kenton 38-17 early in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars exploded for four touchdowns and rallied for an incredible 45-44 victory on Friday. The Cougars made up the difference on touchdown passes from Briston Wise to Nate Gearhart and Xavier Kelly, plus touchdown runs by Wise and Kelly. Van Wert also forced a pair of fourth quarter fumbles that contributed to the win and Kelly, a freshman, preserved the win by intercepting Kenton quarterback Korbin Johnston at the 1-yard line with 39 seconds left. Wise finished the night 20-of-34 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while logging 26 carries for 140 yards and three more scores. Kelly had 83 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown, five tackles and the game-saving interception.
 
• Junior quarterback Caleb Moyer, who scored all seven touchdowns in Wapakoneta's 48-20 win over Lima Bath, went 14 of 16 through the air for 193 yards with touchdown passes to Kaden Page (15 yards) and Grant Stauffer (43 yards). He was also the team’s leading rusher with 138 yards and five touchdowns on 11 carries, including a 91-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Page, who set the school record for most receiving yards in a season with 951, had seven receptions totaling 81 yards. Defensively, Jarrett Mullen, Stauffer, Braylon Walter, Brody Presar and Grant Houser tallied five-plus tackles enroute to the Redskins' eighth outright Western Buckeye League Championship in school history.
 
• Xenia quarterback Gavin McManus rewrote the record books during a 48-6 win at Greenville. McManus set the new OHSAA record for consecutive completions made at 40 spanning three games. He broke the school single game TD pass record with six in the contest, and in the process also became the school's career TD pass record holder with 51.
 
• Cedarville's Colt Coffey had 146 yards rushing, led his squad with 12 total tackles on defense, and caught the game winning touchdown pass in the final minutes of an 8-7 win for the Indians at Greenon.
 
• Riley Ferrin made three field goals, including a career best 51 yards, and the Bellbrook defense got its fifth shutout in six games to secure a 31-0 win at Oakwood.
 
• Beavercreek unofficially qualified for the OHSAA playoffs in a non-COVID affected season for the first time in school history. The Beavers had been the only team left out of Region 2 in the past two seasons.
 
• Nelsonville-York's Austin Gautier rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, and Cameron Sullivan completed 8-of-14 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns, in the Buckeyes' 39-12 Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division victory over Vinton County. The 7-2 Buckeyes host undefeated Athens on Friday night for the TVC-Ohio championship.
 
• The Fairland Dragons captured at least a share of their first Ohio Valley Conference championship since 2013 with a 36-8 victory over Coal Grove on Friday night.
 
• Rock Hill's Anthony Stamper set a program season rushing record with 1,343 yards.
 
• Ironton scored 42 points on only nine plays in the first quarter of a 49-10 now non-league victory over visiting Gallia Academy. The running clock rule was requested by Gallia Academy in the first quarter as a result. This is Ironton's first year out of the Ohio Valley Conference for football only, of which the Fighting Tigers won the final five championships of their years in the league.
 
• The Franklin Furnace Green Bobcats, which were forced to cancel their Southern Ohio Conference Division I game at South Gallia in week 8, defeated the visiting Sciotoville East Tartans 21-12 in an SOC I game on Thursday night. The loss snapped the Bobcats' six-game losing streak, as their only other win this season was a 42-0 victory over visiting Federal Hocking in the season opener. The win also ended the Bobcats' 12-game SOC I losing streak - dating back to Sept. 23 of 2022.
 
• McDermott Northwest senior running back Carter Runyon rushed for 195 yards and five touchdowns on 25 carries, in the Mohawks' 49-40 Southern Ohio Conference Division II shootout win over visiting Waverly. All 462 of the Mohawks' total yards came on the ground.
 
• Portsmouth West senior running back Mason Parker rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, in the Senators' 57-13 Southern Ohio Conference Division II win at Oak Hill. The Senators host defending SOC II champion Wheelersburg on Friday night for the SOC II championship.
 
• Portsmouth Notre Dame junior quarterback Ethan Kingrey completed 10-of-25 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, in the Titans' 26-22 Southern Ohio Conference Division I win over Symmes Valley. He also recovered the blocked punt which set up the Titans' go-ahead and game-winning touchdown.
 
• Behind a strong night offensively and defensively, the Piketon Redstreaks defeated the Adena Warriors 40-16. Piketon senior running back Buddy Wilson led the charge on the ground with 189 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries. Wilson, who sat out two games due to an injury has piled up 929 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games. Defensively, Piketon senior Mason Thacker picked off an Adena pass in the end zone for a 101-yard pick-6 touchdown. The Redstreaks are 6-3 and will host the Westfall Mustangs to wrap up the regular season Friday night.
 
• In a game that featured all offense and not much defense, the Waverly Tigers suffered a 49-40 defeat at the hands of the Northwest Mohawks Friday night. Despite the loss, Waverly senior receiver Kody Swords had a huge game, securing 10 receptions for 188 yards and four touchdowns. Senior quarterback Mason Kelly was 17-27 with 282 passing yards and five touchdowns. The other touchdown thrown by Kelly belonged to senior Mason Pollard, who hauled one in for 51 yards. The Tigers will host Cincinnati Mount Healthy to wrap up the regular season this week.
 
• The Eastern Eagles of Pike County won a defensive slugfest at South Gallia Friday night, 13-12. Eastern is currently 9-0 and is looking for a second straight perfect 10-0 season, despite losing their quarterback, running back, four offensive linemen and two receivers, including school-record holder Jace White, to graduation. Friday's win over South Gallia was the 21st-straight regular-season victory. The Eagles haven't lost a regular-season game since Oct. 2022.
 
• McConnelsville Morgan senior Brylee Shannon booted a school-record eight extra points in the Raiders' 62-7 victory at Warsaw River View, breaking the old mark of seven.
 
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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