Central Ohio high school football: Injuries continue to hinder Grandview Heights
Quarterback Logan Baker isn’t having the season he expected for the Grandview Heights football team.
One of 11 seniors for the Bobcats, Baker suffered a season-ending injury to his right foot in the final minutes of a 20-13 win over Northridge on Sept. 2. Now, he stands on the sideline to support his teammates.
The Bobcats were 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the MSL-Ohio Division before playing Buckeye Valley on Sept. 30. Baker is another in a long line of key injuries that have limited the program the last three seasons. Grandview went 2-7 last fall and 0-9 in 2020.
“It’s definitely hard (being on the sideline during the game) because I want to be out there,” said Baker, a Denison commit. “It’s nice to be there and help other people on the team. I want to be there and help any way I can.”
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Senior tight end Ian Gecse suffered a broken leg in the opening week last year and was relegated to keeping the morale high on the sideline.
“Injuries set us back mentally more than anything else,” said Gecse, who also plays defensive end. “I think every year we have had a serious injury where (someone) has been out for the whole season. It drastically affects how we want the season to go.
“When I was on the sideline, (teammates) could come up and say that they were trying hard for me. Even though I wasn’t out there, the team still wants to succeed and they want to win for me. I know this year, our QB, Logan, is out and we definitely want to win for him.”
In three games, Baker was 27-for-53 passing for 432 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Senior Brody Parsley has taken over, completing 19 of 40 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions before Sept. 30.
Baker’s brother, senior running back Maddox Baker, was the Bobcats’ leading rusher with 317 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries through six games. He also had 14 receptions for 156 yards and one score.
Senior Tristin Pierce has been the deep threat at wide receiver with 14 catches for 362 yards — an average of 24.1 yards per reception — and six touchdowns.
“We have had a rough last few games, but we have been competing against tough teams,” Pierce said. “You can’t give up and hang your head. You are going to have some down times, but you have to keep believing you can win. You have to keep practicing to win.
“People are playing positions that they haven’t played before. That will make us more diverse as a team. Kids can learn more and be able to pay multiple positions at the same time. They can contribute to help us win.”
Senior Jack Rickert, a two-way lineman and three-year starter, said competing on a 35-player roster can be limiting.
“It’s harder with the smaller roster because we don’t have as many people on the depth chart that can step up for us,” he said. “We try to make the best of it and work to prepare the backups for a starting role when they have to step up.
“Staying healthy is a key for us. We’re such a small roster that if we can keep our starters healthy throughout the season we should have success."
Coach Jason Peters said the adversity faced by his seniors, many of whom started as sophomores, has made them into tougher players and better leaders.
“They have grown up a lot,” said Peters, whose team plays host to Columbus Academy on Oct. 7 in a league contest. “A lot of the seniors were playing as sophomores and you look at it and we’re not the best fit in this league. When you throw in playing a bunch of sophomores to boot, you have to grow up and mature. If you throw in COVID and everything like that, it’s hat’s off to them for being the leaders and the positive influence that we have had today.”
Rickert believes the best is yet to come for the Bobcats as the seniors reach the homestretch of their prep careers.
“Losing a lot of games helped us grow and made us work harder in the offseason,” he said. “I think it has bonded us together. We really want to finish well and end this season on a good note.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Injuries continue to hinder Grandview Heights football team
