Go Figure! Number for each Richland County football team that could tell its season's tale
The predictions and speculations are running wild across Richland County.
The barbershops and breakfast restaurants are filled with conversations about how this team is going to do this year or which team is going to make the playoffs over the other teams in the region.
Welcome to Week 1 of high school football. As Thursday night quickly approaches, all of those conversations will come to an end as the first games of the 2022 Richland County high school football season begin and the questions will be answered early and often.
But before we get there, let's take a look at one number per team that can really tell the tale of each team's season this year. Here is this week's Go Figure!
278.3: Number of rushing yards per game for Lucas last season. The Cubs went 10-2, making a run all the way to the regional semifinals before falling to Dalton. It is absolutely no secret what the Cubs love to do on offense, and that is run the football down team's throats. Why is this number so significant? That average was produced behind a veteran offensive line that graduated everyone from last year, so the Cubs will be breaking in an entirely new offensive line in 2022. Lucas has done this in the past and it has continued success over the last decade with eight straight trips to the playoffs, so there is no reason to suspect that the Cubs won't do it again. But the tale of the season will be how the offensive line performs because the skill players are exceptional. Anytime a head coach takes pride in being the offensive line coach as well, you know that position will be well taken care of.
142.6: Number of rushing yards per game for Shelby last season. Surprised, right? The Whippets made program history last season with a high-powered passing attack that racked up 427.3 yards per game through the air and scored 48 touchdowns, but an underrated part of the offense was a run game that eclipsed the 100-yard-per-game mark. The Whippets do return their leading rusher, Skyler Winters, but only return two players with more than five carries total. With a new quarterback and an offensive line that features many new faces, the run game will be essential for the Whippets this season, especially early on. If they can show the ability to pound the football while mixing in the pass, they can keep defenses honest, and that will be the key for them this season.
30: Number of turnovers forced by Mansfield Senior during the 2021 season. The Tygers went 9-3, falling in the second round of the playoffs, and in those nine wins turnovers were the main contributor to their victories. The Tygers need to take the same mentality into 2022 and be on the hunt for turnovers. Mansfield Senior picked off 24 passes and returned three of them for touchdowns, so the defense scored a ton of points for the Tygers last season. With a new quarterback in 2022 and a run game that will be looking to prove itself early on, the Tygers will need that defense to continue to live up to expectations as it has over the last several years in order to give a new-look offense more possessions and a cushion to find itself early in the season. Given the Tygers' schedule, the defense will be relied upon a lot in the first few weeks and it already looks like it is up for the challenge.
49: Number of total points scored in the fourth quarter by Clear Fork during the 2021 season. In the fourth quarter of games last season, the Colts were outscored 81-49, which was by far the biggest deficit for them in any quarter. Another year older, more experienced and athletic, the Colts will look to flip that deficit on its head in 2022 and close out games much stronger than they did last season. The fourth quarter will tell the tale of their season as the Colts enter the year as one of the favorites to compete for a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship. The fourth quarter was the only quarter Clear Fork was outscored in last season, with its best quarter being the second when the Colts outscored opponents 92-64. Clear Fork went 6-5 last season and, with everyone returning on the offensive and defensive line and a plethora of skill players back, the Colts have exactly what it takes to close out games strong and make a deep playoff run.
57.3: Number of passing yards per game for Ontario in 2021. The Warriors found their offense a bit one-dimensional last season thanks to an extremely young roster. But now another year older and more experienced, the offense should find a balanced identity in 2022. It brings back Chase Studer, the only 1,000-yard rusher in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference last season, and a pair of quarterbacks in junior Quinton Frankhouse and Podpegn Miller who spent last season adjusting to the speed of the varsity game. Nearly everyone who caught a pass last season is also back as the receiving corps should no longer be a question mark. If the Warriors can develop a passing game to complement the run, that will tell the tale of their season.
1: Number of passing touchdowns thrown by Madison in 2021. The Rams didn't get much going in the pass game during a winless season, but with new coach Scott Valentine and a reimagined passing attack, the success of the Rams will rely on a balanced offense that will have to include more than one passing touchdown this season. It looks like the Rams will go in with a clear vision of who is playing quarterback as sophomore Cameron Kuhn takes over permanently. He should have a ton of confidence with a veteran offensive line and a coach who knows a thing or two about winning.
26: Number of tackles for loss for Lexington in 2021. The Minutemen defense didn't make many tackles behind the line of scrimmage last season, meaning a lot of its opponents' offensive plays went for positive yards, an average of 4.8 to be exact. For the Minutemen to be successful in 2022, they need to limit those big plays and make things happen in the backfield, especially against teams in the Ohio Cardinal Conference that are bottle rockets just waiting to explode for a big gain. The Minutemen have the size and speed in the trenches to break through the line and limit positive yardage, and that will need to be an emphasis this season.
10: Number of turnovers committed by Crestview in 2021. After going 12-1, that is less than a turnover a game and that is a huge reason why they went 10-0 in the regular season and made it to a regional semifinal game. The Cougars made a living off not turning the ball over, as they only threw three interceptions and lost seven fumbles. Two of those INTs came in the regional semifinal loss to eventual state champion Carey, so limiting turnovers is the Cougars' recipe for success. Crestview brings back its quarterback, Hayden Kuhn, who was as sure-handed as they came last year, and have a stable of running backs who are strong and physical and can hang on to the ball. Turnovers will tell the tale of the Cougars' season again, and if it turns out like anything like last year we could be looking at a regional final appearance.
6: Number of consecutive season-opening wins for Plymouth. But, taking away the COVID 2020 season when the Big Red only played Firelands Conference opponents during the regular season, they have only won one Firelands Conference opener during that span — a 56-29 win over South Central in 2017. The tale of the Big Red's season will not be how fast they start, but how well they can finish when they get into Firelands Conference play. The last time the Big Red posted a conference record of better than .500 was in 2019, when they went 5-2. It was the first time since the 2014 season Plymouth accomplished that feat. So, the narrative of the 2022 season for the Big Red will be how well they can perform from Week 4 on.
jfurr@gannett.com
740-244-9934
Twitter: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Go Figure! Number that will tell the tale of Richland County teams
