Football advance: Oak Harbor, Edison match for top spot in SBC Bay Division
Oak Harbor visits Edison this week as the only teams without a loss in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division.
Margaretta travels to Gibsonburg as one team will earn a seventh victory. The Golden Bears want to remain unbeaten in the SBC River Division entering their matchup at Hopewell-Loudon in Week 10.
More:Oak Harbor's Carson Ridener sets tone for return with five rushing touchdowns
St. Joseph Central Catholic visits Lakota as one program will take its first win in the SBC River Division, and second victory overall. One will also snap a six-game losing skid.
Genoa plays host to Otsego and one team will take its fourth win in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The Comets visit Elmwood in Week 9 and winning the next two weeks, plus a win for the underdog Knights over Eastwood to close the regular season is theoretically Genoa's only path to a crown.
More:St. Joseph Central Catholic's JJ Noriega not alone in juggling multiple positions
The Comets lost by one possession, 34-26 to the Eagles. Eastwood topped the Royals 49-48 last week.
Woodmore travels to Fostoria, where one team will win its first game in the NBC.
Friday's Week 8 games
Lima Senior (3-4, 0-4) at Fremont Ross (5-2, 2-2)
Ross has lost two straight after starting with five wins. Kaden Holmes added an ankle injury to his toe, although he tossed touchdown passes to Owen Shanahan (82 yards) and Anthony Vann in a 28-14 setback to Toledo St. John's in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference last week. Bryson Hammer and Elijah Simms are also injured. St. John's scored off a long punt return as Ross was outscored 14-7 in each half. Mason Villarreal had 20 assists at linebacker, trying to fill the void with Brayden Guhn injured. Lima Senior has allowed at least 42 points and scored no more than 14 in TRAC games. It lost 55-6 to Toledo Whitmer last week. Ross won 54-21 last season.
Sandusky (3-4, 1-1) at Clyde (4-3, 0-2)
Abe Morrison ran in from 50 yards in a 35-7 setback to Tiffin Columbian last week as Clyde fell to an unfamiliar 0-2 in the SBC Lake Division. The Fliers went from making the game interesting to fumbling a near touchdown away in the second half. Sandusky snapped a four-game losing skid with a 45-7 victory over Norwalk last week. Jason Henlon has nine touchdown passes, with six interceptions and Maurice Armstrong has nine touchdowns on the ground. Clyde won 33-14 last season.
Willard (4-3, 0-2) at Port Clinton (4-3, 1-1)
Dagan Meyers rushed for 138 yards and four scores, including one covering 60 yards, on 13 tries in a 41-0 shutout of Vermilion last week. Cam Gillum completed 19-of-25 passes for 208 yards, including a touchdown to Meech Skoufos. Gillum added a score on the ground. Port Clinton responded to each of its losses with a win. Gillum has six touchdowns rushing and 11 touchdowns passing, including five to Adam Thorbahn. Meyers has 606 yards and 10 touchdowns on 67 carries. Willard has lost two straight after four consecutive wins. It has scored at least 35 points in every game but allowed an average of 61 in two games in the SBC Bay Division. Isaac Robinson has 2,446 yards and 30 touchdowns passing with eight interceptions. Austin Parsons has eight touchdowns rushing. Cam Robinson, Carson Hamons and Carson Cinninger each have at least 29 receptions and five touchdowns apiece. Hamons and Cinninger are also leaders on defense. Port Clinton won 49-7 last season.
Margaretta (6-1, 2-1) at Gibsonburg (6-1, 2-0)
Gibsonburg has won its last six games. All of its remaining games are in the SBC River Division. Connor Smith rushed for 341 yards and six touchdowns on 22 carries in a 55-7 victory over Monroeville last week. The only Golden Bear to rush for six scores in one game, he's done it three times in his career. His scoring runs included 62, 51, 30 and 29 yards. Daniel Frost added a touchdown run and Antonio Salazar added 107 yards on 12 totes. Smith has 1,976 yards and 28 touchdowns rushing. Judah Keller rushed for a score and Gage Bodey caught a touchdown from Cam Sosa in Margaretta's 15-9 victory over Lakota last week. The Polar Bears shut out Western Reserve and Tiffin Calvert, and they're the only team to beat Ottawa Hills. Margaretta allowed nine points or fewer in two other games. Jake Boggs has 11 touchdowns rushing. The game was canceled because of the coronavirus last season.
Oak Harbor (6-1, 2-0) at Edison (5-2, 2-0)
Oak Harbor spends the week preparing for Edison's triple-option run offense. The Rockets have won five straight games. Carson Ridener rushed for a touchdown and then caught the game-winning conversion pass from Mike Lalonde in a 29-28 overtime victory against Huron last week. Jaqui Hayward caught a touchdown pass and rushed for a score and Judson Overmyer caught a touchdown pass. Oak Harbor failed to generate points on three trips inside the red zone, not including a blocked field goal, and Huron capitalized on an errant punt snap to flip the field, preventing the Rockets' dominance on offense from translating to the scoreboard. Oak Harbor was 10-of-18 on third down and 2-of-5 on fourth down, although Huron was 4-of-8 on third down. The Rockets lost only to Genoa, 28-25. Hayden Buhro has 10 rushing touchdowns and Ridener has six in two games. Edison has won its last three games, including 13-7 over Port Clinton and 56-49 over Willard last week. Marcus Medina has tossed seven interceptions with two touchdowns this season. Several players have multiple touchdowns on the ground. Oak Harbor lost 21-20 in overtime last season.
Woodmore (1-6, 0-4) at Fostoria (0-7, 0-4)
Woodmore lost 63-7 to Rossford last week. Fostoria hasn't scored more than 14 points in any game. It lost 49-13 to Otsego last week. The Wildcats haven't scored more than 13 points, although they beat SJCC 7-0. Woodmore lost 8-7 last season.
Tiffin Columbian (6-1, 2-0) at Bellevue (5-2, 1-1)
Ty Ray caught a touchdown pass from Jax LaPata in Bellevue's 21-6 setback to Perkins last week, breaking a four-game win streak. Columbian has scored at least 35 points in each of six straight wins and allowed an average of 6.5 points in two Lake Division games. Brayden Roggow has 1,112 yards and 15 touchdowns passing. Damien Brockington has 1,067 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing. Brady Gooding has nine touchdown catches and Jack Koerper has 30 catches. Bellevue won 42-12 last season.
SJCC (1-6, 0-2) at Lakota (1-6, 0-3)
Each of SJCC's remaining games is in the SBC River Division. Jackson Wright scored a touchdown in SJCC's 64-14 setback to Hopewell-Loudon last week. Ben Yount intercepted a pass. Nick Anderson has 10 touchdown passes and Wright has seven scoring receptions. Cody Biddle tossed a touchdown for Lakota last week. Raiders coach Mike Lento graduated from SJCC. Lakota won 37-0 last season.
Otsego (5-2, 3-1) at Genoa (4-3, 3-1)
Each team has won its last two games. Aiden Brunkhorst tossed touchdown passes to three different receivers as Genoa christened Jim Firestone Field at GenoaBank Stadium with a 41-0 shutout of Lake last week. Mason Drummond, Denver Stewart and Austin Teet each caught a scoring pass. Aidan Antry rushed for two scores and Robert Messenger had one. Otsego hasn't allowed more than 21 points in any game, including a 49-13 victory over Fostoria last week. Genoa lost 36-21 last season.
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Football advance: Gibsonburg works to remain unbeaten in SBC River
