OPSWA State Football Notebook: Marion-area produces final week results
COLUMBUS ― The fastest 10 weeks of the year are officially finished and that means only one thing: It’s playoff time!
Before we turn the page to the postseason, let’s check out some of the best high school football performances from around the state in Week 10 with this week’s Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association High School Football Notebook:
∎ Marion Harding's Trinity Keith produced 120 yards and a 76-yard touchdown run and Lem Reynolds added 101 yards in a 30-26 win over Pleasant. It was Harding’s first win of the season.
∎ River Valley's Cayden Shidone threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 103 yards and three more scores in a 56-49 loss to Galion. Shidone hit on 22-of-40 pass attempts with his chief target being Grant Butler with 9 catches for 231 yards and a pair of scores. Galion's Gabe Ivy ran for 330 yards on 34 carries and four TDs in the win.
∎ Ridgedale's Nathan Thiel recorded 17 tackles, three interceptions with one for a touchdown, plus caught six passes for 55 yards and a TD in a 26-20 overtime win over Perry.
∎ Elgin's Breckin Dugan only ran it seven times, but came away with 172 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-14 win over Crestline.
∎ Mount Gilead's Judah Reid produced 12 tackles with four sacks and three tackles for loss in a 44-13 win over Cardington that gave the Indians (6-4) their first winning season since going 7-3 in 2004. Quarterback Matthew Bland ran for 177 yards and four touchdowns and threw for a TD, while Garrett George also ran for 177 yards and a score. Mount Gilead will be playing in the playoffs for the first time in school history.
∎ Clear Fork held Highland, a team coming into Week 10 averaging 274.7 rushing yards per game, to just 79 rushing yards during a 42-7 Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship win. The Colts laid claim to the outright MOAC title for the first time since going back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 and did it behind the dominating defensive effort. On the flip side, the Colts ran for 294 yards on 44 attempts as Pawie Ault led the way with 144 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns. The Colts are 9-1 heading into the playoffs.
∎ In the first half of Crestview’s 47-16 win over Mapleton, the Cougars scored a touchdown on every offensive possession, nailed every extra point attempt and allowed zero passing yards for the well-rounded effort. After just 24 minutes of game time, the Cougars already owned a 35-0 lead as they clinched their third consecutive Firelands Conference championship. With the win, the Cougars completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season and pushed their regular season winning streak to 21 games. Senior defensive end Owen Barker broke the career sacks record with 25.5 when he added a couple in Week 10.
∎ Ontario stunned Shelby by scoring 21 unanswered points over the final two minutes of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter as a 32-yard pass play from Bodpegn Miller to Dylan Floyd was the game-winner with 29 seconds left in the game. With the win, the Warriors clinched a winning season and a playoff berth, finishing the season on a three-game winning streak.
∎ Marion Local wrapped up a perfect regular season and an outright Midwest Athletic Conference title with a 35-0 win over Coldwater in a battle of teams that were top-ranked in their respective divisions. Marion, ranked No. 1 in Division VII, held the Division V No. 1-ranked Cavaliers to just 91 yards of total offense. Darren Meier scored four of the Flyers’ five touchdowns and recovered a fumble that led to a score. Coldwater, who lost starting quarterback Marcel Blasingame in a Week 9 win over Versailles, struggled to get moving with receiver Braylen Harlamert taking the snaps at quarterback for the first full game. The game was highly anticipated for the battle for the MAC title, but fans were hoping to get into the 50/50 drawing. The winner of the 50/50 took home $11,687.
∎ The Mansfield Senior Tygers overcame a slow start in the 57th Battle for Mansfield, knocking off Madison 37-13. The offense piled up 407 total yards with 188 on the ground and 219 through the air for the most well-rounded offensive performance of the season. Junior quarterback Duke Reese was sensational going 12 of 19 passing for 219 yards and three touchdowns to three difference receivers. He also added 54 yards and a fourth touchdown on the ground.
∎ Xenia's Trei'Shaun Sanders ran for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in a 34-0 win at Sidney to complete a 10-0 campaign for the Bucs. The Xenia record book shows 1902 as the only other team which had an undefeated regular season or reached 10 wins in school history. Tremell Wright also went over 1,000 yards receiving, marking the first time Xenia has had a 1,000-yard passer (Gavin McManus), rusher (Sanders) and receiver (Wright) during the same season.
∎ Myles Vordemark had 23 tackles for Sidney in the loss to Xenia. He enters the playoffs having made 163 total tackles this season.
∎ Cedarville's Colt Coffey had a career-high 140 yards rushing to help the Indians beat Madison Plains 49-26 and finish .500 for the first time in eight seasons. Peyton Smith of Madison Plains in a losing effort caught five passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, as well as also getting an interception while playing defense.
∎ Coal Grove senior running back Chase Hall rushed for 255 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries and completed his only pass attempt for a 52-yard touchdown in the Hornets’ 56-28 win over Rock Hill. Hall had also an interception and fumble recovery on defense. With Friday night’s rushing performance, he set the new Coal Grove single-season rushing record with 2,219 yards and 36 touchdowns on 248 carries.
∎ Ironton senior quarterback Tayden Carpenter completed 12 of 17 passes for 189 yards and six touchdowns, as senior wideout Ty Perkins caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns, in the Fighting Tigers’ 42-7 win at Portsmouth on Friday night. The Fighting Tigers completed the regular season a perfect 10-0 and are the outright Ohio Valley Conference champions for the fourth consecutive season.
∎ Portsmouth West junior Jeffery Bishop caught a 38-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass on the first half’s final play, made the interception before the Senators’ go-ahead second-half scoring drive, and collected eight tackles in the team's 14-7 win over Wheelersburg. West won its first Southern Ohio Conference Division II championship since 2008, defeated Wheelersburg for the first time since 2011 to snap a 13-game losing streak to the Pirates and became the first Scioto County team to defeat Wheelersburg since Lucasville Valley did so in 2013.
∎ Franklin Furnace Green junior Nathaniel Brannigan rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries in the Bobcats’ 41-26 Southern Ohio Conference Division I road loss at Beaver Eastern.
∎ Tri-Valley quarterback Max Lyall and wide receiver Ashton Sensibaugh set single-game school records in a 41-7 rout of John Glenn. Lyall threw for a new mark of 434 yards on 17-of-22 passing along with six TDs, and Sensibaugh hauled in six catches, three for scores, for a school record 250 yards.
∎ Justin Munyan had a career-high 226 rushing yards and scored twice in Sheridan’s 31-20 win over rival New Lexington.
∎ Talon Preston accounted for nearly 200 yards and three TDs to lead Philo into the playoffs with a 28-14 win against Maysville.
∎ Logan Niceswanger finished with 200 yards passing and tossed four TDs, and Kole Searl had 11 catches for 109 yards with a score in Morgan’s 47-0 rout of Crooksville.
∎ Ty Shawger churned up 240 yards and four scores to lead West Muskingum past Meadowbrook 54-14.
∎ Brody Zemba totaled 200 yards on 20 carries and found the end zone twice, as Rosecrans defeated Miller 43-13 to reach the postseason.
∎ Jamal Watts scored four times in the second half and finished with 156 yards on 12 carries to highlight River View’s 41-12 victory against Coshocton.
∎ In nine of the last 10 seasons, McComb and Liberty-Benton have met in Week 10. In eight of those nine years, either an outright Blanchard Valley Conference championship, or at least a piece of the title, was on the line, and it was again Friday when McComb, 9-1 overall, came away with a 39-16 win to wrap up an undefeated 7-0 run through the league. Liberty-Benton (7-3) needed a win to claim a share of the title but ended up 5-2 in the league.
∎ Findlay’s Dallas DeLaCruz hadn’t started at quarterback since seventh grade, but with four-star recruit Ryan Montgomery held out as a precautionary measure and back-up Brady Allen out with a broken arm. DeLaCruz stepped in, completed 8-of-9 passes, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the Trojans’ 32-0 win over Lima Senior.
∎ Carey beat Seneca East 56-12 Friday to complete its first 10-0 regular season since 1994. It was also the 25th consecutive win for the defending Division VI state champs.
∎ In Lakewood St. Edward’s 41-20 win against Akron Hoban, matching the top-ranked teams in Division I and II from last week’s AP state poll, Hoban senior running back Lamar Sperling still managed 157 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries against the stingy Eagles defense. That puts him at 2,089 yards and 31 TDs on the season. As for how St. Edward won, the Eagles gained 318 yards on the ground and 436 yards in total offense.
∎ A year after setting Medina’s single-season receiving record, senior Brennen Schramm passed that Friday with his nine-catch, 137-yard performance with four TDs — all in the first half — in the Bees’ 48-7 win against. Solon. Schramm had 82 receptions for 1,333 yards and 14 TDs last year, including the playoffs. This year, he already has 84 receptions for 1,193 yards and 14 scores. Schramm also is Medina County’s career receiving record holder with 194 receptions. Meanwhile, junior quarterback Danny Stoddard threw for 399 yards with six TDs as the Bees repeated as outright Greater Cleveland Conference champions. He also overtook Drew Allar for the Medina County TD passing record, now with 49. Allar had 48 last year with 4,444 yards. Stoddard is sitting at 3,887 yards entering the playoffs.
∎ Jayvon Williams of Parma Heights Holy Name rushed for 206 yards to rally the Green Wave past Elyria Catholic, 42-25, to take the Great Lakes Conference championship. The senior quarterback also threw two TD passes before a 54-yard run that clinched it..
∎ Marco Cirigliano of Columbia Station Columbia scored the Raiders’ touchdown in the second overtime and then ran in the winning 2-point conversion for a 29-28 win against Firelands to take the Lorain County League title and remain undefeated. Cirigliano finished with 182 yards on 37 carries.
∎ Jason Mackey of Painesville Riverside rushed for 239 yards and a score on 24 carries in the Beavers’ 44-27 win at Willoughby South.
∎ Cody Miller of North Royalton rushed for 236 yards and four TDs on 30 carries to pace the Bears’ 30-0 win against Brecksville-Broadview Heights.
∎ Josiah Saulters, a senior at Warrensville Heights, scored three times Saturday in the Tigers’ 42-26 win at Cleveland Central Catholic. He gained 240 all-purpose yards on 10 touches, scoring in the run game, pass game and on a kick return. It marked Warrensville’s first win of the season.
∎ Running back Kyle Snider became Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s all-time TDs leader with 107 yards and two scores on 10 carries in the Royals’ 48-14 win against Akron Manchester. He has 63 TDs for his career.
∎ Ending their storied rivalry against Perrysburg when Maumee enters the Northern Buckeye Conference next season, Panthers quarterback Kyle Arndt threw for 158 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 117 yards on 14 carries as the Yellow Jackets beat Maumee 52-21. Maumee had been a charter member of the Northern Lakes League but will enter the NBC next school year as schools in northwest Ohio shuffle their league affiliations.
∎ Rootstown senior running back Cody Coontz has set three school records this season: Single-game rushing: 41 carries for 375 yards in a Week 8 win over Grand Valley; Single-season rushing: 2,148 yards (and counting since Rootstown qualified for the playoffs); Career rushing: 3,104 yards (and counting)
∎ Mogadore football plays its 100th all-time playoff game on Friday night. They are currently 67-32 all-time in the playoffs. They are undefeated in home playoff games at 24-0. They are making their 25th consecutive playoff appearance. Mogadore won its 44th league championship on Friday with a 34-14 victory over Rootstown.
∎ The Garrettsville Garfield G-Men had a streak of 22 consecutive regular-season wins snapped this year. The streak lasted from Oct. 25, 2019 through Aug. 26, 2022. It is the fourth-longest regular-season win streak in Portage County high school football history.
∎ Alex Ritzie threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns in leading Badin, the top-ranked team in Division III, to a third consecutive undefeated regular season and third straight Greater Catholic League Coed conference title. All three touchdown passes went to Braedyn Moore, who hauled in 10 catches for 151 yards in a 42-7 win over McNicholas on Saturday afternoon. Carter Russo also ran for 123 yards and a touchdown for the Rams.
∎ Lodi Cloverleaf captured its first league championship since 1971 with a 41-6 victory at Akron Springfield. The Colts shared the Metro Athletic Conference with defending champion Norton and Woodridge.
∎ Tyler Mrakuzic had seven catches for a school-record 218 yards and three touchdowns, as well as five carries for 65 yards and two TDs — he also recovered two fumbles — to lead Sullivan Black River past Wellington 41-12. Eric Groesser threw for a school-record 326 yards.
∎ Medina Highland completed the fifth perfect regular season in school history with a 63-0 shutout of Copley, which entered play averaging 38.1 points. The Hornets have allowed only 43 points and 1,255 yards this season.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: OPSWA State Football Notebook: Marion-area produces final week results
