Week 7 preview: Morgan, New Lex have Small School title in sight
Another big game in the Muskingum Valley League's Small School Division headlines the Week 7 high school football slate.
League-leading New Lexington (5-1, 2-0) visits McConnelsville to take on a Morgan (4-2, 1-0) squad needing to bounce back from a loss at Tri-Valley. Both teams are unbeaten in the division, but the winner takes command of first place with three weeks remaining.
Other games on tap include Sheridan (5-1, 2-0 MVL-Big) hosting Philo (3-3, 0-1), Tri-Valley (5-1, 1-0) welcoming River View (3-3, 1-1) and Maysville (3-3, 0-1) visiting John Glenn (2-4, 0-1) in Big School play, while West Muskingum (4-2, 1-1 MVL-Small) visits Crooksville (0-6, 0-1) and Coshocton (0-6, 0-2) travels to Meadowbrook (1-5, 0-1) in the Small School Division.
Zanesville (3-3, 0-1 LCL-Buckeye) visits Licking Heights (4-2, 1-0) in Licking County League-Buckeye Division play, while Rosecrans (1-5) hosts Lancaster Fisher Catholic (0-6) in the Mid-State League-Cardinal Division.
New Lexington coach Kevin Board said the game is substantial because it is directly linked to the team's primary goals of winning the division and reaching the playoffs. In this case, a win would be another step toward hosting a first-round game in Division IV, Region 15.
New Lex is in seventh in the region and Morgan is 11th.
"This is one where me as a coach, this is one of the opportunities we missed last year," Board said. "They came to our place and beat us on our field and lost a game we never should have lost. There is a sense of urgency. It's an important game for us, but it's not like we're trying to play it up like it's the Super Bowl or something."
Both teams have already faced high-pressure games.
Morgan hosted Sheridan and traveled to Tri-Valley, the co-leaders in the Big School Division, while New Lex hosted Maysville, won at a desperate John Glenn team coming off two straight losses and played in raucous environments against West Muskingum and Tri-Valley.
This one figures to be no different.
"It will be a really fun environment for the kids, just like West M was," Board said. "This one is a little different with Morgan being a small town that hasn't seen the success they've seen (this year) in a while. The town is coming out to check and see what they're all about, not just the parents and the loyal fans."
Morgan coach Chase Bowman echoed those sentiments. He said after their emotional loss to Sheridan that Morgan County "is a whole lot different down here when football is good." The same can be said at New Lex, one of proudest football fan bases anywhere in the MVL.
"It's an exciting opportunity for our kids," Bowman said. "We've put a lot of work in the past few years to have the chance to play in a game like this. I have no doubt it will be an awesome atmosphere, and whomever comes out on top will have earned it. It will be a tough challenge, which is what makes it exciting to be a part of."
The game features some of the area's top individual players. New Lex quarterback Lukas Ratliff is the area's top passer with 1,366 yards and 9 touchdowns, while running back Hunter Rose is the MVL's top rusher with 725 yards on 90 carries (8.0 average) with 11 TDs.
Morgan has multidimensional Carson Copeland, who has 510 yards rushing and 227 yards on 19 catches, along with an MVL-best 41.5-yard punting average. He also leads the team with 40 tackles and handles placekicking duties. Senior receiver Kole Searl has 29 catches for 387 yards, which ranks fourth in the MVL.
Bowman said his team didn't play well enough defensively at Tri-Valley and lamented the 18-13 loss to Sheridan, but overall is encouraged by his team's overall play.
He said to be 4-2 with the stretch run in front of them is an exciting opportunity.
"I love how hard the kids have been playing," Bowman said. "Even through times when we may not have been executing particularly well, our kids have played hard and competed their butts off all year."
∙ Along with that game, Sheridan is holding its Hall of Fame night when Philo visits. The 1987 State Runner-Up Football Team, along with Bailey Lotozo and Joey Palumbo will be recognized.
The 1987 Generals set a school record with 13 wins on their way to winning the MVL and finishing one win shy of the Division III title.
Lotozo was a MVL Player of the year and an All-Ohio honoree in volleyball. The three-time All-MVL selection helped Kentucky Christian win a national title and was a three-time All-American between her time at Kentucky Christian and West Virginia Tech.
Palumbo won 10 MVL titles between cross country and track and qualified nine times for the state meet between cross country and track. He was also a seven-time district champion in cross country and track and finished as a three-time All-Ohioan in cross country. He was also a four-year letter winner in cross country and track at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Week 7 preview: Morgan, New Lex have Small School title in sight
