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Ontario
Has to Contain Whippets Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Aaron Eckert
Ontario versus Shelby, the sequel, is Friday night at Arlin Field in
Mansfield in the division IV regional semifinals.
Here’s hoping it’s better than Rocky II.
Ontario (11-1) was very good last week in humbling Clyde (38-7) in
the quarterfinals.
Coach Aaron Eckert says they were ready to play.
“I thought we played extremely well. I
think the kids had a great week of practice leading up to that game and then
went out and executed the game plan I thought that was really well done by
our offensive and defensive staffs. At
the end of the day, were at home and we said were not we're not done playing
yet. We wanted to keep playing
football and here we are playing week 13,” he said.
Shelby beat Ontario (50-36) on week nine of the regular season and
with it went the title in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
It was the only time the Warrior varsity allowed more than two scores
in a game.
Eckert says they can’t blow coverages or allow gaps or Shelby will
exploit them. “It starts with
being aligned right. Last game
we did not get aligned all of the time and they hurt us.
They have arguably the best player in the area, it’s either Bodpegn
(Miller) or (Brayden) DeVito. With
a kid like that, if you don't align right he takes advantage of it.
If you misalignment secondary he's going to find you.
So, we've got to be sound in how we get aligned and what we do in
terms of how aggressive we are. At
the end of the day, I think the tougher team wins this game.
Last game we put ourselves in a chance to win.
We're winning in the fourth quarter and weren’t able to get it
done. So, we're going to take
and learn from it and get better this week,” said Eckert.
Eckert says their goal is to contain DeVito.
“Anybody you play you try to make them one dimensional.
What makes it so tough when you play a quarterback like DeVito is
that he is their running and their passing.
So, if you try to bottle them up in the run game and not let him
scramble around, he can hurt you with his arm.
In the same way if you put a bunch of people in the secondary, he’s
just going to run all over you,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
afternoon, “Shelby does a nice job of putting him in positions to be
successful. So, what you're
trying to do is trying to contain him because you're not going to stop him,
it's just not realistic in high school football with them.
We hope to do a better job of containing him and kind of trying to
keep them bottled up the best we can.”
Arlin Field has been a great playoff setting over the year and Eckert
says Friday night will be no different.
“We're both less than 15 minutes away from the from the stadium
itself. Both communities butt up
to that community. So, in terms
of where it's at I think it's great for the game.
It's close, it's good for the area, a lot of people might stop over.
Mansfield Senior’s got a huge stadium so there will be a lot of
people there. It's good because
you've got two of the best teams in North Central Ohio squaring off against
each other with chance to go to the regional finals,” said Eckert. Published 11/12/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1 PM |
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Hartley
Steps Down Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Will Hartley
Will Hartley has decided to resign as football coach at
Fredericktown.
Hartley says other things, mostly his family, have become priorities.
“Well at this time I've been a part of football at Fredericktown
for 23 years. I've been coaching
in one capacity or another for 26 years.
Just getting to that age where other things kind of start to take on
a priority. I've got one
son that's going to be a senior next year and he runs a cross country and I
haven't been able to get to many of his meets through his high school
career. My oldest son is
currently playing football down ay Otterbein and it's kind of the same
thing. It has been hit and miss
getting to his game. So,
hopefully get to enjoy that a little bit more consistently,” said Hartley.
Will is also a member of the Clear Fork Valley Athletic Hall of Fame.
He was a tremendous athlete for the Colts.
Hartley says coaching football just takes an enormous amount of time
and energy. “I think it's just
you start to get a little older that that generational gap starts to be a
factor as far as kind of relating to the kids, maintaining that energy,
especially in the off season becomes a little tougher.
Still being a full time teacher, a lot of times coaching can be a
full time job. It can seem like
a full time job on top of that. So,
just time management and just the natural maturation of a career I think,”
he said.
Hartley says he will remember the wins, but mostly the people.
“I think the biggest thing is just the people. I've
had the opportunity to work with some great kids and it's just a joy to
share those memories, those competitive memories together.
All the support staff that have been a part of the program over the
years also just great people. The
coaches that I've worked with, and under when I was an assistant, still
great relationships with those people. Parents
have been solid in my corner throughout,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Monday afternoon, “It's just a lot of great memories.
It will be a transitional period for me.
You always kind of look back and just remember with fondness all
those great times and great people that have been a part of the journey.”
Hartley does not rule out a return to coaching in future as an
assistant. Published 11/12/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Mohawk
Must Battle Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Eric Daniel
Mohawk tangles with unbeaten Columbus Grove in a division VII
regional semifinal at Fostoria High School on Friday night.
Last week, they contained a big time run game and beat McComb (20-13)
in a regional quarterfinal.
Coach Eric Daniel says their defense was outstanding.
“They had one big chunk play and outside of that play we really
contained them. They had a 65
yard touchdown run. When you
lead the “BVC” in rushing, they’re an excellent football team, they're
going to pop one here and there. So,
overall we were able to keep them under 200 yards rushing, which we were
tickled pink about, really under 200 yards total offense.
So, I thought defensively our kids played really well.
We were kind of scrambling there in the second half, had a couple
injuries, and threw a pic and they were driving and our kids buckled down
and stepped up big time. So,
couldn't have been more proud of our kids,” he said.
Mohawk (10-2) will play Columbus Grove (12-0) on Friday night.
The Bulldogs hammered Lima Central Catholic (38-6) last week.
Daniel says there are no weaknesses with this team.
“They're good everywhere. When
you get to this point in the year everybody's good and our kids understand
that. Their kids are tough,
they're physical, they're well coached, they know their scheme, they keep
everything in front of them on the back end and they're excellent tacklers
and fly to the ball. Then
offensively they've got probably one of the best backs in Ohio and they're
very good up front,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night,
“Certainly a great challenge for us. We're
excited about it, our kids are excited and not intimidated, which is a big
thing. We're going over with the
intention to win the football game and we're training this week with that
intention. We get another week
with our kids, which we're very grateful for.
Like I told you last week, we're just constantly thanking God and
praying for another week and we're just taking it one week at a time and
keep coaching them up.”
Columbus Grove has been a state semifinalists the last two years.
Daniel says their goal Friday night is to win and they are going to
enter the game with confidence. “I
haven't seen them get intimidated yet this year.
Our challenge to them is don’t be the first to blink.
They're going to be physical, we're going to be physical, they're
going to get you on some plays, you're going to get them on some plays. The
biggest key is keep battling, keep your head down, be good teammates to each
other, pick each other up. If
they get a good play, shake it off, tackle them on the back end and live to
fight another day. Just keep
battling and good things will continue to happen.
So, we don't have a lot of kids that bicker amongst themselves or
anything. I think that's a big
part of it is having good team chemistry.
It allows you to kind of fight through the adverse moments of a
football game, which every team experiences, even the great ones.
So, we're going to lean on that, lean on our senior leadership and
we'll have our boys ready to go,” said Daniel. Published 11/12/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Willard
Figuring Things Out Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Joe Bedingfield
Willard, one of the traditional powers in boys’ basketball, will
have a team his year that features a lot of youth.
Coach Joe Bedingfield says they are eager to learn the game at the
varsity level. “We have got a
good group of kids. They're
working very hard, very coachable and they're doing a nice job of trying to
pick some things up. We don't
have a lot of returning letterman. We
have a lot of youth and just trying to get them kind of accustomed of some
things at the varsity level they're going to see.
They'll find out on game night how much faster and how much bigger
and quicker things can move. It's
been a process, but that's what we try to teach them is just focus on
getting better each and every day and the kids are doing nice job of that so
far,” said Bedingfield.
Bedingfield says a key this month it to teach his kids how to
anticipate the flow of the game. “You
have got to anticipate I think too. We
are trying to teach kids how to anticipate what could happen and not
thinking too much. I think it's
better to anticipate than think and react.
Sometimes you're kind of too slow if you react the more experience
you gain I think the easier game becomes and that's why people say it slows
down for you. So, we're just
trying to get our legs under us, get us in shape and also just learn what's
going to make us successful this season,” he said.
Willard will scrimmage Madison on Tuesday and Fostoria on Friday and
Bedingfield says these scrimmages, especially this year, are important to
the Flashes. “We've already
had one. We usually don't have
as many scrimmages as we have this year, but we used all of them because we
need that experience. We need to
go against someone else that has a varsity body.
Sometimes your younger guys, as much as they're trying, they just
can't provide you exactly what you need and what you're going to see,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “We've tried to use all our
scrimmages and try to gain that experience for our kids.
We have tape to show them. Some
of the mistakes and some of the good and some of the bad.
It's just a process, everyone's in the same boat right now, not
really sure until the lights come on and people come in the stands, what you
really have.” Published 11/12/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Colonel
Crawford With Good Combination Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Zac Bauer
Colonel Crawford was the runner up in the Northern 10 Athletic
Conference last year, advanced to a district final, and the outlook for the
Lady Eagles this season in pretty good too.
Coach Zac Bauer says they have a good mix of experience and younger
talent. “We're in a good spot
where we return three major players from last year’s team in Mira Holt,
Gabby Roston and Lexi Dure. Couple
that with a letter winner in Robin Ehmann, who lettered as a freshman and
saw more time as the year went on. The
challenge for us is going to be who's going to fill the void left by our
senior class last year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night,
“We've got kids in Carley Zender and Lila Plesac who are ready to do that.
We’ve got Camryn Powers coming up as a senior from our JV last
year. We've got two nice
freshmen stepping in in Emmi Powers and Sailor Holt.
It's just who can find a way to kind of support those other three
that have been through the ringer with us for the last two years and getting
them to feel like they belong and are peers to those three.”
Colonel Crawford tips off its season with back to back games against
teams out of the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference in Northmor and Cardington
November 22 and 23.
Bauer says they have spent this preseason determining who can play
and how much. “That’s what
we sent our first two scrimmages doing was just seeing not only if our young
kids are ready to play at the varsity level, but then rotation wise how do
they fit in with the others and could they find their footing there.
I think those young ones, they are sophomores and freshmen. have done
a really, really good job doing that and rising to the occasion,” said
Bauer.
Bauer says he is particularly impressed with the work ethic and
improvement shown by one of his girls. “I
have got to mention Carley Zender again.
She's a girl I sat with in the spring and we kind of set a goal for
her to be a catch and shooter for us. I
just never seen a kid go after a role and the spot and do the things that
she did on her own to get to where she is right now, so proud of her,” he
said. Published 11/12/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Crawford
to Face Speedy Grandview Hts Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Jake Bruner
Colonel Crawford, of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, is at
unbeaten Grandview Heights on Friday night in a division VI regional
quarterfinal,
The Eagles played one of the most exciting games in Ohio last week
when they railed late to beat Monroe Central (37-36) on Friday.
The game winning points coming on a two point conversion.
Coach Jake Bruner says it was a great win, but their execution must
be better this week. “At
school this week a lot of people were saying great job to our guys.
Probably as fan it was fun to watch, not so much as a coach.
It was a very interesting game. It
was far away and whenever you get a road win at a place you have never been
against a team that was 9-1, you feel good about it.
There were a lot things execution wise that we didn’t do a very
good job with, so we really have to do a better job this week if we are
going to compete with this team,” said Bruner.
Colonel Crawford (9-2) visits Grandview Heights (10-0), the top seed
in the region, on Friday night. The
Bobcats blasted Marion Elgin (41-6) in their playoff opener last week.
Bruner says the Bobcats have great speed.
“I don’t know what’s bad about them.
Obviously, they’re undefeated.
They have a tremendous amount of speed at the running back position.
They are well coached. You
don’t get to this level and not be well coached and not be a good team.
Their speed really concerns me. They
do a great job on special teams. They
fly to the ball. They are not
extremely big, but they get off the ball up front.
They take care of the ball. They
like to run the ball like we do and they do a really good job with that,”
he said.
Bruner says Grandview has gotten off to good starts in a lot of their
games, their only close game was a double overtime win over Johnstown
Northridge, and he says they can’t allow that to happen.
“What they have done all year is they get big leads early and kind
of just cruise on teams and they have been very successful doing that.
Once they do that defensively they kind of lay back and kind let you
make a mistake,” he told Swankonsports.com, “They are already up and
they can run the ball and eat the clock.
They do a great job with that. They
don’t have a huge team, but the kids they do have is they play hard and
they do a great job of getting the ball around.
They key of one back and he is very, very good.” Published 11/08/24 © Swankonsports,com Scores are constantly updated on Our scoreboard on Friday nights At www.swankonsportshosting247.com |
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Run
Defense Big for Perkins Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Jalen Santoro
Top seeded Sandusky Perkins hosts Vermilion Friday night in a
division IV regional quarterfinal.
Last week, Perkins scored four times in the first 10 minutes of the
game and went on to take down Upper Sandusky (49-10) on Friday night.
Coach Jalen Santoro says they made some big plays early.
“I thought we went out jumped on them early.
We had a couple one play drives and obviously when you catch that
momentum that's exactly what you want to do in a playoff game, any game but,
especially a playoff game. So, I
thought we did that. I thought
we executed in all three phases of the game. I
thought we were pretty sound. I
thought our guys again upfront, I thought we played well on both sides of
the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “We came out and
had a couple big run plays right to start the game.
I thought we kind of settled in there early in the first quarter.
Overall, I thought we executed very well, we tackled well, on offense
running the ball I thought we were pretty sound. Pretty
pleased with the way we played.”
Vermilion won the first playoff game in school history last week when
they downed River Valley (37-21) in a first round game.
Perkins beat the Sailors (44-6) in a first round game last year in
the playoffs.
Santoro says this is a lot more experienced and a better team.
“It's a team we played them last year as well.
As a team they have grown a lot.
They have a lot of guys that again played last year.
They were sophomores and juniors last year now they’re juniors and
seniors. When you get to that
point you get another year of experience, you get the extra year continuity
of playing together in your system, good things are bound to happen.
So, those kids have grown up a lot,” he said.
Santoro says the key is they have to stop the Vermilion running game.
“They're playing good football.
They're going to run the ball. They
have an identity of running the football.
So, we have got to do a good job of slowing down the run game and
getting them off the field. The
(Evan) Kuhns kid is a very good running back and the (Aaron) Mathis kid at
quarterback makes things happen. We
have got to make sure we don't fall asleep in the pass game and make sure
again we're playing sound defense,” said Santoro. Published 11/08/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Mohawk
Must be Physical Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Eric Daniel
Mohawk, champion of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, plays host
to McComb on Friday in a regional quarterfinal in division VII.
They walloped Edgerton (49-14) in their playoff opener last week.
Coach Eric Daniel says they put it away by scoring four straight
times. “We started kind of
slow but then really picked it up there the last five minutes of the first
half we scored 21 unanswered and then we scored coming out of the half.
So, took it from 7-7 to 35-7 in six minutes, so it made a heck of a
difference,” he said.
Mohawk (9-2) hosts McComb (8-3) on Friday night.
The Panthers beat Edon (28-14) in week one playoff action.
Daniel says this is a team that wants to be physical and run the
football and they are very good. “They’re
tough, they’re very big up front. They
have two 1000 yard backs that are both excellent.
One is their quarterback and one is their tailback and they're both
exceptionally tough and run hard. They
can throw the ball too, but they've got that Carey mindset where they're
come in and knock your block off,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
evening, “If they're getting four or five yards a carry they won't stop.
They have a hall of fame coach. Chris
Alge, he's done it, he's won state and he's won every year. I
don't think they've had a losing season in 30 years.
So, they're definitely a perennial, not only a playoff team, but like
regionals and then state semis and that type of deal.
So, it's a great program. It's
a good opportunity.”
Daniel says to have a chance to win on Friday night, they have to
match that McComb physicality. “It's
huge this week. We've really
challenged our offense and defensive line.
We're very familiar with McComb we were able to scrimmage them, so
it's kind of you know we've seen them, they've seen us type of deal, but
both teams have gotten better throughout the year.
I would say the strength of their team is up front and they're
running backs. Certainly not to
take away from any of the other ones, but they definitely like to run the
ball and they're extremely physical. Very
similar to like a Carey mindset. So,
it's going to take our best effort up front on both sides of the ball to
match that physicality,” said Daniel. Published 11/08/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Hillsdale
to Face Run First Windham Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Trevor Cline
Hillsdale will be at home for the second straight week as they
entertain Windham in a division VII regional quarterfinal on Friday night.
In their playoff opener, the Falcons (10-1) buried Fairport Harding
(55-12) on Friday night.
Coach Trevor Cline says once they got it in gear they were pretty
good. “I thought for the most
part we played well. We didn't
get off to the best start. We
let him hang around early on, but they had a good game plan and they were
trying to eat up as much clock as they could in the first quarter to try to
keep the ball away from us, but once we were able to get going, our offense
played well,” said Cline.
Windham (10-1) outscored Southern (50-35) last week in playoff week
one.
Cline says they have an excellent run game.
“They have two 1000 yard backs.
They've been impressive team to watch on film.
They have one back that's more like the physical back and then they
have another one that's like a speed back.
They put a lot of points up throughout the entire year on their
opponent. So, we're looking
forward to the opportunity trying to slow them down,” he said.
Windham has averaged six TD’s per game this year.
Cline says they have got to keep them behind the sticks.
“With them being a run first team we have got to do a good job and
get them to play behind the chains. If
we do that we're going to put their offense in a situation they're not used
to being in.” he told Swankpnsports.com on Thursday night, “We just have
got to be disciplined and make sure on the early downs that we're doing a
good job trying to keep them in second and long and third and long because
then it takes them get out of what they like to do as an offense.”
The Falcons have some pretty good skill guys and Cline wants to put
them in position to make plays. “I
think they have multiple athletes on their defense. I
feel that our athletes if we can get them out in space, I feel that we
should be able to win a lot of those one-on-one battles.
Defensively, they just have multiple guys that I feel if you give
them an opportunity to make a play they will.
I think their defense just has a lot of good athletes on it,” said
Cline. Published 11/08/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Shelby
Plays With Trust Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Robert Mahaney
Shelby, the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference champ, plays at home against
Ottawa-Glandorf, of the Western Buckeye League, in a regional quarterfinal
in division IV on Friday night at the Whippet Athletic Complex.
The Whippets (11-0) rallied after spotting Elida an early lead and he
blasted the Bulldogs (49-21) last week in their playoff opener.
Coach Robert Mahaney says they were able to make the right
adjustments. “I thought our
kids did a great job of continuing to play and understanding that there's
going to be ups and downs throughout a football game.
I thought our kids did a great job of continuing to stay the course
and trust the guys around them and sticking to what we do best offensively.
We played really well defensively once we kind of got settled in the
second half of our kids played really, really well.
So, some adversity I think is always good for your football team and
our kids did a good job of responding to that,” said Mahaney.
Ottawa-Glandorf (6-5) held off Galion (13-7) last week.
Mahaney says this is a school district where athletics are respected.
“I think “OG” is a community with a ton of pride and I think
their kids play with a ton of pride too.
You watch the film you can see their effort it sticks out on the film
a lot. I think it's something
that football team prides in, just like all those sports.
They have a ton of success in a lot of different sports because of
the support that they receive in the effort that they play with and all
their sports and their football team is the same,” he said.
Three of the Titans five losses have been by two scores of less.
Mahaney says they play very hard and do what they have to do to win.
“Defensively, they fly around to the football and they pursue the
football relentlessly and so we got to be ready for that.
Offensively, they do a lot of good things with finding different ways
to run the football, so we have got to be ready for that.
They're going to stick to their game plan,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Coach (Ken) Schriner has been there
for a long time and has had a ton of success. 29
years and over 200 wins. So,
they have ability, they have great effort.
Again, they play in a great conference in the “WBL”, so they're
going to be battle tested as well.”
You get to this level of the playoffs game are often decided late.
Mahaney has confidence in his players.
“Our kids have been really good all year continuing to play and
understanding that high school football is a four quarter game.
We've made some plays when we needed to down the stretch.
We have really good football players on our team, but we don't have
any kid that goes out there and tries to be Superman.
They have committed themselves to doing their job and playing as a
team. I think that's why when we
get in the situations, we find ways to make plays because we just trust the
guys around us, trusting ourselves and if we can continue to do that we can
be successful,” said Mahaney. Published 11/07/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Lexington
Must Limit Mistakes Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Andrew Saris
Lexington will be on the road at Rocky River Friday night to lock
horns with the Pirates in a division III regional quarterfinal.
Last week, the Minutemen (6-5) downed Maumee (28-14) in their opening
round game.
Coach Andrew Saris says they played a very good second half.
“It was a hard fought game, but it was fun for everybody.
Maumee, a team you don’t typically see.
Our kids came in and they were they were ready to perform.
We were down a point going into halftime and that second half came
out and the defense was able to shut them out and then the offense just was
able to run the football and put up two scores,” said Saris.
Rocky River (8-3) beat Parma Holy Name (34-14) last week.
Saris says they are a very disciplined football team.
“They're coming in playing good football.
Offensively, they definitely want to try to run that football.
They don't make a lot of mistakes.
You can tell as a football team that they're disciplined and they
know their job and they do their job well.” he told Swankonsports.com,
“Defensively, they remind me of a lot of teams we've seen on our schedule,
but they're pretty long on the outside, they run well to the ball and
they're definitely aggressive.”
Saris says to advance to next week they can’t hurt themselves on
offense and they want to put Rocky River in bad down and distance
situations. “We've got to try
to play mistake free football and don't put us in a position where we are
shooting ourselves in the foot so to speak. So,
we have just got to be able to execute, never get behind the chains.
Defensively, force them into those situations where it's third and
long, second along and not letting them have big gains on first down,” he
said. Published 11/07/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Lady
Colts Have a lot of Pieces Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Scott Sellers
Clear Fork has been able to put together one of the more consistent
girls’ basketball programs in this area and they should be pretty good
again this year.
Coach Scott Sellers says they are starting to put things together for
a season that starts in just over two weeks.
“We had about half of them through Monday and then I got the rest
of the kids back on Monday. So,
a couple practices with everybody. I
think (Wednesday) is practice 11. It’s
just exciting to be in the gym. We
are just excited for this time of year.
I think all of the coaches are as well.
We're certainly not any different.
So, we're really ready for the season to kind of kick off,” he
said.
Clear Fork (17-8) last year did lose some very good players to
graduation, but Sellers says they have some outstanding kids returning too.
“We lost quite a bit. We
lost our all time three point shooter in Annika Labaki. She
was fantastic on defense as well. Kylie
Belcher, probably the best on ball defender, one of the smartest kids, I've
ever coached. A couple other
seniors in Avery Wine and Allison Montgomery, they did help us out.
So, pretty big shoes to fill, but again as you’re building a
program and you get athletes you try to put them in the best position you
can,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “We have some
really great kids coming back as well. I
think Mel Blubaugh is going to have a big time year for us.
She had an amazing soccer season.
I think an All-Ohio, first or second team, is basically pending at
this point. Lilly Weikle is
back, she's going to be a four year letterman.
We have got some really exciting juniors as well in Brinley Barnett,
Ashton Wine to name a few, Rozy Stover.
So, really excited about the core of this team. I
think we're a little bit deeper. I
think we're a little bit longer, a little bit more athletic.
So, time will tell as far as how they kind of gel together when we
start playing some basketball.”
Clear Fork has its first of four scrimmages on Thursday.
Their season opener is at Mansfield Madison on November 22.
Sellers says it’s time to find out what they have.
“The OHSAA allows us to have six scrimmages, previews, some other
stuff, I'm not exactly sure. I
know we usually schedule four, we'll keep a couple in our back pocket, but I
think four is a good number for us. We
start out (Thursday) against Triway and Mt. Vernon.
We have a scrimmage on Saturday against Colonel Crawford.
A couple next week and then two weeks from Friday we have we have
Madison at their place. So, how
soon, how much later we put it together with a lot of new pieces that that
remains to be seen. I can tell
you this we've practiced really hard. We
practiced really well. I think
the kids are genuinely excited to be back in the gym.
I think for us as a coaching staff that's really all you can ask for
at this time of year. They want
to play, they haven't been around the game, we're really excited about this
year's team,” said Sellers. Published 11/07/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Northmor
Plays Centerburg Again Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Scott Armrose
Unbeaten Northmor, the winner of the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference,
plays host to conference foe Centerburg on Friday night in a division VI
regional quarterfinal.
They smoked Caldwell (42-0) in their playoff opener.
Coach Scott Armrose says it was a good way to get their feet wet.
“It was a good game to get us going in that playoff state of mind
and it's a game where we executed very well early on and then took care of
business,” he said.
Centerburg (8-3) downed Reedsville Eastern (34-12) last week.
Armrose says they are tough to prepare for at any time of the season.
“Despite the fact that we've already played them they're very
difficult team to match up against because they're so athletic and physical
in what they do and they're so well coached,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday evening, “Then you're going to get a Centerburg team when you
play them one time they're tough, two times can be very tough.
So, they have a great coaching staff over there.
They breakdown film well, they adjust well, and they're going to be
ready for us.”
The first time they met it was a one score game with Golden Knights
(11-0) winning by a (34-26) final. They
had to rally behind two A.J. Bauer TD passes, one to Cowin Becker and the
other to Boo Landin. Those 26
points are the most Northmor has allowed in any game this year.
Armrose looks for an even more competitive game this time.
“I think they are going to be closer together.
With us and Centerburg I don't know that low scoring comes to mind.
We may get a shootout Friday night.
They're definitely get closer because you know what each other does,
you know team tendencies, and where the weapons and things are.
Again, we're week 12, we have got 11 films and you know your
opponents pretty well at this point,” he said.
Bower and Centerburg QB Blane Ball both threw three touchdowns in the
first meeting.
Armrose says whatever happens this game with different in its makeup.
“It will be different, we're different, we're a little bit
healthier than we were last time we played them.
They're different, they're healthier too.
So, we'll get different looks. Both
teams have evolved, that happens throughout the season.
We played week four and a lot has happened since then.
Offenses and defenses evolved and changed as the season goes on.
So, I wouldn't look for a carbon copy of week four matchup at all,”
said Armrose. Published 11/07/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Seneca
East is Confident Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Ed Phillips
Seneca East, of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, will be just
down the road at Hopewell-Loudon, winner of the “SBC” River, in regional
quarterfinal in division VI on Friday night.
In their first playoff game they routed Western Reserve (56-20) in
Collins.
Coach Ed Phillips calls it their best performance of the year.
“I think that was our best game this year because it was a good
football team we beat and we took it to them.
The week before in a loss to Mohawk, we did a lot of really good
things there, just didn't finish the job.
So, I really do think we're playing our best football right now and
that's where you want to be,” said Phillips.
Quarterback Nicholas Parks threw two touchdown passes and ran for
another in the win over Western.
Seneca East (7-4) is at Hopewell-Loudon (10-0) on Friday night.
The Chieftains hammered Margaretta (43-8) last week.
Phillips says they are very good in the trenches.
“They're really good up front.
They're offensive and defensive lines are very good and then they
have good skill behind it, but I think with them it starts up front,” he
said.
In many of their games, the Chieftains put it away very early.
Phillips says they can’t let them build and early lead.
“I think they probably think the same thing about us right now,
which should make it a pretty exciting game.
I think they feel that way and I feel that way.
If I'm picking a game to go to Friday night that's where I'm
going,” he said.
The Tigers scored three times in the first quarter last week and led
(37-6) at the half. Hopewell led
(37-0) at the intermission.
Phillips says they have establish control of the point of attack on
Friday. “We have win up front.
One reason I think we're playing our best football right now is our
guys up front have really improved as we've gone through the year,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “I told them (Wednesday) when
we left practice, I said you can tell really good offensive line by just
listening. I said you can close
your eyes and you can hear the snap count hear the ball snapped and if you
have got a great offensive line you can hear it. You
just hear the pop and our guys are popping right now.
I know their guys are too, which makes it an exciting game Friday
night.” Published 11/07/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Huron
to Challenge Experienced, Talented Bluffton Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Sam Hohler
Huron will be at Bluffton to face the Pirates in a division VI
regional quarterfinal on Friday night.
They opened the playoffs last Friday with a (42-7) destruction of
Spencerville.
Coach Sam Hohler says it was nice to get back on the beam.
“It was nice for our kids to get a win.
We had lost three straight against three really tough opponents to
end the regular season. For a
chance to get a victory last week was really nice for us.
The kids had a great week of practice and preparation and went out
and executed. Our schedule
really has prepared us for what we're facing here in division VI this
year,” said Hohler.
During the regular season, the Tigers (7-4) played two division III
schools, four division IV schools, and three division V schools.
Bluffton has played only one school larger than division VI this
year.
Bluffton (10-1) beat Paulding (21-6) last week.
Hohler says the Pirates are very talented and they have a lot of
experience. “Bluffton returns
a lot of experienced kids from last year.
They made a deep run in the playoffs in division VI last season,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “Offensively, they do a
lot of jet sweep type stuff with buck sweep and that kind of action out of
shotgun. Defensively, they are a
3-4 and they play a lot of different coverages.
Again, with their returning crew from last year, they have got a lot
of kids that that know how to get it done.
So, to go to their place on the road, we'll definitely have our hands
full.”
Last season, Bluffton won three playoff games, losing to Columbus
Grove in a division VI regional final.
In nine of their 11 games this season, Bluffton has allowed one score
or less.
Hohler says it would be a big plus for them if they could score
early. “That would be huge.
They do have an outstanding defense.
If we can find ways to put points on the board and maybe put the
pressure on them on the offensive side of things that would be a big bonus
for us,” he said. Published 11/07/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Ashland
to Play DeSales Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Scott Valentine Ashland, the
Ohio Cardinal Conference champion, hosts Columbus DeSales in a division II
regional quarterfinal on Friday night at Community Stadium.
In their postseason opener, the Arrows belted another catholic school
in Columbus in St. Charles (42-0) last week.
Coach Scott Valentine says they came out ready to play.
“You just never know how your kids are going to react in those
situations. I really thought our
kids had a good week of practice and then we were able to go out on the
field and play a good football game,” he said.
Valentine has been a head since the 1990’s, this is second stint at
his alma mater, and he says they try to prepare the kids for the pressures
of playoff football. “We talk
about it all the time that when you’re in heat the battle your body's
going to do what it's done over and over and so doing the little things
right all week lends to performing under the pressure of Friday night.
So, we try to emphasize that, it doesn't always work that way, but
that's what we try to emphasize,” said Valentine.
Ashland (11-0) is at home for DeSales (9-2) on Friday night.
The Stallions outscored New Albany (48-28) last week.
In terms of score comparison, they beat St. Charles (28-0) in a
regular season game.
Valentine says they are a very solid team.
“They're one of those traditional powers down there.
They've been very good football program for a lot of years.
They play good hardnosed football, they run downhill at you, do some
things throwing the ball and then defensively their a physical football
team. So, again it's a challenge
and a test and we've got to be ready to go,” he said.
When it comes to x’s and o’s, Valentine says DeSales does some
different things and they will have to be ready for those.
“I think it's a little bit of a different animal just because of
what they do. We’ve seen
different formations, but when they get in those running sets, they like
using their “H-Back” as a puller up in there and so offensively they
present a few different problems than anybody we've seen,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “Defensively, they remind me a lot
of the teams in our league that are aggressive and have good pass coverage
and good skill guys. So, again
just a few different challenges there.” Published 11/06/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Carey
Has to be at its Best Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Jonathan Mershman
Carey will be on the road at Patrick Henry against the Patriots in a
division VI regional quarterfinal on Friday night.
Carey scored once in the third quarter and made a couple big fourth
quarter stands to beat Defiance Tinora (21-17) in a first round game last
week.
Coach Jonathan Mershman says they made a number of big plays in the
game, some of them unnoticed. “We
got the plays that we needed to squeak that one out.
What was huge that might be missed by people is we threw a pic late
in the first half and our offensive lineman got down there and made a tackle
around the 10 yard line we held them to a field goal and that ended up being
this huge play for us. Just the
effort that we needed throughout the entire game was there,” said Mershman.
Carey (6-5) is up at Patrick Henry (9-2) on Friday night.
The Patriots smoked Evergreen (35-4) last week.
Their only losses come to unbeaten teams in Columbus Grove and
Liberty Center.
Mershman says they are solid. “They
are just a really solid team all the way through.
A great defensive line, an awesome quarterback, he also plays really
good defense. They're a solid
football team and we're going to need to come with our “A” game,” he
said.
Mershman says to be able to win, they have to do what they always
need to do. “Well, we have to
play Carey football. We have got
to run the ball and we have got to stop the run,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We have got to limit our
penalties, limit it to no turnovers would be great, and just play solid
football. Play complementary
football offensively and defensively and maybe hopefully do something
special in special teams.” Published 11/06/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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West
Holmes Again Must Stop the Run Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Keaton Leppla
West Holmes must get on the bus again as they travel to East
Liverpool to challenge the Potters on Friday night in a division IV regional
quarterfinal.
They beat Chillicothe Unioto (28-21) in a first round game last week.
Coach Keaton Leppla says they were able to dig down deep and find a
way to win. “There's a lot of
things we feel like we could have done better.
We played a really good first half of offensive football.
We're talking almost flawless execution and we’re able to do
whatever you wanted, so great first half offensively. Then in the second
half we shut them out. We
stopped him eight times there at the end of the game to stop them from tying
it up. So, each side of the ball
had about as good of half as you could have.
Fortunately for us in the second half we were able to get an
interception, take the ball down to the two, three yard line and we were
able to punch it in offensively to essentially a get that game winning
score. It was defensive battle,
but you know it's going to be tough,” he said.
Leppla says a win like last week brings some confidence to the
football team. “Our kids were
put in an adverse situation having to drive to two and a half to three hours
on a bus going to their home field as 13 seed and they're the four seed.
We knew we weren't going to go down there and blow the doors off.
There's a lot of a lot of adversity in that situation, but it shows
the grit of our team, it shows the leadership of our seniors, of our
captains to be able to do that. Make
that long haul on their field when they're favored to beat us and come away
with the victory and doing the way that we did is really big for our
program. It's a great momentum
booster for our kids and we're starting to see a team that really believes
in themselves and what they're able to accomplish,” said Leppla.
West Holmes (6-5) is at East Liverpool (7-4) on Friday night.
The Potters also beat a higher seeded team in Columbus East (41-40)
in their playoff opener.
Leppla says for the second straight week they will be playing a team
that likes to emphasize the run. “East
Liverpool is going to be similar. We're
talking back-to-back weeks of teams that really aren't familiar with each
other. So, looking at them they
want to establish the run. They
are very similar to the team we played last week.
They want to control the line of scrimmage.
They want to run the football. They
get a little bit more size and speed than Unioto does.
I don't know that they're as physical offensively, but they’re a
team that's going to establish the run.
I don't think they like to pass as much as they like to run it.
They do have quarterback back there who's able to scramble around and
make some plays with his feet as well as his arms, so containing them on the
offensive side starts with containing him,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday afternoon, “As far as defense, they're big, they have got good
speed, but they're similar to Unioto in they're going to show what they
show. Offensively, we have to
execute like we did in the first half last week.
We have to continue to be patient, take what the defense gives us and
execute, execute, execute and force them to adjust that's where you get your
big plays.” Published 11/06/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Ontario
Plays Versatile Clyde Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Aaron Eckert
Ontario is at home form Clyde in a regional quarterfinal in division
IV on Friday night.
Last Friday, the Warriors (10-1) dominated Clear Fork (24-2) in a
first round game.
Coach Aaron Eckert felt they played well.
“Clear Fork had gotten a lot better since the first time we played
at mid season and I thought we saw pretty good version of Clear Fork the
other night. It was a dogfight.
We were fortunate to come out on top after it was all said and
done,” he said.
Clyde (8-3) hammered Otsego (42-7) last week.
Eckert says Clyde approaches the game a lot like they do.
“If you put us, Clear Fork and Clyde into a blender you would come
out with a lot of the same pieces. I
think that they're really similar to us in terms of just being a physical
football team with some good athletes. They
also play quite a few guys like we do. So,
it's like one of those games where you kind of look at yourself in the
mirror and say we do a lot of the same things with a lot of similar type
athletes, but everything starts up front for those guys as well just like it
does here at Ontario,” said Eckert.
Clyde plays two kids at quarterback who are both on the field at the
same time. Eckert says that
allows them to do a lot of different things.
“It's a little bit unique when you have that kind of offensive
identity. Their starting
quarterback is a left-handed kid, it looks like he's going to be a four year
letter winner over there. He's
really dynamic and he can line up in the backfield, line up at receiver, and
line up at quarterback. Kind of
how we use about the Bodpgen Miller some,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Monday afternoon, “They have a junior that has a really nice arm that
comes in and plays some. He can
throw it. They're a little bit
different type of quarterbacks, but with them being on the field at the same
time they can throw double passes and things like that.
So, it's definitely a unique challenge for us.”
Eckert believes their defense has to give Clyde a lot of different
looks. “Every time they're on
offense they’re going to kind of go up there and call a play, look at it
again after they kind of fake snap it and then they're going to try to put
their team in the best spot to be successful in that individual play.
They will do that the entire game.
It slows the game down a little bit it looks like on film, but it's
hard to tell based off film. So,
we'll do the best we can and try to mix things up as they try to mix things
up on offense. We're looking
forward to the challenge on Friday here at Ontario,” said Eckert. Published 11/05/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Clyde
Has to Make Plays Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Ryan Carter
Clyde travels to Ontario to face the Warriors on Friday night in a
division IV regional quarterfinal.
The Fliers (8-3) blasted Otsego (42-7) in their first round game.
Coach Ryan Carter says Ontario is a sold team and the presence of
Bodpegen Miller makes them exceptional.
“I think you have to you have to be good at what you're good at.
We have to be as consistent as we possibly can this week in our
preparation and getting ourselves ready to go because we're playing a
different type of player than we have seen so far this year.
We've seen some really, really good players, but he's very, very
dynamic in what he does. You
could be in the right positions and still not get him to the ground,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “We have to be sound with what
we do both sides of the ball will help you against him.
If you can keep it offensively, if you can score that puts pressure
on each possession they have. Then
you just have to when you have opportunities to make plays you have got to
make them because if you don't and you give this team extra opportunities
it's going to be a touchdown one way or the other.
He can throw it, he can run it and they have very good players around
him.”
Carter says Ontario tries to do a lot of different things with
Miller. He says he’s just very
difficult to contain. “They do
a good job of mixing between him running and then handing it off to their
tailback and them giving him some throw looks.
It's a tough situation to try and contain him at all.
We're going to go put a good week of work in and do the best we can
and hopefully we can do some things offensively to alleviate some of that
pressure defensively,” said Carter.
The Ontario defense has played very well all season, including last
week when they didn’t allow any points.
Carter says again they have to make plays when they have the
opportunity. “They are very
solid up front and on the perimeter and then they take (Miller) and put him
in at safety and he kind of covers the entire middle of the field.
So, the same type of thing you have certain areas that you can
exploit and try to make plays, but when the plays are there to be made you
have to make them, you can't miss,” he said. Published 11/05/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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The
Trenches Key for Monroeville Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Tylor Nester
Monroeville entertains Warren JFK in a regional quarterfinal in
division VII on Friday night at Marsh Field.
After losing their only game of the season on the final week of the
regular season, Monroeville routed Independence (47-7) in their first
playoff game last week.
Coach Tylor Nester says it was a good rebound win for the Eagles.
“Yeah definitely, it's always nice rebounding and our kids, our
captains, and our leadership group they recognized some of the deficiencies
that we had week 10 and really focused in on getting better at that and the
results showed for themselves against
Independence,” said Nester.
Warren JFK smoked East Palestine (40-13) in their first playoff game.
Nester says JFK is physical and they have guys that can make plays
too. “They are really similar
to us. They are big and
physical. Defensively, they get
to the ball really well. The
front three do a really nice job of making plays all over the place.
Their secondary is extremely fast,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Monday evening, “Then offensively they have a couple of key guys that they
want to get the ball to. Their
quarterback last week was hurt, but it seems like he should be back ready to
go. They have a couple of guys
that standout. (Lamarcus) Proitt,
who is kind of their wildcat quarterback.
He’s very dynamic. Skilled
guys (Noah) Esler and Camora that can stretch that field vertically.”
To win on Friday, Nester says they have to be able to control the
point of attack. “We have to
control the line of scrimmage. I
say that every week, but that's definitely a key this week and protect the
ball and be disciplined. If we
get those three taken care of we will be in good shape,” he said. Published 11/05/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Norwayne
Has to be Disciplined Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Adam Indorf
Norwayne will host Pemberville Eastwood on Friday night in a division
V regional quarterfinal.
Last week, they barely survived in edging #13 seed Delta (45-42) in
overtime.
Coach Adam Indorf says they made a lot of mistakes, including turning
the ball over, but they found a way to win.
“We were minus three in the turnover margin there.
We continued to battle and showed a lot of moxie and resolve to
continue to fight to make it to overtime and eventually win,” he said.
Norwayne (10-1) entertains Pemberville Eastwood (10-1) on Friday
night. Eastwood beat Archbold
(41-0) in their playoff opener last week.
Indorf says they have to get in the offensive backfield and create
some chaos for the Eagles. “They're
going to be athletic. They're
going to be physical. Offensively,
they do a lot of things with motions and shifts and things like that, so we
are going to have to be on our toes and then be disciplined in the secondary
with our eyes. Up front, we’re
going to have to do a great job defensively trying to get to the quarterback
create some chaos and try to make some blitzes happen that we can catalyze
on some momentum there from the defensive standpoint,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “Offensively we're going to have to
show up. We're going to have to
control the line of scrimmage and make sure that we're just taking what the
defense is giving us.”
As Indorf says Eastwood will show a lot of motion in the game and he
says they must be focused on what they have to do as a result.
“We need to make sure that we are being incredibly focused on that.
Sometimes motions are used to get you to show your hand if you’re
in man coverage or maybe we're not moving appropriately or calling the
strengths and things like that. So,
definitely need to have a staunch stance on the discipline and make sure
that we are we're doing our jobs to the upmost ability,” said Indorf. Published 11/05/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Perkins
Not Taking Win for Granted Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Jalen Santoro
Sandusky Perkins, the winner of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference, will entertain Upper Sandusky on Friday night in a first round
division IV playoff game.
Perkins won that division title outright by smoking Tiffin Columbian
(42-7) last Friday.
Coach Jalen Santoro says again they got off to a good start.
“I thought we came out and I thought we executed pretty well. I
thought we got to a fast start, which is big especially offensively.
We got the ball first, went out and took it down scored.
I thought we executed, I thought we tackled well.
I thought we did the little things well last week and the big thing,
got out healthy,” said Santoro.
Perkins scored three times in the first half of the first quarter
last week.
Perkins (9-1), #1 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, hosts Upper Sandusky (5-5) on Friday
night. The Rams buried Buckeye
Central (42-7) last week. It was
Perkins second straight poll title with Swankonsports.com.
Santoro says they have things they want to accomplish.
“They’re big up front on both sides of the ball, so it will be a
challenge for our kids up front kind of get back on track.
Get back to throwing the football and doing what we need to do to
again to execute on the field and execute on both sides of the ball and
continue to do little things right,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
night, “Right now in the bigger scheme of things we have got to focus on
doing all the minor details that got us here and continuously keep attacking
those details every single week, every single day in practice and hopefully
that shows up on Friday night.”
Santoro says they have to have focus Friday night because 16 seeds
have won before in Ohio. “It's
happened before. It’s any
given Friday night. Again, going
back and focusing on the details. Really
harping on details and focusing on what got you here is kind of the approach
we want to take in practice this week. Just
continuously working on us and perfecting our craft and making sure are
ready for Friday night,” he said. Published 11/01/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Lucas
Needs to Play Pass Defense Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Jim Sweat
Lucas visits Malvern for a first round playoff game in division VII
on Friday night.
The Cubs have won 14 playoff games in the last six years, so they
know what the strategy is to get that done.
Many times that has come as an underdog.
Plus, not being in a conference means they are no strangers to long
bus rides. This one will only be
about an hour and a half.
Coach Jim Sweat says when you’re in the playoffs everything becomes
magnified. “The name of the
game is being focused and having attention to detail and doing the little
things right and that's how you get wins on Friday nights, especially when
we get into the playoffs late in the year,” he said.
Lucas (5-5) is at Malvern (9-1) on Friday night.
The Hornets closed the regular season with back to back shutouts of
Tuscarawas Central Catholic (41-0) and East Canton (34-0).
Perhaps their best win came week eight when they beat Newcomerstown
(38-28).
Sweat says they can throw it around.
“They're very dynamic offensively.
Their quarterback is one the best quarterbacks throwing the ball that
we've seen all year long. They're
solid up front and their skill kids do a good job of getting open,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “We're going to have to tight
down on defense. I think most
importantly for us we have to play a complete team game.
Our style play is predicated on all three phases of the game working
in unison. We need to do our job
on offense and limit their possessions.”
Of course, Lucas wants to possess the ball and Sweat says on defense
they have to make Malvern uncomfortable.
“We will try to keep him moving off his mark as much as we can and
give him some different looks the best we can and keep him moving around.
Guys like this young man when they get locked in they're a
problem,” said Sweat. Published 11/01/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Monroeville
Faces Athletic Independence Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Tylor Nester
Monroeville, the co-champion of the Firelands Conference, plays at
home against Independence in a first round playoff game in division VII on
Friday night.
They had a chance last week to claim the conference title outright,
but Norwalk St. Paul executed a two point conversion with no time left to
win (29-28) on Friday night.
Coach Tylor Nester says they have worked this week to get better.
“I mean hats off to them. They
came prepared and ready to play. It
was a battle to the end and they came out on top.
We talked to our kids about evaluating and reflecting and seeing what
we can do better and there were some things that we saw and we worked on
this week,” said Nester.
Monroeville (9-1) hosts Independence (4-6) on Friday night.
Nester says they are athletic on offense.
“Their record is a little deceiving.
They faced seven playoff teams, including kind of perennial Cuyahoga
Heights so their record is a little deceiving,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Thursday evening, “They are a really good, athletic team, kind of led
by their quarterback (Dominic) Narduzzi, who's got 1200 to 1500 yards
passing along with the receiver that's over 1000 yards, but all around their
front to back they're fast, they're physical.”
Independence beat Cuyahoga Heights (22-18) this season.
Nester says this is one of the more athletic teams they have played
this year. “That's something
we talked about as a staff. It's
always difficult to kind of evaluate teams, especially if you don't have
common opponents. Each area is a
little bit different, but they do a really good job of getting off blocks
and getting to the ball defensively. You
can definitely tell their athleticism on the field versus some other
teams,” he said. Published 11/01/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Carey
Knows How Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Jonathan Mershman
Carey, of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, plays at Defiance
Tinora in a division VI first round playoff game on Friday night.
Carey won the 2021 state championship in division VI and over the
last four seasons they have won a combined 11 playoffs games, that’s more
success than anyone covered by Swankonsports.com.
Coach Jonathan Mershman says at this time of year it’s a different
approach. “This is the third
season for us. The first season
is the non league and then league and then now this.
So, this brings a whole different energy and a different mindset.
Really now the records don't matter, it's just going playing
football,” said Mershman.
Carey (5-5) is at Tinora (7-3) on Friday night.
The Rams won the Green Meadows Conference this year.
They shutout Edgerton (24-0) last week.
Mershman says pass defense will be a key for them.
“We've seen them in the past. We
saw them in 2020 and then again in 2021, but they're a little bit different
now. They have got a different
coach than they did back then. They
still play physical defense like they used to, but their offense is a little
bit changed,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “They're
spreading it out a little bit more and throwing it a little bit more than
they did in the past. So, that's
a different challenge and we're going to need to be ready to defend the
pass.”
Mershman says both teams will have to adapt to what they see on
Friday night. “They kind of
remind me a little bit of Seneca East, so there's that.
I like facing new people because they also don't know us.
It looks pretty simple on paper, stop the run, but you have got to
kind of do that,” he said. Published 11/01/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Quakers
to Face Physical Jackson Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Mike Johnson
New Philadelphia, out of the Ohio Cardinal Conference, makes the long
trip to Jackson to take on the Ironmen in a first round playoff game in
division III on Friday night.
The Quakers (7-3) outscored the archrival Dover Tornadoes (42-24)
last Friday.
Coach Mike Johnson calls it their best performance of the season.
“I would say it was our best game really.
We kind of put it all together. Our
offense was clicking, we punted twice all night and one was with a minute or
so left in the game to kind of give them the ball back.
We were able to move the ball when we needed to move the ball and our
defense got after that quarterback. We
were able to rack up six sacks and just keep putting together first downs.
So, that's what we wanted to do.
Credit to our kids they executed the game plan wonderfully,” said
Johnson.
New Philly has won its last five games and Johnson says they playing
some excellent football and the right time of the season.
“Our guys are playing great football.
We've been playing fast, we've been playing physical, so it's just
can we keep that momentum going into the playoffs.
After a week of practice, we're really excited to head down to
Jackson,” he said.
Jackson (8-2) belted Chillicothe (43-14) in their final regular
season game last week.
Johnson says they are physical and they are going to make them stop
them running it. “The Ironmen
like to run the ball. I mean
it's going to be a physical game. We
like to play physical football and you can definitely tell that they do too.
They have big kids, strong kids, a really nice running back a couple
of lineman, who you look at and you think wow they're monsters,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “It's going to take a lot for us
to get off the bus and be ready to go, but you know what they want to do and
that’s run that football. So,
let's stop the run and then when they try to take their shots let's make the
most of those opportunities.” Published 11/01/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
|
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Columbian
Has to Take Advantage of Opportunities Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Judd Lutz
Tiffin Columbian takes to the road to meet Cleveland Benedictine in a
division III first round playoff game on Friday night.
The game will be played at Brooklyn High School, Benedictine’s home
field.
Last week, the Tornadoes lost (42-7) Sandusky Perkins, the outright
winner of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did some good things last Friday.
“They were explosive early. I
think they scored on three big plays in the first five touches in the game,
which obviously is not the way you want to start the game.
To be honest after those three scores we really battled.
I was proud of the team for responding.
Forcing a turnover and forcing several punts defensively and really
contained them. They made some
big place because they have got an outstanding receiver who's going to play
collegiately next year and we had trouble with him,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “As far as the effort and the
execution went we showed a lot of growth and a lot of young guys who can
continue to get thrown in there and are trending in the right direction late
in the season, which is what you want. The
kids are still hungry to learn and get better and that’s a sign of good
football in the future for the young guys, but we're trying to prolong this
season as much as possible for our seniors and do something special this
year.”
Tiffin (4-6) is at Benedictine (8-2) on Friday night.
The Bengals hammered Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary (39-8) last week.
Lutz says they will feature a balanced attack on offense.
“They’ve got an outstanding running back, a quarterback that is
really efficient and a big offensive line, so they want to run the ball
efficiently throughout the game. They
also have some big play capabilities on the outside with some really good
speed down the field that you have got to be wary of.
You can't get too focused in and eyes in the backfield that's going
to run right by you or make a catch and make a guy miss and another off to
the races. They're an
outstanding team right now offensively,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian is aggressive on defense and Lutz says so is
Benedictine. “Defensively,
they are very aggressive, but also can play some base and are really good at
all three levels. It's a very
active defensive line and linebackers with some blitzes and they got some
athletes in the perimeter who can really match up and play some zero and
cover one, they do play a little bit of zone, but for the most but they're
kind of a pressure package and their going to force your hand offensively.
So, we have got to be efficient offensively when we run it as well as
pass it and make those plays when we have the opportunity to do so,” he
said. Published 11/01/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Ontario
to Face Physical Clear Fork Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Aaron Eckert
Friday night marks the second meeting of the season between Ontario
and Clear Fork as they collide in a first round playoff game in division IV
at Copeland Field.
Ontario (9-1), #4 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, won the first meeting (31-14) on
September 20.
Coach Aaron Eckert says the Colts are an improved football team.
“It's one of those things. It's
kind of weird in you're playing a team from your own conference in a way,
but you know them, they know you. What's
unique about Clear Fork is their season probably turned after we played
them. They played a really good
game against us. They got
healthy after us and they have won three their last four games.
So, it's a team on the upswing and playing pretty good football right
now,” said Eckert.
Clear Fork has wanted to be a physical team, but Eckert says now they
are giving you more to defense. “I
think a lot of it has to do with just how physical they are.
They started that trend against us.
Clear Fork has always been known as a physical football team and a
team that likes to run the football. Now,
their quarterback is healthy again and they're starting to do some RPO’s
with him where they just throw it off the runs and just makes them that much
more dangerous on offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
afternoon, “Then defensively, they've been solid all year.
They struggled to score early in the season, but now they're scoring
the ball in waves and playing really good defense, which makes for a pretty
tough match up for us.”
Clear Fork is going to want to eat some clock and Eckert says they
need to get them off the field. “As
in any game you want to get a bunch of three and outs and get your offense
back on the field. We can get
the ball in the hands of Bodpegn Miller that's usually a good thing for us
at Ontario. So, overall we've
got to try to limit their opportunities and play good fundamental defense
and get the ball back to our offense and see if we can go down and score
against that really good defense they have,” he said.
Miller leads led the “MOAC” in rushing tis year and has made
multiple big plays. Eckert says
they need some of those on Friday night again.
“That's kind of the name of the game if you can create some big
plays in the throw game or the run game then you're probably going to win
the game if you have more than they do.
The last time we played them we were fortunate enough to have Bodpegn
on our team and he had some nice long runs. If
I remember right, Mason (VanTilberg) had a great game.
For us, we've got to show up and do a great job on the perimeter in
terms of blocking because they're kind of in your face playing defense.
Up front you've also got to do a great job of opening up holes and
trying to let those backs that we have find a crease and go,” said Eckert. Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Ashland
to Host St. Charles Click
here to listen to an interview with coach Scott Valentine
Ashland, the Ohio Cardinal Conference champion, will at home at
Community Stadium against Columbus St. Charles in a first round playoff game
in division II on Friday night.
They won the “OCC” outright with a (30-21) win over Lexington
last week.
Coach Scott Valentine says their defense got a couple big scores in
the game. “Our defensive staff
had a good game plan and our kids went out and they got opportunities to get
some interceptions and then went ahead and took them in for touchdowns.
That was a big part of our game last week,” said Valentine.
Valentine says when you get those defensive scores it can really give
you some momentum. “It just
propels your team and gets everybody excited.
Momentum is the thing that that you need to have on your side as you
go through the game,” he said.
Ashland (10-0), #3 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, plays host to St. Charles (4-6), a loser
of their last six in a row.
Valentine says they got a great start to the season, but then were
hurt by some injuries. “Early
on they had a lot of success and then I got into a couple games and their
starting quarterback got hurt, which hurt them a little bit.
Now, I think he came back and they started scoring some more
points,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They play a
tough schedule down there in the Columbus area.
So, again when you get to this point everybody's going to be good, so
you got to be ready to play.”
Valentine says they use the tight end more than a lot of teams do and
they will come at you with a couple of different defensive fronts.
“I think they are multiple in what they do, like everybody right
now. They have some good runners
and do some things with tight ends, which sometimes you don't see.
We see that little bit in our league. So,
those are some differences there. Defensively,
they are a four man front, three man front and play a lot of different
coverages. So, those are things
we again have to be ready for,” said Valentine. Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
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Northmor
Has to be Aggressive, Yet Disciplined
Northmor, the winner of the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, has a
home date with Caldwell in the first round of the division VI playoffs on
Friday night.
Last week, they destroyed Loudonville (50-0) to claim an outright
title in the “KMAC”.
Coach Scott Armrose says they were able to get up early and coast.
“Loudonville’s young and they just kind of struggled to kind of
keep up with us and we put them away early,” he said.
Northmor (10-0), #4 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, continues to strive to get better,
according to Armrose. “I think
we're trying to improve every week and focus on us and I think that's what
we've done. I really feel like
in practice this week we're playing our best football right now and that's
the goal,” he said.
Caldwell (5-5) has won two of its last three, including (37-0) over
Shenandoah last week.
Armrose says they are a solid team.
“They're not your typical 15 seed in that they're a team that last
year, just one year ago in division VII they were in state semifinals.
They've got wins against Fort Frye and Waterford, two of the teams in
the top half of our region. So,
they’re a team that's physical. Young
up front, but have some experience in the skilled positions and they’ve
got a quarterback that can just run like crazy and he is a phenomenal
athlete,” said Armrose.
Armrose says they must be aggressive on defense, but they have to be
disciplined too. “They spread
you out and they throw the ball well enough to be able to throw it over the
field at the same time. When
they spread you out you have got to keep enough guys in the box to stop that
run. You have got to be
disciplined,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “You can't
really afford to take somebody out of pass coverage to devote them
completely to the quarterback, but defensive line has got to be disciplined,
your linebackers have to be disciplined.
You have to stay in your pass rush lanes and things like that.
So, stay disciplined, but the same time be aggressive up front.” Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Mohawk
Has to Fix Mistakes
Mohawk, the winner of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference this
season, plays host to Edgerton on Friday night in a first round playoff game
in division VII.
They beat Seneca East (21-13) last Friday in what was a conference
title game.
Coach Eric Daniel says they made a lot of mistakes, but they were
able to make enough plays. “Just
happy to get out with the win. We
didn't play particularly the best, but we were able to turn them over and
create some short fields, flip field position and we did enough and came
away with our first come championship in quite some time.
So, I was really proud of the kids but we had a lot to clean up this
week, a lot to get fixed and to tighten up if we want to make a playoff run,
which we have every intention of doing,” said Daniel.
It was Mohawk’s first “N10” title since 2018.
Mohawk (8-2) entertains Edgerton (6-4) on Friday night.
The Bulldogs lost (24-0) to Tinora last week.
Daniel says they have a lot of weapons.
“They are really good up front, very big, physical.
They've got a really nice quarterback, he’s like the (Nichols)
Parks kid from Seneca East. Not
overly big, but shifty, quick, tough and throws the ball really well and
then they got a couple really nice receivers and a stud running backs.
So, I would liken them to Seneca East, very talented and certainly
one we are not underestimated. especially with the lack of knowledge that we
have with them,” he said.
Daniel says their goal is to make a long run, but they have to be
much better than they were last week. “They're
very multiple, lot of lot of formations. a lot of motion and they do some
eye candy stuff to get you off your keys.
So, there's a lot of good prep for what we're going against in week
11. I think it kind of gets you
sharp. Seneca East did a good
job moving the ball against us and there's some things that that we need to
take care of and tighten up,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
evening, “Fortunately, you're able to do that after a win, but nonetheless
that needed fixed. So, there's a
lot of stuff that we got on our guys this week in film and coached them hard
and had a lot of expectations for them to tighten it up.
We made a lot of mistakes that we hadn't made all year in week 10, so
definitely a lot of stuff to get fixed and stay hungry.” Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Seneca
East to Meet Speedy Western
Seneca East will be up at Western Reserve in a division VI first
round playoff game on Friday night.
They played Mohawk in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference
championship game last week, but lost (28-13) on Friday.
Coach Ed Phillips says it’s time to move on.
“I think it's what you would have expected out of a championship
game. Two great teams slugging
it out. Unfortunately, we didn't
come out on top, but we put ourselves in a position that we could have,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Now just onward and
upward to the playoffs. If you
don't win the conference a good consolation is getting in the playoffs and
have an opportunity to go out and be successful there and that's what we're
looking forward to.”
Seneca East (6-4) is at Western Reserve (7-3) in an eight, nine game
on Friday night. Western finished in a share of third in the Firelands
Conference.
Phillips says Riders offense tries to spread you out and create
mismatches. “They spread you
out and they've got a quarterback and a couple backs that can run the ball
very well, but then they will throw it also.
They've got speed kind of across the board at the receiver spots and
like I said in the backfield. They’re
dual threat this year, that's for sure,” he said.
Phillips says on defense, the Roughriders also count on their speed.
“The nice thing is that it was schematically for us they run some
stuff pretty similar to what Mohawk does.
So, when your offensive line can see something similar from one week
to the next that's a good thing. The
same thing they’re built on offense they are built on defense, that's
their speed,” said Phillips. Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
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St.
Paul to Meet Traditional Power Cuyahoga Heights
Norwalk St. Paul, co-champion of the Firelands Conference, will put
the welcome matt out for Cuyahoga Heights in a division VII first round
playoff game on Friday night.
The Flyers earned that co-title last week with a thrilling (29-28)
win over arch rival Monroeville last Friday, executing a two point play with
no time remaining.
Coach Chris Doughty says his kids were resilient.
“It was a clash of two traditional powerhouses in the Firelands
Conference. It's always a
slugfest and that game was no exception.
I was really, really proud of the resiliency our kids showed.
It was the third straight week now we've been down at halftime have
come back and battled back in the second half.
So, it's a testament to their willingness and ability to be
resilient. So, really proud of
the effort,” he said.
St. Paul (6-4) hosts Cuyahoga Heights (5-4) on Friday night.
The Red Wolves have won three straight games, including (41-8) last
week over Brooklyn.
Doughty says this is a school a lot like St. Paul when it comes to
tradition. “Cuyahoga Heights is another traditional playoff powerhouse.
This will be, I believe, the fourth matchup we've had with them in
the last 35 years. The last one
coming back in 2004 though, so it's been a while. Al
Martin is the head coach there. He's
got like 260 something career wins. He
is well established there, much like coach (John) Livengood was here,” he
said.
Doughty says Cuyahoga Heights will show a lot of things on offense.
“Offensively, they've run kind of a mixture of two different
offenses. They'll run some of
the option offense with some midline and veer and things like that, but then
they'll also jump into some empty sets and four receivers sets where they
will spread you out to throw the ball some too.
So, it’s really going to come down to being disciplined,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “We have to be disciplined against
their option again, but then we’ll have to be able to cover that pass when
they spread you out. They've got
some really nice playmakers. Their
quarterback is only a sophomore, but he's a big kid at 6’2”, 210.
They got a real physical running back #4 and then some really good
receivers number #8, #9 and #12, really impressive on film.
Their line is pretty good size up front.
They have got a couple of younger guys playing.
They do a nice job of firing off the ball though.”
And same kind of thing on defense, Doughty says the Red Wolves will
show a lot of looks. “Defensively,
they run a couple different defenses. They
run a 5-2 and a 4-4. They're not
as big on the defensive line, but what they lack in size they make up for in
quickness. They do a nice job of
shooting gaps and then getting penetration and things and getting off of
blocks. So, it's going to be
really important that we're maintaining that line of scrimmage and
continuing to block throughout the entire play.
Kyle Porter plays linebacker for them and does a really nice job of
filling on the run and also a good job of getting out in pass situations.
Their safety Devin Dzik again really aggressive run filler and again
does a nice job of staying over top of the passes.
So, much like last week it's going to be important to put some drives
together, sustain those drives, and most importantly finishing by putting
that ball in the end zone,” said Doughty. Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1 PM |
||
Norwayne
Must Stop the Run
Norwayne, the outright champion of the Wayne County Athletic League,
plays at home against Delta in a division V first round playoff game on
Friday night.
The earned that title by beating Hillsdale in what was a championship
game (45-21) last Friday.
Coach Adam Indorf says they were able to make some plays on both
sides of the ball. “I thought
our guys did a great job of squelching their offense and making sure we're
rallying to the ball and making some plays.
That's not to say we were perfect, but we did it well enough.
Then offensively took care of business up front and controlled the
line of scrimmage and made sure that we could run the ball there.
We did an affectively, we had a 200 yard runner on the on the night
and we're able to matriculate the ball down the field very well,” said
Indorf.
Mason Moyer ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns against Hillsdale.
Indorf says coming off such a big game last week might serve them
well in their playoff opener. “I
think having solid preparation last week and coming out and playing a solid
game will hopefully catalyze us into week one of the playoffs and make sure
that we're doing our job as we get on the road there for the playoffs,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “So, definitely need to make
sure that we're improving and definitely need to make sure that they're
taking further steps to mentally prepare and keep ourselves physically
healthy and then physically prepared throughout practice during the week.”
Norwayne (9-1), #3 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, entertains Delta (6-4) on Friday night.
The Panthers carry a three game losing streak.
Indorf says they are going to be in some tight sets and try and run
the ball. “Well, the
population of athletes that's going to be playing on the field is going to
increase in density as we face Delta. They're
going to be in 32 personnel with three backs and two tight ends.
They are definitely going to try to run the ball on us and pound the
ball. So, we're going to have 22
guys in a pretty dense area there. They
do a lot of things up front with their guards and lineman and then do
different things with their backs to try to give us a little bit of a
tumultuous look. Hopefully, it's
not a conundrum for our linebackers as they need to really focus on reading
those keys of their guards,” said Indorf. Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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West
Holmes Wants to Feature the Pass
West Holmes travels south to face Chillicothe Unioto in the first
round of the division IV playoffs on Friday night.
They secured a berth with a (42-10) win over Holy Name last week.
Coach Keaton Leppla says it was their best overall performance of the
season. “The playoffs started
for us last week with really a win or go home situation like we're about to
start facing week in and week out. Really
proud of our kids, they really stepped up when the pressure was on and their
backs were up against the wall. They
came out and we've probably played our best four quarters of football all
year long, which is really encouraging moving into the playoffs, that's
where you want to be. We're not all the way there yet firing on all
cylinders for all four quarters, but that's the best four quarters of
complementary football we've played,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday afternoon, “Offensively, we were able to move the ball, we're
going to throw the ball, we were able to run the ball, our execution was
great there. If we could shore
up a few turnovers on that end. Defensively,
we made a big stop early and held them to a field goal after a turnover.
Lost a 50/50 ball in the end zone and then from there on out our
defense played lights. So, we're
right there as program, we're right there as a team.
If we shore up those turnovers we're going to have a lot of
success.”
West Holmes (5-5) plays at Unioto (9-1) on Friday night.
The Sherman Tanks were the champions of the Scoto Valley Conference.
Leppla says they are multiple on offense.
“With how big the region is it's a two and half hour ride down
there. Watching film, they're
balanced offensively. I would
say for in their area they're the team that's able to do both throw the ball
and run the ball. Looking at
them, they want to lean on their run game early and often.
They've been bigger and more physical than everybody, so they've used
their run game to kind of physically beat people up.
Then again, they've got group of three receivers that are pretty
talented across the board. They
have got a sophomore quarterback, he's a little bit of a gunslinger, he's
not afraid to throw the ball deep, he's not afraid to throw it into tight
coverage, double coverage. So,
we have got to take advantage. We
have got to stop that run on offense and take advantage of a young
quarterback honestly and get that ball back for our offense,” said Leppla.
Leppla says with a quarterback like Morgan Smith, they want to try
and throw the football. “They're
one of those defenses that's similar to like a New Philadelphia. They're
going to run their stuff, they're going to run it really well and they're
going to make adjustments to that defense based on whatever offense you run.
For us, right now I think what we feel like our biggest advantage is
they haven't played the team that's able to throw the ball as well as us.
It's all about the trenches, we are going to establish the running
game, force them to load the box up even more and then lean on to what we've
been doing best for these last three weeks and that's been throwing the ball
really well,” said Leppla. Published 10/31/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clear
Fork Has to Score
Clear Fork has a second chance to beat Ontario this year Friday night
in the first round of the division IV playoffs in Ontario.
The Colts (4-6) have won three of their last four, including a
(34-10) pasting of River Valley in a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference game on
Friday night.
Coach Aaron Brokaw says with the playoffs a possibility they were
fired up to play. “The guys
came out motivated. Offensively
we did some nice things. Defensively,
I think they got it touchdown on us in the first half and field goal and
then second half we were able to shut them out.
We were able to get some good pressure on the Ebert kid at
quarterback in the second half. We
weren’t able to get there in the first half, but we were in the second
half and that's a big difference in the game,” said Brokaw.
Senior Jay Jackson had 226 totals and a interception return for a TD
last week.
Ohio State recruit Bodpegn Miller led the “MOAC” in rushing this
year with and also threw for 1,500 yards.
Brokaw says he is going to make plays no matter what they do.
“He's a really good athlete. It's
going to be almost impossible to keep him from having success at times.
We feel like we have got to take care of possessions on offense and
be able to put points on the board we have opportunities,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “Keep playing good defense and be
sound in special teams. It will
be like we've told the guys all year long the only thing we want to be able
to do is make sure that we're there in the fourth quarter to be able to have
an opportunity to win.”
Ontario’s defense did not allow more than two TD’s in any league
game other than Shelby.
Brokaw says they are very good on all levels.
“They've got quite a bit of size up front.
They have got a pretty good mic linebacker and then they're secondary
just tries to keep things in front of them for the most part.
They're confident in their scheme and you can tell that by the way
the kids play,” he said.
Ontario (9-1), #4 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, won the first meeting (31-14) on
September 20.
Brokaw says this time they have to be able to score when they get
down close. “The last time we
were able to get it to a 17-14 margin and then Miller broke a couple of long
runs. So, I think just given a
few different looks that could present problems for them from the defensive
side of the ball. Then
offensively when we've got opportunities to put points on the board and make
them uncomfortable and make them press that really gives us an advantage.
We've been in a lot of close games and they might not necessarily
have been in a lot of close contests this year,” said Brokaw. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Shelby
Has to Have Right Mindset
Shelby, the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference champion, and second seed
will host Elida in a first round playoff game in division IV on Friday
night.
The Whippets (10-0), #2 in the final Swankonsports.com football
coaches poll in the large school division, belted Marion Pleasant (33-14)
last week to secure the outright title.
It was the 30th title in the Whippets illustrious history.
Coach Robert Mahaney says it was a pretty good night.
“It was a special night for our team and for our seniors.
It was awesome to see our kids who have bought in since last winter,
through the spring, and through the summer, to kind of get that reward of
having that moment on the field and then the bus ride back into Shelby was a
really cool moment for our kids. Really
proud of them and everything that they accomplished this year.
Now, we're looking forward to keeping things going into the
playoffs,” he said.
Despite what they have done over the first 10 weeks, Mahaney says
that is irrelevant now. “The
seeds are set, the pairings, all that kind of stuff and now you just go out
and play football. We talked
about it to our team that you had to have a special sense of urgency in the
playoffs because every week you're fighting for your team's life.
The seniors are trying to continue to play to extend their last
season of high school football. Our
team is trying to extend their season, so they can sit together another week
and spend more time together. There
is just a sense of urgency that has to pick up and so far through two days
of preparation we've done a good job with that,” said Mahaney.
Elida (3-7) comes out of the Western Buckeye League.
Mahaney says they have been tested.
“The first thing is that they're in a really good football
conference. We've had
opportunities to play teams from the “WBL” over the past couple of
years, Van Wert specifically. We
have seen their conference and know there are going be battle tested.
It's a really good football conference and week in and week out
they're going to be tested. They
have some really good wins over some of those teams in that conference, so
that's the first thing. Then
secondly, they have some really good football players. Defensively,
they fly around and get to the football.
They have a defensive end that's really special football player and
has division one offers and rightfully so,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday night, “We have got to make sure up front we know what we're
supposed to do and execute at a high level.
Offensively for them, they do a really good job and do some really
good stuff schematically. Their
quarterback is good and they have a wide receiver that they play in the slot
that they hand the ball. Then
have a lot of different ways to get him the ball and he's one of the best
athletes we've played all year. So,
they have a lot of really good football players and they're battle tested.
So, we have got to make sure that we have that sense of urgency and
understand what we're playing on Friday and come out ready to go.” Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Minutemen
Face Balanced Maumee
Lexington hits the road Friday night for a first round playoff game
in division III against Maumee.
Last week, they had a chance to share the Ohio Cardinal Conference
championship with Ashland, but lost (30-21) to the Arrows.
Coach Andrew Saris says they made too many mistakes.
“It was a tough one. We
gave ourselves a chance to come away and win that game.
Down the stretch, made some errors, made some mistakes.
I know it's tough on the kids. I
thought the kids still played extremely hard.
Now, we're excited to get a chance to make the playoffs and give
ourselves a chance to win a game,” said Saris.
Saris says they have to learn from last week, but not dwell on it.
“I think you can look in terms of what can we do and what can we
change to get better, but through that I always think your windshield needs
to be bigger than that rear view mirror.
So, we have got to make sure that we're looking in the past to try to
get better, but always having the eyes forward,” he said.
Lexington (5-5) plays at Maumee (8-2) on Friday night.
The Panthers finished third in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
They are coming off a (41-17) win over Otsego.
Saris says they can throw too, but they want to run it.
“They're a tough football team.
They're very balanced offensively, but they definitely still want to
be able to run the ball and grind you out.
They have got a great running back and a quarterback who runs the
offense really well. He doesn't
make a lot of mistakes, so when he does get a chance to throw the football
he throws an accurate ball and takes advantage of it,” said Saris.
There is no one team on Lexington’s regular season schedule that
reminds Saris of Maumee, but they have seen a lot of things they try and do.
“I think there are a big combination of a lot of teams we’ve
played this year. They have a
strong arm game like a Madison or West Holmes, but also some poise at
quarterback that we saw early on even later in the season. I
think they bring their own kind of scheme to the game, but it's a decent
mixture of a lot of things that we've seen this year,” said Saris. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Western
Reserve to Face Talented Seneca East
Western Reserve, of the Firelands Conference, hosts Seneca East, of
the “N10” on Friday night in a first round playoff game in division VI.
Coach Ty Stevenson says playoff games are always a fun experience.
“It's an exciting time. Anytime
you make the playoffs. Obviously,
they expanded it, but now we're proud to be in the top eight and get to host
a playoff game. Excited for our
kids and our community,” he said.
Western Reserve (7-3) is home for Seneca East (6-4) on Friday.
The Tigers lost the “N10” title game to Mohawk (21-13) last week.
Stevenson says they have a lot of weapons on offense.
“Basically, everybody jumps off the page at you when you start
watching the film. A great
offensive and defensive line. The
quarterback is a really good wrestler. He
runs around and slings it and can run football.
#44, the running back, Gayheart, he’s really physical, about 200
pounds,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, and they have got
four or five receivers. #1 and
#8 are both really good and they got some complimentary guys with that.
So, they created a great challenge.
Coach (Ed) Phillips he's been there for forever, a long time, I think
2007 maybe or something like that. They
have got a really good staff and do really, really good things over
there.”
Stevenson says they will stress them with their pass game.
“They're pretty balanced 50/50. I'm
don’t not know if you call that balance.
They definitely could throw the ball all over the place.
The (Nicolas) Parks has got maybe 2000 yards, or pretty darn close to
it throwing. So, they have got a
lot of weapons,” he said.
Stevenson adds that Seneca East is going to be physical on defense
and show a lot of coverages. “A lot of those same guys play defense and
again they're big and physical and strong and fast and they do a good job of
playing their 4-3 and get some good coverage in some different ways and
trying to confuse you a little bit with different coverages.
They get their ends wide and they bring it hard and play solid
football,” he said. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clear
Fork Coming Together
Clear Fork meets Worthington Christian in a division IV boys’
soccer regional semifinal on Wednesday night at Marion Harding Stadium.
The Colts (9-8-3) beat Vermilion (2-1) in a district final last week.
Coach Nate Gailey says his team has grown a lot and they have good
chemistry. “We as coaches
that's one of things we talk about as you look at who's coming back.
We had a young team last year, started six freshmen, so we knew that
was coming back. We knew we had
a good junior class that are now seniors.
So, between the mix of those two we know we had some talent.
Now it’s just putting the pieces together.
So, as we went through the season, certainly some ups and down.
We didn't do very well even in the preseason, struggled in some
scrimmages, but we also intentionally put a pretty hard schedule together
for the regular season because we feel like if you win that's awesome, if
you tie then you know you're about right there, and losing to a good team is
going to show you some of those weaknesses,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday afternoon, “We were able to just fix some of the problems that we
saw come up, but we knew we had some talent.
I think one of the biggest things for us was we just had a team top
to bottom the kids enjoyed being around each other and playing together and
that was something special because it's not always the case, but it seemed
like guy one through guy 22, they're all friends, just enjoyed playing
together and being together. So,
we knew we had a special team, we just weren’t sure if we would be able to
put it all together, so it's great to see that we have.”
Gailey says they understand the one and done pressure.
“That's one of the things that we've kind of preached going into
the tournament was you've done some good things and can't just be one half
of good soccer. You've got to
figure out how to put two halves together.
That was honestly our main message going into the tournament for that
reason. So, for the most part
we've been able to do that and so after I think the first couple of games it
really puts some confidence behind the work that the boys have put in.
They're starting to see that hey we can do this and we can play with
anybody, so we started to see just some of the intensity pick up and I think
that's a lot of the reason behind it because they know the season's only
going to keep going if you keep winning.
If you lose it's over and I don't think anyone's ready to go home
quite yet,” said Gailey.
Worthington Christian (15-3-1) has three state titles to its
collection and has been the final four in the old division III, 13 times.
Gailey says they are very solid.
“They have a strong history of their soccer program.
They were the state runner up last year in 2023.
They do some very, very good things.
They are a technically sound team, they're well coached, well
disciplined. You see that when
you watch film of them. We've
not actually ever played them. They
have a schedule full of Columbus schools and they do play Mansfield
Christian, so we have that common opponent.
They have been a strong, powerhouse soccer team for many years.
We are excited for the match-up, but we definitely have our work cut
out for us,” he said. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clyde
Must be Disciplined
Clyde will be at home on Friday night for a first round playoff game
in division IV as they host Otsego.
The Fliers have had great success in the playoffs, including winning
a state title in 2019, and coach Ryan Carter says you have to have different
mental approach. “We've talked
to our kids about that since Saturday morning.
There is a different feel about the playoffs, there's different
intensity levels, teams handle them differently, but our kids know that, our
kids have been around those fires before.
We've had a different level of intensity around practice this week.
So, we're excited about it. We
talked to our kids (Monday) night about when you hang them up this time,
when it's over and the other team has one more point than you at the end,
it's over. You can do a lot of
things in life. You can go play
rec league basketball, you can golf, you can do a lot of things, but you
don't usually put the pads back on and play 11 man tackle football on a
Friday night. So, it's one of
those special things and in the high school world that we don't take for
granted,” Carter.
Clyde (7-3), #5 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, hosts Otsego (5-5) on Friday.
They lost to Maumee (41-17) last week.
Carter says they are a well coached football team.
“A very good football team. A
very well coached football team. Craig
Rutherford, who was at Eastwood for a long time, and his dad Jerry
Rutherford, who was at Eastwood for forever before Craig took over.
You can just tell it's a Rutherford coached football team. They
do things well, their kids play hard, they come off the football, they're a
wing-T offense, so we really have got to win first down,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We really have to get off the
field when we have opportunities because they are going to run a football,
they're going to grind the clock, and you're not going to get very many
opportunities offensively. So,
when you have opportunities to get off the field and get it back for your
offense, you have to take full advantage of those.”
Carter says their defense must be disciplined and they must tackle
well. “You have to be
assignment sound, you have to be where you're supposed to be when you're
supposed to be there and you have got to show up violently.
You have to get them down to the ground.
We're preaching that to our kids, but I'll tell you this and it's one
thing to practice against the wing-T in practice.
Try to simulate with your scout team, but it's a whole different
world when you see it live speed on a Friday night.
So, it'll be our first time seeing that this year, so we're trying to
get the kids ready to go,” he said. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Freddies
Playing Role of Underdog
Fredericktown takes the long bus trip to Oak Harbor to meet the
unbeaten Rockets in a fist round playoff game in division V on Friday night.
Last week, they lost their final regular season game to Centerburg
(35-21) in play in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
Coach Will Hartley says a poor first half did them in.
“The first half we just had some early breakdowns in the secondary
and we were also not able to get pressure on their quarterback and they made
some big plays over the top. We
dug ourselves a hole. The second
half we really battled back put it there to 28-14 and seemed like maybe we
had recaptured the momentum a little bit and then they took another big shot
play. Their big receiver, their
6’4” receiver, just made a great catch going around pretty good coverage
and he just made a great play. That
stretched it back out to 3-14. The
kids continued to battle and we did get a late score.
It was a good second half, kids didn’t quit, we just dug to big of
a hole in the first half,” said Hartley.
Fredericktown (5-5) is at Oak Harbor (10-0) on Friday night.
The Rockets were outright champions in the Northern Buckeye
Conference.
Hartley says they are loaded. “Just
another one of those just really solid programs.
They've got 67 boys on the roster.
They're 29-1 over the past three years in the regular season and
they've gone to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of those
three years, just really solid program.
The coach has been there for a long time.
Offensively and defensively they're nothing fancy, they're just very,
very fundamentally sound,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon,
“They've got big, athletic kids up front, they have got some nice skilled
kids. Their best football player
is their primary running back and also their inside linebacker. He's
just a tough gritty kid. You can
tell that on film. They have
several of those types of kids. The
quarterback same way, he’s a two way starter, played both quarterback and
safety on defense. You got some
nice skilled kids on the perimeter. So,
just really solid well-rounded team with a lot of experience and a great
deal of depth.”
Hartley says they want to make this a game in the second half.
“That's the goal to make it a close game and have a chance in the
fourth quarter and who knows what can happen and on any given Friday night
that's the case. We just really
want to have our best game this season.
We talked to the kids about putting forth your best effort and if you
can increase your 1/11th just a little bit and play your best
game. All those types of things
multiplying. Also, if we can put
a complete came together from all three phases of the game and keep it close
with a chance to win in the fourth quarter that would be great,” he said. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Hillsdale
Opens the Playoffs on Friday
Hillsdale will be home Friday night for Fairport Harding in a first
round playoff game in division VII.
They played a Wayne County Athletic League championship game last
week against the Norwayne Bobcats. They
lost (45-21).
Coach Trevor Cline says they just couldn't make the big plays at the
right time. “We all obviously
wanted to win the league championship, be the first group that went
undefeated, but that didn't work out the way that we all were hoping for.
I was proud of our players because we got down 24-7 and we end up
making it a 24-21 football game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday
night, “We needed to get a key stop on the following drive after making it
24-21 and we weren’t able to and things sort of spiraled out of control
where they pulled away. Our guys
played hard and we just got out played in the game.”
Hillsdale (9-1), #5 in the final Swankosports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, hosts Fairport Harding (5-4) on Friday
night. The Skippers lost (41-25)
to Windham last week.
Cline says they have an athletic group.
“I see is they’re a younger football team just based off the guys
that they have playing, but they do have multiple guys that have had a very
good football season so far. Just
looking up their stats they have multiple guys who have thrown for a lot of
yards ran or received and got a lot of touchdowns.
So, they do have playmakers,” he said.
Cline says on defense they can’t let the Skippers get deep.
“It's one of those things where we have got to do a good job of
keeping everything in front of us because on the film they've done a nice
job of getting behind some guys on the defensive side of the ball and able
to get big plays offensively. So,
we have got to make sure that we keep everything in front of us and if we do
that we're going to be able to slow down the offense,” said Cline. Published 10/30/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clear
Fork Prepared for O-G
Clear Fork tangles with Ottawa-Glandorf in a girls’ soccer division
IV regional semifinal at Bowling Green High School on Tuesday night.
The Lady Colts (13-4-2) blanked Liberty-Benton (4-0) in district
final on Saturday at Clyde.
Coach Brittany Bechtel says once they found their groove they were
able to do some things. “We
talk a lot about the game and through tournament season you have got to have
a little luck, but we also say that you create a lot of your luck.
The girls persevered, it was actually a very close match compared to
what the score looked like. Liberty-Benton
was a very good team and they were honestly possessing it over us until we
got that first goal in and I think that changed a little bit of the
momentum. Then the second goal
swung it a little bit more. The
girls just took the opportunities and made the most of them,” she said.
District player of the year Mel Blubaugh scored as well as teammates
Mya Perry, Ashtyn Wine and Brinley Barnett.
Three of the goals came on set pieces.
Faith Smith had four saves.
Clear Fork has been to this level before several times and Bechtel
says they know what they have to do to be ready.
“We've taken things that have worked for us in the past.
We used to go Findlay for this game.
So, we're going a little bit further than Findlay this time.
We're going to break our drive up and make sure we get some food in
the girls and within that broken drive we're going to eat.
We're going to have regimented food like we did Saturday,” she told
Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “We make sure that even though they're
nervous that they're getting fuel for the body.
It's actually over two hours on the bus for our girls compared to
their 50 minutes to an hour. So,
it's just important in many ways. We
look at all the obstacles that are in front of us for Tuesday.
The girls are really excited and it should be a very good game.”
Ottawa-Glandorf (17-2-0) beat Lima Bath (2-1) in their district
final.
Bechtel says they are also used to success, they were state
runners-up in the old division III last season, and she expects it to be a
tough match. “Ottawa-Glandorf
over the years has been pretty consistently through the tournament run.
We know quite a bit about them. They
played Ontario, so we've seen a little bit of a comparable match.
We've studied it and we've looked at it as best we can.
We just won Saturday, so there was a Sunday, a day off from them, and
then had (Monday) to kind of to work through things.
We've done the best that we can.
We feel ready, we feel prepared, we've got our bodies ready and our
mindset ready, and now we have just got to take care of business,” said
Bechtel. Published 10/29/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Crawford
Must Defend the Spread
Colonel Crawford heads for Southeast Ohio and a meeting with Monroe
Central on Friday night in a first round playoff game in division VI.
The Eagles finished the regular season (8-2) after winning the
“Iron Plow” game with rival Wynford (42-6) last week.
Coach Jake Bruner says they played a good game.
“Anytime you play a rival game week 10 you're concerned.
Wynford-Colonel Crawford is a big rivalry and we knew we'd have our
hands full. I thought our kids
came out and played pretty well overall,” he said,
Monroe Central (9-1) beat Shadyside (52-0) last week.
Bruner says they will be forced to defend an outstanding quarterback
in Tucker Hall. “To be honest,
never heard of Monroe Central until now.
They play there against Hannibal River, a team we played in the last
couple of years on week one. We've
got a long trip, it's a three hour trip one way there, that's the first
hurdle we have got to get over. They
have one of the more talented teams that they've had there.
They won a playoff game last year and were 7-5. They
have a tremendous quarterback. He's
the leading passer all time in their school and his brother is a great
receiver. They've got a couple
other guys that are really good. They
have a big team from a size standpoint.
They’re big sized guys offensive linemen, so it's going to be a
huge challenge for us,” said Bruner.
Bruner says Monroe Central is going to feature a lot of the spread
offense when they have the ball. “There
are parts of them that remind us of different teams.
The difference is the style of play down there is different.
I don't mean that good or bad, it's just different, people do
different things and it's a little different from the area you're part of.
They remind me a little bit of a lot of different teams we play,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon. “Their quarterback is very
versatile. He runs the ball, he
throws the ball, he has a tremendous arm.
He throws it deep very, very well. They
want to spread you out. They'll
run it a little, but they want to spread you out.
Spread you out and run the ball with him and they want to spread you
out and throw the ball with him. So, the offensive really goes through
Tucker Hall. He's the all time
leading passer for a reason. He's
got a big body, a big frame and he can run the ball and throw the ball.” Published 10/29/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Crestview
to Face Explosive Ottawa Hills
Crestview travels to Ottawa Hills to take on the Green Bears in a
first round playoff game in division VI on Friday night.
The Cougars (5-5) reached the postseason by beating Western Reserve
(28-8) and Mapleton (40-14) in their final two Firelands Conference games of
the season.
Coach Steve Haverdill says they played well under the gun.
“Our backs have been against the wall last two weeks and we've
responded very well. You add
that with the strength of schedule that we've had this year I think that
we're tested. It's another week
in our schedule that's the most important,” he said.
In fact, the Cougars have only one loss, (16-15) to conference
co-champion Norwalk St. Paul, since mid-September.
Haverdill says they have not been hurting themselves on offense and
playing sound defense. He says
they have to continue that on Friday. “We
realize in that game if you take those 20 seconds away we're 20 seconds away
from being conference champs with St. Paul beating Monroeville.
Our kids feel really good about how we're playing right now.
We limit the mistakes, we haven't turned the ball over probably at
all, which has been fantastic. So,
if we continue to do that and the defense keeps playing the way it's been
doing, it's going to keep us in ball games,” said Haverdill.
Ottawa Hills (8-1) won the Toledo Area Athletic Conference this year.
Their only loss coming (26-7) to Gibsonburg, the runner-up in the
River Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, in their opener.
Haverdill says they have a lot of experience and they have a number
of big play makers. “They're
very explosive on offense. They're
very fast. They've got a lot of
multi year starters. We played
them three years ago when New London first went down and didn't have a team
and they came down and we actually played at Ashland High School because our
turf wasn't ready and they have a handful of guys that started as freshmen
in that game that are now seniors,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
afternoon, “They're very experienced and they're explosive and fast.
On defense they attack very well out of a 3-3 stack look.
On the offensive side, it's a unique situation.
They are zone concept with some buck sweep action stuff in too.
So, they present a lot of problems.
We have got to be very disciplined and see what we're getting and we
have got to be able to tackle in space.” Published 10/29/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
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Upper
Likes its Role
Upper Sandusky, of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, made the
division IV playoffs as the final seed in their region, and will play at top
seed Sandusky Perkins on Friday night.
Coach Russell Hall says the Rams (5-5) have worked hard to get here.
“We started the season off 1-2, which is the way you want to start
to go into league play. The boys
did a great job of working each and every week, of trying to improve as a
team and the wins started to come, which was good.
We got just enough to get in,” said Hall.
Perkins (9-1), #1 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, smoked Tiffin Columbian (42-7) last
Friday to claim the outright title in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference.
Hall says they are just outstanding.
“It shows, they're a top team in the state.
They're very solid at every single position.
They're very impressive to watch.
Fun to watch on offense and stuff like that, just the playmakers that
they have. You can tell they're
very well coached and they're a very good team,” he said.
There likely aren’t very many people that give the Rams much of a
chance to be competitive in this game. However,
Hall says the pressure is all on Perkins in this game.
“That's what we told our boys on Saturday. There's
not very many people out there that think you have a chance to you know even
stop them when they're on offense because they're such a good team.
There are super high expectations for the season,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “That's what I told them.
You need to enjoy the moment and have fun and all the pressure is on
them. They're supposed to win
100-0 and you get to go out and play. Making
the playoffs for Upper Sandusky is not something you take very lightly.
This is the seventh week 11 in football program history and then the
eighth time with the COVID year in 2020 that we've qualified for the
playoffs in that year when every team made it.
So, just proud of these boys and proud of the program to keep working
kind of turn it around. I really
enjoyed coaching this group of kids and looking forward to Friday night.” Published 10/29/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
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Huron
at Home for Spencerville
Huron, out of the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference,
entertains Spencerville in a division VI first round playoff game on Friday
night.
Last week, they lost (28-3) to unbeaten Edison in a division game.
Coach Sam Hohler says they got off to a good start, but could not
maintain that play. “To start
off, Edison's a really good team. For
them to be undefeated and have the season that they're having is pretty
special. They have a lot of
talented kids. We got off to a
really good start. We got a
turnover early and we were leading after half of the first quarter.
In the second quarter though, we started to have a little bit of
trouble defending their offense. They
were able to put some points on the board.
We did get some opportunities, but couldn't cash in, which we've had
a little trouble with here playing some tough opponents here down the
stretch. So, a very good game,
great atmosphere. Had a chance
to win the “SBC” or at least tie for the “SBC” (Bay) championship,
unfortunately we weren't able to do it,” said Hohler.
Huron (6-4) hosts Spencerville (5-5) on Friday night.
The Bearcats routed Delphos Jefferson (54-7) last week, breaking a
two game losing streak.
Hohler says they are going to want to run the ball.
“They play in the Northwest Conference.
They play schools like Bluffton, Columbus Grove and Convoy Crestview,
so west central Ohio. They're
going to have to make two hour bus trip to come up to the lake here and play
us. They've got a nice ball
team,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “They run a lot of
Wing-T on offense and they play a 3-4 defense.
They've got a couple of really nice players on both sides of the
ball. So, definitely not
pushovers. It should be a solid
game and we're hoping we can figure out a way to get a win.”
Hohler says they have not seen a lot of the wing-T offense this year,
but they know what they have to do to stop it.
“Not a whole lot, not like we did you know a few years back.
You do see teams incorporate a little bit into what they do.
Edison does a little bit of it. Clyde
has a little bit in there as well. So,
we've practiced against it throughout the season a little bit.
So, pretty confident in what we can do to try to stop it,” he said. Published 10/29/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
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Shelby
Plays for Undisputed Title
Shelby already has a share of its fourth Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference
title in five years and they can win it outright if they can win at Marion
Pleasant on Friday night.
They scored twice in the final minutes last week to get past Ontario
(50-36) in an “MOAC” game between unbeaten teams.
Coach Robert Mahaney says they kept attacking.
“I thought our kids played exceptionally well.
I was really proud of our efforts offensively defensively and our
special teams. I’m proud of
our guys after going down early and then going down late to stick to what we
do and have no panic and flip the page and to keep attacking.
I thought our kids did a great job with that.
It was a great high school football game. Ontario
is a really good football team and coached really well, so for our guys to
continue to fight through it and play the way that we did just really,
really proud of them,” he said.
Quarterback Brayden DeVito accounted for seven touchdowns in the
game.
Shelby (9-0,6-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, visits Marion Pleasant (5-4,3-3) on Friday
night. The Spartans stuffed
Marion Harding (14-3) last week.
Mahaney says they have talent on both sides of the ball.
“I think Pleasant is a really good football team. I
think they're coached really well. Offensively,
they do a lot of different things that stress your defense.
The quarterback Lowry is a really good football player.
Their running back is good, they have receivers that can make plays
and a good offensive line. They
put a lot of stress on you with their offensive,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “Defensively, again they're very good
up front. That's where it starts
with them inside with their tackles are very good.
The defensive end #24 is a really good football player.
He leads the league in sacks with like double anybody else.
He makes a ton of plays for them.
Their linebackers run to the football and their db's do good job of
keeping things in front of them and tackling the football.
I think offensively, defensively and special teams, they do a really
good job. It starts with how
well they’re coached and then their kids give a ton of effort.
Pleasant has a ton of tradition and you can see that that tradition
in the effort on film.”
Mahaney says they have been telling the kids that last week was only
step one towards their goal. “We
talked about that this week with our guys about finishing the job.
Coming out this week we get one more regular season football game.
Our seniors get to play in one more “MOAC” game.
We want to go out there and take full advantage of it.
Fly around and play together and have a lot of fun and play Shelby
Whippet football and compete until the very end and then hopefully we find
ourselves in a position to make plays to win the game at the end.
If we can do that and play with one another and go out and execute I
think we can do that,” said Mahaney. Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Lady
Colts to Play in District Final
Clear Fork meets Liberty-Benton in a girls’ soccer division IV
district final at noon on Saturday at Clyde High School.
Mel Blubaugh and Ashtyn Wine both scored twice and the Lady Colts
buried Upper Sandusky (7-0) in a semifinal on Wednesday.
Coach Brittany Bechtel says after they shook some of the rust off,
they played pretty well. “We
hadn't played in a long time, so that was kind of a little concerning.
The girls took a little bit to warm up during the game, but once they
got rolling they were good to go,” she said.
Clear Fork (12-4-2), the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference champ, plays
Liberty-Benton, (4-0) winner over Port Clinton in the other semifinal on
Wednesday.
The two teams played September 14 at Liberty-Benton (10-4-4) and the
game ended in a (1-1) tie.
Bechtel says they are familiar with each other.
“We played them in season and we tied, so we've seen each other
play and have each other's style of formation.
We have an idea what to look for.
We stayed for a half after our game to watch them play Port Clinton,
so we have an idea what we're coming into and it's going to be a really good
game by two good programs,” said Bechtel.
Bechtel says she is not giving away the game plan, but says they have
done the research and will come out ready to play.
“I’m not going to give too much away. We
definitely have been watching our film, watching other people's film and the
different formation that they have and different ideas that we have moving
forward. We've been kind of
building to this, but also kind of keeping ourselves in check because we
wanted obviously to make sure that we took care of Upper Sandusky first and
not get ahead of ourselves,” she told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night,
“Soccer can be a funny game. You
can control the whole game and shoot a ton of shots and not have anything
fall and somebody can take one shot at your goal and it can go in.
So, until we took care of Upper we weren't looking quite at
Liberty-Benton yet. I was up
till all hours (Wednesday) night and then (Thursday) at training and then
(Friday) at training. We have
more stuff that we're working on to gear us up to get ready for Liberty
Benton.” Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Perkins
Can Get it Outright
Sandusky Perkins claims an outright title in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference if they can beat Tiffin Columbian on Friday night.
They got a piece of the title by smoking Sandusky (37-0) in a
division game last week.
Coach Jalen Santoro says they made some big plays in the special
teams. “I thought we came out
firing on all cylinders. It was
one of the big talking points going into the game was we had to handle
special teams right away because Sandusky made a lot of big plays this year
in the return game. We wanted to
make sure we tried to neutralize that as much as possible.
A couple of our squib kicks actually bounced the right way for us,
which got us a couple possessions back.
Our defense came out and got some scores as well.
So, overall I thought we played well last week. I
thought our guys were ready for the challenge,” said Santoro.
Perkins (8-1,3-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, plays at home against Tiffin Columbian
(4-5,1-2) on Friday night. The
Tornadoes thrashed Norwalk (47-20) in a division game last week.
Santoro says they run the ball well and on defense they are going to
be in a number of different looks. “It’s
one of those teams, they're a lot better than our record shows.
I think it's very easy to see that. They
have a very good offensive line. They
get off the ball well and they're big. At
the end of the day, they run the ball well between the tackles.
On defense, they show you a heck of a lot of different things.
So, you have to be prepared for everything and anything when you're
playing them, especially their defense.
We have to be very sound in what we do. We
have you very sound in our game plan. At
the end of the day, it always comes down to the simple things like blocking
and tackling. They get off the
ball very well and you have got to be very good about getting off blocks.
You got to be very good at the point of attack and tackling.
On offense, make sure you're dissecting their defense great and like
again do the simple things like block very well.
They do show you a lot.”
Santoro says on Friday night they better be ready to play.
“I don't think their record speaks about the team they are.
They have played some good competition up to this point in the year
and teams that are state ranked and you know at the end of the day we have
to come ready to play,” he said. Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Northmor
Goes for Outright Title
Northmor already has no less than a share of the Knox Morrow Athletic
Conference title and they can win it outright with a win Friday night over
winless Loudonville.
Last week, the wrapped up a share of the title with (49-6) route of
the Cardington Pirates.
Coach Scott Armrose their goal every week is to get better as a
football team and that’s the case this week too.
“That's been the goal every week to keep improving and play our
best football each week. We want
to be playing our best football here this week, week 10,” he said.
Northmor (9-0,6-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the small school division, is at Loudonville (0-9,0-6) on Friday night.
The Redbirds were hammered (43-0) by Mt. Gilead last week.
Armrose says they have some athletic kids.
“They're a young football team and they've made some mistakes, but
I’ll tell you for an 0-9 football team they've got some athletes that can
make plays. A quarterback that
can run and throw and a receiver that can really make some plays,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “Those guys are both really good
defensive players as well. So,
they are an 0-9 football team, they are young, they have made their share of
mistakes, but they're a football team that's much better than their record
shows.”
Armrose says they will focus on their execution.
“Our focus has been on us all season.
We focus on us we do and then what we need to do to improve and what
we're going to do. We’ve done
that all week and we'll do that again on Friday night.
We're going to focus on us and we're going to execute and do what we
do and try to do it better than we did last week,” said Armrose.
10-0 records don’t come around everyday and Armrose says this would
be a great accomplishment. “I've
been around this business for a long time.
I've been a part of a lot of really good football teams and I've
never been part of a 10-0 season, so it'll be something very special,” he
said. Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Huron
With a lot to Play for
Huron entertains Edison on Friday night in a game in the Bay Division
of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
A win by the Tigers gets
them a share of the division title.
They lost (20-7) to Clyde in a “SBC” crossover last week.
Coach Sam Hohler says they played really a pretty good football game.
“We went over to Clyde last week.
We played a terrific first half, came out and played really well.
In the second half it kind of flipped, Clyde had had the upper hand
on us. We had a couple of
opportunities in the red zone where we weren't able to put points on the
board and that was really the difference in the game. I'm
very proud of our kids playing a bigger school, a tough opponent, we had a
great week of preparation and they went out and worked hard, we just weren't
able to come away with the win,” said Hohler.
Huron (6-3,2-1) plays at Edison (9-0,3-0), #1 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the small school division, on
Friday night.
Hohler says this is a big game for them in many ways.
“This is a rivalry game for us.
Here we are week 10 and we still have a chance to play for the SBC
Bay championship. We're kind of
standing in the way of their undefeated season, so this is a big game for
not only winning the league, but for playoffs as well and for local bragging
rights,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “It’s going
to be a big game atmosphere. Should
be a lot of fun. We really don't
have anything to lose. We're
going to go out there and give it our all and see if we can come away with
one.”
Edison features the triple option offense and Hohler that means they
must be assignment sound on defense. “They’re
very balanced in their attack. Their
quarterback makes great decisions. They
have a couple of very solid running backs.
So, you have got to make sure that if you're on the dive, if that's
where you’re at, or the QB, or the pitch.
It really is about assignment football and limiting your mistakes,”
he said. Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Carey
Has to Get Better
Carey will not win a fourth straight Northern 10 Athletic Conference
football title, but they can still make a long playoff run.
They have already wrapped up a division VI playoff berth.
Friday night, they conclude the regular season with a conference game
at winless Bucyrus.
They fell last week (27-14) to “N10” co-leader and rival Mohawk.
Coach Jonathan Mershman says they could not finish drives.
“We can't spot them 14 points right off the rip in the first seven
minutes, but I thought we played a really well after that to finish out the
half well and be 14-7 at halftime. I
thought coming out we drove a little bit. We
just didn't finish the drive and then we had a turnover and we didn't finish
that drive,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “Our theme
of the year has been finish and we didn't do good enough finishing on a
Friday night and didn't come away with the win.
There were things that we learned and things that I think we can grow
from. Then learn some more this
week a little bit more and then we have got to get ready for playoffs.”
Mershman says they just don’t want to win this week, but more than
that play good football. “Make
good decisions, don't put the ball in jeopardy and limit, I don't know how
to say it other than bonehead mistakes.
Keep the ball front of us on defense, don't let them get behind us
and just play sound football,” he said.
Carey (4-5,4-2) plays at Bucyrus (0-9,0-6) on Friday night.
The Redmen were roughed up last week by Seneca East (59-6) in
“N10” play.
Mershman says they need to take care of business.
“Offensively, they do move the ball down the field.
We need to come ready to play. They
will stick around if you let them and they will play hard to start the game.
It's our job to make sure that we finish on offense and make sure we
keep things in front of us on defense,” he said. Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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West
Holmes Must Win to Get in
West Holmes must beat Holy Name in a non-conference game on Friday
night to qualify for the division IV playoffs.
Last week, they lost a shootout (38-31) to New Philadelphia in an
Ohio Cardinal Conference game.
However, coach Keaton Leppla says they learned a lot from the loss.
“The biggest thing from our perspective is we saw our kids really
step up to the challenge. It was
back and forth, it was up and down, but our kids kept responding.
It's the most physical our football team has played all year.
So, there's tons of positives from it.
There's things we have got to clean up.
We have got to clean up turnovers.
We have got to clean up missed assignments on defense.
So, there's plenty of things that we could have done better to win
that game. Unfortunately, we
weren’t able to do that, but again there's a lot of shining points.
There's a lot of things you like to see as a coach,” he said.
Leppla says its straightforward for them this week.
It’s win or go home. “Coming
into this week, it's pretty simple. It's
you win you get to move on and you get a chance to make a round in the
playoffs, you lose you go home. So,
these kids are fired up. These
seniors are ready to go. We're
going to honor them here one last time here at Knights Stadium and these
guys are hungry. We've had three
tough weeks, some close games, some ones we wish we had back, but we can't
control that. All we can control
now, what our kids have done a great job of is, how are we going to respond,
how are we going to come out this week.
Are we going to come out and get in the playoffs and get in division
IV and make a run or are we're going to kind of feel sorry for ourselves and
kind of have the season where we're at as a disappointment.
So, I'm excited to see these kids respond and just go out and play at
Knights Stadium one last time um and it should be a good one,” said Leppla.
West Holmes (4-5) entertains Parma Holy Name (3-5) on Friday.
The Green Wave lost (13-3) to Elyria Catholic last week.
Leppla says they have to be able to stop the run.
“They’re a private school and they play a bunch of private
schools up north. They
definitely like running football. They
run the ball 60% of the time and throw the ball 40% of the time.
For us defensively, we have got to stop that run game.
We have got to control the line of scrimmage and force them to do
what they don't want to do and that’s throw the ball.
So, that's them offensively in a nutshell,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “Defensively, they're a 4-2-5
cover four. They play two high
safeties a lot. We're going to
have to take what they give us. We’re
going to have to establish our run game.
Force them to come up make some adjustments to stop our run and then
once they do that try and take the top off top off the defense.
So, similar defensively to us and similar to defenses that we’ve
played. They're tough, they're
fighters, they're physical. I
say this every week it's a matter of who takes care of the football, and
it’s a matter of who controls the line of scrimmage is the one who is
going to come out on top of this week.” Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Bellevue
Ready to go
Bellevue plays at Vermilion in a Bay Division game in the Sandusky
Bay Conference on Friday night.
It was tough loss for the Redmen last week, falling (29-26) to Port
Clinton in a division game.
Coach Ed Nasonti says it boiled down to some plays right at the end
of the game. “It was tough
loss. It's kind of uncharted
waters for us over here. If you
come into our fieldhouse, we have a big sign up in our fieldhouse and it
says no excuses and that goes for the head coach too.
We're not playing good enough to get over the hump.
We had five plays probably in the end of the fourth quarter that if
we make any one of the five plays, we probably would have been successful in
that game and we didn't make any of the five,” he said.
Nasonti says at Bellevue they don’t feel sorry for themselves.
“It's been tough sledding this year.
It isn’t easy for anybody that's involved.
We're not about self pity over here.
We're about supporting each other and I think we've done a good job
with that. I've talked to you
before there's no finger pointing with the players and there's no finger
pointing with the coaches. We've
stayed together and tried to bail water the best that we can.
So, here we are going into week 10, hard to believe this season is
going by this fast, but we have got a good football team here in Vermilion
coming up and we're hoping we can finish on a positive note,” said Nasonti.
Bellevue (2-7,0-3) plays at Vermilion (7-2,2-1) on Friday night.
The Sailors fell (17-0) in unbeaten Edison in a division game last
Friday.
Nasonti says they have a lot of weapons.
“I think their coaches have done a pretty good job putting things
together over there. We've seen
this class come up from seventh grade on.
They have a nice group of kids that execute their game plan.
They're playing with confidence.
They had a schedule that was conducive to them and getting some
success early. They have a
really good quarterback. They're
doing a lot of the “Q” runs with him and they've been successful there.
They've also have three running backs that they take turns giving the
ball to and these guys run hard and they're physical.
A lot of times those guys are doing the blocking on the “Q” runs
also. Those same guys are on the
defensive side of the ball and they run to the ball and they like to hit.
Like I said, they're playing with confidence and they're riding the
wave right now,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “It should
be a good ball game for us. Even
though we haven't been that successful this year our kids have laid it out
there and I'm proud of the way that they've played each week and I feel
strongly that we're going to have a good showing (Friday) night.” Published 10/25/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Ashland
Not in Sharing Mood
Ashland already has a share of the Ohio Cardinal Conference title and
they can win their first outright title since 2011 by beating Lexington on
Friday night at Community Stadium.
If they lose the game, they will have to share it with the Minutemen.
They put themselves in a position to win the outright title by
beating Wooster (24-14) last Friday.
Coach Scott Valentine says they played good complementary football.
“Anytime you're going through a season you've got to make sure in
the end that you take care of plays and make plays when you need to.
I thought special teams wise we got a field goal that they put us out
there. Then offensively we were
able to drive the ball in the fourth quarter and get another score.
Defensively, we made a couple interceptions and got some picks.
So, it was a good all round team game,” said Valentine.
Ashland (9-0,5-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, hosts Lexington (5-4,4-1) on Friday night.
The Minutemen beat Madison (14-7) last week.
Valentine says Lexington has a big play offense and they tackle well
in space. “Well, I think
they're a very athletic team. The
thing that's scary about them is they've got guys who can make plays and
defensively you've got to try to limit their plays.
You have got to be great tacklers in space because that's something
that they do well,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon,
“Defensively they haven't given up a lot of points.
They keep you in front of them. They
tackle in the open field. So,
we've got to find some ways to make some plays.”
Sometimes you have to be patient against teams like Lexington and
Valentine says that’s his job. “You
try to tell your kids, but sometimes that’s tough, so as the coach you
have got to try to make calls that keep you patient.
In the end I think overall our guys understand that we've got to take
out and play how the defense is playing us and so hopefully that we can do
that,” said Valentine.
Ashland has won outright or shared eight “OCC” titles and
Valentine says they want this one to themselves.
“It's one of those games that you want to get out.
You always want to be playing in these types of games.
It’s our senior night for our kids, so our seniors are going to be
excited about their last regular season game here.
So, it's something that you don't want to share it with anybody, you
want to try to have it by yourself,” he said. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Playoffs
a Possibility for Clear Fork
A win on Friday night at home against River Valley in Mid-Ohio
Athletic Conference action will put the Clear Fork Colts in the division IV
playoffs.
That’s something that seemed impossible a month ago.
They produced one of their better performances of the season last
week in pounding Highland (41-7) in conference play.
Coach Aaron Brokaw says they did a pretty good job of executing.
“The guys did a lot of good things.
We didn't put ourselves in difficult situations early on, which is
always a benefit. We scored on
our opening offensive possession. Got
a couple holding penalties on the second one, but outside of that
offensively we were able to move the ball all night long.
Defensively, we played well. They
completed a touchdown right before the half, but outside of that we were
able to keep them in check with the defense.
We had a couple of issues in the point after try game that hopefully
we got that corrected this week. Overall,
it was a good win. It's great to
see the kids be so excited afterwards too,” said Brokaw.
Brokaw says dedication and work ethic are starting to pay off.
“We have a lot of young guys contribute sometimes they can get a
little down on themselves and maybe a little too hard themselves.
So, it's always nice when you can get a win.
We've been after those guys all year that if you keep doing things
the right way eventually, you're going to start seeing the benefits.
You're going to start to see the wins.
It was great to see that finally come true for them on Friday
night,” he said.
Clear Fork (3-6,2-4) plays host to River Valley (5-4,3-3) on Friday
night. The Vikings lost (42-34)
to Galion in league play last week.
Brokaw says they like to feature the pass.
“They definitely like to throw the ball.
(Ebert) has averaged something like 45 attempts a game.
So, they're definitely a pass first, run second type of offense.
Defensively, they've been basing out of a 3-4 look here down the
stretch. They have played a
little bit of a four man front at times,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday night, “It will be a little bit interesting for us to see
exactly what we're going to get because we run more tight end sets than most
other teams in the conference do so usually, we get a little bit of a
curveball from the opposition. Hopefully,
by week 10 there's not a whole lot new that we can see up front.”
Brokaw says beginning last week they were talking to the players
about the possibility of the playoffs. “We
talked to the kids about last week. We
told them last week it was a playoff game so to speak.
We want to play beyond week 10 and they need to take care of business
last week and they responded really well.
So, this week we have just been telling the guys it might not be the
home playoff game you guys always dreamed about, but this is in fact a home
playoff game. If we go out and
we take care of the business like we need to in week 10 there's a real good
possibility that we can play in week 11,” said Brokaw. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Run
Game Key for Monroeville
Monroeville wins its first outright Firelands Conference title since
2002 if they beat archrival Norwalk St. Paul at home on Friday night.
This is a classic high school rivalry between schools literally five
miles from each other.
Monroeville coach Tylor Nester says this game goes across family
trees with friends and neighbors playing for more than just bragging rights.
“You know the history and like coach (Chris) Doughty alluded to you
have got families that have friends or relatives that played on both sides,
played each other on Friday night under the lights at Marsh Field or over
there at Contractor’s Stadium. So,
there's a lot of relationships on and off the field and grudge match in the
end,” said Nester.
Monroeville (9-0,6-0) has been the mean mistreater in the Firelands
Conference this year. They have
pitched five straight shutouts and allowed only 16 points all year.
St. Paul (5-4,4-1) has rebounded from injuries to win all but one
conference game. They beat South
Central (34-20) last week.
Nester says St. Paul kids always come to play.
“They have persevered kind of doing the same thing that they did
last year. Battled through some
injuries and kind of put themselves in a position to fight for the
conference championship or at least a share of it,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Definitely they're gritty and
coach Doughty’s done a good job of keeping them focused and allowing them
to progress week by week.”
Nester believes the game will be won and lost up front in the
trenches. “We have to control
the line of scrimmage, stop the run and get some movement on the offensive
side of the ball,” he said. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Fundamentals
the Difference for Seneca East
Seneca East hosts Mohawk in what amounts to the Northern 10 Athletic
Conference championship game in Attica on Friday night.
It’s winner take all as the two schools sit atop the conference
standings with on loss each.
Seneca East last won a “N10” title in 2019.
Mohawk was the winner the year before in 2018.
Tigers coach Ed Phillips says this is almost like a movie script.
“It's like you write the script to be playing in the game like this
and against Mohawk. I think that
makes it even more special because they're a good rival of us.
I think both of us have believed in ourselves all year long and now I
think other people look around and they believe also,” said Phillips.
Seneca East (6-3,5-1) overwhelmed Bucyrus (59-6) last week.
Meanwhile, Mohawk (7-3,5-1) got past three time defending champion
Carey (27-14) in a battle of rivals.
Phillips says the teams are very similar in their makeup and what
they like to do on the field. “They
are really balanced. These two
teams are so much alike in terms of offensively they run the ball and throw
the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Defensively
they play physical football. They're
well coached, so it's just a great match up.”
Nick Parks of Seneca East and Ben Bogner of Mohawk are the two
leading passers in the conference. Plus,
both have a number of good targets.
However, Phillips says this game will come down to fundamentals.
“The basic stuff. They
always say it comes down to that, but blocking and tackling and taking care
of the football. I have no doubt
that's what this game will come down to,” he said. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Ontario
Must Get Back up
Ontario lost its first game of the season last week and now they have
to get back on the beam as they host Highland in a Mid-Ohio Athletic
Conference game on Friday night.
Last week, they held a (36-35) lead with just over five minutes to
play, but lost (50-36) to Shelby in a battle of unbeatens last week in
conference play.
Coach Aaron Eckert says they hurt themselves with poor execution late
in the game. “Great game high
school game. We always kind of
have that with them. Unfortunately
for us you know made too many mistakes down the stretch and to beat a good
football team like Shelby you can't do that expect to win the game,” he
said.
Now, if Ontario (8-1,5-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football
coaches poll in the large school division, can beat Highland and Shelby
loses to Marion Pleasant, the Warriors would share the title.
Eckert says Friday night will kind of show what they are made of.
“It’s kind of like life. You
don't win every game you should or thought you would.
It's just one of those things where you're knocked down and what do
you do, how do you respond,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
afternoon, “For us it goes back to who we are as people.
So, I fully expect the Warriors to be back and ready to go on Friday
night. Hopefully we learn
something from last Friday’s game and our character shows through and
we're able to get back on the horse and play Warrior football.”
Highland (3-6,2-4) was waxed last week (41-7) by Clear Fork.
Eckert says it can be difficult to understand what you will get from
Highland. “Highland is a team
that they're kind of hard to evaluate. They've
got some really nice things this year. They
don't give up a ton of big plays. They
have some big plays of their own. They seem to just stick around games and
then maybe late they give up a couple ones and the score looks a little
worse than the game was. They're
pretty fundamentally sound team just like most teams that Ty Stover coaches.
So, we have to bring it really good game plan and effort and attitude
with us on Friday if we have any chance of winning,” said Eckert. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clyde
Has to Keep Going
Clyde makes the trip to Norwalk for a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake
Division game on Friday night.
They Fliers (6-3,1-2), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, stuffed Huron (20-7) in an “SBC”
crossover last Friday.
Coach Ryan Carter says they made some big plays in the special teams
that got them some momentum. “Well,
my immediate thoughts are what you just said to wrap up the regular season.
It's kind of crazy to me. Week
10 got to us in a hurry. I was
just talking to my coaches the other day and we're in Wednesday practice of
week 10 already and that's crazy,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
afternoon, “We played a good Huron team.
I thought they came in and really executed their game plan.
They tried to slow the game down I thought and tried to keep the ball
away from our offense, keep their offense on the field and they did a nice
job of that. We were very
fortunate early to block two kicks. One
of our corners Dawson Brimmer had two blocked field goal attempts in the in
the first half that really kept the momentum on our side.
We came out and executed after halftime where we made some
adjustments we came out and executed very well in the second half.
We went down to punch the first drive in and then had another long
drive. So, I just thought we
came out in the second half and played much better.
Kind of wore them out at the end of the game.
That's a good football team with some wins.
I was happy with our efforts.”
Norwalk (2-7,0-3) lost (47-20) to Tiffin Columbian in a Lake Division
game last week. The Truckers
have scored only 76 points in nine games.
Carter says they will be ready to play.
“Well, I'll tell you what you have got to know where #82 is at all
times. He’s a Big Ten football
player for a reason. I mean he's
a good football player. So, you
have got to locate him each and every snap because if not he can score a
touchdown on you at any point in the game.
I know they're doing a good job over there. I
know their staff well. They're
working at it, so I fully expect them to come in with a with a great game
plan and focusing on the trying to get their kids a win here in week 10 and
carrying them on from there. So,
we are trying to improve. We
can't take steps backwards, looking to continue to move forward here at the
end of the season and then wherever we fall after that we fall,” said
Carter.
Carter says they want to be playing their best football right now.
“I think that's part of at the end of the season you have to be
playing your best football. Everybody
says that at the start of the year. You
want to be playing your best at the end of the year.
We're here now, so we got to put our best foot forward.
We have got some injuries. We
have got some kids that are out, but those kids behind them are going to
have to step up and play well and that's what we fully expect,” he said. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Riders
Looking to Bounce Back
Western Reserve is assured of a division VI playoff berth, but they
want to be playing well when the postseason begins next week.
They were smoked (28-8) by Crestview in a Firelands Conference game
last week and they play at New London in “FC” action on Friday night.
Coach Ty Stevenson says they really shot themselves in the foot last
week. “We had a lot of
self-inflicted things, a lot of turnovers and a couple illegal shifts, which
is not very common of what we usually do.
Not a great night for us. You
can't beat a good team when you turn the ball over five times and have all
those self-inflicted wounds,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
afternoon, “We've come back and practiced pretty well so far this week.
We're excited to turn the page and get to New London.
I guess all things considered if you can get to seven wins in the
regular season with one senior, I think that's a pretty decent season.
So, we're excited about that. We
look forward to getting week 11.”
A win is one thing, but Stevenson says even more importantly they
have to execute well on Friday night. “We've
talked about that a lot. New
London has struggled a little bit this year, but I’m telling you they have
got some playmakers and some things that we have to make sure that we're
ready to go. You like to go into
week 11 playing your best football,” he said.
Western Reserve (6-3,4-2) plays at New London (2-7,0-6) on Friday
night. The Wildcats lost (47-13)
to Mapleton in a Firelands Conference game last week.
Stevenson says New London is a team still trying to get better.
“They've struggled a little bit, but they are trying to do some
things and they're trying to get better every week.
Credit to their kids and their coaches because it's not easy to get
beat the majority of the weeks of the season.
So, credit to them for the effort and continue to play hard.
It's going to be their last game at this stadium.
They’re getting a new one next year, so I'm sure they'll be excited
and play hard,” said Stevenson. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Madison
Wants Good Memory
It’s Madison at home for rival Mansfield Senior in the latest
installment of the “Battle of Mansfield” at Ram Field on Friday night.
It hasn’t been a good season for either as they both carry (1-8)
records into the game. Each has
one “OCC” win. Madison beat
Wooster and the Tygers edged New Philadelphia in overtime.
Last week, Madison lost another heartbreaker (14-7) to Lexington.
Coach Brent Besancon says they couldn’t come up with that one play.
“Luck hasn't gone our way down the stretch in a couple of these
games. You have got to be able
to finish. They hit a screen
pass later in the game with 12 seconds left and that ended up being the
difference of the game. We had
our opportunities, but we just never connected on those opportunities.
We just have to finish those games out,” said Besancon.
When it comes to Mansfield Senior, Besancon says they again have
speed and quickness and they have outstanding play on their defensive line.
“They have a lot of athletes and team speed as usual.
Their defensive line really gets off the ball and gets after people
and gets a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Wednesday night, “I think that's what stuck out the most.
You throw out any kind of records when you're playing these last
games and rival games and stuff like that, so it's going to be a good battle
I think.”
Besancon says Friday night is an opportunity to make some good
memories. “No matter how your
season is going you're ending on the game like this.
It's a game that especially for your seniors is going to be their
last memory. You just want to
send those seniors out the right way and this game right here should be a
lot of fun,” he said. Published 10/24/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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St.
Paul Must Have Fast Start
Norwalk St. Paul and Monroeville high school football are just two
schools that sound right together like chocolate syrup and vanilla ice
cream. Two different flavors,
but they are right together.
Since 1985, Norwalk St. Paul has won 22 conference titles,
Monroeville has nine and the rest of the six schools in the league have
combined to win 15. Three times
during that era the two schools have shared the title.
This year either Monroeville wins its first outright title since 2002
or the Eagles and Flyers share the trophy.
St. Paul coach Chris Doughty knows the tradition.
“There's no bigger game than one a conference championship game,
but two against Monroeville. This
has been a week 10 matchup since about 2007.
It's come down to the wire several different times with the
conference championship riding on the game.
So, the kids are definitely looking forward to the opportunity,” he
said.
Monroeville has the two top rushers in the league in quarterback Evan
Benfer and running back Landen Roeder.
Doughty says the Monroeville offense is dangerous because of the
number of weapons they have. “First
and foremost, Evan Benfer plays quarterback and safety for them.
He is one heck of a player. Offensively,
averages about 13 yards a carry. So,
anytime you have got a player that averages more than a first town every
time they touch the ball that's a pretty special individual.
So, between him and Landin Hershiser is a receiving threat for them.
They have got Landen Roeder in the backfield as well and then
honestly the sophomore Colton Clark, he's done a heck of a job for them for
being only a sophomore,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night,
“He's a nice weapon for them as well.
Really, they do a nice job of getting it done up front on their
offensive line starting with Brycen Dunlap.
I think he's one of the better linemen in the area, not just in the
conference, but honestly in the entire area.
He’s a heck of a two way player for them.”
The Eagles (9-0,6-0) have not allowed a single point in their last
five games, including a (59-0) whipping of Plymouth last week.
Again, Doughty says they have players all over the field.
“Defensively, a lot of similar names really.
Again, Evan Benfer playing safety for them.
Up front their defensive line again starts with Dunlap.
They have the (Jaxson) Hedrick kid who plays offensive tackle for
them as well. Landen Roeder,
Maverick Myers do a real nice job of setting the edge for them on defense
from their defensive end spots. Again,
they've got Colton Clark playing the other safety spot.
Hershiser plays linebacker. They
just they got a lot of really nice players that have a lot of experience
back from last year's team that just do a nice job attacking the ball and
offense and defense,” said Doughty.
In the last couple of weeks Monroeville has put the game away early,
while St. Paul (5-4,5-1) has been forced to rally.
Doughty says that trend has to be reversed on Friday.
“Looking back the last few games for us the reality is we've
started games slow, so that's going to have to be a big mindset shift for
us. We can't have those slow
starts and claw our way back after halftime.
We've had two games in a row now where we've been down at halftime
and done a nice job of you know just adjusting and coming out and playing
much better in the second half. We're
going to need that kind of focus right from the opening kickoff for this
game,” he said. Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Norwayne
Wants that “WCAL” Title Back
Norwayne despite consistent success has not won a Wayne County
Athletic League title since 2020. They
want that streak to end on Friday night when they battle Hillsdale for the
outright title.
The Bobcats and Falcons are both unbeaten in the league going into
Friday’s winner talks all game.
Norwayne (8-1,6-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the small school division, downed Smithville (27-14) in a “WCAL” game
last week.
Coach Adam Indorf says they played sound fundamental football.
“I thought Smithville was continuing to get better as the season
went on. Their physical.
We had to quell their offense a little bit and make sure that we were
doing our job as they tried to matriculate down the field.
Our kids responded and continued to work hard and hold on to the
fundamentals and ideals and the energy that we desire out of our kids and
they brought that with them,” said Indorf.
Hillsdale (9-0,6-0), #5 in our poll, hammered Rittman (42-7) last
week to maintain a share of first.
Indorf says they have athletes that make plays.
“They’re an athletic team. They
have got a solid quarterback. They
have got a big offensive line. We're
going to have to do a great job,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday
evening,
In games like this big plays can carry the day.
Indorf says they have to be able to feed off of those.
“We need to continue to make sure that we're the beneficiary of
those big plays and allow lot those to catalyze us.
Continue to make plays as we go through and to be the impetuous in
our time in the game and during the game and make sure that we got the
sidelines and using the fans as energy to provide us with just a
catalyzation of the entire team and energizing force for us,” said Indorf. Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Lucas
Looking in a Mirror
Lucas controls its own destiny when it comes to the division VII
football playoffs. The simplest
way is to just win on Friday night against visiting Whiteford, Michigan.
They could lose and still get in, but they are going to need some
help.
They hammered Kansas Lakota of the River Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference (46-9) last week.
Coach Jim Sweat says they continue to play better football.
“We did what we needed to do last week.
The offense started coming along a little bit more the last couple
weeks. Defensively, we've been
playing a little bit better than we had earlier in the year, but most
importantly we're getting healthy,” said Sweat.
Sweat says that is goal in the Lucas (5-4) program to be peaking at
this time of year. “We always
pride ourselves on trying to play our best football at the end of the year
and this year's no exception to that,” he said.
Whiteford carries a (4-4) record on the season.
They have not won two games in a row this season, but they did beat
White Pigeon (30-16) last week.
It isn’t very often that Lucas plays a team that runs an offense
like them, but Sweat says that will be the case this week.
“They are the Michigan version of us.
They run double wing. They're
a really storied program. They
were state runners up in division VIII, which is equivalent to our division
VII in Michigan last year,” he told Swanknsports.com on Tuesday night,
“They've been to four straight final fours in the State of Michigan, so
they're a solid football program was a great tradition and we’re going to
have to strap it up on Friday.” Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Tiffin
Has to Do a lot of Things
Tiffin Columbian is looking to boost itself into the playoffs as they
travel to Sandusky Perkins to take on the Pirates in a game in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Perkins can claim an outright title in the Lake Division with a win.
Tiffin stands in 14th place in its division III region.
Last week, Columbian belted Norwalk (47-20) in a division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they got thinks going early.
“We played good complementary football.
Established a really good running game early and often took advantage
of some explosive plays. I
thought played really good defense against them and did some good things in
the kicking game too. So,
overall pleased, but still lots to fix and a lot to address here moving on
here in late season play,” he said.
Mason Seitz ran for 257 yards and six TD’s on Norwalk.
Lutz says there is no question that this is a step up in competition.
“They're an outstanding team. They
have been the class of our conference for the last couple of years, us and
them battling out a little bit with some good teams.
They've taken no dip obviously and are playing really good football
with a lot of experience. They
had a bunch of kids back from the last two years.
A couple of three-year starters even I think a couple of four year
starters that are going on to play collegiately and play at the next level,
but before they do they have got things they want to accomplish.
They have got a really, really good team with very few holes, if any,
and it's going to take our very, very best and probably some good bounces
our way too,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian (4-5,1-2) plays at Perkins (8-1,3-0), #1 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, on
Friday night. Perkins thrashed
Sandusky (37-0) last week to get a share of the division title.
It was their sixth shutout of the season.
Lutz says they are just good all over.
“You have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the
ball. They're really good on
defense up front in the box. They
are super aggressive, but have the skill to run with you on the perimeter.
So, you got to block them where you are and then probably run through
one or two arms tackles. You
have got to be able to break some tackles at the point of attack because on
the other end of it there are some explosive plays,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Defensively, it's a tall task.
They have the ability to run it and probably pound the ball, but also
get the ball in the perimeter quickly. Then
also get the ball down the field. They
have tremendous speed on the outside and up the middle.
So, it's going to be a tall task.
A lot to ask of our kids, easier said than done, but love how our
team has practiced last several weeks, love the preparation we've put in,
now you just got to go out and reap the benefits on Friday night.” Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Colonel
Crawford Plays Big Rival
Colonel Crawford pays a visit to Wynford to play the rival Royals on
Friday night in a game in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.
The Eagles got more than 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns from
running back Conner McMichael and beat Upper Sandusky (28-14) last Friday in
league play.
Coach Jake Bruner says it was a good win for them.
“Number one, we were happy to get a win. We
really felt like Upper Sandusky was hot right now.
They’re playing really well and they played really well that night.
They were very physical. I
could tell that they're much improved, especially from game one and
offensively they're really hitting on all cylinders,” he said.
Bruner says this game is always important for the Eagles.
“Number one, for us this is a big rival game.
The playoffs and all that stuff is obviously important, but more
important for our community and our kids Wynford has a great program.
It's a big rival school across the county.
We have got to go there. They've
won two in a row. They're going
to get some kids back healthy,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday
afternoon, “They've got enough weapons.
They do a great job running the football.
They have got one of the best backs in the league.
We know we're going to get their best effort Friday night and it's
going to be a war.”
Wynford’s Anthony Evans has run for more than 1,000 yards this
year.
Colonel Crawford (7-2,4-2) stands ninth in its division VI region.
A win could get a home playoff game.
Bruner says the Royals (3-6,2-4) want to be physical and over the
years wins have not some easy at Wynford.
“They're big up front. They've
got size up front. They've got
bodies to throw at you. They've
got two nice running backs. They've
got some skill. Obviously,
they're well coached. We know
anytime you throw the records out with the rivalry.
We're going to get their best effort Friday night and hopefully our
kids will give their best effort as well as we travel over there.
It's a tough place to play. Lately
we've won there, but over the past 20 years there's not been too many wins
over there,” said Bruner.
Colonel Crawford has won the last two games played at Wynford, but
the Royals have won seven of the last 10. Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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A
lot of the Line for Fredericktown
Fredericktown will be down at Centerburg to challenge the rival
Trojans in a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference game on Friday night.
They started well last week, but couldn’t stop Danville very well
in the second half and lost (31-14) to the Blue Devils in a conference game.
Coach Will Hartley says things got away from them.
“We were up 14-7. They
got the ball in the second half and they went right down the field and
scored and they went for two, so they were up 15-14. We
put a really nice drive together. We
had a nice run, probably 35 yards for a touchdown by our quarterback, bit it
got wiped off the board for a holding call and the drive stalled out.
Danville got the ball right back and on their first play they went I believe
it was 63 yards on a sweep with their quick little freshman running back and
that was just something I just couldn't recover from.
I think at that point we're down 23-14.
We had to start passing the football a little bit more than maybe
what we wanted to. They're front
three really started to pin their ears back and get after a quarterback and
we had trouble protecting him the rest of the night.
They tacked on another touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to
secure the victory. So, it was
kind of frustrating night,” said Hartley.
Fredericktown (5-4,4-2) is at Centerburg (6-3,4-2) on Friday night.
The Trojans smoked East Knox (40-6) last week.
Hartley says they are really athletic.
“I would say Danville is probably the most physical team that we
face this season and Centerburg might be the most athletic that we face.
They have got a really nice group of skilled guys.
The quarterback is a junior he's progressed throughout the year.
This is his first year starting, but you can see real progress
throughout the season for him. He's
a dual threat, both running and passing the football,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “They're always really sound on
defense. The front four, again
pretty athletic kids, not the biggest group that we've seen, but definitely
one of the more athletic groups that we've seen.
Linebackers and secondary are solid as well.
So, it'll be a real challenge. It's
another tough place to play. You
throw in that it's a big rival game. It's
also one of those games you kind of throw out the records.
Both teams have had their ups and downs this year.
They're 6-3 right now and we’re 5-4.
Within the league we've lost to the same two opponents in Northmor
and Danville. So, I think on
paper we're pretty evenly matched. It
all comes down to can we match that with them athletically.”
Right now, the Freddies are 14th in their division V
region.
Hartley says a win would solidify their playoff standing.
“Definitely if we win we're in.
With a loss I don't see us dropping out of the top 16, but we would
definitely need a little bit of help. If
we can get a win down there first off it gets us a big win against our
rival, which is the main thing. Gets
us to six wins on the season, which would be great for this group.
Then hopefully it could get it pushed up in the seeding just a little
bit better, a little higher, so potentially we can get a little better match
up,” he said. Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Tradition
Continues with New Philadelphia and Dover
When New Philadelphia and Dover first started to play football there
were no planes, recorded music was a fantasy in most homes and the forward
pass was a trick play.
The 121st meeting takes place on Friday night at New
Philly.
The Quakers bring a four game winning streak into the game after
edging West Holmes (38-31) in an Ohio Cardinal Conference game last week.
Coach Mike Johnson says it was a quality win.
“It was a good game, back and forth game.
We were able to get that score there near the end of the game to kind
of ice it, which was huge for us,” he said.
The Quakers are (6-3) and Dover is (7-2), they beat Linsly, West
Virginia (34-25) last week.
Johnson says the Tornadoes are going to be fundamental.
“Every year you always marvel at how well coached and disciplined
they are. I think it's testament
to what Dan (Ifft) does over there, he's a phenomenal coach.
They have a quarterback and seems like every week we talk about
quarterback, quarterback ,quarterback,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday afternoon, “They have got a great quarterback who's able to run
the ball and throws it. He
reminds me of a younger version of our guy and we're going to have to really
contain him this week.”
Johnson says this is just a fun week.
“This is the 121st rivalry game, which is a big deal.
It's great for the communities. There are sportsmanship banquets,
there's pep rallies, there's spaghetti dinners, there's a lot of fanfare
that goes with it and deservingly so. It's
really exciting for both communities,” said Johnson. Published 10/23/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Lexington
With a lot to Stop
With a win Friday night at Ashland, the Lexington Minutemen have a
chance to share in their first Ohio Cardinal Conference title since 2016.
They would share it with the Arrows, who already claimed their share
last week.
Lexington (5-4,4-1) got this chance by earning a (14-7) win over
Madison last week. Joe Caudill
found Markale Martin with a TD pass with only 12 seconds left in the game.
Coach Andrew Saris says that gave them a chance at the title.
“It was an exciting win. Again,
I always say, anytime you can get a win the Ohio Cardinal Conference it's
great and we set ourselves up for a chance to get a share of that conference
title this week,” he said.
Ashland (9-0,5-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, beat Wooster (24-14) last week.
Saris says they have playmakers led by their outstanding junior
quarterback. “Offensively,
they’re just a well coached team that is going to spread you out.
They've got a quarterback in Nate Bernhard, who just slings a great
ball, a very catchable ball and those two receivers, they do a nice job of
making plays in space,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night,
“Lately seeing him lower his pads and rushing the ball well.
It’s going to be tough for us to defend.”
Saris says on defense Ashland is going to make you execute.
“Defensively, they do a lot of a lot of different, multiple things
in what they're doing. It's
difficult to prepare because they give you many different looks,” he said.
Saris says Friday night is what they have been working for all season
long and they are looking forward to it.
“It's exciting for the kids and exciting for the community.
We put ourselves in a chance to be in this spot, to get a chance to
go in and work to get a win against Ashland and hopefully get ourselves a
piece of this conference championship,” he said. Published 10/22/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Mohawk
Excited for Opportunity
Mohawk is at Seneca East on Friday night and to the winner go all of
the chips and the outright title in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference this
year.
The Warriors (7-2,5-1) put themselves in that position with a (27-14)
win over three time defending champion Carey on Friday night.
Coach Eric Daniel says they were able to get a lead early in the game
and that was key for them. “Our
kids executed got up on them early, similar to Crawford game, and got them
playing from behind, made him rush a little bit more, made some key stops in
the second half, kept a two score cushion going into the fourth quarter.
So, that helped immensely because Carey is an exceptional team, their
hardnosed and they put together eight, nine 10 minute drives.
When you're down two scores it makes it harder you feel a little bit
more rushed and we were able to kind of keep them off schedule in that
regard, especially later in the second half.
We were able to build up that lead early, so that was that was really
important. I was really proud of
our guys,” said Daniel.
Seneca East (6-3,5-1) hammered Bucyrus (59-6) last week in “N10”
play.
Daniel thinks these teams have a very similar makeup.
“They are a great football team man.
They are honestly very similar to us in my opinion just in regards to
they can make chunk plays. They
have two exceptional athletes on the perimeter.
In my opinion, I would say that we probably between the two of our
teams have four of the best receivers in the league.
They have two and we have our two. So,
they're explosive, we're explosive, they're good up front, we're good up
front,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “They've got a
quarterback that's thrown for more yards than our quarterback, so he's a
really nice player as well and does a really good job distributing the ball.
It's certainly a challenge. In
my opinion we're very similar teams athletically, physically, so it's going
to come down to turnovers, penalties, execution in the second half, the
first two minutes of the second half, ad the last two minutes of the first
half, that type of thing. So,
it's going to be a really good football game.”
Mohawk won it’s only “N10” title in 2018.
Seneca East shared it with Wynford in 2019.
Daniel says it is exciting to play in a game of this magnitude.
“We told our guys at the beginning of the week, this is what you
train for. This is what two a
days are for, this what four days a week in the offseason are for.
Just grateful to be able to play in this meaningful of a game this
late in the year. Playoff
implications, league titles, big rivalry, it's got everything.
We don't need a lot of motivation.
This it's very similar to last week.
It’s laid right in front of them, all their goals are right in
front of them and it's there for the taking,” he said. Published 10/22/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Hillsdale
Wants it
Hillsdale has been one of the most competitive football teams in the
Wayne County Athletic League over the last decade, but they have not won a
conference title since 2014 and not an outright title since 2010.
They can end that drought with a win on Friday night against Norwayne.
The two schools share the lead with unbeaten conference marks.
For Norwayne it would be their sixth title in the last dozen years.
Hillsdale (9-0,6-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, smoked Rittman (42-7) last week.
Coach Trevor Cline says they took care of business.
“We talked to our players last week about that being a trap game
and we couldn't overlook Rittman. I
thought our players handled that really well where we went over to Rittman
and took care of business early on and then we could turn our focus to get
ready to play Norwayne,” he said.
Norwayne (8-1,6-0), #3 in our poll, beat Smithville (27-14) last
week.
Cline says they are big and athletic.
“They are another great Norwayne team.
They have good size up front and they have multiple playmakers.
I feel that their guys out in space do a great job of winning their
one-on-one battle. So, I'm
looking forward to the matchup between their good skill position players and
our good skill position players to see who can win those battles,” said
Cline.
Cline says to win a game like this you have to play a complete
football game. “You have to
play well in all three phases of the game.
Special teams play could be what ends up swinging the momentum in
your favor or out of your favorite. That's
going to be a focus this week of making sure that we have all our special
teams things cleaned up,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “I
do think we could have played better on special teams than what we have the
last few weeks. So, we'll work
on getting those fixed so if that is something that could determine a game
that we're prepared and we're ready to go out there and execute in all three
phases of the game.”
Cline says their kids will be ready physically and emotionally for
this game. “If you're a
competitor these are the games that you look forward to.
All the hard work you put in during the offseason and throughout the
season is to get ready for a game like this.
So, our players are looking forward to it.
So, if you’re a competitor this type of game that you want,” he
said. Published 10/22/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Assignment
the Same for Crestview
Last week, Crestview took care of step one of a two step process to
make they playoffs and they must win again as they host Mapleton in a
Firelands Conference game.
The top 16 teams make the playoffs in each region and right now
Crestview is 15th in their division VI region, but if they lose
they won’t stay there.
They earned their best win of the season in downing Western Reserve
(28-8) in a conference game last week.
Coach Steve Haverdill says they played good complementary football.
“I thought we played very well offensively, defensively and special
teams. When you can put all
three phases together and consistent for four quarters you're going to have
a good shot to win the football game. We
were able to do that as well as create five turnovers and that put us in
good position to score. So, it
was a great night for our kids,” said Haverdill.
Haverdill adds turnovers give you momentum. “We didn't capitalize
on one of them, but helped the field position and helped the confidence.
Our kids started to fly around a little bit more.
We had a great week of practice.
Our kids were on top of it. They knew what they were going to get.
We schemed some things that take some things away from them.
So, our kids were able to play fast and we were able to do that
against a really good football team,” he said.
Crestview (4-5,4-2) is at home for Mapleton (4-5,3-3) on Friday
night. The Mounties beat New
London (47-13) on Friday night.
Haverdill says to beat Mapleton you have to stop the wing-T.
“They're running similar concepts with that wing-T.
If you're not disciplined they can gash in that run game.
Then if you fall asleep in the secondary, they'll pass it on you.
Defensively, we have got to make sure that we're focused on our eyes
around our keys,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening,
“Offensively, I think we have got to continue to do what we're doing.
Run the football, set up the passing game.
Again, we have got to put another four quarters with all three phases
together.”
Haverdill says this is another must win for them.
“It's week two of the playoffs for us and we know that. I
thought our kids handled that very well last week and hopefully we have
another good week of practice and get the same execution this week,” he
said. Published 10/22/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Galion
Wants to Continue to Build Momentum
Galion, already in the playoffs for sure, ends the regular season at
home on Friday night against the Marion Harding Presidents in action in the
Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
Last week, they handled River Valley (42-34) in “MOAC” play.
Coach Matt Dick says they did a nice job being physical.
“We did a great job of pounding the ball up the middle.
Our defense got a lot of timely stops.
I know they scored a couple at the end.
Hats off to their kids as well, great quarterback in the (Chase)
Ebert kid, but our kids really executed.
We had a fake punt early the first half and just a lot of stuff
bounced our way and our kids played really well,” he said.
Galion (6-3,3-3) has won three straight and Dick says they want to
continue to build that momentum. “I
think the game plan last week was to really pound the ball, but now it's
more about getting balance, getting ready for the playoffs.
Marion Harding’s defense obviously is a little different than River
Valley’s, the same on offense. It's
a different game plan, but we talked about how can we become more dangerous
to win as many games as possible the playoffs,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Monday evening, “I think at this time of year, we can't go back and
replay those three losses, but we can have a nice little run the playoffs.
We did that last year and I think our kids would love to do it again
this year, but that's not easy. If
we're going to be able to win a couple games, we're going to have to get
better. We pushed them hard
(Monday) in practice. Our kids
locked in. We put some new
wrinkles in and we're just going to keep developing those over the next two
or three weeks and hopefully we'll keep playing, so we keep getting
better.”
Marion Harding (1-8,0-6) lost last week (14-3) to Marion Pleasant.
Dick says they are going to be aggressive.
“Just a lot of athletic kids. They're
playing man press on defense a lot. They
bring a lot of pressure that makes it hard to run the ball, but it allows
you to take some deep shots and have some explosive plays that you can run
by their blitzing. Then
offensively, the quarterback has done a nice job of throwing the ball
around. He has lots of yards. I
think they pitch their jet sweeps and that adds a little bit to their pass
yardage. They've had nice little
offense all year long. I think
that you know just like anybody else in the “MOAC” it's hard to go 1-0
in this conference,” said Dick. Published 10/22/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Perkins
Has to Make Big Plays
Co-leaders in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference clash
on Friday night as Sandusky Perkins entertains the Sandusky Blue Streaks.
After losing to Edison the week before, Perkins rattled Norwalk
(49-0) in a division game last week.
Coach Jalen Santoro says their execution was sound.
“I thought we had good practices last week leading into that game.
It was time to get back to the basics, get back to the fundamentals
and what got us to that point. Again,
it was a good week for us to practice. We
came out and I thought executed very well both offensively and defensively.
Just kind of coming out and getting that taste out of your mouth in a
fast way against Norwalk was what we wanted to see.
So, I was happy with the way our guys responded,” he said.
Perkins (7-1,2-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, hosts Sandusky (5-3,3-0), #5 in our poll, on
Friday night. The Blue Streaks
edged Clyde (22-21) in a division game last week, scoring on the final play
of the game.
Santoro says Sandusky is athletic and can score from anywhere.
“They have got athletes all over the field.
They are very good on special teams and they have a handful of return
touchdowns. With the athletes
they have on the field on offense they do a very good job when a play is
broken down and making things happen when it seems like nothing there they
exploit you. So, we have got to
do a good job. Our guys in the
secondary have got to ready to cover for extended periods of time.
We have got to do a great job up front making sure we corral the
quarterback and keep him in the pocket and not letting me use his legs as
good as an athlete as he is,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night,
“On defense, they fly around and they’re sure tacklers, especially in
the box. So, they have got some
guys up front there that are big kids and they play with a motor.
So, at the end of the day, they have very good football team and if
you're not ready to play they will exploit you.”
Santoro says they have to make more big plays than Sandusky.
“You have got to eliminate the big plays at all costs.
It’s any team you play, but a team like Sandusky that makes big
plays whether it be on special teams or broken plays and you have to try to
eliminate those and make them drive the ball down the field.
On offense, you're always searching for the big play, always
searching for the explosive plays. We
have got to find ways to generate those whether it be matchups or schemes,
we have got to find ways to generate some explosive plays.
At the end of day, if you're winning turnover battle and the
explosive plays battle, you probably have a good chance to win the game,”
said Santoro. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Mohawk
Has to be More Physical
Mohawk hosts Carey on Friday night in a game between two of the
tri-leaders in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.
The Warriors had been all alone in first, but they lost (13-6) to
Upper Sandusky last week.
Coach Eric Daniel says his kids have responded this week in practice.
“We've been fighting the injury bug a little bit, so we had some
young guys that we tried to get ready and get to step up.
I was proud of our kids for fighting through some very adverse
situations and stuff. There was
a lot of growth even though the outcome wasn't what we're looking for.
So, a lot of positives that we could draw from it.
Last time we lost was the Calvert loss (week one) and our kids
responded. They've done a nice
job this week responding and kind of get that same feeling of linking
together and not splintering and doing the right things practicing hard,
holding each other accountable and stuff.
We're only getting healthier, so that's a good thing for as we work
through this final stretch,” said Daniel.
Mohawk (6-2,4-1) is at home for Carey (4-4,4-1), the three-time
defending league champion, on Friday night.
The Blue Devils beat Colonel Crawford (19-10) last week.
Daniel says this is a typical Carey team, they are just very
physical. “They're incredibly
hardnosed, incredibly physical, which is very typical of Carey.
Those terms go synonymous with them.
So, smash mouth football. They've
got a really good, athletic, big quarterback and they got a couple absolute
hammers in the backfield that are about 225, 230 pounds apiece and they run
well.” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “We have got to be
able to slow them down. You're
not going to completely stop them, just slow them down, prevent the big
chunk plays and get them behind the sticks if you can.
They're incredibly well coached, they're very sound on defense, they
do a great job flying around. So,
it's just like I said it's a very hardnosed, old school football team and
they do a great job.”
On Friday night, Daniel says they have to me the most physical team.
“You have got to match it and we've always said that.
For the most part in the years past, we haven't beat them, but
physically we've been able to hang in there a little bit.
It's like guys you can't just hang in there, you have got to out
physical them. You have got to
kind of beat them at their own game and get after them and meet them in the
hole on iso and you have got to get hats to the ball on defense, offensively
you have got to stick on your blocks and do all the little things right with
some tenacity and toughness extra than maybe what you would do in the other
weeks. It takes all that in some
to be able to match their physicality, they're just tough kids over
there,” he said. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Playoffs
Start This Week for Crestview
Crestview must win its last two games to secure a berth in the
postseason playoffs and that begins with a tough assignment at home on
Friday night against Western Reserve in Firelands Conference play.
They lost a heartbreaker last week when Norwalk St. Paul scored with
26 seconds left to beat them (16-15) last Saturday night.
Coach Steve Haverdill says they didn’t make enough plays.
“Definitely that's one that stings, but I give a lot of credit to
our kids. They battled and
fought the entire game. We did
some really good things to get the ball back and put our offensive in
position to score late and they were able to do that. Tip your cap to St.
Paul. They came back at us and
we just didn't make the plays at the end, but their effort was there.
It was just a great high school football game and but it was tough,
no doubt about that,” said Haverdill.
Crestview (3-5,3-2) hosts Western Reserve (6-2,4-1) on Friday night.
The Riders are coming off a (41-15) win over South Central last week.
Haverdill says it will be a tough task.
“They're just solid all the way around.
They're well coached, they have got athletes everywhere, and they're
playing really good football. So,
we've got our hands full, there's no doubt about it at home.
We have got to make sure we don't make any mistakes.
It’s the same thing every week, especially when you're playing
teams that are really good. You
can't make those mistakes, penalties, you can't have turnovers.
We have just got to go out and battle and hope we can make a few more
plays than they can,” he said.
Haverdill says they have a simple, yet very difficult task.
“We told our kids already, we are in the playoffs right now.
We have to win our next two games in order to get there.
So, our playoffs have started week nine.
We have got week nine, week 10, and hopefully we can get week 11, but
if we don't take care of business on Friday it doesn't extend past week
10,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “We want to try
and do everything you can to be able to do that.
The good thing is that if we are able to do that we've been put under
that spotlight of the single elimination already and hopefully if we can get
there we will get a little head start on things and maybe get a good role
going into it.” Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Norwayne
Has to Win up Front
Norwayne, the Wayne County Athletic League co-leader, plays at home
against Smithville in a “WCAL” game on Friday night.
The Bobcats share first place with Hillsdale, who they play next week
in a possible league championship game.
Norwayne (7-1,5-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the small school division, edged defending league champion Dalton (17-14)
last week.
Coach Adam Indorf says they just made a few more plays.
“It was a battle for four quarters last week.
It was the team that made the least amount of mistakes and
capitalized and scored some points. So,
a tribute to Dalton and them battling for four quarters.
A tribute to our guys the way they responded and continued to fight.
So, I'm really proud of them. Not
the most complete game, or the most mistake free game, but working through
this week and trying to get better,” said Indorf.
Smithville (6-2,3-2) hammered Rittman (42-13) in a league game last
week.
Indorf says the Smithies are going to try and be physical and run the
football on Friday night. “They
are big up front and they have got some athletic guys that run the ball.
They want to power the ball and matriculate down the field and make
sure that they are kind of just continuing,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday evening, “It’s going to be a defensive game where we're going
to have to be very disciplined make sure that we're clogging them up, being
good up front with techniques and finding the ball trying to get them behind
the sticks a little bit.”
Indorf says they are going to have to play well if they are going to
beat Smithville. “We can't
have a perfunctory performance out there.
We need to make sure we're applying physical, playing fundamental
football, playing with enthusiasm and then the offense has to go out and be
efficient and effective,” he said. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Clyde
Moving Forward
Clyde will at home for Huron in an “SBC” crossover on Friday
night between very good teams that lost heartbreakers last week in division
play.
Huron lost (13-10) to Vermilion in a Bay Division game when the
Sailora kicked a field goal with nine seconds left.
Clyde was beaten on the final play (22-21) by Sandusky in a Lake
Division game.
Coach Ryan Carter says this one as particularly hard to take.
“They snapped it was four seconds left on the clock and the clock
was running. So, it was a crazy
end of the game situation with stoppage on what was marked inbounds, but the
clock stopped. It was tough for
our kids to handle that. They
got a play off at the end and I thought we did a great job defensively of
getting to the quarterback and almost getting him to the ground and he kind
of threw up a pass that wasn't really designed to go to a person and they
just happen to have a guy standing there and the kid made a play in the end
zone with no time remaining,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
afternoon, “It is what it is. Our
kids, we took them a little bit to get over that one, but bounced back and
are getting ourselves ready for what ends up being a big game for us with a
good crossover team in Huron.”
Clyde (5-3) plays host to Huron (6-2) on Friday night.
Carter says the Tigers will always give you a test.
“You always get a good Huron team and the fact that their kids do
things right. They play football
the right way. Coach (Sam)
Hohler does a great job and they've been running the same thing for a long
time over there and they do it really well.
So, we have got our hands full, we know that, but our kids are
excited to get back on the field after last Friday's disappointment,” he
said.
Clyde is eighth in its division IV region and Huron fourth in its
division VI region.
Carter says it’s kind of a big game for both.
“I think it carries itself a couple of different ways.
It carries a lot of points for both teams when you're talking playoff
positioning and it also gets you playoff ready by playing a quality opponent
late in the year. So, we're
excited for a chance to get back out there, but we know we're going to have
to play our best football in order to give ourselves a chance to win,”
said Carter. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Huron
Looking to Get Better This Week
Huron visits Clyde for an “SBC” crossover game on Friday night.
The Tigers trail Vermilion and Edison by a game in the Bay Division
standings.
That’s because the Sailors beat them (13-10) last Friday on a field
goal with nine seconds left.
Coach Sam Hohler says they had their chances to win the game.
“We went to Vermillion last week, a much improved team, they had a
lot of kids back from the last couple of years.
They played an outstanding football game.
We had plenty of opportunities to put points on the board and we
weren't able to do it. The game
went down to the last couple of seconds,” he told Swankpnsports.com on
Thursday afternoon, “They were able to get close enough and make a field
goal after we had tried a field goal going the other way and they blocked
it. So, at the end of the game
they just made a few more plays than us and they were able to get the
win.”
Huron (6-2) is at Clyde (5-3) on Friday night.
The Fliers also lost in heartbreaking fashion as Sandusky scored on
the game’s final play to beat them (22-21) in a Lake Division game.
Hohler says Friday night will be a big test.
“That was a terrific game between Clyde and Sandusky last week with
Clyde losing literally on the last play of the game.
Clyde is much improved this season from last year.
They've got some terrific athletes on the perimeter.
They utilize two quarterbacks and both of them do a really nice job.
Then the thing with Clyde when you play them you know they're going
to play good defense, they're very physical up front, so we're going to have
to try to match that if we have a chance to win,” said Hohler.
Hohler believes this is a game that’s going to make them better.
“Our schedule's been very tough this year for us being in division
VI. Clyde is an old “SBC”
rival, they're well coached, they're doing well in their region as well.
So, for us to go down there to play them hopefully we play them
tough. We'll see how it all
shakes out. Like to stay healthy
and obviously a game like this will prepare us for our week 10 battle with
Edison and for the playoffs,” he said. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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New
Philadelphia Must Contain West Holmes
New Philadelphia makes the bus trip to West Holmes to face the
Knights in an Ohio Cardinal Conference game on Friday night.
They picked up a big win last week when they handed Lexington their
first “OCC” loss (29-13) on Friday.
Coach Mike Johnson says they were really very good on defense.
“I thought our guys did a great job of containing Lexington's
offense. They've been doing so
well last couple of weeks, but our kids were able to kind of keep them under
wraps, keep them down around 200 passing and 100 or so running.
So, our defense continues to play well and the offense is able to
score and that's what we want, we will keep that going,” said Johnson.
New Philadelphia (5-3,3-2) travels to West Holmes (4-4,3-2) on Friday
night in “OCC” play. The
Knights lost (56-28) to conference leader Ashland last week.
Johnson is concerned with West Holmes QB Mogan Smith.
“Their quarterback is so good, he's just a heck of a football
player. He's hard to bring down
and that seems to be kind of a reoccurring theme here in the “OCC”.
So, we're going to try to contain him, we're going to try to make him
get rid of the ball and tackle in space,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday afternoon, “Offensively, they bring a lot of pressure, so our
goal is to keep the quarterback clean and let him distribute the ball.”
Johnson says they have to contain Smith and that isn’t going to be
easy. “In the pocket he's a
good quarterback, but once he starts getting flushed, he's throwing
touchdowns against everybody and he puts the ball in places where you're not
quite sure he's going to make it there, but he keeps doing it.
So, we've seen a lot of him in the last couple of years and he's been
deadly to us, so containing him is of the utmost importance,” he said. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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West
Holmes Needs Good Start
West Holmes will be at home for New Philadelphia is a game in the
Ohio Cardinal Conference on Friday night.
Right now, they stand 12th in their division IV region.
The top 16 make it to the postseason.
They were outscored last week by unbeaten Ashland (56-28) in an
“OCC” game. Arrows
quarterback Nathan Bernhart accounted for eight TD’s in the game.
Coach Keaton Leppla says they always felt like they were battling
uphill. “Their quarterback is
really good football player just from an understanding of the game, knowing
where to where to bring the ball, obviously is comes from coach (Scott)
Valentine's great offensive mind. We
knew it was going to be a tall task, but at the end of the day we let that
kid get rolling on offense and we didn't execute great on defense.
In a big conference matchup, we let the lights be a little too bright
for us defensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon,
“Offensively, we threw for a ton of yards.
We did a lot of nice things on offense.
The whole game we started off playing out of the hole.
So, we had to play out of the hole the whole game and every time we
got right there, we just weren't able to make that play to change the
momentum of the game.”
West Holmes (4-4,3-2) is at home for New Philadelphia (5-3,3-2) on
Friday night. The Quakers handed
Lexington their first “OCC” loss (29-13) last Friday.
Leppla says New Philly is a physical team with a very good
quarterback. “Physical is the
word I would use to describe them. Offensively,
they got a guy playing quarterback who's pretty dynamic breaking out of the
pocket, throwing on the run, scramble drill, running the football, designed
runs, scrambles, he’s a pretty dynamic player back there.
Then across the board their physical, whether it’s their running
back, whether it's their offensive line, they're just a physical football
team. Defensively, this is
probably the best overall defense in our conference.
Very disciplined, they have a great defensive line.
They're not necessarily elaborate in their schemes, but they're
really good at what they do,” said Leppla.
Leppla says they have to be physical and they need to get off to a
better start than they did last week. “We
have got a smash mouth football game ahead of us (Friday).
The biggest thing is we have got to get our team playing four
quarters complementary football. We're
got to be consistent throughout. We
have got to start fast not slow and fight to win the line of scrimmage on
both sides of the ball,” he said. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
||
Changes
have Brought Success for Galion
Galion travels to River Valley to take on the Vikings in a game in
the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference on Friday night.
The Tigers (5-3,2-3) broke a three game losing streak last week by
dismantling Marion Pleasant (31-10) in conference play.
Coach Matt Dick says some new faces helped make the difference.
“Ayden Schmidt did a good job of coming in at quarterback and jump
starting the offense. Our
defense, Cameron Kuehlman being back in the middle really made our defensive
front seven just a little bit tougher, a little bit harder to run up the
middle with a big mic linebacker like him.
I really felt like we started to click. Jacob Chambers got off some
explosive runs, so did Braxton Prosser, so it was a whole team effort.
Hats to Aiden Schmidt for coming in at quarterback and the sparking
that offense,” said Dick.
River Valley (5-2,3-2) smoked Highland (38-14) last week in a
conference game.
Dick says they Vikings are explosive and they have to keep the ball
away from them. “They're very,
very explosive on offense. If
the (Chase) Ebert kid gets hot there's probably nothing you can do other
than just keep mixing it up. You're
always hoping for an off night when you're playing a great quarterback and
then offensively pound the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
evening, “We have not been a very smash mouth team this whole year, but I
think that's a key to victory when you're playing a five wide offense to be
able to run the ball and keep their offense off the field.
We're going to do our best to do that.”
If the regular season ended last week, Galion would host a division
IV playoff game, but Dick says for them to do that they have to keep
winning. “Every week is a is a
new challenge in the “MOAC”. There
are no bye weeks. River Valley
would probably be our best win of the season so far.
It's the next step for our team.
Our kids had a good week of practice.
We got off the losing streak last week, the weather's been nice, lots
of positives. So, hopefully we
can put together another good game on Friday night and get to the fourth
quarter and try to find a way to win it,” he said. Published 10/18/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Shelby
Has to Limit Mistakes
Shelby hosts Ontario in a huge game in the Mid-Ohio Athletic
Conference between unbeaten squads on Friday night.
To the winner goes the outright lead with one week to play.
Ontario quarterback Bodpegn Miller has accounted for 25 touchdowns
this season. Plus, he plays a
role on defense and special teams.
Shelby coach Robert Mahaney says he is capable of making a big play
from anywhere on the field. “At
the end of the day he's a special high school football player.
A special athlete in State of Ohio.
He plays quarterback and he's going to touch the ball on every single
play. He can throw it, he can
run it, he can extend plays. Everything
that you could ask a quarterback to do in high school he can do it and at an
elite level too. He's a special
kid, but I think also you have got to give credit to their offensive line,
who has gotten better every single week and is a really solid unit.
Mason Vantilburg is playing really well at running back and then they
have got a lot of receivers that can make plays.
Overall, they're really solid unit and then they're coached well.
They do good things and they take advantage of the opportunities and
mismatches and all those kind of things.
So, really offensively, they're a very good football team,” he
said.
Shelby (8-0,5-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, has beaten the Warriors (8-0,5-0), #3 in that
poll, in four of the last five meetings since the Whippets joined the
league.
Mahaney says in a lot big games like this special teams plays a big
role. “I think special teams
is a is a huge part of the game and it seems like in bigger games there's
always something that happens in special teams.
So, we have got to be ready to execute.
Ontario has really good special teams.
Over the past several years they've had really good kickers and they
have the same thing again. We
talked about how good Bodpegn is as a quarterback and an athlete, but man he
can pound the ball on kickoffs too and puts it through the end zone.
To me that’s impressive as anything else that he does.
All night we're going to be starting at the 20 offensively, so we
have to be ready to do that. They
cover punts and all those kind of things, punt returns, they do a really
good job. So, the hidden yardage
battle is going to be a big thing and hopefully we can go out there and try
to make some plays when we get the opportunity to,” said Mahaney.
When it comes to keys, Mahaney says they have to limit mistakes and
turnovers, be good tacklers, above all make more explosive plays.
“I think one thing that we have got to try to do is control what we
can control and make sure we don't beat ourselves.
We have got to make sure we do our best to limit the amount of
penalties that we have and we have got to make sure that we limit our
turnovers offensively. We don't
want to give them any extra possessions, so we have gotta make sure we do
our best to make sure we limit turnovers,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday night, “Defensively, we have to tackle at a high percentage
whether it's Bodpegn or whether it's Vantilberg. They have got kids that can
make you miss or break tackles. So,
we have to really do everything we can to get them on the ground when we
have the opportunity to do that. So,
I think those three things. We
have got to limit our penalties, we have to make sure we don't turn the ball
over offensively, and really try to tackle.
I think at the end of the day whoever wins the explosive play battle
is going to have a big say in the game.
I think offensively, we have got to try make some big, explosive
plays and defensively we have got to limit them.
So, I think those are things that we try to focus on and get us ready
for this game.” Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
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Ontario
Has to Keep the Ball
No less than a share of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference crown can be
secured by either Ontario or Shelby on Friday night as the two unbeaten
teams play in Shelby.
A lot has been said about the Shelby offense and why not, but their
defense really has not allowed very much at all when the first string has
been in there.
Ontario coach Aaron Eckert says they are solid on three levels.
“The first thing stands out it's just how solid they are
everywhere. It starts up front
with their defensive line, they've got real good pieces up there.
Their ends are really solid. They're
guys inside, two different players, one gets off the ball, really explosive,
the other one double teams and they do a great job.
You combined that with their linebacker play.
They have really solid linebacker, the (Colton) Sturts kid has been a
couple year starter. Their
outside two linebackers have played. Their
secondary, they've got the Nic (Eyster) kid back this year, who I think led
the conference in picks last year. They
are just vert athletic in the back end.
This Shelby secondary and Shelby defense overall just really good,
solid, high school football players,” said Eckert.
Of course, Ontario has Ohio State recruit Bodpegn Miller at
quarterback and he leads the “MOAC” in rushing with 1,182 yards and 12
scores. He’s also thrown 13 TD
passes.
Eckert says he is just a playmaker.
“He's special, he's one of those kids that you call really good
plays and it works and you can also call really bad plays and it works.
Sometimes those are his best plays where he just kind of improvises
and goes and good things happen for the Warriors of the ball in his
hands,” he said.
Ontario (8-0,5-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, and Shelby (8-0,5-0), #2 in that poll, shared
the title last season.
Special teams can often be a difference maker in these kinds of
games.
Eckert says they have been pretty good in that area.
He says Shelby will try and do a lot of different things to get an
advantage. “That something
that's probably overlooked and under practiced in general.
Something that we try to take pretty serious.
We start back in June with our special teams in the summer. Again,
luckily for us we've got Bodpegn Miller back there kicking and punting.
Our PAT kicker Kooper Kilgore is a freshman and he's done a great job
for us,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “We're
playing a team in Shelby who probably puts more time an effort into their
special teams than anybody in the area and it shows up on Friday with all
the different things that they do. When
it’s their turn to punt they put a lot of pressure on defenses because of
their ability to be different and move the ball and come out different
formations and they have an advantage there.”
The winning points in this game last year came when Shelby executed a
hook and ladder play with just about a minute to play and then intercepted a
pass in the end zone to secure the win.
Eckert says they have to keep the ball in their hands and get some
extra possessions with turnovers. “I
think the first thing we've got to do is keep the ball.
They're an explosive offense. They
want to make explosive plays and throw the ball down the field.
If they don't have the ball in DeVito’s hands they can't score, so
we would like to control the clock. Then
for us we've got to try to create some turnovers on defense.
Shelby's going to try to get as many extra possessions, whether
through a fake punt, or through an onside kick on kickoff, something like
that. We've got to secure those
opportunities and then ourselves manufacture an extra opportunity or two,”
he said. Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Lexington
Must Win
Lexington is now a game behind Ashland in the Ohio Cardinal
Conference standings and Friday night they face a must win situation as they
meet rival Madison in an “OCC” game.
New Philadelphia knocked the Minutemen out of a share of first place
when they beat them (29-13) last week.
Coach Andrew Saris says they had too many mistakes and didn’t punch
it in when they had the chance. “It
was tough, we had won four straight and we're feeling pretty good about
ourselves, but just didn't get a chance to execute completely.
Penalties and field position really hurt us.
We couldn’t get the ball in the end zone when we were in the red
zone, which is something we had had more success with,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We’ve moved on and they know
there are still a lot of big goals ahead of us.
If we can win out and get a chance to get a possible part of an
“OCC” championship. That's
something that we're really excited about.”
Lexington (4-4,3-1) plays at home against crosstown rival Madison
(1-7,1-3) on Friday night. The
Rams were hammered (35-3) by future “OCC” member Dover last week.
Saris says Madison will be a challenge.
“They're a hungry football team.
They play extremely physical, they play good as a team, they're
extremely well coached and we know that.
We've taken this week's practice working on ourselves and getting
better, but also focusing on a really good Madison team,” he said.
Now, Lexington will play unbeaten Ashland, the “OCC” leader next
week, but Saris says they cannot be thinking about that game.
“We're not looking ahead at all.
We know that this Ram team is going to come in and give us everything
they have. So, we are just going
to take it one game at a time and try and get the job done this week and
then get our sights set on week 10 against Ashland,” said Saris. Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Northmor
Can Do Something
Northmor has a chance Friday night to do something that has been done
since before there were video games at every child’s fingertips.
If they beat Cardington Friday night they will get a piece of their
first football title in more than 40 years.
They held off Mt. Gilead (16-14) last week to remain unbeaten.
Coach Scott Armrose says their kids just refused to lose.
“That's what I told our guys after the game.
If it's going to come down to just toughness, grit and determination,
we have got a group of young men that really refuse to lose.
Guys that know how to win. They've
done a lot of winning in their careers and they found a way to get it
done,” said Armrose.
Northmor (8-0,5-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the small school division, plays at home against Cardington (3-5,1-4) on
Friday night. They beat
Loudonville (42-13) last Friday.
Armrose says they have some kids that have some speed and that makes
them dangerous. “Cardington is
athletic. They've got speed,
they have got a big strong running back in Denny and he also plays mic
linebacker for them. They have
got guys with speed on both sides of the ball.
They've kind of gotten better every week, the scores haven't shown
it, but they're a football team that's improving, so it's quite a challenge
for us,” he said.
Armrose says they know what awaits them if they win Friday night, but
they also have the rivalry aspect of this game.
“It's exciting for us. We
know that we have an opportunity to clinch a share of the conference
championship. Something that
hasn't been done in more than 40 years at our school.
So, if we need a little bit more to play for that's exactly it.” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “At the same time. we're
playing Cardington, it's one of our county rivals, and you throw the records
out the door and you just go play a good, physical football game.” Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Western
Getting Ready for a Very Good Crestview
Western Reserve, a game back in the Firelands Conference standings,
will be at Crestview to tangle with the Cougars in a conference game on
Friday night.
They rallied in the second half last week to beat South Central
(41-15) in “FC” action.
Coach Ty Stevenson says they were able to take control of the game in
the second half. “I thought
South Central came out and did a good job early on and they really milked
the clock and limited possessions in the first half.
I thought they did a really good job, they managed some things.
We got up a couple scores and they had to speed up their offense and
that kind of played into our advantage.
I thought we played pretty well in the second half and we got a few
scores and were able to get up to comfortable margin,” said Stevenson.
Western (6-2,4-1) plays down at Crestview (3-5,3-2), who got nipped
in the final seconds by (16-15) by Norwalk St. Paul last Saturday.
Stevenson says the Cougars record is deceiving.
“Well, they played Kirtland, they played Keystone and they played
Seneca East, all really good programs and their non league games, so 3-5 is
pretty deceiving. They have got
athletes all over the place #23 is really good, #4 is really good, #21
really good, #10 really good, #33 is really good, I could list them all,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They're big up front,
they have the Stevens kid on the defensive line and offensive line, he is
really good and is only junior. So,
they have got people all over the place.
They're really good, well coached, so it'll be a big challenge this
weekend.”
To have a chance to share the conference title, Western needs to keep
winning and Stevenson says that’s their focus.
“We take a day at a time. A
practice at a time, a game at a time to make sure that we have really good
practices and make sure that we're ready for Crestview.
All we can do is try to win games and see what happens on the other
side. We're worried about us,
we're focused on us, and hoping for real a good week against Crestview,”
he said. Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Seneca
East Likes Playing Football
Seneca East, one of three leaders in the Northern 10 Athletic
Conference, is over at winless Bucyrus in a conference game on Friday night.
The Tigers (5-3,4-1) bounced back from their only conference loss the
week before to Colonel Crawford (21-20) to hammer Buckeye Central (56-21)
last Friday.
Coach Ed Phillips says they came out on fire.
“The kids were really good and the coaches were really good.
They came out and they didn't mess around.
They made a statement. I
think we put 29 up in the first quarter and then continued to play really
well in the second. Then the
other thing that I weas really pleased with at the end of the game, the
young guys came in and they closed it out and executed stuff and played
really well on their parts also,” said Phillips.
Bucyrus (0-8,0-5) was blasted (48-12) by Wynford last week in
“N10” action.
Phillips says they have a very good back in Dernias Munn-Page and he
says he respects the Bucyrus program. “They’ve
got some good skill guys. They
have got a running back that's a really good football player and does good
job for them. He is a lot like
the other running backs you see in the league and a tough kid,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “I give kids like that a lot of
credit and coaches like that a lot of credit. It
hasn't been a good year for them, but they're still different than a lot of
other people in the world who don't have the courage to stick with it or to
come out do it in the first place. So,
a lot of credit to their kids.”
The Tigers play Mohawk, one of the other leaders next week, but
Phillips says they are not about to let this be a trap game.
“Our kids are focused, their having fun, they enjoy football, they
practice really well and really hard no matter what the circumstance, so
it's been a good week,” he said. Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Dalton
Has to Get Back on the Beam
Dalton is not going to defend its title in the Wayne County Athletic
League this year, but they still have a lot to play for this fall.
They are at Chippewa in a league game on Friday night.
The Bulldogs fell to league co-leader Norwayne (17-14) last Friday.
Coach Ray Leek says the Bobcats just made a few more plays than them.
“It was a close game. We
have to execute a little bit better and clean up penalties, things of that
nature and just get better each day. It's
a tough game here anytime Dalton and Norwayne play it’s a rivalry game.
There's a lot on the line, usually a “WCAL” title.
So, we have got to learn from it.
You can learn a lot from a loss, so that's what we're taking from it.
Just trying to push on to Chippewa.
It's another big week in the “WCAL”.
It's our biggest game of the year because it’s the next game for
us,” said Leek.
Leek says they cannot be looking in the rearview mirror because they
have a lot of goals they can still achieve.
“Obviously, it was one of our goals at the beginning of the season
was to win another league title. We
are not going to attain that this year unfortunately, but like I told our
kids you have still got two big weeks ahead of you.
We have got to finish the season strong and end on the right note,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Once you get to week 11
you are 0-0. So, that's what
we're going to look forward to. Hopefully,
once we get the week 11, we can keep playing.
Each week that you're out there it's another opportunity, so we just
want to keep playing each week and getting better and making sure that we
set ourselves up to hopefully make a nice playoff run.”
Dalton (5-3,3-2) plays at Chippewa (2-6,1-4) on Friday night.
The Chipps lost (20-0) to Waynedale in league play last week.
Leek says Chippewa is going to be aggressive defensively.
“They're pretty balanced offensively.
They've got a couple of playmakers there.
It's a league game so you know going to get their best shot.
Defensively, they like to blitz, they’re pretty aggressive as well.
They are going to run a four man front at you.
So, we've got to be ready. Anytime
we step on the field on Friday night we've got to be ready.
We're going to get everybody’s best shot.
It's our chance to rebound and clean up the mistakes and show that
we've gotten better from last week,” he said. Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM |
||
Lucas
Has to Keep Moving
Lucas stands 15th in their division VII region with two
weeks to play and they need to win both games if they are going to make
another playoff appearance.
The top 16 in each division make the playoffs.
This week, they play at Kansas Lakota of the River Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference.
They smoked North Central (50-0) last week.
Coach Jim Sweat says they are moving toward full strength and they
did some good things last week. “We
took a big step last week. The
defense played well for the most part of the night.
On offense, we found some rhythm.
Again, I think the big thing for us last week is we started to get
some kids back healthy and had some continuity.
So, it was a nice step forward. Obviously,
to be where we want to be we're going to have a lot tougher opponents moving
forward. We need to buckle down
and win some football games here at the end of the year,” said Sweat.
Lucas has enjoyed great success in the playoffs over the last five to
10 years. Sweat they want to
peak and this is the time of the year to be doing that.
“We've always prided ourselves at Lucas of hitting our stride about
week seven or eight and then turn that into a nice playoff run.
We're hoping we can, as in years past, duplicate that again this
year,” he said.
Lucas (4-4) is at Kansas Lakota (2-6) on Friday night.
Lakota lost (35-0) to Margaretta in a River Division game last week.
Sweat says the Raiders are an athletic team that has played a tough
schedule this year. “They're
really dynamic. They like to
throw the ball and they have a great mix of with the run game to keep you
honest. They have athletes all
over the field,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Don't
get lost on their record. They
play pretty tough schedule in that Sandusky Bay Conference as we know with
Tiffin Calvert and Gibsonburg and Margaretta, that's some pretty solid teams
up that way and it's going to be hard fought game.” Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Wynford
Matches up Well With Buckeye
Wynford plays another traditional rival this week in the Buckeye
Central Bucks in Northern 10 Athletic Conference action.
They broke a four game losing skid with a (48-12) thrashing of
Bucyrus in conference play last week.
Coach Cyle Skidmore says last week they did play more consistent
football and it showed. “I
thought our kids were very consistent from start to finish.
I know I've talked to you before about being able to play a full game
of football. There's four
quarters in a game. I feel like
we were finally able to do that as a team.
That's kind of been a goal of ours to start a game and finish the
game and do things right throughout the whole game,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “I thought we did that and it kind
of showed on Friday. Bucyrus is
one of our rivals, so our kids were all ready to go, fired up, all week,
thinking about the game, talking about the game. I'm
just super proud of the kids on how we competed and how we were
consistent.”
Wynford (2-6,1-4) plays at Buckeye Central (2-6,1-4) on Friday night.
Skidmore says the Bucks have the personnel to throw the ball.
“They are pretty big up front, they have bigger kids.
They throw the ball a little bit. I
think they have got two pretty good receivers.
A quarterback that can throw it when he needs to throw it.
He puts the ball in good areas and is able to read coverages.
So, we have to stop their pass game.
They have a decent little run game through zones, so we have got to
be able to stop those,” said Skidmore.
Skidmore likes the matchups he sees, but knows they are going to have
to play very well. “I think
we'll be able to match their size. I
think we'll be able to match their speed.
They are a decent ball team. They
are similar to us in that they haven't won a bunch of games.
I think her kids are going to be ready to go and complete and play
their butts off,” he said. Published 10/17/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clear
Fork Hoping to Catch a Break
Clear Fork makes the trip to Highland to meet the Fighting Scots in a
Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference game on Friday night.
The Colts (2-6,1-4) challenged unbeaten Shelby for more 30 minutes
before falling (34-7) to the Whippets in the end.
Coach Aaron Brokaw says they did some good things, including
possessing the ball, but they couldn’t get it across the goal line.
“We moved the ball between 20s pretty effectively in the first
half. It was one of those
situations where we got ourselves behind the sticks, got a couple holding
penalties. Defensively, after
the opening play we settled down and we were able to do some things.
We tied it up 7-7 with about 3 minutes to go in the third there and
then they ended up getting quick one. We
just got a little bit worn out and the second half weren’t able to put
enough points on the board. There
in the fourth quarter they hit some big plays and kind of blew the game open
late,” said Brokaw.
Highland (3-5,2-3) on the season lost (38-14) to River Valley last
week.
Brokaw says they are featuring their quarterback Kolton Stover a lot
this season. “They are
different than they have been the last couple of years with Dane Nauman
graduated. The Stover kid, it's
his third year as starter at quarterback, he'll run some doing a lot of
RPO's. The last couple of weeks
they’ve went to a little bit more empty sets trying to get the ball out
into space trying to get a guy out of the box to open up a little bit more
running space for him,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night,
“Defensively, they've been pretty multiple as far as fronts trying to be
sound, keep things in front of them. They're
coming off of couple of competitive games, so they are playing with some
confidence.”
Both teams have a chance to sneak into the playoffs and a win would
help. Brokaw says he knows his
kids will come to play. “The
nice thing right now the group of guys we have this year credit to them
they're playing hard. Things
haven't gone their way and the breaks haven't come, and kind of sounds like
a broken record with them sometimes, but it's like guys if you keep doing
the things that you're doing right now eventually you know we're going to
start to catch some of those breaks that is maybe are going against us
through eight weeks and the season maybe isn’t going the way that they had
dreamed of it going. They've
kept battling and they've been playing for four quarters,” he said. Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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St.
Paul Has to Contain Hauler
Norwalk St. Paul, a game behind Monroeville in the Firelands
Conference standings, will be at South Central in a conference game on
Friday night.
They rallied with less than 30 seconds to play when Grant Kuhnle
found Landon Fries with a TD and the Flyers beat Crestview 16-15 in a
conference game last Saturday.
Coach Chris Doughty says they were poised on that final drive.
“Crestview started the game off strong getting a touchdown on a
short field early in the game. It
was 7-0 at halftime. We talked
to the kids just coming out and being tougher. being more physical, being
more aggressive in the second half and we did a nice job of doing that.
We had a couple nice long drives, I think one of the drives was about
18 plays ended up coming away with a field goal on that but it ended up
putting us up. Gave up a
touchdown late and then scored in the two minute offense with about 26
seconds left. So, I was really,
really happy with the way the kids continued to battle the entire game.
When you get the ball back down a touchdown with 1:11 to go it's kind
of a dire situation. So, just to
see the kids not hanging their heads and ready to attack the moment.
They had a lot of confidence going into it and drove down the field
so I'm really proud of the effort,” said Doughty.
Doughty adds that is a game these kids will never forget.
“That was our senior night. That's
our last guaranteed home game. So,
we talked a lot about making it a memorable night and one way or another.
I'd say that that game is about as memorable as it gets coming down
to the wire like that,” he said.
Norwalk St. Paul (4-4,4-1) will be at South Central (1-7,1-4) on
Friday night. The Trojans are
coming off a (41-15) loss to Western Reserve last week.
Doughty says the South Central quarterback is a tremendous player.
“South Central, their record hasn’t been really good this year,
but they've got some kids that are working real hard.
Their team runs through Aaron Hauler and both sides of the ball.
He's a heck of a football player.
It doesn't matter what team South Central is playing Aaron Hauler is
going to be one of the top players, top performers on the field,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “He plays quarterback for them.
They do a lot of running with him out of the backfield as well.
He’s a big, strong, physical back.
The reality is they were up 15-12 on Western Reserve last week in the
third quarter, so they are capable of doing some damage.
It's going to be important that we come out and win the line of
scrimmage again both sides of the ball.
It's really going to come down to stopping Aaron Hauler and making
sure that we can be sound against the pass game and then still be stopping
the run.” Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Crawford
to Play Athletic Upper
Colonel Crawford tries to bounce back as they host the Upper Sandusky
Rams in a game in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.
Both schools trail the conference tri-leaders by just a game.
Crawford (6-2,3-2) lost last week (19-10) to Carey, but remained just
a game back because Upper beat Mohawk (13-6) giving the Warriors their first
conference loss.
The Eagles also stand 11th in their region in division VI
and they could pretty much guarantee they qualify if they win this week.
Coach Jake Bruner says Carey made more of the crucial plays than they
did. “We were disappointed not
coming out with the victory, but our kids played really hard.
Give credit to Carey they have got a nice football team and they're
playing really well at the end of the year.
We just made some mistakes, both as players and coaches.
Those five or 10 plays that happen in a big game have to go your way
and not all of them went our way,” he said.
Upper Sandusky (4-4,3-2) has won three of its last four and Bruner
says hey are playing some good football and they are very confident right
now. “I just see a team that's
really hot right now. Not only
did they upset Mohawk last week, but a couple weeks before that they almost
beat Seneca East, I think it as 14-7 and Seneca East is a heck of a football
team too. They've got a lot of talent on that football team.
Their quarterback is playing really well.
They have got two really, really good receivers.
They have got a great running back, a couple great linebackers, and a
great nose guard. I see a lot of
talent. I see some good size.
They're a scary team right now. They're
playing with a lot of confidence. You
can see that earlier in the year they didn't have that same confidence and
now they've got it going. It's
going to be a heck of a football game here Friday night,” said Bruner.
Bruner says Upper has been a big play team on offense because they
have a lot of speed on the perimeter. “They
are a big tip play team, number one because they're both of their receivers
are really fast. From that
perspective they kind of remind you of Seneca East and the Young kid because
the (Kaleb) Francis kid and the (Max) Martinez kid really can really scoot.
They're fast and they have got a lot of catches,” he told
Swakononsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “The quarterback is a first year
player, first year starter at quarterback, but he just seems to get more and
more confidence. He throws the
ball really well. He's got a
nice arm. Their running back,
who is also their inside linebacker, he's one of the leading tacklers in
league and he's a heck of a football player.
He seems like he's been there for years, he’s pretty good.
They're big, they're big up front, so it's going to be a tall task
for these guys.” Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Upper
Beginning to Peak
Upper Sandusky, fresh off a big win last week, will be at Colonel
Crawford to challenge the Eagles Friday night in a game in the Northern 10
Athletic Conference.
Last week, the Rams handed Mohawk their first “N10” loss (13-6)
on Friday.
Coach Russell Hall says they had a good week of preparation and they
were plus three in the turnover margin.
“I'm proud of the kids preparation, their effort, their focus,
their discipline on special teams, offense, and defense.
We won the turnover margin three to none protecting the ball and
getting turnovers that was definitely an asset for us.
It's a big win, it's hard to go to Mohawk and win, so I was very,
very pleased,” he said.
Upper has won three of its last four games, their only loss in that
period was (14-7) to conference tri-leader Seneca East.
Hall says they have focused on improving every week.
“I feel we've improved every week you know and as a coaching staff
that's kind of our goal is to next week be better than we were the week
before because that's what good teams do.
They find a way to keep getting better to improve their game.
It goes back to our players and their attitude in practice,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Today is the most important
day because it's the day we get to work on stuff to get better to be in a
situation to win on Friday. So,
that's kind of been the theme all year is find a way to get better today and
put yourself in position to win on Friday today whether it's Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.”
Upper (4-4,3-2) is at Colonel Crawford (6-2,3-2) on Friday night.
Crawford lost (19-10) to Carey last week.
Both schools are just a game back in the conference standings.
Crawford’s Conner McMichael is the leading rusher in the “N10”
and Hall expects the Eagles to feature their power run game.
“A ton of physicality. They
have very physical lineman, hardnosed running backs, the (Conner) McMichael
kid, it's hard to believe he's only a junior, he’s pretty good.
The (Dominic) Dean kid transferred over from Buckeye Central last
year also a junior, plays some running back, tight end, linebacker is very
physical. It’s a traditional
Colonel Crawford team of physicality. They're
going to run the ball and they're going to be very physical on defense and
sound on special teams,” said Hall. Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Hillsdale
Must Stop Run
Hillsdale, the co-leader in the Wayne County Athletic League, plays
at Rittman in a league game on Friday night.
The Falcons (8-0,5-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, plays Norwayne next week.
Last week, they routed Northwestern (36-6) in league play.
Coach Trevor Cline feels played especially well the first two
quarters of the game. “Last
week against Northwestern, I thought we took care of business, especially in
the first half,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We got off
to a good start were able to put them away early.
In the second half there we started rotating guys in and we didn't
play as well as what I would have liked in the second half, but I felt in
first half we played really well.”
Rittman (4-4,1-4) lost (42-13) to Smithville in a league game last
week.
Cline calls the Indians dangerous.
“Rittman was picked at the beginning of the year to be one of the
top teams in the league, so they are a team that we have got to show up and
be ready to go because if not it’s going to put us in a position where
it's going to end up being a battle. I
expect it to be a good game on Friday night and we need to get off to a good
start against these guys,” said Cline.
Cline says Rittman is really going to want to run the ball and they
have to be ready to defend that. “They
have a running back that I know at the beginning of the year they were
talking about he was closing in on 6,000 yards for his career.
I know earlier this year he rushed for 400 yards in the game, so he's
a very good running back. We're
going to have to be disciplined and make him have to bounce plays instead of
running downhill on us,” he said. Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Highland
Has to Want it
Highland is at home for Clear Fork in a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference
game on Friday night.
Last week, things got away from the Fighting Scots in the second half
and they lost (38-14) to River Valley in a “MOAC” game.
Coach Ty Stover says they were unable to respond when River Valley
scored in the second half. “I
thought we played really well in the first half last week.
Second half it was just a few deep balls got us.
We had great coverage they made a better play than we did and put a
few points on the board there late in the third and that was pretty much it.
Our offense kind of sputtered there in the third and had a few
penalties that were some drive killers for us.
They got out to a 10-point lead on us and we just couldn't
recover,” said Stover.
Highland (3-5,2-3) entertains Clear Fork (2-6,1-4) on Friday night.
The Colts lost (34-7) to unbeaten Shelby last week.
However, the game was tied at seven with just over three minutes to
play in the third quarter.
Stover says Clear Fork is a team that’s getting better.
“They are a physical group. 65/35
run as far as run-pass. They
were in it, 7-7 in the middle of the third quarter then they just kind of
like us, made a few mistakes and couldn't put the ball in the end zone.
When you play a team like Shelby it goes south pretty quick,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Coach (Aaron) Brokaw always
does a nice job with those guys. They're
playing better, as I watched the films they play better every week.
We have our hands full and it should be a great game.
It’s going to be who's going to run the ball and who's going to be
able to stop them on defense.”
Stover says on Friday night they have to be the team that wants the
win the most and play like it. “We
have not had the season that we wanted.
We've had kids that have had great attitudes, we've had great
parents, nothing has been negative. It's
almost like who's going to be edgy enough that still has a little bit of a
mean streak in them that's, pardon my French, a little pissed off about the
way things have gone in the last several weeks and wants to get the “W,”
he said. Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Columbian
Must be Ready to Adapt
Tiffin Columbian will entertain Norwalk in a game in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The Tornadoes beat Bellevue (28-14) in a crossover game last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did a lot of good things, especially in the
first half. “I thought
offensively we were explosive early and did some really good things.
I thought we played some pretty good complementary football in
swinging the field and making them drive the field long distances really
every drive except for two. Defensively,
came up big on some fourth down stops and that was really the difference.
So, we have got to put it together and obviously have that translate
to this week,” he said.
Lutz says they hope to be able to take some momentum form last week
into the game with Norwalk on Friday. “Winning
just tastes better than losing, there's no way around it.
It's good to get that bad taste out of our mouth and create some
momentum and now we have got to build on it.
We have played a lot of young guys last couple weeks and they will
continue to play and continue to evolve.
Kind of put them in positions to make plays and be successful against
whoever we're playing. Norwalk
is a worthy opponent and has some great players on that side of the ball
that we have to account for and take care of or else they're going to find
more success than we do,” said Lutz.
Columbian (3-5,0-2) is at Norwalk (2-6,0-2) on Friday night.
The Truckers were blanked (49-0) by Perkins last week.
The Truckers have not scored since week four of the season.
Lutz says they expect the unexpected from Norwalk.
“They've had a couple games, a couple key guys, I think playmakers
for them on the offensive side have been out and that shows by their scores
you know struggling to really create explosive plays.
Get some consistent positive plays to stay in front of the sticks
make. They're playing kind of
behind the sticks too often is what they're probably thinking,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We're expecting them to play
their best football late in the season.
They've kind of had now some consistency as far as who is playing out
there the last couple weeks a little bit, so we have got to prepare for that
offensively and defensively. They
do a pretty good job defensively and keeping you guessing on the number of
blitzes and kind of attacking each opponent a little bit differently.
So, we can forecast it, but we really won't know until you know the
first couple of drives happen on our offense and what they're going to do
and kind of what their game plan is. So,
it's definitely a big week of game prep and have to have tremendous amount
of focus.” Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Madison
Excited to Play Lexington
Madison will be across town to face Lexington in an Ohio Cardinal
Conference game on Friday night.
They lost (35-3) to future “OCC” member Dover last week.
Coach Brent Besancon says playing Lexington, and then Mansfield
Senior next week, has the players attention.
“We've only got one win on the season, but the kids have been
really good so far this week in practice and it holds their interest when
they're going against some league opponents that you'd consider rivals,”
he said.
Madison (1-7,1-3) is at Lexington (4-4,3-1) on Friday night.
The Minutemen fell out of a share of first place in the “OCC”
last week when they lost (29-13) at New Philadelphia.
Besancon is really impressed with Lexington quarterback Joe Caudill.
“Things run through their quarterback.
This guy, he's a good football player, just all around good football
player, offensively, defensively throws the ball and gets yards after
contact, he’s just a tough kid,” he told swankonsports.com on Tuesday
night, “You can't just worry about him because they some division one
athletes out there running around. Those
things really pose a challenge this week.”
With their playmakers on offense, the Lexington defense doesn’t get
a lot of attention, but Besancon says they are really good.
“They are really sound. Their
quarterback plays an outside linebacker and they're just really sound on the
both the front end and the back end of that defense.
They force you to throw the ball and have got some athletic DB's.
To me that defense really looks tough on film,” said Besancon. Published 10/16/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Ontario
Preparing For Explosive Shelby Offense
It’s the battle of the unbeatens on Friday night as Mid-Ohio
Athletic Conference co-leaders Ontario and Shelby lock horns at Shelby.
Ontario remained undefeated with a (45-14) win over Marion Harding
last week.
Coach Aaron Eckert says after a turnover early they got busy.
“The game couldn't have started any better for us.
They get the ball first and we get a pick on our third play.
Our first offensive play we score from about 30 yards out and it gets
called back because of penalty and then we turn the ball over and then they
go down to score. Then I think
we put up 45 points or something. They
scored late in the fourth, middle of the fourth or somewhere.
Regardless, our kids did a great job just kind of staying focused and
staying the course and it's kind of been a theme for us all year,” he
said.
Warrior quarterback Bodpegn Miller had 451 yards of total offense
last week.
Ontario (8-0,5-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, is at Shelby (8-0,5-0), #2 in our poll, on
Friday night for all the marbles.
Shelby junior quarterback Brayden DeVito is the passing efficiency
leader in the “MOAC”.
Eckert says he is just very dangerous.
“It's kind of everything and what I mean by that is he doesn't
really have a weakness in terms of being a quarterback.
He's got a really strong arm. He
can throw it probably 50-60 yards down the field in the air.
He's got great, uncanny ability to get out of bad spots.
You can have three guys around him and just kind of figures away to
get away from you. Then he does
a great job throwing with anticipation.
He's probably the best I've seen at the high school level in my 14
years of coaching high school football of just throwing into space and just
letting his guys just go get it. I
think that just makes him really special in that position,” said Eckert.
Senior Nic Eyster is really the only skill position player for Shelby
other than DeVito that had much varsity experience going into the season.
Eckert says those other kids have done an excellent job of filling
shoes. “Their supporting cast
around and is really solid. A
lot of juniors, a couple senior guys that played some reserve roles last
year. Eyster was a big part of
the team last year. That's what
you have when you have a successful program.
Shelby football has been a long standing tradition,” he told
Swamkonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “You have a really good JV team.
They haven’t lost a JV game in three years or four years or however
long it's been. When you have
those guys and when you lose guys and the next guys kind of step up and take
the role. They're used to
winning and then doing things the right way.
They kind of just step into that next role which they have.
They've done a great job filling the shoes of some really talented
players that played there for a long time.”
Sophomore Brady Bowman is their leading receiver this year.
Both teams are solid in the trenches.
Eckert says the Whippets do some different things too.
“I think they're pretty good. I
think they've got one guy that goes both ways.
They've got a bunch of big hosses up there that move people.
They do a bunch of different stuff in terms of putting an extra
lineman on one side and then bringing the tight end down.
Overall, those guys play one side of the ball and they do a pretty
good job of moving you and giving DeVito time to make plays,” he said. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Shelby
Must Make Explosive Plays
It’s finally here, as Shelby hosts Ontario Friday night in a game
between the unbeaten co-leaders of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
The Whippets (8-0,5-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, rallied to beat Clear Fork (34-7) last
week.
They found themselves in a tie ballgame late in the third quarter,
but coach Robert Mahaney was proud of the way they took control of the game.
“Yeah, I thought it was really good job of responding to the
situation. Clear Fork makes a
big, explosive play and it ties the game.
Give a lot of credit to coach (Aaron) Brokaw and Clear Fork.
They are tough and physical and have gotten better every week and you
can definitely see that when you play them.
Fortunately, our kids after taking their best shot, we're able to
kind of play with the next play mentality and come out and make some
explosive plays offensively through the pass game.
We had some big plays, but our big thing is we didn't finish drives.
I thought we did a really good job with that down the stretch of the
game to score some points and put it away.
It's good I think to have some adversity like that and I think Clear
Fork is a well coached and a football team on the rise.
I thought it was really good for our kids to respond like they did in
third and fourth quarter,” he said.
Ontario (8-0,5-0), #3 in our poll, smoked Marion Harding (45-14) last
week.
They have not given up more than two scores in any league games this
season and some of those have been in garbage time.
Mahaney says that Warrior defense is big and it’s talented.
“I think Ontario, first of all they're extremely well coached, I
think coach (Aaron) Eckert does a great job and his staff are putting kids
in really good positions to make plays.
I think when you look at their defense, I think it starts up front. I
think their two interior defensive linemen are two of the best interior
lineman we have played all year. They're
very good, they're returners, they gave us fits last year and they give us
fits again on Friday night,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night,
“They're really good football players.
Their ends are big and strong, they're middle linebacker flies around
and they're outside linebackers are fast and strong.
Their front seven is totally without a doubt combined size and
strength the biggest that we've played this year.
I think that's a big strength for them.
Then they cover it up with their secondary with some really athletic
kids. Whether Miller plays back
there or not they have other kids too that can fly around in Foltz and Mahon
and all those kind of kids that you know cover up a lot of space back there.
So, I think from front to back they're extremely solid and they play
really sound defensive football.”
Mahaney says Ontario has not given up a lot big plays, but they have
to find some. “I think that's
extremely hard for a lot of high school football teams to do.
We have struggled with it throughout the season.
The ability to sustain drives is what separates good teams from great
teams. I think there's two
things that we have got to do to try to be successful and one is try to find
ways to create explosive plays. Our
kids have got to execute and all of those kind of things.
Then secondly, we have got to sustain drives.
We can't hurt ourselves with penalties or negative plays.
We have got to try to continue move the ball forward and not put
ourselves behind the sticks or make a lot of penalties that cost us.
So for us, that's a really big focus this week is trying to make sure
we don't beat ourselves offensively and then also trying to find ways to
make explosive plays, whether it's breaking tackles or whatever we can do to
try to make some big plays, because we know that they explosive play battle
is a thing that normally decides a lot of football games, so we try to do
our best to win that,” said Mahaney. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Ashland
Can Earn a Share
Ashland can get no less than a share of the Ohio Cardinal Conference
football title with a win at Wooster on Friday night.
They lead Lexington by a game with two to play.
They play Lex on week 10.
They hammered West Holmes (56-28) in an “OCC” game last Friday.
Coach Scott Valentine says they took care of business.
“The thing is we told them every game here out is very important
championship wise. If we want to
win the championship, we have got to keep winning.
So, I thought we had a good week of practice and focused in and then
we were able to make some plays some on Friday night,” said Valentine.
Against West Holmes, Arrow quarterback Nathan Bernhart accounted for
eight touchdowns on the night. Valentine
says he is just very good. “Those
type of guys make you look like a good coach.
He had a great night,” he said.
Ashland (8-0,4-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, is at Wooster (2-6,1-5).
The Generals are coming off their first “OCC” win of the season,
(42-24) over Mansfield Senior last week.
Valentine says they are going to be aggressive on defense.
“They have got some guys on offense that will make plays and score
points. Defensively, that's
going to have to be our focus. They
give you a lot of different looks, so we're going to have to be able to
adjust to different looks and try to contain them,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Offensively, we've got to attack
their defense. They're similar
to the last two teams we have played. They're
going to bring some pressure and so we'll have to handle that.”
Last week, Wooster’s Julius Franklin ran for 203 yards and two
scores against Mansfield.
Valentine says they have to be good tacklers, which has been an issue
for them at times. “We've
talked about that, we've got to keep getting better at tackling.
We missed some tackles the other night that we can't miss.
He’s a guy that will make you pay,” he said.
There has already been some talk about the matchup with Lexington
next week, but Valentine says their focus has to be on Wooster.
“I told our kids on Saturday morning, they are fortunate they put
themselves in a position, but this week about getting the conference
championship. If you don't win
this one, you can't win it outright. So,
this is one you want to get at least a share this week.
So, there better be a lot of focus this week for us to get the job
done on Friday,” said Valentine. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Carey
to Clash with Mohawk
Two of the three co-leaders in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference
square off this week as Carey is down the road at Mohawk on Friday night.
Seneca East, meanwhile, plays winless Bucyrus.
The Blue Devils came up with a big win last week as they knocked off
Colonel Crawford (19-10) last Friday in “N10” action.
Coach Jonathan Mershman says they played very good complementary
football. “I thought overall
our team played excellent in all three phases.
The offense did enough, the defense played really well, and we got
some really good plays from our special teams making two field goals and
blocking a punt. So, I was
really excited about way everything came together Friday night,” said
Mershman.
Carey (4-4,4-1) is at Mohawk (6-2,4-1) on Friday night.
The Warriors slipped back into a tie for the lead after a (13-6) loss
to Upper Sandusky last week.
Mershman says Mohawk is a seasoned team.
“They’re a very good team. Last
year, they took their lumps a little bit, but they were young and you can
see that this year that they learned from those mistakes last year and they
are playing at a high level,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
afternoon, “I know they took a little step back on Friday against Upper,
but this is rivalry game in Wyandot County and they're going to come ready
to play. It's going to be a
physical match up.
With a lot riding on the game, plus the rivalry aspect, emotions are
going to be running high. Mershman
says really they need to focus more on just executing their game plan.
“Sometimes you have got to calm it down a little bit and just play
within yourself and make sure you're doing your job.
You don't really have to get them too fired up because they're
already going to be at that high level.
It's more kind of hey take a deep breath, calm down a little bit,
make the plays you know how to make,” he said. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Monroeville
Can Take Next Step
Monroeville will earn no less than a share of the Firelands
Conference title this week with a win at Plymouth.
They lead Norwalk St. Paul and Western Reserve by a game in the
conference standings. Of course,
they have their normal week 10 clash with St. Paul next week.
They smoked Mapleton (49-0) last week as quarterback Even Benfer ran
for three scores.
Coach Tylor Nester says again they got off to a good start.
“It was a really good start offensively and defensively. I
think we scored a couple touchdowns real quick right there in the first
quarter. Our defensive did its
job getting off the field and forcing Mapleton out of their system,” said
Nester.
Monroeville (8-0,5-0) has not allowed a single point in the last
month.
Nester says their defense has been fundamental and they have been
getting great pursuit. “That's
a testament to the kids and our defensive coordinator coach (Don) Clark gets
them fired up and he's got them believing in all 11 to the ball every single
play. Then most important
importantly is doing your job and knowing your role in any given situation.
So, we're doing a really good job,” he said.
Plymouth (2-6,1-4) broke a six game losing streak with a (40-12) win
over New London in conference play last week.
Nester says Plymouth will try and play physical football.
“They run that different double tight, double wing kind of
formation similar to Lucas and some teams down that way.
They're big upfront and physical.
They get another one of their running backs this week,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “They are dynamic in the backfield.
We talked about a little bit ago, if you're not disciplined and
you're trying to fly here or there without reading your keys and knowing
what your role they can do some damage.”
When it comes to getting a piece of the title.
Nester says they want to be process driven.
“Like we talked last week one rung at a time and this week it’s
Plymouth. If we take care of
that business and then we can look forward.
Plymouth presents some problems with us that we have to take care of
this week,” he said. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Fredericktown
to Face Physical Danville
Fredericktown will be down at Danville against the Blue Devils on
Friday night in action in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
They are coming off a tremendous performance last wee in blanking
Wast Knox (31-0) in a conference game. They
remain a game behind “KMAC” leader Northmor.
Coach Will Hartley says a couple of big plays by the defense gave
them momentum. “The ball
definitely bounced our way, especially early in the first half.
We were able to take advantage of some great defensive plays.
We had a scoop and score touchdown on a on a sack fumble.
Then right there before the end of the half, under a minute left in
the half, and East Knox is driving. We
had a great play by our safety who knocked the ball away from their receiver
in the middle of the field and then our corner came across and made a great
pick and he took that to the house. I
think was about an 85, 90 yard return for a touchdown.
So, those two really solid defensive plays just really gave us a
tremendous amount of momentum. The
lead was 25-0 at the half. We
were getting the ball in the second half.
We had a nice drive at the beginning of the third, scored, played
great defense all night, and had running clock for most of the third and
fourth quarter,” said Hartley.
Fredericktown (5-3,4-1) is at Danville (6-2,4-1) on Friday night.
Danville shutout Centerburg (12-0) last week.
Hartley says they are good in the trenches and some athletes to go
with that. “They're very good
defensively. They did graduate a
lot of talent from last year, but they got a lot of contributors from last
year still on the squad. Their
defensive front is probably the strength of their defense.
They just really stand kids up. Teams
do not get much movement at all of them and then that allows their
linebackers to flow over the top and flow to the football and make plays,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Offensively, they changed
things up. They're more of a
ground and pound team this year. Again, I think it kind of starts up front.
Their offensive line is solid and gets good movement.
They’ve got a nice group of backs and skill guys and the
quarterback, he's a running threat and also a passing threat.
They're nice, athletic kids, big up front, so it will be a real test
for us.”
Hartley says they don’t need any extra incentive when they play
Danville. “It doesn’t take
much for us to get fired up for Danville and the same can be said when we
play Centerburg week 10. These
are big county rivalries and a lot of history between all of these schools.
We haven't beat Danville in quite some time and we feel that this
year should be pretty good matchup. We
have got a good chance as any this year.
So, I think all of those types of things in the short term are really
what the kids are looking towards and hopefully we can put together good
game plan and come out and have a solid night down at Danville,” he said. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Pleasant
Ready for the Tournament
Marion Pleasant is the top seed in their division VI district as the
girls’ volleyball tournament begins this week.
They will host Grandview Heights in their opening match on Wednesday
night.
The Lady Spartans (19-3) finished third in the Mid-Ohio Athletic
Conference a game behind co-winners Highland and Shelby.
Coach Kory Ute says having faced some off the court tragedies before
the season started, she is very proud of what they have already
accomplished. “Well, for how
it started we were pretty pleased with how we did.
We had kind of a rough start. We
had some family tragedies in the beginning of August, so we lost our middle
hitter for a couple weeks. We
lost our assistant coach back in May,” she told Swankonsports.com on
Monday evening, “Getting together the girls trying to establish life
without those two in the gym it was pretty tough.
We were pretty pleased that we ended up with our second game losing
to Highland, but we played them tough. Then
we kind of got on a roll and took off and we were very pleasantly
pleased.”
They lost a four set match to Shelby last week where a win would have
gotten them a share of the title.
Ute says they have to move on. “We
had a rough spot against Shelby last week.
We were pretty upset about that at the time, but I tried to tell the
girls one game doesn't define us. Did
we think we're going to be in that spot at the beginning of year? Heck
no we didn't and Shelby's a good team. They
got a first seed in their tournament, as did Highland, so we had three teams
in one league get a first seed in their respective division.
So, you can't be upset with that.
We just have to go out and play a little bit harder and work a little
bit harder and I think we'll be okay,” said Ute.
With the expanded divisions this season, Ute says it gave her some
hard work. “It's very
different and quite frankly I had to kind of do my homework a little bit
more often with the teams that I don't normally see.
It's a little bit more homework and that's good for an old coach like
me to do because it kind of keeps me on my toes.
Honestly, they don't know my players either, so I think it can be
beneficial in a couple different ways,” she said. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Bellevue
Doing it the Right Way
Bellevue will host Port Clinton on Friday night in a game in the Bay
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Last week, the Redmen fell (28-14) to Tiffin Columbian in a “SBC”
crossover game.
Coach Ed Nasonti feels like it was as well as they have played this
year. “I was proud of our
kids. I thought they battled.
I think it was probably one of the best games that we played this
year. We had ourselves in
position to possibly win the game. I
know we gave up like three big touchdown passes or big plays with passes
that their receivers got behind our guys.
We also fumbled punt that led to a short field that put them on the
board. It was a 28-14 game at
halftime and that's the way it ended,” he told Swankponsports.com on
Monday evening, “We played them tough the second half and never gave up
another score. I thought our
kids never quit. I've told you
all year, we like our kids. We're
proud of our kids because they don't quit.
I think there's something to be said for that.
They've been practicing well, they've been sticking together and I
know that we're going to play hard this week against Port Clinton.”
Nasonti was they clearly still have goals that they can achieve.
“We have got two games left and we still have something to play
for. We're hoping that if we can
get these last two games that can give us a favorable position maybe in the
playoffs and who knows what happens. We
have a lot of young kids playing. I
think when you look at the number of kids on our team.
We have you know 44 underclassmen on our team.
So, those guys are getting a lot of experience and they're trying to
step up and be leaders also as we come into the last two games,” said
Nasonti.
Bellevue (2-6,0-2) plays at home against Port Clinton (2-6,0-2) on
Friday night. The Redskins were
throttled (41-7) by unbeaten Edison in a division game last week.
Nasonti says they have some guys that can make plays.
“They have a really good quarterback that that makes plays, his
name is (Wyatt) Yarborough, he's good size, he's like 6’2”, he throws
the ball very well. They have a
running back named (Malakii) Pinkleton that is explosive and can make some
plays. It's going to be at our
place and we're looking forward to it. I'm
sure that they feel in their minds they have a chance to get a “W”.
It's going to be senior night for us.
It will be our last home game for our seniors.
So, we're looking forward to sending those guys off in the right
way,” he said. Published 10/15/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Ashland
Defense Will be Stressed
Ohio Cardinal Conference leader Ashland will be down at West Holmes
against the Knights in a big “OCC” game on Friday night.
Right now, Ashland shares the conference lead with Lexington.
West Holmes is just a game back.
Lexington plays at New Philadelphia on Friday night.
Last week, the Arrows (7-0,3-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football
coaches poll in the large school division, walloped Mansfield Senior (35-3)
in “OCC” play.
Veteran coach Scott Valentine says they made a lot of plays all over
the field. “I think we
definitely played well on in all three phases because they're explosive on
offense and even special teams they can make big plays.
We were able to contain them there.
Then offensively we were able to handle they started bringing some
pressure and we were able to handle pressure and make some big plays.
So, we executed on all three phases,” said Valentine.
West Holmes (4-3,3-1) fell out of a share of the “OCC” lead when
Lexington scored with less than a minute to play last week and beat them
(19-13) on Friday.
Valentine says they are going to be aggressive on defense.
“They are similar to Mansfield Senior, they like to bring a lot of
pressure, so we're going to have to be ready to handle pressure again this
week. Their quarterback does a
great job of moving the ball around,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday afternoon, “Their staff does a good job of giving you a lot of
different problems for formation wise, so defensively we have got to be able
to see the different formations and then then read our keys and make
plays.”
Knights quarterback Morgan Smith is a playmaker and Valentine says
they must contain him. He says
they can’t give him running lanes or he’ll burn them.
“Anytime you face somebody like that, that's always a concern.
You have just got to make sure you stay in your lanes and then react
to where he's at. He's going to
make some plays you just got to try to hopefully keep him from making a lot
of big ones,” he said. Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Perkins
Working on Being Better
Sandusky Perkins is ready to make amends for its first loss of the
season last week as they at Norwalk in a game in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference.
The Pirates (6-1,1-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com coaches poll in
the large school division, lost (15-14) to Edison last week in a crossover
game.
Coach Jalen Santoro says they made a lot of mistakes.
“That wasn't the outcome we wanted.
I think there's a lot of plays in that game we'd like to have back.
If we make one, it’s a different result.
That's a hard lesson to teach your kids until you get into a
situation where you lose on of those type of games.
We had one earlier this year with Harvest Prep where we fortunate to
win it. Some of our deficiencies showed in that game.
It's one of those things where the message is heard, but I don't know
if the message was understood after you win a game.
Now, I think the message is understood.
The loss we had last Friday was a good game.
They're a heck of a team. They
executed their game plan perfectly. We
just do enough to win the game. So,
it's just take it as a learning experience, humble yourself a little bit,
get back to work, back to the basics, and move on from it,” he said.
Santoro says there was a different kind of attitude in practice this
week. “I think players and
coaches I think everybody could wait to get back out to practice on Monday
just get that taste out your mouth and move on from it. It
was a physical week of practice and that's kind of the example we wanted.
I thought looking back on the film, we just didn't tackle well and
that's a big thing when you lose a tight game.
You really go back and look at the basics did you block well, did you
tackle well, were you assignment sharp, were you playing with effort,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “I think a lot of those things
we were lacking in last Friday. A
lot of things that we addressed with the guys on Saturday and coming back
out this past Monday and it was like we're going back to the basics here.
Had some live tackling periods of practice and just really working on
where we thought we didn’t play well last week.
The level of practice was raised this week and I think the guys
stepped up and lead when we need lead and like I said the physicality was we
want to see and I think it was there.”
Norwalk (2-5,0-1) has not scored since week four of the season.
Santoro says they have to know where Ben Rothhaar is at all times.
“They're different in what they do every week and that presents its
own problems because we have got to be super sharp with what you're trying
to accomplish on defense. You
have got to understand that essentially who they will get the ball to.
Rothharr is a great player. They
try utilize him in different ways whether getting the ball downfield, get
him the ball in backfield with jet sweeps.
He's a division I football player going to a Big Ten school.
You have got to know where he's at and be able to key on him as much
as possible and try to make them play left handed.
Again, he is a really good player, so we have got to do a good job of
understanding where the ball is going to be then and then do the job trying
to tackle as well. That’s what
we lacked last week, so I think our guys will be excited for the challenge
this week,” said Santoro. Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Monroeville
to Meet Mapleton
Firelands Conference leader Monroeville will be at Mapleton for a
conference game on Friday night.
The Eagles (7-0,4-0) grabbed first place to themselves with a (48-0)
destruction of Western Reserve last week.
Coach Tylor Nester says they played well against a very good team.
“It was a nice team effort for us and all the three phases of the
game. It was nice to be able to
put that together, especially after the previous weeks where we were kind of
turning the ball over and making some mental errors.
To come out that way against a well coached coach (Ty) Stevenson team
was really nice,” said Nester.
Nester adds that they were able to control the point of attack.
“We kind of talked to our team about the keys to the game were and
we controlled that line of scrimmage offensively and defensively.
They kind of set the tone for our skill guys and our secondary and
backers,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “They just
continue to feed off each other and kept that momentum throughout the
game.”
Mapleton (3-4,2-2) edged South Central (29-27) in a league game last
week.
Nester says they must be ready to defend that wing-T.
“They run kind of the old school Black River wing-T offense that
coach (Al) Young over there, him and his dad, kind of hailed from Black
River. They've got that tough,
we're going to punch you in the mouth kind of mindset in there and their
players play with that edge,” he said. Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Seneca
East Battling Adversity
Seneca East, a game back in the race in the Northern 10 Athletic
Conference, will be down at Buckeye Central in a conference game this week.
It’s a trophy game, “The Battle for the Paddle”.
Last week, the Tigers (4-3,3-1) lost their first “N10” of the
season when Colonel Crawford scored near the end to beat then (21-20) last
Friday night.
Coach Ed Phillips says they have responded emotionally from that
loss. “We talk about if you
handle failure correctly that that it can make you better than you ever were
before. We did that once this
year and we feel like that's part of the process of being good at whatever
you're doing is handling what comes at you,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday afternoon, “The kids have handled it and I think that we're
better than ever. We would
rather go without that, but that's life.
Moving forward you know the kids have done a great job and are ready
to roll this week.”
Phillips says they have had good practices this week and he is not
surprised by that fact. “I've
got a great team, coaches and kids. They
know how to handle things and we talk about having events and responding and
then they respond the way you expect a great group of people to do it,” he
said.
Buckeye Central (2-5,1-3) lost (56-7) to Carey last week.
Phillips says they do some good things.
“They've got some good playmakers.
They like to throw the ball around and they do it pretty well.
They don't throw a lot of formations at you.
They try to get their guys in space a lot like we do and they do a
good job of improvising at times. So,
there's something to be dealt with,” said Phillips. Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Tiffin
and Bellevue Similar
Two traditional powers, Tiffin Columbian and Bellevue, play in a
Sandusky Bay Conference crossover game at Bellevue on Friday night.
It probably feels like a broken record, but again last week Columbian
played a very good team tough for a half, but didn’t play well in the
second half. They lost (33-14)
to Clyde in a Lake Division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t make enough plays.
“We played two pretty good quarters of football in the first half.
Played really well defensively. We
some big stops, gave them a short field a couple of times and managed to
hold them really to three points, but then gave up a punt block that was
returned touchdown and kind of a back breaker.
Still kept it to 10-7 in the first half and then just couldn't get it
going offensively in the second half. They made a couple of big plays at key
times and kind of separated late. Our
kids played hard just again we're on the wrong side of the scoreboard,” he
said.
Tiffin (2-5) is at Bellevue (2-5) on Friday night.
The Redmen lost (19-7) to Huron in a Bay Division game last week.
Lutz says these teams are a lot alike.
“Similar in a lot of ways to us.
Two teams who have got similar records and have played good football
against really good football teams. Not
all 2-5 teams in the State of Ohio are the same by any means and created
equal. I think that's kind of
what we are. We're two good
football teams who played really talented teams, played them tough, but just
haven't been able to find a number of wins we probably could have. So,
both teams playing a lot of young guys who now at this point this season
have a lot of experience underneath their belt, but they're still young.
We need them to play up and I think you're going to find a really,
really competitive and good game that's we're forecasting,” said Lutz.
Lutz says Bellevue is going to try and do what they always have done.
“Coach (Ed) Nasonti didn’t become a bad football coach overnight
and obviously he's been doing a great job for a number of years.
They're going to lean on their strengths and what they do year in and
year out. There's a lot of
similarities schematically in what they're asking their kids to do and then
they're really good at it. They
take care of the football when they're carrying it.
They're going to put it in their best athlete’s hands as many times
they can and that’s their quarterback right now,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “He's got some young, good talent
around him. Then they play
really well defensively. You
look at their scores. They've
held a lot of good teams under their averages and have had some low scoring
games. Just haven't been able to
really be explosive and put up some points up at times on offense.
We see the same thing from them a year in year out.
They see the same thing from us year in and year out in a lot of
ways. When we play each other
it's competitive and the rivalry aspect of it.
We're going to know each other a lot what they like to do and you
have got to find a way to still impose your will at times and then have a
couple wrinkles ready as well.” Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Hillsdale
Looking for Improvement
Hillsdale, the co-leader of the Wayne County Athletic League, will
host rival Northwestern in a league game on Friday night.
The Falcons (7-0,4-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, share the lead with Norwayne.
They play the Bobcats in two weeks.
They pulled away in the second half last week to beat Waynedale
(34-14) in “WCAL” play.
Coach Trevor Cline says it was not their best performance.
“We played well in the second half, especially towards the end of
the third quarter, but we still didn't play as well as we are expecting.
That's sort of been how it's been the last two weeks for some reason.
We just haven't executed the way that we have been, but we're looking
to bounce back this week against Northwestern,” said Cline.
Cline says this week they have got to play better football.
“I want to see our players play to our potential. I
feel over the last couple of weeks we haven't been able to do that.
Sometimes we get into some situations where you just don't execute
the way that you expect. So,
we've had a good week of practice so we're looking forward to getting the
opportunity to show that on Friday night,” he said.
Northwester (1-6,0-4) was buried (44-20) by Smithville in a league
game.
Cline says they have to be disciplined on defense or they will get
burned in the pass game. “Northwestern
has multiple guys that can make plays. I've
been impressed with their quarterback. He
has a good arm and he finds ways to extend the play.
If we don't cover well they're going to get behind us because they do
have athletes that he is throwing too,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday night, “We have got to do a good job of putting pressure on him
and when we get an opportunity to take him down in the backfield make sure
we're doing that because he has ability to extend the play.
If he does that, they're going to get some big plays on us.
So, we just need to be disciplined to make sure that we're staying on
the guy that our defensive back is supposed to be covering and staying in
our zones because if he does escape pressure, we have those guys covered
that he's going to chuck it deep to.” Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Freddies
to Face East Knox
Fredericktown hosts East Knox in a game in the Knox Morrow Athletic
Conference on Friday night.
Both trail unbeaten Northmor by a game, but both have already lost to
the Golden Knights.
The Freddies (4-3,3-1) smoked Loudonville (39-14) last week in
conference play.
Coach Will Hartley says they were able to take care of business.
“We did what we needed to do. Loudonville
is young and the numbers are a little down, young team.
The biggest thing was to jump on them early, get upby some scores, be
productive offensively and just get out of there with a nice clean win.
We played well throughout the first half. Loudonville
did rally right before halftime and got a score on the board.
We came out in the second half our first two drives in the second
half we went right down the field again and scored.
That allowed us to in the fourth quarter play some of our younger
guys and kind of relax and enjoy the win and start looking ahead to this
week,” said Hartley.
East Knox (4-3,3-1) was hammered (42-0) by Northmor last week.
They have posted two shutouts against league opponents this fall in
Loudonville and Mt. Gilead.
Hartley judges that they are good on both sides of the ball.
“They're really solid and stout on defense.
Of course, they ran into a buzz saw last week going against Northmor.
Northmor really hurt them with their passing game.
Other than that they've been really solid.
They're tough to score points on,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday afternoon, “They're not very fancy offensively, but they're very
sound and what they do. Their
lineman, you can just tell that they're really well coached.
They have got it probably the best running back in the league with
Blake Elliott. They have a
really nice quarterback that does a good job managing the offense and making
plays where he has to and also very accurate passing the ball.”
Right now, Fredericktown is 15th in their division V
region and East Knox is 17th in the same region.
The top 16 get in.
Hartley says this game is big for a number of reasons.
“In the league hunt you have got a whole mess of teams that just
have one league loss. Plus, us
and East Knox are in the same region with a couple other local schools kind
of battling it out for those last couple spots in the playoffs.
So, yeah it's a big night, it’s our senior night as well.
This will be our last home game.
Hopefully, we can send the seniors off the win,” he said. Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Still
About Consistency for Wynford
Wynford makes the very short trip to Bucyrus to take on the Redmen in
a Northern 10 Athletic Conference game on Friday night.
Again, last week, the Royals played a good first half but were beaten
(31-13) by conference leader Mohawk.
Coach Cyle Skidmore says they do not play consistently.
“I tell the kids this every week.
I feel like I keep beating into their head trying to tell them and
then preaching to them, we have to play a full four quarters.
You can't just show up the first quarter and second quarter we're
going to do decent and then after halftime we just kind of dry out and stop
and not be able to move the ball and be inconsistent and have penalties,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “You can't do that. You
have got to be consistent from the start of the game till the end of the
game. I'm hoping that doing that
from week to week and telling the kids and preaching that to them from me,
all the other coaches, the seniors, the leaders of the team, say that
they're looking at Monday through Thursday as a full week and trying to put
in a full consistent week of practice. I'm
hoping (Friday) that that really shows.”
Wynford (1-6.0-4) is at Bucyrus (0-7,0-4) on Friday night.
The Redmen were demolished (56-12) by Upper Sandusky last week.
Skidmore says these are two teams with a lot of same concerns.
“The Redmen have had their struggles.
It's the same as us. We've
had struggles, they've had struggles. Looking
at some of their athletes. They're
able to throw the ball. They’ve
got two receivers that come to mind that we got to keep our eye on.
They're able to get the ball in space and make big plays happen.
They've done that these past couple games.
They're in the same boat as us. They've
been kind of inconsistent, we've been kind of inconsistent. I
think this game is going to come down to who can really win it trenches and
be the more physical team (Friday) night,” said Skidmore.
Skidmore says this is for the “Copper Kettle” and that means
something to both sides. “This
is their Super Bowl, this is our Super Bowl, that's how we look at it.
They're going to want to win, same for us.
So, we got to be ready to go from start to finish,” he said. Published 10/11/24 © Swankonsports.com Follow our scoreboard Friday night For constant updates beginning with the kick |
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Ontario
Ready for This Week
Ontario, the co-leader in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, will host
Marion Harding in a conference game on Friday night.
Right now, the Warriors are tied for the lead with Shelby.
The two schools shared the title last season.
Ontario (7-0,4-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, handled Marion Pleasant (35-14) last week.
Coach Aaron Eckert says they just kept plugging away.
“Pleasant was probably the most physical team we've played all
year. Really happy after a slow
start for us getting the lead at halftime then was able to extend that lead
in the third quarter. I thought
our kids did a great job and just kind of battling through everything that
was happening in the game. Hats
off to Pleasant, they're a tough football team with big kids and that are
gritty and tough. Fortunately
for us, we were able to pull that one out,” said Eckert.
Warriors quarterback Bodpegn Miller leads the conference in rushing
yards this season with 996.
Harding (1-6,0-4) fell in the final minutes to Clear Fork last week
(14-13) in conference play.
Eckert says the Presidents have that home run ability.
“The first thing that jumps off the page is their ability to score
anywhere on the field. They've
got athletes for days and they've got kids that have scored from all over
the field. It just takes one
play for them to score. So, we
really got to limit their big plays and play good, sound Ontario
football,” he said.
With Shelby looming on the schedule next week, Eckert says they have
to keep their heads out of the headlines.
“You can only do what you can do one week at a time.
We don't get the opportunity to play anybody else this week other
than Marion Harding and so our effort energy have got to be devoted to
Marion Harding,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “In
this league anybody can really upset anybody else.
You look at year’s past where Marion Harding upset River Valley
last year in the game that everyone probably would have picked the River
Valley in but Marion Harding came in shut it down and won the game.
So, you really can't overlook anybody in this conference.” Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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West
Holmes Must Take What’s Given
West Holmes must have a win on Friday night as they host unbeaten
Ashland in a game in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.
The Knights (4-3,3-1) trail Ashland and Lexington by a game in the
conference standings.
They lost (19-13) to Lexington in an “OCC” game last week.
Coach Keaton says they played well, but left too many plays on the
table. “It was a great game to
sit back and watch. It was two
of the top tier teams in the conference battling it out.
We came out on the wrong end of it.
Defensively, really proud of how our guys played going against
probably one of the better skilled groups we faced all year between (Brayden)
Fogal, Seven (Allen) and the running back and quarterback.
So, we're really proud of how the defense played.
Liked to have seen us in a few critical spots either way get a
turnover, make a stop or force a field goal instead of giving up the
touchdown. Really proud of our
how our defense has grown,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
afternoon,
Ashland (7-0,3-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, hammered Mansfield Senior (35-3) in “OCC”
play last week.
Leppla says the Ashland offense can make a lot of big plays.
“Coach (Scott) Valentine's did a great job in his first stint and
this is second stint back. You
can see in year two it's got him written all over it.
They're five wide, they do a good job getting creative in the running
game to open up their pass game. They
throw the ball really well. They’ve
got a bunch of receivers who have got pretty good speed and watching on film
they've all got pretty good hands. Then
they have got a quarterback who's a division I recruit who's getting all the
big looks. He's a big kid and he
throws the ball really well. So,
offensively they're dangerous,” said Leppla.
Leppla says Ashland will show them a lot of looks on defense and they
must identify what they are seeing. “Defensively
they're probably the most complex defense we'll see all year.
They run a bunch of different coverages, they give a bunch of
different looks up front. So, we
have got to really communicate and identify what we're seeing up front.
It's a big week for a quarterback to identify what coverage he's
getting and deliver the ball where the holes are in their defense.
So, it's going to be a tall task, but it should be another really
competitive game as again two of the top tier conference teams battle it
out,” he said. Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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St.
Paul Needs a Win to Stay in
Norwalk St. Paul plays host to Crestview in another one of those
conference elimination games on Saturday night, this one in the Firelands
Conference.
Both schools are (3-4,3-1) on the season and trail Monroeville by a
game.
St. Paul coach Chris Doughty says they are in a very similar
situation. “Honestly, I talked
to the kids a lot about that this week and we're in very similar situations.
A tough schedule to start the season and taking some losses.
We hoped we could compete a little bit better.
The reality is I think we're both better football teams than what our
record is showing at this point. They've
had their own versions of adversity as well.
We're both in real similar situations this season,” he said.
Crestview has eon three straight games and Doughty says they have
kids that can make plays. “They
have some really nice athletes. Liam
Kuhn at quarterback. He is a big
kid. He is 6’4’, 175. He
does a nice job spreading the ball around out of the backfield they have the
(Gavin) Barker kid and (Ayden) Reymer and they both have done a really nice
job this season as well. They're
both explosive athletes for them. Then
Tyson Ringler at wingback, their wide receiver position.
He's a big target for them at 6’3” also.
They're a little bit younger on the offensive line then they've been
in the past, but they do a nice job of coming off the ball and then get some
movement. They definitely
present some challenges,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening,
“Defensively, their defensive line is similar to their offensive line some
of the same guys out there. Jack
Stevens and Bronson Rose and they do a nice job turn out with flat backs and
things to control the line of scrimmage.
So, it's going to be a battle up front like any other football game.
We both run similar types of offenses with the double tight sets and
things and like to control the clock and get some first downs and put some
drives together. So, in that
regard again similar situations. They
run their four front on defense real similar to how we run ours.
Their linebacker play has been real good as well.
You get Gavin Barker at middle linebacker for them does a real nice
job filling in the middle.”
In terms of the conference, Doughty says this game is really
important. “It comes down to
that one week at a time mentality. Before
we're getting Crestview we had to get through New London.
It wasn't just a matter of beating New London it was a matter of
taking that next step forward and improving across the board offense,
defense, and special teams to get ready for this game.
I think this game again this is another situation where you want to
keep working towards your goal of a Firelands Conference championship.
The reality is we control our own destiny, but in order to get there
against Monroeville first we have to beat Crestview.
You get through Crestview and then you have got South Central.
So, we've still got a couple steps to go before we get to that point
obviously. There's no bigger
step than this game right now. We
have to do a good job taking care of business and battling through any
adversity this might show up throughout the game and just making sure we're
attacking things the right way,” said Doughty. Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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It’s
All on the Line for Carey
For Carey to win a fourth straight Northern 10 Athletic Conference
title this year they must win at Colonel Crawford on Friday night.
Both teams trail Mohawk by a game in the “N10” standings.
The Blue Devils (3-4,3-1) cruised past Buckeye Central (56-7) last
week.
Coach Jonathan Mershman says they were good in all areas.
“I thought we played really well in all three phases.
We controlled the ball, was able to not have any turnovers that cost
us. Basically, didn't shoot
ourselves in the foot. We just
played fairly clean football,” he said.
Colonel Crawford (5-1,3-1) scored in the final minutes to beat Seneca
East (21-20) last week to stay in the race.
Mershman says the running game is going to be key for both teams.
“Well, there are really talented team.
They're nice sized. They're
like us, they want to run the ball and they want to stop the run.
They had a really good game with Seneca East. They
pulled it out at the end where we fell short they were able to pick it
up,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “We're both 3-1
in the “N10” and like I've been telling my squad, we're going to find
out who the pretenders and the contenders are this week.”
In a lot of ways this is an elimination game for both teams, plus a
win would put either in a more solid position in terms of the playoffs.
Mershman says it’s a must win for them.
“Like I told our crew we have everything in front of us.
Everything we want to do this season is still in front of us, we just
don't have any mulligans left. So,
we have got to win now to get what we want where Crawford's in a little bit
different situation with that they're 5-1, so they got some games they can
fall back on, but if you want to win the “N10” you can't lose this
game,” said Mershman. Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Dalton
Has to Win up Front
Dalton will be at home for archrival Norwayne in a game in the Wayne
County Athletic League on Friday night.
The Bulldogs trail Norwayne and Hillsdale by a game in the league
standings.
Dalton beat Rittman (54-14) last week.
Coach Ray Leek says they won the point of attack and they are going
to have to do that again this week. “It
starts up front first and foremost. Our
guys took care of business up front and controlled the line of scrimmage.
I think that's going to be another big key on Friday night whoever
can control the line of scrimmage and play on their side or our side and
that's who will win the game and probably have the upper hand there,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We're going to make sure we're
disciplined up front and make sure that we control the line of scrimmage and
pick up their blitzes. On the
defensive side of the ball, we've got to play in their backfield.”
Dalton (5-2,3-1) hosts Norwayne (6-1,4-0) on Friday night.
The Bobcats whipped Chippewa (49-7) last week.
This rivalry had produced a lot of very tight, competitive games and
Leek expects that to be the case on Friday night.
“I wouldn't expect anything less than that.
Again, it's going to come down to the guys up front.
How disciplined we can play all night.
Then you know fourth quarter comes it’s who is in better shape.
There's some key factors. Of
course, the turnover battle there. Make
sure that we control the ball and we execute on offense and when we're in
the red zone we have got to be able to punch it in,” said Leek.
Leek says these are the kinds of games you get excited to be part of.
“This is why you play the game right for Friday nights like this.
A lot on the line, a rivalry game.
This one gets you jacked up on Friday night,” he said. Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Madison
Has to Stay in Game
Madison will entertain the Dover Tornadoes in a game in the non
conference play on Friday night.
Dover will soon be a member of the member of the Ohio Cardinal
Conference, but they aren’t yet. They
have played West Holmes and Wooster this year too.
They will play rival New Philadelphia on week 10.
Last week, Madison lost (35-21) to New Philadelphia.
Coach Brent Besancon says it was their start that got them into
trouble. “I don't think that
we were ready to play when we got there.
We had a slow start. They
are the type of team they get a little momentum.
They are quick guys and they just kept us challenged all night long.
Amazingly that score was closer than what the game actually was,”
said Besancon.
Dover (5-2) hammered Wooster (48-28) last week.
Besancon says the Tornadoes remind him a lot of New Philly.
“They're very similar to New Philadelphia.
They seem to have a lot of team speed, especially on the defensive
side of the football. A
quarterback that takes care of the ball and is really accurate with his
passing. Coach (Dan) Ifft been
down there quite a while. I have
kind of followed him from a distance. Just
overall looks like a solid program and solid group of kids.
It's going to be a real challenge for us,” he said.
Besancon says they can’t afford to get off to a start like they did
last week. “We haven't had a
lot of wins over the years. Things
turned bad quick and it takes a lot to overcome it mentally for us,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We've held off and done some
good things this this year overall, but it just seemed like once they got up
a little bit it just kind of poured from there.
Even though we get some small momentum we could never make it
stand.” Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1 PM |
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Huron
to Face Explosive Vermilion
Huron is at Vermilion on Friday night in a battle between two of the
leaders in the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Huron is (2-0) in the division, Vermilion, along with Edison, is
(1-0) so far.
Last week, the Tigers got past Bellevue (19-7) in a division game.
Coach Sam Hohler says the kicking game was huge them.
“Glad to get the win. Bellevue
is always a tough team, well coached and well prepared. For
us, I thought our defense played well. Our
special teams were exceptional. We
had a punt return for a touchdown, great field position all day, and made
four field goals. I would have
liked to punch the ball in the end zone offensively more, but we'll take the
points and take the win,” said Hohler.
Huron (6-1,2-0) is at Vermilion (6-1,1-0) on Friday night.
The Sailors outscored Port Clinton (36-27) in their first division
game last week.
Hohler says Vermilion has a lot experience and those kids are ready
to succeed. “Vermilion's got a
lot of experience. A lot of
those kids have taken their lumps over the years and stuck together.
The coaching staff has done a good job of putting them in position to
be successful,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They
are a physical football team. We
got to go over to their place. So,
by no means will this be easy. I
expect this to be a very tough matchup for us on Friday.”
The Sailors average 30 points per contest and Hohler says they have
got to keep the ball out of their hands.
“Part of it is when we have the ball kind of limit their
opportunities, limit their possessions.
We've done a good job this year of getting turnovers, so we're kind
of hoping that that plays in our favor as well,” he said. Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Highland
Must Defend Pass
Highland takes its act to River Valley to take on the Vikings in a
game in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference on Friday night.
They beat Galion (24-21) in a conference game last week.
Coach Ty Stover says they gave great effort and were able to overcome
some mistakes. “A great
effort, great rebound after the week before, proud of the kids effort.
We still made too many mistakes mentally wise as far as penalties, it
was a high penalized game on both sides of the football for both teams.
We had some mistakes there on the punt team that gave them I believe
14 points, or at least 10, I can't remember exactly.
Made the game tighter than we would like to have it.
We made another big play on our defense and got the “W”, which is
always great,” said Stover.
Highland (3-4,2-2) visits River Valley (4-3,2-2) on Friday night.
The Vikings were blasted (55-21) by unbeaten Shelby last week.
Stover says they are going to have to be able to defend the pass.
“They're going to be in the empty formation.
No back in the backfield there at least probably 80 to 85% of the
time. He's throwing on an
average of 43 times a game the last four last four games.
They've got some skilled kids. They’ve
got Eli Snyder out there on the edge, he's their top receiver in receptions,
touchdowns and yards,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night,
“The quarterback is a nice looking kid.
He makes plays on the scramble, but also can pocket pass.
So, we have got to be ready to defend.
The best way to defend sometimes is keeping the ball out of their
hands and that's when the offense comes into factor.”
Chase Ebert has thrown for 1,739 yards and 16 touchdowns this year
for River Valley.
Stover says they are going to show him a lot of things.
“You have to be fundamental. You
just have got to pick your poison. What
do you want to stop and try to stop it the best you can, then adjust on the
other end of the spectrum that is maybe hurting you a little bit.
We'll do some things that we traditionally do and we'll do some
things that we don't traditionally do. See
if we can get him a little bit off balance, but that's easier said than
done,” he said. Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Galion
Looking For Answers
Galion will be at home for Pleasant in a game in the Mid-Ohio
Athletic Conference on Friday night.
The Tigers (4-3,1-3) are on a three game losing streak after a
(24-21) setback to Highland in a “MOAC” play last week.
Coach Matt Dick says just couldn’t quite get it done.
“I thought our defense really played great and our special teams,
we had two blocked punts, but we just couldn't find a way to get that one
last touchdown to recover from a really bad start in the first quarter.
We had two turnovers are really kind of put us in a hole and Highland
did a good job of capitalizing on them. I
thought it was a heck of a football game.
It came down to the fourth quarter.
We had a ball and a chance to win.
As a competitor what more do you want. I
just wish we would have got it done. The
good news is Pleasant I think falls into a pretty similar category where
it's going to be a very tight football game where we have a chance to grow
and get back on the winning ways,” he said.
Pleasant (4-3,2-2) fell to unbeaten Ontario (35-14) last week.
Dick says they are solid and well coached.
“Almost every team in our league I could say this about, but their
quarterback has been there a while. I
don't know if he’s been a two or three-year starter.
He does a lot of good stuff on offense with the ball in his hands. I
love their center, he is a great blocker.
They have plenty of skilled athletes to spread it around.
Defensively, they play a 4-4 cover 3 but they're just so
fundamentally sound. I think you
know a lot of teams try to do it a lot of different ways, but I really
respect the team that kind of lines up in about the same alignment.
It's just their kids play hard and they play with good fundamentals.
They’re very gap sound. Because
they are a 4-4, cover 3 they give you some stuff in the passing that helps
you out a little, but at the same note they're going to do their job every
time. I think it's a different
challenge this week, but it'll be a fun challenge,” said Dick.
Right now, Galion is 12th in their computer region.
Dick says they are trying to find a way to get back on the beam.
“For us it’s about going 1-0 every week.
We've been trying this is basically a fourth week of practice after a
loss, so trying to find different ways to do that has been creative.
We tried a different way this week and some good news a couple kids
are going to hopefully come back and be healthy and that might help us
out,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “A lot of guys
like Braxton Stuckman. He was
playing mic linebacker and running back basically the whole game on both
sides of the ball. That's a lot
to ask for any kid and a lot of pounding.
He played great, but I'm hoping that maybe we can get him off one
side of the ball for let's say 20 or 30 plays and then he just gets that
much better. Man is he a load
when he runs the ball and playing linebacker boy had a great week.
It's little things like that, just a little bit of rest here or
there. I think it really makes the team that much better and we're hoping to
do that at a lot of positions. At
least some good ideas and some good plans for this week and hopefully it
works out to get over the hump.” Published 10/10/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
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Clear
Fork Wants to Hang Around
Clear Fork plays host to Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference co-leader
Shelby in a conference game on Friday night at the Colt Corral.
They won their first “MOAC” game of the year on Friday night when
they beat Marion Harding (14-13) with some big plays late in the game.
Coach Aaron Brokaw says they were very good on defense all night.
“Defensively, we played really well. I
think we held them to like something around 120 yards of offense for the
game. Offensively, we opened up
the game with a score and then after that kind of got stuck in neutral for
quite a while. We got an
explosive play out of Mason Sansom and then we were able to convert in a
clutch situation on fourth down for the go ahead touchdown.
Then Ethan Beck got the extra point to give us the advantage.
Defensively, we held on for the win,” said Brokaw.
Quarterback Marcus Hoeflich found Devyn Oswalt with the TD pass that
tied the game.
Brokaw says the win injected some confidence into the team.
“We talked to the guys after the game.
There were plenty of things that that we could improve on, especially
on the offensive side of the ball from Friday night, but end of the day it's
either a win or it's a loss. So,
it's always a lot better feeling and you get the kids attention a little bit
more following a win. We've had
some pretty solid practices so far this week,” he said.
Clear Fork (2-5,1-3) entertains Shelby (7-0,4-0), #2 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, on
Friday night. The Whippets blew
out River Valley (55-21) last week.
Brokaw says they are outstanding on both sides of the ball.
“The (Brayden) DeVito kid at quarterback is a really, really solid
passer and really, really dynamic runner as well.
The back that they're using out of the backfield most of this year is
not quite the power back that they had last year, they had a bigger, thicker
kid, this kid has got pretty decent speed as well.
They're big up front and they've got some young guys on the perimeter
they're stepping up and making plays for them offensively,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “Defensively, they're well coached
solid unit. They try to keep
things in front of them and try not to give up the big plays and so far,
they've been very successful in doing that this season.”
Brokaw says the game plan is to get the fourth quarter and have the
game still be up for grabs. “That's
been the message to our guys this whole year.
We want to be around in the in the fourth quarter with the
opportunity to win football games. That's
where we found ourselves last week and to the kids credit, they stepped up
and guys made plays when they needed to and we came away with the win. So,
it's not like we're under any impression we're going to go out there and
walk all over anybody on a Friday night.
We want to play hard football for four quarters and be in a position
to win a game at the end,” said Brokaw. Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Shelby
is Process Driven
Shelby, the co-leader of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, plays down
at Clear Fork against the Colts in a conference game on Friday night.
Last week, quarterback Brayden DeVito accounted for seven touchdowns
the Whippets destroyed River Valley (55-21) to stay unbeaten.
Coach Robert Mahaney says they really played an excellent football
game. “I thought our kids did
a really good job offensively. It
was our best game this season with the way that we executed scoring every
possession in the first half. I
thought our kids did a really good job offensively executing and limiting
penalties and zero turnovers and all those kinds of things.
So, couple that with the defense that played really well.
They had three really big plays against us and beyond that I thought
we played really well defensively. With
what River Valley does and the challenges that they presented, I thought our
kids played an extremely well executed football game,” said Mahaney.
Shelby (7-0,4-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll
in the large school division, visits Clear Fork (2-5,1-3) on Friday night.
The Colts edged Marion Harding (14-13) in “MOAC” action last
week.
Mahaney says the Colts are becoming a good team.
“I think Clear Fork is a good football team.
Their non conference schedule is extremely difficult.
They got into our league and have been getting better every week and
you know and then had a big win last week.
So, I think they’re a team that's gotten better every single week.
Defensively, I think they're really good with what they present with
3-3 stack and how they run to the football.
I think their defense is really good,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday night, “Offensively, they're going to line up in some different
formations and kind of come right at you. So,
you have got to be ready for that physical style and I think when you
combine that with a team that likes to run the ball and play good defense I
think it's a good combination. We
have got to be ready for that challenge.
Always going to Clear Fork, it's a challenge within itself.”
Shelby shares first place in the conference with Ontario and they
play the Warriors next week.
Mahaney says they are not thinking ahead.
“We haven't talked about that game at all.
Our focus is to be a great football team and great football teams get
better every single week. Good
football teams kind of ride the emotions of the season.
We want to be a great football team that continues to get better
every day at practice and continues to be better every week.
We want to be a better football team than we were last week this week
and every week through the rest of the season.
If we can do that hopefully we can be a great football team by the
time it's all over,” he said. Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Shelby
Beats Pleasant; Shares “MOAC” Title
Shelby beat Pleasant in four sets on Tuesday night and the Lady
Whippets will share the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title with Highland.
The Lady Whippets edged Pleasant (25-17, 23-25, 25-22, and 25-15) at
Pleasant. Highland beat Ontario
in three straight (25-21, 25-20, and 25-18) on Tuesday.
Shelby coach Katelyn Olewiler, in her second year as head coach, says
this is team that knew what they wanted.
“I am just so proud of the girls.
They had a goal in their mind. We
set this goal together at the beginning of the season and they were
determined to make it happen,” said Olewiler.
The Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference is an excellent volleyball
conference. Pleasant would have
shared the title if they had won on Tuesday night.
Galion is good too.
Olewiler says dating back to last year she knew the Lady Whippets had
great potential. “I knew from
last year that these girls had a lot of potential and coming back we were
just bigger, better, stronger, so I knew from the beginning of the season
that this was a very special group,” she said.
When it comes to the win over Pleasant, Olewiler says they executed
the game plan very well. “I
think we came in with a game plan. The
girls were able to stay focused and level headed even in that
environment,” she told Swankonsports.com after the win on Tuesday night,
“We knew going into it that it was going to be an intense environment, but
we welcome that challenge and they really took it head on.” Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Mohawk
Expects Challenge from Upper
Northern 10 Athletic Conference leader Mohawk will host rival Upper
Sandusky in a conference game on Friday night.
The Warriors (6-1,4-0) lead Carey, Colonel Crawford and Seneca East
by a game.
Last week, they beat Wynford (31-13) in “N10” play.
Coach Eric Daniel likes what they did late in the game.
“It was a good game, probably much closer than what people realize.
I mean 24-13 and they had the
ball on the fourth quarter there, early in the fourth quarter.
So, it was not a blowout I can assure you that.
Like I said, our you needed it. I
like the fact that we drove down the field there to end the game and scored,
that was a really good character drive for our kids, so we appreciated that
and loved seeing that as well,” he said.
Upper Sandusky (3-4,2-2) belted Bucyrus (56-12) last week.
Daniel says their film review and scouting report calls the Rams a
solid team. “I think they're
better than even last year. I
think they're much better than last year. I think they're better up front. I
think their record can be very deceiving.
You go play Northmor, Galion, Carey, and Seneca East and I guarantee
you a lot of records would look like that.
We're certainly not underestimating.
All we had to do was turn on the film for our kids and they see what
kind of team they are. They're
very well coached, they're very athletic, they're massive up front and
they've got one of the best middle linebackers and running backs at the
conference. So, they're an
extremely dangerous team,” said Daniel.
With Carey and Seneca East weeks nine and 10 this could be a trap
game, but Daniel says they have too much respect for Upper for that.
“I don't think our kids are overlooking them.
They took Seneca East to the ringer.
We know what they're capable of and they're a very good football
team. We told our kids
anticipate a four quarter battle, anticipate it being one score game because
you can bet your sweet behind that's what you're going to be looking at,
especially if we don't do all the right things all the little things
right,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “I don't even look
at it like a trap game to be honest with because I have got a lot of respect
for Upper and (coach) Russell (Hall) and I know how much better they are
even this year than last year and last year they beat us.” Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Lexington
to Play Tough New Philadelphia
Lexington, the Ohio Cardinal Conference co-leader, plays on the road
at New Philadelphia on Friday night.
The Minutemen share the lead with Ashland and will play the Arrows on
week 10.
They picked up maybe their biggest win of the season last week when
they beat West Holmes (19-13), handing the Knights their first “OCC”
loss of the season.
Coach Andew Saris says it was a good win.
“It was nice win on homecoming.
Anytime you can beat a tough “OCC” opponent like West Holmes it's
always a good thing for your team,” said Saris.
Saris says they had to make some big plays late to win it.
“We didn't make it easy. We
scored a go ahead touchdown with 58 seconds left and defense came back out
and did the job to finish it out,” he said.
Quarterback Joe Caudill scored on a short touchdown run.
Lexington (4-3,3-0) plays over at New Philadelphia (4-3,2-2) on
Friday night. The Quakers beat
Madison (35-21) last week in “OCC” action.
Saris says New Philadelphia just plays solid football on both sides
of the ball. “Just a great
overall, solid football team. They're
not going to wow you with anything too fancy, but they run the ball
extremely well. They have a nice
screen game and the quarterback throws the ball downfield when he needs
to,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “Defensively, they're
really sound. They tackle very,
very well. They have a couple
linebackers that come downhill in the and they'll come and get you.
So, we've got to be able to make plays when we need to.
Defensively, we have got to keep them in the second and long.
We can't let them just kind of grind us down the field.”
Last week was the first time the Quakers allowed more than three
scores in four quarters in the “OCC” this season.
Saris says they have to score when they get down close.
“Especially in that red zone. Getting
down there it's extremely important that you come away with points and not
only that, but we want to be in the end zone and get us those touchdowns,”
he said. Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Crestview
to be Tested
Crestview enters this weekend just a game behind Firelands Conference
leader Monroeville and will play at defending champion Norwalk St. Paul on
Saturday night.
After a (34-0) win over Plymouth last Friday, the Cougars have put
together a three game winning streak after losing to Monroeville in their
conference opener.
Coach Steve Haverdill says they did what they had to do.
“I think so, I think we've taken care of teams that we should take
care of and that's always a plus because sometimes that doesn't always
happen, you can ask Alabama about that one.
We were able to take care of the teams that we did.
We've been working on our technique and working on things and now the
next week here coming up here with St. Paul will allow us to show what we've
gotten better at and against an opponent that's equal or better than us,”
said Haverdill.
Crestview (3-4,3-1) plays at St. Paul (3-4,3-1) on Saturday night.
The Flyers blanked New London (55-0) last week.
Haverdill says the Flyers are giving them a few more things to defend
this year. “It's the same St.
Paul. I mean coach (Chris)
Doughty, he's doing a great job of still implementing stuff that coach
(John) Livengood did and yet has his little twist on things.
They’re a little bit more balanced than they've been in the past.
They will throw it, so you've got to be ready to go.
You’ve got to read your keys. You're
not just going to get run right at you, you're going to get a whole bunch of
different things,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon,
“Inside off tackle, outside, short intermediate routes and deep balls, so
we have got to be ready on that end. Defensively,
they're still flying around doing a great job of tackling in open space.
So, we've got our work cut out for us there's no doubt.”
Haverdill says they know it’s a must win in terms of the
conference, but they are treating it the same way they did the previous
games. “It's the biggest game
on our schedule. We treat them
all the same. We needed the ones
before last three weeks as well to stay where we're at, so this is no
different than what we've been dealing with the last three weeks and we're
approaching it the same way,” he said. Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Lucas
in Must Win Situation
Lucas has been a fixture in the postseason playoffs, but if they are
going to make it in division VII this year they need to probably win out.
That process begins by entertaining North Central on Friday night.
They stand in the very last qualifying sport this week in division
VII, region 25.
They lost (24-6) to Amanda-Clearcreek last week.
However, coach Jim Sweat says there were some positive signs in that
game. “We're not one for moral
victories, but I'll tell we didn't see the result on the scoreboard that we
wanted to see, but I thought we took a big step forward last week,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “The kids played four quarters,
played hard for us four quarters, still got a lot of things need to clean
up, but the effort was definitely improved from the week before.
We went toe to toe with a really good football team and came out on
the on the wrong end, but again I'm happy for the effort that we got last
week and the step forward we took.”
North Central (2-5) lost (48-7) to Summerfield, Michigan last week.
Sweat says they are going to show them a lot of things on offense.
“They like to throw the ball all over the place and a lot of
misdirection and option, so we'll have to be disciplined this week on the
defense side. Offensively, they
have some good size up front. We're
going to be physical and do what we do and get after a little bit this
week,” said Sweat.
North Central couldn’t be much farther from Lucas and still be in
Ohio. The school is located in
Williams County, which is the farthest Northwest of any county in the state.
Sweat says the Cubs (3-4) are in a must win situation this week when
it comes to the playoffs. “That
goes without question. We're
taking the mindset that we need to win out to get to where we want to be.
Every week is an opportunity to get better and we need to keep
getting better right now,” he said. Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Bellevue
Getting Better
Bellevue will be at home for Tiffin Columbian in a crossover game in
the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
In a Bay Division game last week, Huron beat the Redmen (19-7) last
Friday.
Coach Ed Nasonti says they gave themselves a chance.
“I think when you take a look at the teams that we've lost to I
think that the their record is like 31-4 of the teams that have beaten us,
the five teams that have beaten us. So,
we have played a really good schedule. We
played some really good football teams and at times like I told you before
we've played some pretty good football.
You look at last week's game, we don't give up a touchdown.
They hit a got a punt return on us and they have a really good kicker
that kicked four field goals. We
got stopped down inside the 10 yard line twice,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Tuesday night, “If you can score three touchdowns you can win a game we
were happy with our defense. Our
defense didn't give up the score. We're
getting better, but we're taking those baby steps with our kids.
You look at our team, we have got four sophomores that are playing
both ways for us. So, in a lot
of ways we're proud of our kids and then there's some ways that we're
disappointed. We're disappointed
because we haven't been able to get in the win column.”:
Nasonti, a coach for over 40 years, the defense has shown them a lot
of good things. “We think that
we've played some solid games here in the last couple weeks here.
We went up against a really good Edison team gave up three
touchdowns, didn't give up a touchdown last week at all, so we're still
hoping we could put it together. The
kids have practiced well. I
think our coaches are doing a good job. I
tell you that every week. I'm
proud of way that our kids are staying the course, staying positive and
practicing hard every day and each week we hope we can continue to get
better,” said Nasonti.
Bellevue (2-5) is at home for Tiffin Columbian (2-5) on Friday night.
The Tornadoes lost (33-14) to Clyde in a Lake Division game last
week.
Nasonti believes the teams are similar and expects a good game on
Friday. “Tiffin’s record is
deceiving too, a lot like ours. They
have played some really good football teams.
They played Bishop Waterson, they played Chardon.
They have some really big offensive lineman, three guys up over 280
pounds. They've played some good
football and came up on the short end of the stick a lot like us.
So, we got them here at home and we're looking forward to it and
hoping that it's a good football game,” he said. Published 10/09/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Clear
Fork Claims Outright “MOAC” Title
With a (12-0) win over River Valley on Monday night, the Clear Fork
Lady Colts have earned an outright Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference girls’
soccer title.
It’s their first since 2018.
Coach Brittany Bechtel says they knew the potential was there.
“It was a long time in the making.
I'm excited for the girls and the team, they worked really hard. I
was trying to calculate how many girls returned from last year's team.
We graduated eight, seven who were starters and only had about 13
total on the team last year and then we went we had swingers go between the
teams knowing where we would be this year in this position just to give them
a little experience. Those roles
that were in the swing position last year didn't play like in major minutes.
So, this was a year that we knew that we were capable of doing great
things, but we knew it was going to take a lot of hard work.
It had been a long time since we had captured the “MOAC” title,
let alone did it solely. So, I'm
really excited for them. It's
been a lot of hard work for these girls and they put their year on that
banner and that's forever,” said Bechtel.
Conference titles are to be cherished and Bechtel says they are
definitely going to do that in the valley.
“It is something you want to embrace and enjoy in the moment
(Tuesday). I feel like that
celebration's been like kind of coming. We
knew when we beat Ontario, that's been usually what has taken care of the
“MOAC” title since both of us I think have entered into the “MOAC”. We
knew that we had to take care of business here on out,” she told
Swankonsports.com on Monday night after the win, “I think we could have
maybe possibly shared it if something would have happened in regards to
losing the game. It wasn't like
Ontario was (Monday’s) game. I
think like that celebration would look maybe a little different.
In the moment of doing something special, even though we knew back
then when we had won that game it was something that would lead us to where
we (were Monday). We definitely want to make sure that we the girls enjoyed
and embraced this moment. It's
not something that has happened very often for us in the “MOAC.”
Addie Blakley and Binley Barnett both had three goals Monday night.
Mel Blubaugh had five assists in the win.
Blubaugh, headed to Mt. Vernon Nazarene to play basketball next year,
leads Clear Fork with 63 points. Barnett
has 38.
Faith Smith has 64 saves this year.
River Valley had no shots on goal Monday night.
The postseason tournament starts in a couple of weeks for the Lady
Colts, who got the top seed in their division IV district.
Bechtel hopes they can continue to play with confidence.
“It's something hopefully that will build their confidence moving
forward into the tournament play. (Sunday)
we had our tournament draw where I took the bye on the bracket for the
sectional win. So, I said how
many times can you say you won a sectional title before you won your
conference title. Well, we just
did it back-to-back, the sectional came (Sunday) night in the draw and then
(Monday) for the “MOAC”. So, we've had two good days in a row and we're
hoping that moving forward we continue taking this confidence and building
it forward to something bigger later,” she said.
Clear Fork (10-4-2), ranked 15th in the state in division
IV by Max Preps.
The Lady Colts in reality won the “MOAC” title game when they
beat Ontario (3-0) on September 4.
However, Bechtel says they had to keep grinding and win their final
four conference matches. “We
knew moving forward that we had to be cautious to not get ahead of ourselves
and we had to take care of business. Not
only we want to win each of those games moving forward, but we had a goal of
making sure that we didn't get scored on either.
So, we did accomplish that as well.
We finished outright champs and in the “MOAC” never had a goal
scored on this year. So, that
was another goal moving forward after Ontario being able to keep them to
zero on goals that was something that was you know important for us moving
forward,” she said.
Bechtel says she was proud she was able to get so many players into
games this fall. “Then to be
able to play with 23 on our roster. Getting
23 in (Monday) and getting 23 girls in most of our “MOAC” games.
It was nice for them all to get to a piece of that (Monday) as well
to all be on that field and get a good amount of minutes and all capture the
win together and then come off and feel like it was done as a unit,” she
told Swankonsports.com, “Even though we do talk a lot about if you don't
make it on the field everybody's role is super important in the success, but
to be able to get them all out (Monday) and have them all play, that was
obviously a goal that I wanted. That
really comes down to how they play and how they finish.
We had a slow start (Monday). We
didn’t come out like we should have. We
just played Granville on Saturday, a pretty tough game.
We didn’t play our best coming out.
They eventually got together and did what we needed to do.” Published 10/08/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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Colonel
Crawford to Play Confident Carey
It’s a big game Friday night in North Robinson as Colonel Crawford
hosts Carey.
The winner stays in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference race, the
loser likely does not.
Last week, Crawford rallied in the final minutes to beat Seneca East
(21-20) in a “N10” game.
Coach Jake Bruner says it was a big win for them.
“It was a big win for our kids on the road against a really good
opponent. Seneca East is having
a really good year. They have
won a lot of games and will probably go pretty deep in the playoffs.
So, excited that our kids were able to go up there and win.
Our consolation prize is turn around and play the three time
“N10” champs. At least we're
at home against a great Carey Blue Devil team,” he said.
Sophomore Parker Weithman picked off a pass deep in Seneca East
territory and junior Connor McMichael punched it in for a late touchdown.
Bruner says when big plays are to be made, you have to make them.
“There are usually five to 10 plays a game that kind of determine
those factors, those big plays, either a turnover, a big play, or limiting a
big play, or a big tackle. It
really comes down to those tight ones that come down to those big plays or
those fourth and ones or those third and twos.
We were able to come away with more of those then Seneca East, but
credit Seneca East, that's a great football team and they're very well
coached,” said Bruner.
Colonel Crawford (6-1,3-1) plays at home against Carey (3-4,3-1) on
Friday night. The Blue Devils
smoked Buckeye Central (56-7) last week.
Bruner says he is impressed with consistency of the Carey football
program. “In our society we do
not recognize consistency. Carey
is consistent. They have a
really tough non league schedule and they just seem to get better every
game, every year and that's a credit to their coaches and their kids.
They just do a great job the kids are physical, they run to the ball
and they're fundamental. They're
just doing a great job over there,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
afternoon, “I hate playing them this time of the season because it seems
like they just keep getting better and better.
Wish we could play a more like week one. So,
they just seem to get better and better and more confident.
We're going against an awful good running back, receiver, a great
defense. So, we're going to have
our work cut out for us.”
Bruner says Carey is big and they are athletic too.
“They always have great size. With
that size they get a push, they've got big backs and their backs are not
only big, but they're fast. They
run a little option. They have
got a couple nice receivers and they do a great job with play action.
On defense, they just do a great job running to the ball, taking away
your best plays, playing great run defense and they let their athletes make
plays behind them. So, there's
just so many factors to them and they just do a great job.
That's why they've been so good over the years just consistently.
Whenever you play Carey you know they're going to be physical,
they're going run the ball, they love football and it's always a great
game,” said Bruner. Published 10/08/24 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source for All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
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