2022-23 News Archive

Olentangy Liberty is seeking the program’s first state title as it prepares to compete in its first state championship game.

 

The Patriots lost in state semifinals in 2018, 2017 and 2016.

 

Liberty advanced by beating three-time defending state champion Lakewood St. Edward 21-7 in a semifinal last Friday at Arlin Field in Mansfield.

 

The top seed in Region 3, the Patriots (13-2) shared the OCC-Central Division title with Olentangy Orange and Upper Arlington at 4-1. Liberty avenged a 31-28 loss to UA on Oct. 4 by beating the fifth-seeded Golden Bears 17-13 in a regional semifinal Nov. 15.

 

The Patriots have received a balanced effort offensively and defensively, led by senior quarterback Andrew Leonard, who has passed for 2,913 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed for 523 yards and four scores.

 

Other key players offensively include seniors Jake Struck (WR/RB) and Christian Moulton (WR). Struck has 866 yards receiving and 14 TDs and has rushed for 800 yards and 13 scores. Moulton has 1,216 yards receiving and 17 TDs.

 

Senior linebackers Austin Stamp (86 tackles), Lincoln Gardner (67) and Cameron Cole (59) lead the team defensively.

 

After three straight years of heartbreaking losses in the state semifinal, the Moeller Crusaders are making their first state championship game appearance since they won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. One of the toughest schedules in the state got them to this point, as they played state title contenders from Indiana, North Carolina and Michigan. They also beat three-time defending Division I state champion Lakewood St. Edward.

 

In a usually rough-and-tumble Greater Catholic League-South, the Crusaders have been an offensive juggernaut. They averaged 41 points per game this season and have an average margin of victory of 26 points. Junior quarterback and Mr. Football candidate Matt Ponatoski threw for a career-high 431 yards and tied a school record with six passing touchdowns in the Crusaders’ state semifinal win over Centerville. Oh yeah, he did all that in the first half.

 

Ponatoski has weapons all over the field in running backs Tyler Joselyn and Dante Ware, and receivers Jovan Love, Matthew Fogler, Roman Mason, Carson Khayo, Cooper McCutchen, Landen Adams and Sam Hamilton. The defense has been elite in their own right. Five players have multiple interceptions and just as many have multiple sacks. Altogether, they have forced 27 turnovers and are allowing just 17 points per game.

 

Simply put, Moeller has been dominant this season. GCL-South teams have authored a number of state championship game blowouts. The 2024 Moeller team could join that list this Thursday.

 

Avon’s seventh trip to the state final four in the last eight years finally led to the Division II championship game. The Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak in the state semifinals to Archbishop Hoban by beating the Knights in Akron, 35-10, with the same recipe that got them there in this undefeated season: a patient offense, swarming defense and special teams that doesn’t lose field position.

 

“We did this one for the entire community,” senior quarterback Nolan Good said Friday at the University of Akron’s InfoCision Stadium. “Every alumni that’s ever come through this program and lost to them in this exact stage in the final four.”

 

Good is a Kent State commit and Mr. Football finalist. The Northeast Lakes District Offensive Player of the Year is coming off an All-Ohio season as a junior that ended prematurely in the playoffs because of a collarbone injury in the regional semifinals. Avon pushed Hoban in last year’s state semifinal before a three-point loss without him, but his presence with 3,136 yards passing and 28 touchdowns to eight interceptions pushed them over the top for this matchup against Anderson — two undefeated teams — to open the three-day weekend in Canton.

 

Good is as elusive with his feet (701 yards rushing and 11 TDs) as he is accurate with his arm. The Eagles’ run game includes a stable of backs in senior Tyler Kaufmann (688 yards, 12 TDs) with juniors Cam Wendell (405 yards, six TDs) and emerging Quiante Smith (583 yards, 12 TDs), who rushed for a team-high 106 yards and three second-half TDs against Hoban.

 

The receivers are led by senior Matt Maxey, the school’s career leader in receiving yards, but Good has plenty of targets with Maxey (1,267 yards, 10 TDs on 84 receptions). Senior Cole Kepner (636 yards, seven TDs on 31 receptions), junior Grant Barr (569 yards, eight TDs on 40 receptions) and tight end Ty Beerbohm (383 yards, one TD on 20 receptions) are dangerous threats in the pass game, while the line is bolstered by two-way standout and Cincinnati commit Jeremiah Kelly with third-year starting center Connor Bingham.

 

Defensively, Avon’s front seven is deep and includes multi-year starters Jason Gillespie and Jack Hricovec with big ends Sam Toniolo (team-high six sacks entering the state semifinals) and junior Lance Dawson. The linebackers are led by Owen Garcia (team-high 99.5 tackles, 3.5 sacks entering the state semifinals) and junior Ryan Stolarski, whose offers include Akron and Toledo.

 

Junior Jakob Weatherspoon headlines the secondary as a Power Four prospect with offers that include Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. While colleges like him at cornerback, he moved to safety this year. Kaufmann doubles as another safety. Aiden Atkins, Alex Rivera and Alex Falasco also played big in last week’s win against Hoban, which leaned on sophomore Brayton Feister for 552 yards rushing and eight touchdowns in its previous two playoff wins.

 

Avon’s defense limited him to 55 yards in the first three quarters, leading to the school’s first appearance in a state final since 2011. That is Avon’s only other state championship game. Both have come under coach Mike Elder, who is in his 18th year.

 

A win Thursday night would bring the school its first state title.

 

Anderson has a 15-0 record for the first time in program history and is making its first state final appearance since 2008 when it was a Division II state runner-up. Anderson is trying to win its second state championship in program history after winning the 2007 Division II state title.

 

Anderson defeated Sunbury Big Walnut 28-24 in a Division II state semifinal Nov. 29 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.

 

Under ninth-year head coach Evan Dreyer, the Raptors average 47.5 points and 461.8 yards, including 307 yards passing, per game and are tied for seventh with 2012 St. Clairsville on the state record list for most points by a team in a season (713).

 

Senior QB Justice Burnam has thrown for 3,986 yards and 41 touchdowns this season. He’s rushed for 725 yards and 15 touchdowns. Burnam has thrown for 8,326 yards in his career and will appear on the OHSAA record list for yards passing in a season, career passing yards, most passing touchdowns in a season and most career passing touchdowns.

 

Senior WR Trace Jallick is scheduled to sign with Mercyhurst. Jallick has 101 receptions for 1,882 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Jallick will be on the OHSAA record list for most receptions in a season and most receiving touchdowns in a season.

 

Senior safety Jayonn Saunders is scheduled to sign with Mercyhurst. Saunders has five interceptions this season. He has 24 interceptions in his career. He will be on the OHSAA record list for most career interceptions.

 

Anderson High School is located in Anderson Township on the east side of Cincinnati and is in the Forest Hills Local School District. Former All-Pro NFL offensive lineman Andrew Norwell, a former Ohio State player and former NFL offensive lineman Greg Mancz are both 2010 Anderson graduates.

 

Thanks to a 14-yard touchdown pass from sophomore backup quarterback Ali Beydoun to junior receiver Preston Fryzel with 33.7 seconds remaining, second-ranked Toledo Central Catholic (14-1) will continue its quest for a third straight state football championship on Friday.

 

The Fighting Irish, who had been in jeopardy of being shut out for the first time since the 2016 Division III state semifinals, then got a game-winning extra-point kick from Blake Moody in a 7-6 victory over fifth-ranked Youngstown Ursuline in D-III semifinal last Friday at Elyria's Ely Stadium.

 

It was Central's fourth one-point win of the season.

 

For the second straight year, Central will battle top-ranked Columbus Bishop Watterson (15-0) in the D-III final at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton on Friday at 3 p.m.

 

Central (16-0 in 2023) topped the Eagles 27-7 in last year's title game. The Irish had beaten Akron Archbishop Hoban 28-21 in the 2022 Division II championship game in Canton.

 

The Irish of 25th-year coach Greg Dempsey (266-54 record) are looking to become the 12th team in Ohio playoff history to win at least three consecutive state titles, and the 14th to win at least six state playoff crowns overall.

 

Central previously won D-II titles in 2005 and 2012, and a D-III championship in 2014.

 

The Irish are led offensively by running backs Tyler Morgan (236 carries, 1,403 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Anthony Sylvester (93-607, 13 TD), and receivers Fryzel (39 catches, 740 yards, 10 TD) and Sharard Vaughn (38-543, 7 TD).

 

Beydoun (52 of 98 passing, 804 yards, 10 TD, 1 interception) has started three games this season filling in for senior QB Isaiah Fox  including Central's last two playoff wins. He also relieved Fox (101-151, 1,617 yards, 15 TD), for injury or illness, in three other games.

 

The Irish defense is paced at the three levels by linemen Curtis Strode (78 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 4 sacks) and Isaiah Seiler (59 tackles, 14 TFL, 5 sacks), linebackers Michael Besteda (101 tackles, 13 TFL, 6 sacks) and Gavin Eckhart (76 tackles, 5 TFL), and defensive backs Victor Singleton (4 interceptions, six pass break-ups), Anthony Lawrence (42 tackles, 3 INT, 7 PBU), and Kevin Arnold (83 tackles, 2 INT).

 

Fryzel has also punted for 39.6-yard average.

 

The lone loss this season for Central (45-2 since 2022) came in Week 3, a 21-7 setback at Novi Detroit Central Catholic (12-1), which lost 17-14 in the Michigan Division 1 state semifinals to eventual champion Detroit Cass Tech.

 

The only rematch among this weekend’s state finals features a juggernaut Watterson team against a Central Catholic squad the Eagles acknowledge without prompting is Ohio’s best in Division III until proven otherwise.

 

Standing at 15-0 for the first time in team history, Watterson has been even more dominant than a season ago, when it reached its first final since 2010. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 620-97 despite graduating three first-team all-Ohioans, including linebacker Dom Purcell, who made a game-record 21 tackles in last year’s final and now plays at Navy.

 

Watterson has invoked the running clock 13 times this season. The only exceptions were a 20-0 season-opening win at eventual Division II state semifinalist Big Walnut and a 28-13 win over Central Catholic League rival Hartley in Week 6.

 

Junior quarterback Drew Bellisari (123-of-204 passing, 2,017 yards, 29 TDs, five interceptions) guides a deep offense that is run-first but has amassed more passing yards than rushing in three of its first five playoff games. Senior running back Zack Weber (192 carries, 1,733 yards, 23 TDs) paces the ground game, and Bellisari has proven capable with his legs, rushing for 670 yards and 13 scores on 83 carries.

 

Senior Jake Uhlenhake (51 catches, 560 yards, 7 TDs) leads a balanced group of receivers that also includes classmates Cal Mangini (37 catches, 510 yards, 5 TDs), Dominic Theado (23 catches, 453 yards, 8 TDs) and Tommy Haley (17 catches, 333 yards, 7 TDs). All of them caught one touchdown each in last week’s 56-21 rout of previously undefeated London in a state semifinal.

 

Weber came up big on defense that night, recovering one of three London fumbles from his linebacker spot.

 

Bellisari’s father is former Ohio State defensive back Greg Bellisari. His uncle is one-time Buckeyes quarterback Steve Bellisari. Jake Uhlenhake’s father is former OSU offensive lineman Jeff Uhlenhake, who like both Bellisaris is on the Eagles’ coaching staff.

 

Watterson is 64-30 in eight seasons under coach Brian Kennedy, a 1992 graduate of the school. This is the Eagles’ seventh all-time finals appearance.

 

Perkins has been building for this moment for years.

 

The Pirates have gone 36-4 with nine playoff victories since 2022. Now the Pirates are on the verge of their school's second state football championship, the first coming 25 years ago in 1999.

 

The 2024 Pirates eliminated two-time defending state champion Glenville 13-11 in a Division IV state semifinal. Perkins held Glenville to three first downs in a defensive slugfest on a cold, windy night in Clyde.

 

Perkins' defense has been strong all season. The Pirates shut out six of their first nine opponents and haven't allowed more than 22 points in a game all season.

 

Linebacker/safety Mikey Young, who will play college football at Harvard, shared Northwest District Defensive Player of the Year honors. Speedy linebackers Dylan Crabtree and Braxden Martin are the team's top tacklers.

 

On offense, senior running back Isaac Bunts has rushed for 2,316 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Bunts was named district offensive player of the year. Junior quarterback Sam Schweinfurth has thrown for 2,632 yards and 35 touchdowns. His favorite target is Michigan State-bound receiver Braylon Collier, who has 76 catches for 1,216 yards and 22 TDs.

 

Senior two-way starter Haiden Bollini shared Lineman of the Year honors in the Northwest District.

 

Head coach Jalen Santoro is in his fifth year leading the Pirates. He was a star quarterback for a Bellevue team that was the Division III state runner-up in 2012. Santoro is hoping for a better outcome in his latest trip to Canton.

 

"We're one game away from something we've talked about for a couple years now," Santoro said. "The job is not done -- one game to go."

 

Nestled in the foothills of Appalachia in Tuscarawas County, the Braves are a no-nonsense power football team that has made history under veteran coach Matt Lancaster.

 

The Braves are making their first trip to the state finals and are the first school in county history to win a Final Four game. Two weeks prior, they won their first regional title with a 48-7 dismantling of unbeaten St. Clairsville in cold, rainy conditions at Zanesville’s John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium. Only two other Tusc County teams, Dover and Garaway, had done that previously.

 

The offense is paced by workhorse running back Grady Kinsey, who was the East District’s Division IV Offensive Player of the Year and Mr. Football candidate. The 5-9, 200-pound junior, a three-year starter, has rewritten the school record books for rushing after 178 carries for a state-best 2,347 yards (a 13.2-yard average) and 33 touchdowns. This, despite a lingering groin injury that cost him most of the final two games.

 

He has rebounded from the injury enough to run for 684 yards and 12 TDs in the regular season, highlighted by a 187-yard effort on 32 carries during a 29-20 win against Cincinnati Taft in the state semifinals at Historic Crew Stadium.

 

Sophomore quarterback Ryker Williams is 66-of-110 passing for 1,004 yards and has 161 carries for 1,322 yards rushing. He has accounted for 26 TDs.

Both players have followed a veteran line paced by All-East District picks David Striker (6-0, 160) and Hunter Peterman (5-11, 190). Brogan Wilson (6-1, 240), a sophomore, is also highly regarded by coaches.

 

Williams (5-11, 165) is equally valuable on defense, where he has 13 tackles-for-loss with eight sacks as an edge defender, despite playing limited time due to his quarterback responsibilities. He has particularly thrived in the postseason, where he had three sacks against Taft and a big hit on a fourth-down pass rush that forced an interception return for a touchdown against St. Clairsville.

 

Senior middle linebacker Jaxon Burcher (6-1, 200) is also a key figure with a team-high 89 tackles, including seven for losses. Peterman also has seven TFLs among his 40 tackles from his line spot.

 

The defense yielded 20 or more points five times in the regular season, including 41 in a shootout win at Dover, but it has rebounded considerably since a 41-27 win at West Lafayette Ridgewood. Of its last seven opponents, only high-powered New Lexington, with 11 games of at least 30 points, and Taft have scored more than 15.

 

The Ironton Fighting Tigers are making their 12th all-time state championship game appearance, following 15 all-time regional championships.

 

Ironton owns a pair of state championships in 1979 and 1989, along with nine runners-up (1972, 1982, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2019, 2020 and 2022)- including three in a four-year (2019, 2020 and 2022) span under seven-year head coach Trevon Pendleton.

 

This year's Fighting Tigers are 14-1 - as this season marked their first as an independent since 2014. They had been Ohio Valley Conference football members from 2015 thru 2023.

Ironton's only loss is against Clarkson North out of Ontario in Canada - a late 28-27 defeat on Sept. 27 and in a game which was moved to nearby Green High School, due to damage to historic Tanks Memorial Stadium as the result of remnants of Hurricane Helene. Only two of Ironton's games this season did not go to a running clock in the second half - Clarkson North and 48-33 win at Pikeville KY. Weeks 6 and 7.

 

Ironton captured the Region 19 championship, as it has outscored its playoff opponents by a count of 271-48.

 

The first-team Fighting Tigers defense has pitched three shutouts in these playoffs (Portsmouth 44-0 in Region 19 quarterfinals, Wheelersburg 55-0 in Region 19 championship and West Liberty-Salem 63-21 in Division V state semifinals), as the only scores by West Liberty-Salem were a pair of kickoff returns and a rushing touchdown against Ironton's second-team unit.

 

Ironton swept the Southeast District Division V top honors - with University of Missouri commit Shaun Terry the Offensive Player of the Year, Penn State commit Josh Johnson the Defensive Player of the Year, Aiden Layne the Lineman of the Year, and Trevon Pendleton one of three Coaches of the Year.

 

Liberty Center is making its second-straight appearance in the Division V State Championship game, and their fifth overall trip to the state finals.

 

The Tigers lost to Perry 21-14 in last year’s Division V state title game.

 

Liberty Center won a Division V state championship in 1997. They were state runners-up in 1993, 1998 and 2023. The Tigers have won nine regional titles, including the past three seasons. Over the last four seasons, Liberty Center is 17-3 in the postseason, with all three losses coming to that season’s eventual state champion.

 

Overall, the Tigers are 48-22 in the playoffs.

 

Liberty Center (15-0) returns to the state title game with a lot of new faces, led by its three running backs. Senior Waylon Rentz has rushed for 1,784 yards this season and 29 touchdowns, while junior Thomas Mohler has 903 yards rushing and 8 TDs and sophomore Garrison Kruse has 843 yards rushing with 15 TDs.

 

Senior Grady Miller and junior Kaden Kreinbrink have split time at quarterback. Miller is 30 of 59 passing for 675 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions, while Kreinbrink has completed 19 of 28 passes for 312 yards with two TDs and one interception.

 

The Tigers are averaging 42.1 points per game this season.

 

Defensively, Liberty Center is allowing 5.5 points per game, including seven shutouts. Opponents are averaging 174.9 yards on offense - 83.5 rushing and 91.4 passing.

Rentz and senior Zander Zeiter are the Tigers’ leading tacklers. They have combined for 35 tackles for loss this season. Kruse has another 15 tackles for loss. Senior Cam Kahle has eight interceptions, including returning two for touchdowns. Senior Jackson Bartels has also returned two interceptions for TDs.

 

Kahle, along with the two pick-sixes, has caught a touchdown pass, returned two kick-offs for scores and also had a punt return for a touchdown.

 

Liberty Center coach Casey Mohler is in his eighth season and has a 91-15 record.

 

The Hornets are in their 13th state championship game. They have an all-time state finals record of 7-5 in Coach Tiger LaVerde's 19-year career. LaVerde is 244-20 in his tenure at Kirtland, with five of those losses coming in state championship games. Ironically, he never planned on being a coach. He was working as an actuary in Pittsburgh when he decided to go back to college, got his teaching degree and began coaching.

 

Kirtland does not have open enrollment, a badge of honor of sorts for the school district, football program and town in that they've achieved this level of success with their own kids.

 

The Hornets' 2024 season included two wins over reigning Division VII state runner-up Dalton (55-34 and 41-6) and a win over reigning Division V state champion Perry (22-21 in triple-overtime).

 

Kirtland is 13-0 all-time in state semifinal games.

 

Kirtland is predominantly a run-oriented team, having carried 630 times this season for 5,198 yards (an 8.3-yard average). Both senior fullback Danny Alfieri (178 carries, 1,579 yards, 36 touchdowns) and junior quarterback Jake LaVerde (81 carries, 1,135 yards, 11 touchdowns) have surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season.

 

Jake LaVerde achieved his statistical performance this season despite missing seven games with a broken left arm sustained in the Week 6 win over Fairview. He returned for the regional final against Dalton and state semifinal against Galion Northmor. Including his 8-0 mark in games he has started this season, Coach Tiger LaVerde's son is 38-2 as the Hornets' starting quarterback - the only losses being to Versailles in the 2022 state championship game and a regular-season loss to Perry in 2023.

 

With Alfieri (149), LaVerde (146) and John Silvestro (101) all rushing for 100-plus yards last week, that marks the first time since Sept. 26, 2014 that three Hornets ran for 100 yards in a game. In 2014 it was Jacob Boyd (224), Sam Skiljan (153) and Adam Hess (126).

 

The strength of this year's team is the experienced offensive line. The entire team takes pride its weight-lifting, but the line leads them all with Matthew Kahley (385), Jackson Carestio (345), Vince Prusock (315), Casey Carkhuff (315), Teddy Prusock (300), Jackson Turk (295)and Lucci Cantini (285) all benching nearly 300 or more pounds. Every member of the offensive line squats more than 500 pounds, led by Kahley's 515 and Carkhuff's 500.

 

After last week's state semifinal, Coach Tiger LaVerde's wife - Mary - continued the program tradition of making breakfast for the team and coaches. She never buys the groceries until after the team wins, so she shopped after the win over Northmor and was up all night cooking - 16 dozen eggs, 100 pancakes, 10 pounds of cheesy potatoes, dozens of sausage links, danishes and donuts for the team.

 

In a season that started with sadness, the Coldwater Cavaliers have risen to the task and returned to state for the first time since 2021.

 

The day before the season opener, Cale Wenning, an honorable mention All-Ohio center last season, died from injuries suffered earlier in August. The team and Coldwater community took Wenning and his family into their hearts with the team keeping a flag bearing Wenning’s jersey number 70 on the sidelines. Fellow Midwest Athletic Conference members and opposing schools have also lent their well-wishes and financial support. On the field, the Cavaliers rose to the occasion,  finishing 9-1 in the regular season, losing only to Marion Local in the MAC championship game in Week 10.

 

Chip Otten, looking for his sixth state title as head coach of his alma mater and the program’s eighth overall, won his 200th career game this past season featuring an offense that is deep in both the running game and receiver corps. Quarterback Baylen Blockberger has been sharp all season and has a number of receivers, including Mason Welsch. Running backs Miles Pottkotter, Cody Depweg and Braxton Taylor have combined to keep the Cavaliers moving on the ground. Depweg, last season’s Division VI state co-Defensive Player of the Year, continues to lead a strong defense that features plenty of depth. Placekicker Bryce Couchot has converted a school-record 60 straight point-after attempts and has made 78 of 80 attempts this season to go with making all seven of his field goal tries.

 

The Hillsdale Falcons (14-1) are making their state championship debut having won the program’s first regional championship en route to Canton. After an undefeated start to the season in which they outscored opponents 336-92, the Falcons suffered their only loss in Week 10 against Division V Norwayne with the Wayne County Athletic League title on the line. Opening the postseason with a pair of wins against Fairport (55-12) and Windham (43-14), Hillsdale outlasted Malvern in a thriller 50-48 that featured a successful Hail Mary at the end of the first half by the Falcons, and a game-winning Hail Mary with 0:00 on the clock.

 

It led to Hillsdale’s third regional championship appearance having previously lost to Lima Central Catholic (28-19) in 2010 when current head coach Trevor Cline was the starting quarterback, and again in 2017 to Liberty-Benton (37-17) with Cline on the staff as an assistant. The program has qualified for the postseason 13 times and each of the last nine seasons with Cline at the helm since 2018.

 

A banner in a corner of Booster Stadium in Maria Stein this season read “Chasing Perfection,” and Marion Local has taken that motto to heart.

 

The Flyers enter the state title having won a state record 63 consecutive games and will look to make it 64 — four full 16-game seasons — against Jeromesville Hillsdale.

 

Tim Goodwin, now standing at 324-48 in his 26th season and 14 state titles since 2000 as head coach, has stressed that his squad loves to work on mistakes made in practices and games, and every correction has made the team stronger. Only twice this season has Marion scored fewer than 35 points — both times coming against Midwest Athletic Conference rival Minster — and has eight shutouts this season with no team scoring more than 14 points. The Flyers play a touch schedule in the MAC, where eight other teams earned berths in the playoffs and Marion’s Week One opponent, Linton-Stockton, advanced to the Indiana Class 2A state championship game.

 

The Flyers’ key is their depth. Parker Hess, Ethan Heitkamp and Drew Lause provide the majority of the running yards while quarterback Justin Knouff became the seventh quarterback to pass for over 2,000 yards in last week’s state semifinal win over Columbus Grove. Favorite receiver Victor Hoelscher became the season record holder for receiving yards last week in reaching 1,271 yards with 19 touchdown catches this season. The offensive line is led by Northwest District Lineman of the Year Kyle Ungruhn.

 

The defense has allowed just 49 points this season, tied for fifth-fewest allowed in a season and opponents are averaging just 136.6 yards of total offense and has recorded 16 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries. Lause was named the MAC and Northwest District Defensive Player of the Year at one linebacker spot while Drew Lause has 105 tackles. Defensive end Adam Winner has seven sacks on a team that has recorded 29 this season