October 25, 2022
OPSWA High School Football Notebook Week 10
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fastest 10 weeks of the year is officially finished and that means only one thing: It’s playoff time!
Before we turn the page to the postseason, let’s check out some of the best high school football performances from around the state in Week 10 with this week’s Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association High School Football Notebook.
The Clear Fork Colts held Highland, a team coming into Week 10 averaging 274.7 rushing yards per game, to just 79 rushing yards during a 42-7 Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship win. The Colts laid claim to the outright MOAC title for the first time since going back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 behind the dominating defensive effort. On the flip side, the Colts ran for 294 yards on 44 attempts as Pawie Ault led the way with 144 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns. The Colts are 9-1 heading into the playoffs.
In the first half of Ashland Crestview’s 47-16 win over Mapleton, the Cougars scored a touchdown on every offensive possession, nailed ever extra point attempt and allowed zero passing yards for the well-rounded effort. After just 24 minutes of game time, the Cougars already owned a 35-0 lead as they clinched their third consecutive Firelands Conference championship. With the win, the Cougars completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season and pushed their regular season winning streak to 21 games. Senior defensive end Owen Barker broke the career sacks record with 25.5 when he added a couple in Week 10.
The Ontario Warrior stunned the Shelby Whippets by scoring 21 unanswered points over the final two minutes of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter as a 32-yard pass play from Bodpegn Miller to Dylan Floyd was the game winner with 29 seconds left in the game. With the win, the Warriors clinched a winning season and a playoff berth finishing the season on a three-game winning streak.
The Mansfield Senior Tygers overcame a slow start in the 57th Battle for Mansfield knocking off Mansfield Madison 37-13 in Week 10. The offense piled up 407 total yards with 188 on the ground and 219 through the air for the most well-rounded offensive performance of the season. Junior quarterback Duke Reese was sensational going 12 of 19 passing for 219 yards and three touchdowns to three difference receivers. He also added 54 yards and a fourth touchdown on the ground.
Xenia's Trei'Shaun Sanders ran for 250 yards and 2TDs on 33 carries in a 34-0 win at Sidney to complete a 10-0 campaign for the Bucs. The Xenia record book shows 1902 as the only other team which had an undefeated regular season or reached 10 wins in school history. Tremell Wright also went over 1,000 yards receiving, marking the first time Xenia has had a 1,000-yard passer (Gavin McManus), rusher (Sanders) and receiver (Wright) during the same season.
Myles Vordemark had 23 tackles for Sidney in the loss to Xenia. He enters the playoffs having made 163 total tackles this season.
Cedarville's Colt Coffey had a career-high 140 yards rushing to help the Indians beat Madison Plains 49-26 and finish .500 for the first time in eight seasons. Peyton Smith of Madison Plains in a losing effort caught five passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, as well as also getting an interception while playing defense.
Coal Grove senior running back Chase Hall rushed for 255 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries, and completed his only pass attempt for a 52-yard touchdown, in the Hornets’ 56-28 win over Rock Hill on Friday night. Hall had also an interception and fumble recovery on defense. With Friday night’s rushing performance, he set the new Coal Grove single-season rushing record with 2,219 yards and 36 touchdowns on 248 carries.
Ironton senior quarterback Tayden Carpenter completed 12 of 17 passes for 189 yards and six touchdowns, as senior wideout Ty Perkins caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns, in the Fighting Tigers’ 42-7 win at Portsmouth on Friday night. The Fighting Tigers completed the regular season a perfect 10-0, and are the outright Ohio Valley Conference champions for the fourth consecutive season.
Portsmouth West junior Jeffery Bishop caught a 38-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass on the first half’s final play, made the interception before the Senators’ go-ahead second-half scoring drive, and collected eight tackles in the Senators’ 14-7 win over Wheelersburg on Friday night. Senators senior running back Ryan Sissel rushed for 153 yards and a 10-yard touchdown run on 24 carries, and made a dozen tackles in addition. West won its first Southern Ohio Conference Division II championship since 2008, defeated Wheelersburg for the first time since 2011 to snap a 13-game losing streak to the Pirates, and became the first Scioto County team to defeat Wheelersburg since Lucasville Valley did so in 2013.
Minford junior Jeffrey Pica rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries, and caught two passes for 35 yards, in the Falcons’ 28-22 double-overtime victory over Lucasville Valley on Friday night —winning the annual rivalry game of Lucasville-Minford Road for the second consecutive season.
Franklin Furnace Green junior Nathaniel Brannigan rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries in the Bobcats’ 41-26 Southern Ohio Conference Division I road loss at Beaver Eastern.
Tri-Valley quarterback Max Lyall and wide receiver Ashton Sensibaugh set single-game school records in a 41-7 rout of John Glenn. Lyall threw a new mark of 434 yards on 17-of-22 passing, along with six TDs, and Sensibaugh hauled in six catches, three for scores, for a school record 250 yards.
Justin Munyan had a career-high 226 rushing yards and scored twice in Sheridan’s 31-20 win over rival New Lexington.
Talon Preston accounted for nearly 200 yards and three TDs to lead Philo into the playoffs with a 28-14 win against Maysville.
Logan Niceswanger finished with 200 yards passing and tossed four TDs and Kole Searl had 11 catches for 109 yards with a score in Morgan’s 47-0 rout of Crooksville.
Ty Shawger churned up 240 yards and four scores to lead West Muskingum past Meadowbrook 54-14.
Brody Zemba totaled 200 yards on 20 carries and found the end zone twice, as Rosecrans defeated Miller 43-13 to reach the postseason.
Jamal Watts scored four times in the second half and finished with 156 yards on 12 carries to highlight River View’s 41-12 victory against Coshocton.
In nine of the last 10 seasons, McComb and Liberty-Benton have met in Week 10. In eight of those nine years, either an outright Blanchard Valley Conference championship, or at least a piece title, was on the line and it was again Friday when McComb, 9-1 overall, came away with a 39-16 win to wrap up an undefeated 7-0 run through the league. Liberty-Benton (7-3) needed a win to claim a share of the title but ended up 5-2 in the league.
Findlay’s Dallas DeLaCruz hadn’t started at quarterback since seventh grade, but with four-star recruit Ryan Montgomery held out as a precautionary measure and back-up Brady Allen out with a broken arm. DeLaCruz stepped in, completed 8-of-9 passes, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the Trojans’ 32-0 win over Lima Senior.
Carey beat Seneca East 56-12 Friday to complete its first 10-0 regular season since 1994. It was also the 25th consecutive win for the defending Division VI state champs.
Marion Harding's Trinity Keith produced 120 yards and a 76-yard touchdown run and Lem Reynolds added 101 yards in a 30-26 win over Pleasant. It was Harding’s first win of the season.
River Valley's Cayden Shidone threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 103 yards and three more scores in a 56-49 loss to Galion.
Ridgedale's Nathan Thiel recorded 17 tackles, three interceptions with one for a touchdown, plus caught six passes for 55 yards and a TD in a 26-20 overtime win over Perry.
Elgin's Breckin Dugan only ran it seven times, but came away with 172 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-14 win over Crestline.
Mount Gilead's Judah Reid produced 12 tackles with four sacks and three tackles for loss in a 44-13 win over Cardington that gave the Indians (6-4) their first winning season since going 7-3 in 2004. Quaterback Matthew Bland ran for 177 yards and four touchdowns and thew for a TD, while Garrett George also ran for 177 yards and a score. Mount Gilead will be playing in the playoffs for the first time in school history.
In Lakewood St. Edward’s 41-20 win against Akron Hoban, matching the top-ranked teams in Division I and II from last week’s AP state poll, Hoban senior running back Lamar Sperling still managed 157 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries against the stingy Eagles defense. That puts him at 2,089 yards and 31 TDs on the season.
As for how St. Edward won, the Eagles gained 318 yards on the ground and 436 yards in total offense. Junior quarterback Casey Bullock ran for 100 yards and two TDs on 18 carries. Senior Marvin Bell, who expected to play a backup role, came in for injured teammate Josh Gribble and ran for 133 yards and three TDs on 16 carries.
A year after setting Medina’s single-season receiving record, senior Brennen Schramm passed that Friday with his nine-catch, 137-yard performance with four TDs — all in the first half — in the Bees’ 48-7 win vs. Solon. Schramm had 82 receptions for 1,333 yards and 14 TDs last year, including the playoffs. This year, he already has 84 receptions for 1,193 yards and 14 scores. Schramm also is Medina County’s career receiving record holder with 194 receptions. Meanwhile, junior quarterback Danny Stoddard threw for 399 yards with six TDs as the Bees repeated as outright Greater Cleveland Conference champions. He also overtook Drew Allar for the Medina County TD passing record, now with 49. Allar had 48 last year with 4,444 yards. Stoddard is sitting at 3,887 yards entering the playoffs.
Jayvon Williams of Parma Heights Holy Name rushed for 206 yards to rally the Green Wave past Elyria Catholic, 42-25, to take the Great Lakes Conference championship. The senior quarterback also threw two TD passes before a 54-yard run that clinched it. A third-year starter, Williams has led Holy Name to the Region 10 final in Division III the last two seasons.
Marco Cirigliano of Columbia Station Columbia scored the Raiders’ touchdown in the second overtime and then ran in the winning 2-point conversion for a 29-28 win against Firelands to take the Lorain County League title and remain undefeated. Cirigliano finished with 182 yards on 37 carries. He reached the end zone only in that final possession of the second OT.
Jason Mackey of Painesville Riverside rushed for 239 yards and a score on 24 carries in the Beavers’ 44-27 win at Willoughby South.
Cody Miller of North Royalton rushed for 236 yards and four TDs on 30 carries to pace the Bears’ 30-0 win against Brecksville-Broadview Heights.
Josiah Saulters, a senior at Warrensville Heights, scored three times Saturday in the Tigers’ 42-26 win at Cleveland Central Catholic. He gained 240 all-purpose yards on 10 touches, scoring in the run game, pass game and on a kick return. It marked Warrensville’s first win of the season.
Running back Kyle Snider became Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s all-time TDs leader with 107 yards and two scores on 10 carries in the Royals’ 48-14 win against Akron Manchester. He has 63 TDs for his career.
Marion Local wrapped up a perfect regular season and an outright Midwest Athletic Conference title with a 35-0 win over Coldwater in a battle of teams that were top-ranked in their respective divisions. Marion, ranked #1 in Division VII, held the Division V #1-ranked Cavaliers to just 91 yards of total offense. Darren Meier scored four of the Flyers’ five touchdowns and recovered a fumble that led to a score. Coldwater, who lost starting quarterback Marcel Blasingame in a Week Nine win over Versailles, struggled to get moving with receiver Braylen Harlamert taking the snaps at quarterback for the first full game. The game was highly anticipated for the battle for the MAC title, but fans were hoping to get into the 50/50 drawing. The winner of the 50/50 took home $11,687.
Galion RB Gave Ivy ran for 330 yards on 34 carries and four TDs in a win over River Valley Friday night.
River Valley Vikings QB Cayden Shidone hit on 22-of-40 pass attempts for 402 yards, with his chief target being Grant Butler with 9 catches for 231 yards and a pair of scores.
Ending their storied rivalry against Perrysburg when Maumee enters the Northern Buckeye Conference next season, Panthers quarterback Kyle Arndt threw for 158 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 117 yards on 14 carries as the Yellow Jackets beat Maumee 52-21. Maumee had been a charter member of the Northern Lakes League but will enter the NBC next school year as schools in northwest Ohio shuffle their league affiliations.
Rootstown senior running back Cody Coontz has set three school records this season: Single-game rushing: 41 carries for 375 yards in a Week 8 win over Grand Valley; Single-season rushing: 2,148 yards (and counting since Rootstown qualified for the playoffs); Career rushing: 3,104 yards (and counting)
Mogadore football plays its 100th all-time playoff game on Friday night. They are currently 67-32 all-time in the playoffs. They are undefeated in home playoff games at 24-0. They are making their 25th consecutive playoff appearance.
Mogadore won its 44th league championship on Friday with a 34-14 victory over Rootstown.
The Garrettsville Garfield G-Men had a streak of 22 consecutive regular-season wins snapped this year. The streak lasted from Oct. 25, 2019 through Aug. 26, 2022. It is the fourth-longest regular-season win streak in Portage County high school football history.
Tavionne Crosby, Jake Valerio and Braden Sullivan each ran for more than 100 yards and a combined five touchdowns in leading Edgewood to a 47-7 romp of Harrison in the regular season finale. The win secured the second straight Southwest Ohio Conference championship for the Cougars and their fifth in the last seven years. Crosby led the way with 165 yards and two touchdowns, which moved him into third all-time on Edgewood’s rushing list. Valerio ran for 108 yards and two scores and Sullivan totaled 105 yards and a score for the Cougars. Brick Barker also had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown and Brayden Smith ran in a 27-yard fumble recovery for a score.
Alex Ritzie threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns in leading Badin, the top-ranked team in Division III, to a third consecutive undefeated regular season and third straight Greater Catholic League Coed conference title. All three touchdown passes went to Braedyn Moore, who hauled in 10 catches for 151 yards in a 42-7 win over McNicholas on Saturday afternoon. Carter Russo also ran for 123 yards and a touchdown for the Rams.
Connor Schmuelling carried the ball 10 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns to lead Fenwick to a 39-6 win over Carroll on Friday night. The win gave the Falcons their best win-loss record at 7-3 since going 8-2 in the 2018 regular season.
Jaylan Garrett accounted for all four of Hamilton’s touchdowns as Big Blue won its regular season finale 28-14 over Sycamore on Friday. Garrett was Hamilton’s leading rusher for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and he also threw a pair of scores to Sir’Charles Riggins. The win got Big Blue into the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
Jonathan Ricketts caught three passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns to help Carlisle knock off Waynesville 28-21 on Friday. Blake Lawson ran for 145 yards for the Indians and Brandon Hampton had a pair of rushing touchdowns to go along with his two TD passes to Ricketts.
Lodi Cloverleaf captured its first league championship since 1971 with a 41-6 victory at Akron Springfield. The Colts shared the Metro Athletic Conference with defending champion Norton and Woodridge.
Tyler Mrakuzic had seven catches for a school-record 218 yards and three touchdowns, as well as five carries for 65 yards and two TDs — he also recovered two fumbles — to lead Sullivan Black River past Wellington 41-12. Eric Groesser threw for a school-record 326 yards.
Danny Stoddard threw for six touchdowns for the fourth time this season as Medina defeated Solon 48-7. Stoddard has passed for 3,896 yards and a Medina County-record 49 touchdowns in his first season as the replacement for reigning Ohio Mr. Football Drew Allar.
Medina Highland completed the fifth perfect regular season in school history with a 63-0 shutout of Copley, which entered play averaging 38.1 points. The Hornets have allowed only 43 points and 1,255 yards this season.