October 10, 2023
Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association High School Football Notebook: Week 8
COLUMBUS – We have reached Week 9 in the 2023 Ohio high school football regular-season. Many schools have already clinched playoff berths, while many more are aiming to secure their spot in the postseason.
Once again the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association has compiled the top performances from around the state for this week’s high school football notebook following Week 8.
* Lucas’ Zach Diehl scored three first-half touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Plymouth just one week after being taken off of the field in an ambulance with a severe neck stinger. He had touchdown runs of 7 and 6 yards while also catching a 44-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Grover. He ran for 76 yards on six carries and had just one catch for 44 yards in just one half of play.
* The Ontario Warriors improve to 8-0 on the year with a huge 34-0 win over Marion Harding. It was Ontario’s fourth shutout of the season as the Warriors came up with two big interceptions by Braylon Wilson and Landon Foltz. Foltz also had a 25-yard touchdown reception in the victory.
* The Madison Rams picked up their first win of the season with a 38-0 drubbing of Ohio Cardinal Conference opponent Mount Vernon. The Ram defense allowed just 158 yards of total offense shutting out Mount Vernon for the second straight season. Cameron Kuhn threw for 138 yards on 7-of-9 completions with a touchdown to Justin Mcraney. The Rams piled up 175 yards rushing as Chris Atkins had 80 yards and two scores, Kuhn had 20 yards, Kaleb Gordon had 43 yards and a TD and Eli Lewis rounded things out with 32 yards and a score.
* Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito was at it again throwing for 235 yards on eight completions while running for 170 yards in a 36-21 win over Clear Fork. DeVito had a 90-yard touchdown strike to Issaiah Ramsey and a 60-yard pass to Nic Eyster in the first half and proceeded to score 22 unanswered points in the second half highlighted by DeVito’s 55 and 25-yard touchdown runs. The Whippets travel to Ontario in Week 9 with a chance to get back into a tie for first place in the MOAC.
* The Mansfield Senior Tygers ran for 225 yards on 38 carries in a 35-7 win over Wooster in a game where they scored 25 unanswered points in the second half to remain in first place in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Zyion Brown ran for a team-high 69 yards while Duke Reese added 67 and Jamir Petty had 62 giving the Tygers three rushers with 60-plus yards.
* At 8-0, Bluffton is enjoying its finest season since the Pirates went 10-0 in the 2004 regular season and then added an 11th straight win before being handed their first loss in the second round of the payoffs. Bluffton is getting it done primarily with lockdown defense. Pandora-Gilboa scored a fourth-quarter touchdown against Bluffton in the second game of the season. But the Pirates have not allowed a single point since, outscoring their opponents 264-0 with Friday’s 34-0 win over Leipsic the team’s sixth straight shutout. Three of those six shutout have come against quality opponents with either 6-2 or 5-3 records.
* Liberty-Benton’s Seth Elchert caught 13 passes for 183 yards, with his final reception of the game a 53-yard touchdown catch for the winning score in the Eagles’ 33-28 win over Pandora-Gilboa.
* Upper Sandusky quarterback Kaden Holman entered Friday’s game with Buckeye Central leading the Northern 10 Conference in attempts (214), completions (129), passing yards (1,725) and touchdown passes (21). Against the Bucks, though, Holman ended up rushing for 217 yards and five TDs, including the game winner from 10 yards out with 19 seconds left, in a 48-42 victory.
* One week after rushing for 391 yards and six touchdowns in McComb’s 49-21 win over Arlington, senior running back Braxton Althauser rushed for 250 yards and four scores in the Panthers’ 61-6 win over Elmwood.
* Carey scored seven touchdowns in the first quarter, including a 64-yard run, a 56-yard interception return for a score and another 35-yard TD run in a two-minute span, and led Bucyrus 42-0 by the end of the period. The Northern 10 Conference leading Blue Devils would win the contest 63-0.
* Coshocton had three players run for over 100 yards, Antwone Johns (150), Israel Rice (128) and Riley Woodie (114) in a 41-14 win over Crooksville.
* Rashid Sesay set a single-game school record with six touchdowns and totaled 185 yards of offense in a 42-13 win over Morgan.
* Sheridan QB Caden Sheridan went 11-of-12 for 250 yards and a pair of scores in a victory against Maysville.
* John Glenn’s Lincoln Gilcher and Reese Metzger combined for 128 yards and five TDs in a win over River View.
* Isaiah Stephens finished with 278 yards and four TDs, leading New Lexington past Meadowbrook.
* Max Lyall threw for 256 yards and five TDs for Tri-Valley and Talon Preston had 191 yards and four TDs for Philo, as the Scotties topped the Electrics in a 52-35 victory.
* Cleveland Heights junior Marquise Davis rushed 368 yards and six TDs on 31 carries in the Tigers’ 62-52 win against Medina that keeps them in the driver’s seat for the Greater Cleveland Conference championship. Davis, a junior running back with scholarship offers from the country’s best college football programs, has 1,838 yards and 28 TDs on 180 carries this season.
* Jakorion Caffey became Avon’s all-time leader in yardage, touchdowns and points with two TDs and 80 yards on just eight carries in a 45-7 win against Grafton Midview. He broke Bob LaRosa’s rushing record and Gerett Choat’s scoring marks. Caffey, a Cincinnati commit, now has 3,940 yards, 60 TDs and 260 points in his career.
*Sean Patrick of Chagrin Falls Kenston scored the final touchdown and two-point conversion with 11 seconds left to hand Painesville Riverside its first loss, 36-35. After scoring his fourth touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Lucas Kaltenbach, Patrick told his coaches he wanted to go for two and the win. They did and took sole possession of the Western Reserve Conference lead. Patrick finished with 130 yards on 29 carries. Three TDs came with the ground game. He added 20 yards on three receptions.
* With a slew of Ohio State commits and targets on the field in Akron, Archbishop Hoban faced its first deficit of the season before a 28-16 win against defending Division IV state champion Cleveland Glenville. Junior linebacker Eli Lee, who picked up an OSU offer earlier in the week, had two sacks and another tackle for loss. Sophomore cornerback Elbert “Rock” Hill IV, who already has an offer from the Buckeyes, returned a 92-yard kickoff return to start Hoban’s rally in the first quarter and an interception near the goal line in the fourth quarter to seal the Knights’ win. Glenville outgained Hoban in yardage, as senior running back D’Shawntae Jones rushed 20 times for a game-high 158 yards and a TD. He also scored twice on two-point conversions and completed two passes for 61 yards. No player has been as effective against Hoban’s defense this season.
* Al Martin won his 250th game at Cuyahoga Heights, leading the Red Wolves to a 42-0 shutout at Beachwood.
* Barberton’s Tony Gotto became his school’s all-time wins leader with No. 72, passing the previous mark set by Rudy Sharkey, whom Barberton named its home stadium after. This milestone came on the road, as Barberton senior Xzavier Macon scored twice and rushed for for 226 yards on 28 carries in a 51-47 win at Copley. Senior quarterback Dominic Wilson completed 10 of 12 passes for 181 yards and four TDs, plus another one with his legs.
* Bray Rathburn, junior quarterback Gallia Academy football, completed 14-of-20 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-7 victory at Rock Hill to keep the Blue Devils’ Ohio Valley Conference title chances alive.
* Cooper Hunt’s interception return for a TD on the game’s third play sparked Pataskala Watkins Memorial to a 30-20 victory at Pataskala Licking Heights in the annual Battle for Broad Street. The Watkins defense also recorded a safety and did not allow a first down until late in the third quarter as the Warriors won for the fourth time in five seasons in the rivalry, but the Hornets still have a 10-8 edge since it resumed in 2006 when now Watkins coach Darren Waters was at Heights.
* Sciotoville East's Norris McKinley accounted for 192 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns on 23 total touches in the Tartans' 34-12 Southern Ohio Conference Division I win at Symmes Valley on Friday night. McKinley carried 20 times for 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and made three receptions for 66 yards - including a 60-yarder for a score.
* Lucasville Valley's Gabe McNeil rushed for 196 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries in the Indians' 40-13 Southern Ohio Conference Division II win over Oak Hill on Friday night. All 40 of Indians' points came consecutive over the game's final 37 minutes.
* The Beverly Fort Frye Cadets did their damage on the ground, rushing for 386 yards on 50 carries in a 35-6 win over Caldwell. The Cadet ground attack was led by Clayton Miller's 183 yards on 14 carries, including an 80-yard TD run. Ross Schultheis rushed 16 times for 101 yards and two scores. Fort Frye attempted only one pass on the night.
* Five different players rushed for a touchdown for Dayton Chaminade Julienne, and Aiden Lowery, Ethan Stacey, Nydrell Wright and Malachi Ringer combined to average 14.5 yards per carry in a 56-7 win at Carroll.
* Greeneview held Madison Plains to 39 yards of offense in producing their third shutout in the last four games, a 55-0 win to take over first place in the Ohio Heritage Conference's South Division. Jacob Daugherty caught a flea-flicker pass for a touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage.
* Fairborn's Jay Kidd had three touchdowns, all in the second half, with 184 yards rushing in a 20-18 comeback win for the Skyhawks at Greenville.
* Piqua did not complete a pass and was outgained by 150 yards, but defeated Xenia 17-7.
* Caydn Denniston ran for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns and Aiden Price ran for 100 yards and 3 scores as Wilmington rallied from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Goshen 33-14.
* Clermont Northeastern's Xaden Hunt had three interceptions in the Rockets 21-14 win over Fayetteville-Perry.
* Williamsburg's JJ Miller completed 14 passes for 315 yards and 4 touchdowns as the unbeaten Wildcats defeated East Clinton 47-8. Miller has 2,438 yards and 34 touchdowns through the air this season while running for 773 yards and 9 more touchdowns for the No. 1 team in Division VI Region 24.
* In a wild Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference shootout, Batavia outlasted New Richmond 52-34 for the Bulldogs first win over the Lions since 1999. Jess Roller of Batavia ran for 2 touchdowns and passed for 4 more.
* Clinton-Massie ran for 375 yards on just 28 carries in a 63-14 win over Western Brown. Peyton Warren went for 124 yards and 2 scores on just 4 rushes and Logan Chesser had 104 yards and 3 TDs on 9 carries. Jack Elkins had 2 attempts, both touchdowns, and 92 yards on the ground.
* Bryce Sipple passed for 4 touchdowns, ran for 1 and scored on a 55-yard onside kick return as Blanchester pulled away from Bethel-Tate 54-33.
* Piketon's senior class may be small in numbers this year, but two members had huge games in the Redstreaks' 46-26 homecoming win over Southeastern. Receiver Brent McGuire caught seven passes from quarterback Luke Gullion for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Zane Brownfield, filling in for injured running back Buddy Wilson, ran the ball 24 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Brownfield added six tackles and two pass deflections, while McGuire had a pass deflection and a tackle.
* Eastern senior quarterback Dylan Morton did it all Friday night in his team's 31-28 win over Portsmouth Notre Dame. Morton completed 16-30 passes for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns as well as a two-point conversion. He ran the ball 10 times for 61 yards and called his own number on a conversion. He also kicked a 23 yard field goal that was a deciding factor in the win.
* McClain senior Andrew Potts rushed for a game-high 220 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns in a 49-25 loss to Washington Friday. Potts also eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau on the season, now standing at 1,071 with two games still left to be played.
* Hillsboro senior Austin Barrett unofficially finished with 256 yards rushing in a 63-21 loss to Jackson, increasing his season-long streak of having at least 100-plus yards rushing in every game played thus far. For the season, Barrett has unofficially 1,560 yards rushing.