Oct. 15, 2024
OPSMA High School Football Notebook: Week 8
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2024 Ohio high school football season has officially hit the home stretch.
League championships and playoff spots are all up for grabs over the final two weeks and judging by the performances in this week’s OPSMA High School Football Notebook, players from all over the state have kicked it in high gear.
Let’s check out some of the best of the best from Week 8.
-Ontario’s Ohio State-bound quarterback Bodpegn Miller was unstoppable during the Warriors’ 45-14 win over Marion Harding. He completed 11-of-21 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 186 yards on 12 carries and two more TDs. Mason Vantilburg ran for 66 yards on 15 carries for two scores to complement Miller in the run game. Noah Poole had a great game receiving with six catches for 150 yards while Jon Mahon had three catches for 111 yards and a TD.
-Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito may have had to ice his arm after the Whippets’ 34-7 win over Clear Fork on Friday night. DeVito completed 22-of-30 passes for a whopping 489 yards and four touchdowns. Brady Bowman was his favorite target with seven catches for 167 yards while Kaden Price caught four passes for 151 yards and two scores. Michael Shepherd caught two passes for 62 yards and a score and Nic Eyster caught five for 62.
-Plymouth’s Ethan Keefe had a big day in the Big Red’s 40-12 win over New London running for 193 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. Isaiah Miller added 73 yards on seven touches with a score and Noah Montgomery had 22 yards with a TD. Quarterback Lincoln Distl completed both of his pass attempts for touchdowns and 81 yards as Eli Keefe caught a 42-yard score and Owen Wright added a 39-yard TD reception. Noah Robinson was big defensively with two sacks and nine tackles.
-The Lucas Cubs were effective offensively in a 50-0 win over North Central as they piled up 370 yards of total offense with 236 on the ground and 134 through the air. Bobby Grover completed 4-of-5 passes for 134 yards while Tim Daley ran for 123 yards on just three carries and Dan Hockensmith ran for 69 yards on five carries during the running-clock win.
-Sandusky wide receiver Landon Parker had just one catch for one yard Friday in the Blue Streaks' 22-21 win over Clyde, but it was the game-winning touchdown as time expired. Not only was it Parker's first career touchdown, but it was the last play of Parker's high school career, as he delayed knee surgery to play in the game. Parker is set for season-ending surgery on Wednesday. Parker only had one other catch this season, a seven-yard reception in Week 5.
-Senior running back Mason Gilliam carried 21 times for 187 yards and five touchdowns as the Greyhounds routed Federal Hocking 58-18 on October 11. Senior quarterback Leland Horner added 15 carries for 162 yards and was 14 for 27 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown as the Hounds improved to 3-4 on the season.
-After leaving with an injury in last week’s 21-15 loss to No. 2 Liberty Center, Patrick Henry quarterback Lincoln Creager didn’t miss a step in his return. The senior completed 6-of-10 passes for 135 yards and two TDs, rushed 10 times for 133 yards and two scores, made a 24-yard field goal and 4-of-5 extra points and threw a TD pass to younger brother Reid in a 37-3 win at 6-1 Delta.
-Fairview receiver Brody Williams caught five passes for 111 yards and two TDs but also completed two passes for 73 yards and two TDs in the Apaches’ 42-28 win over Edgerton.
-Waylon Rentz needed just 13 carries to rack up 239 rushing yards and two TDs as No. 2 Liberty Center tallied its fifth shutout of the year against Evergreen, 42-0.
-Holgate’s Weiand Stalnaker earned 136 yards and two TDs on just five rushes as the Tigers racked up 374 yards in a non-conference 8-man win over Concord (Mich.). The win pushed Holgate to 6-0 ahead of a Friday trip to fellow 6-0 Northern 8 rival Toledo Christian. The two teams have won the last three Northern 8 football championships.
-Wayne Trace stretched its regulation shutout streak to 16 straight quarters with a 34-0 shutout of county rival Antwerp, allowing just 106 total yards to the Archers. The Raiders have won three of the four games, as the lone loss came to Tinora with the Rams defeating WT 3-0 in overtime.
-St. Marys did not attempt a pass and scored on all eight of its offensive drives, rushing for 499 yards in a 64-28 home win over Kenton.
-Meigs Eastern senior Tyler Hill had a career game in the Eagles' 41-20 Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division victory over Trimble. His first carry of 17 went for a 78-yard touchdown run only a minute into the game. He finished with 237 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and had an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown. He is the Eagles' leading scorer with 90 points, and needs only three yards to break 1,000 rushing for the season.
-Logan Doty added to his rushing lead in the Greater Western Ohio Conference on Friday with 127 yards and two touchdowns in Fairmont’s 24-7 win over Springboro. Doty, a sophomore, has 856 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, both tops in the conference. He’s averaging 107 yards per game on the ground.
-Junior Parker Johnson ran for 105 yards and three touchdowns in leading Centerville to a 45-0 shutout over Northmont. It was his third straight game with two or more rushing touchdowns giving him 14 on the season which has him ranked second in the Greater Western Ohio Conference.
-Carlisle had three rushing touchdowns each by a different ball carrier in its 21-13 win over Oakwood. Blake Lawson was the main workhorse with 25 carries for 116 yards and a score. Kolby Morgerson ran 12 times for 64 yards and a touchdown and Brendon Rowe had four touches for 94 yards and a touchdown.
-Franklin nearly doubled up Ross in rushing yards 249-134 en route to a 21-0 Southwestern Buckeye League win on Friday. It was the second shutout victory of the season for the Wildcats who earlier this season blanked Monroe 34-0. Jordan Milligan had two rushing touchdowns and Braydon Isaacs had the other for Franklin.
-Anthony Valenti scored on a 7-yard touchdown run with 4:45 left in the game to lift Valley View to a come-from-behind win over Edgewood, 24-20. The junior had nine carries for 49 yards and a score and also caught six passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. And for good measure, he led the Spartans on defense with seven total tackles.
-Garrett Lundy and Alex Amburgey continue to slash opposing defenses on the ground. In a 38-0 win over Madison, Lundy ran 12 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns, while Amburgey carried the ball six times for 124 yards and two scores.
-Edgewood sophomore quarterback Carter Breedlove had his first 100-yard rushing game with 109 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown in the Cougars' loss to Valley View. He also threw for 118 yards.
-Harrison senior quarterback Dickie Engel completed 14-of-20 passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-15 rout over Talawanda. Cooper Rotert caught six of those passes of 121 yards and a touchdown and Cole Koops ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats.
-Gracen Goldsmith did it again. For the second straight game, the Hamilton senior rushed for more than 200 yards and multiple touchdowns in leading Big Blue to its fifth consecutive win. Goldsmith had 19 carries for 203 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Middletown. The week before in a win over Fairfield, Goldsmith went for 244 and five touchdowns which set a school record for touchdowns in a single game. With his performance against the Middies, Goldsmith went over 1,000 yards for the season. He’s currently at 1,082 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns which leads the Greater Miami Conference in both categories.
-The host Athens Bulldogs blanked the Wellston Golden Rockets 41-0 on Friday night in Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division action. The Bulldogs are 8-0 for the first time since 2014 - Joe Burrow's senior season at Athens in which the Bulldogs played for the Division III state championship. Against Wellston, quarterback Daniel Heightland completed 10-of-14 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns, Leo Martin made five receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown, and running backs Alex Pero (10 carries, 71 yards, 2TD) and Anthony Sutton (6 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD) carried at least six times for 71 yards and a touchdown.
-The Chesapeake Panthers clinched their first non-losing season since 2016 - by beating Gallia Academy 57-21 on Friday night in Ohio Valley Conference action. Their 57 points was their highest total since defeating River Valley 62-14 on Oct. 7 of 2011. It's also the first time the Panthers have won two OVC games in a season since 2016.
-Portsmouth senior quarterback J.T. Williams rushed for four touchdowns and 211 yards on 15 carries, and completed 4-of-6 passes for 68 yards, in the Trojans' 42-21 Ohio Valley Conference victory over visiting Rock Hill on Friday night.
-Wheelersburg running back Elijah Brown rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, and quarterback Braylon Rucker added 73 yards and four short touchdown runs, in the Pirates' 42-12 Southern Ohio Conference Division II win at Waverly on Friday night. For the Pirates, they had four backs - including Rucker - with at least 10 carries and 49 yards. Wheelersburg has now won 17 of the last 18 matchups against Waverly, and 20 of the last 22.
-The Peterson brothers, senior Drayson and sophomore Kolton, combined for 205 yards and four touchdowns for Newark in its 35-7 win against Teays Valley. Drayson caught four passes for 137 yards and touchdowns of 39, 14 and 62 yards, while Kolton rushed 13 times for 140 yards, including a 68-yard TD run. The Wildcats, bidding for their first winning record since 2006, are now 5-3.
-Licking Valley halted Granville’s 20-game regular season winning streak, handing the Blue Aces a 22-19 setback as Trenton Markus carried 28 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers held Granvile’s high-powered offense to just 78 yards rushing and 209 total yards. The Blue Aces’ last regular season loss came Sept. 30, 2022, 25-24 to Bishop Watterson.
-Heath senior Connor Corbett scored on runs of 8, 15 and 71 yards in the 51-0 win against Newark Catholic, giving him 49 touchdowns for his career and breaking the Bulldogs’ school record. He racked up 180 yards on only 16 carries. Meanwhile, the perennial powerhouse Green Wave is now 0-8.
-The visiting Wapakoneta Redskins Football team stayed unblemished with a dominating 35-0 win at Western Buckeye League rival Elida. The blowout victory, coupled with a Defiance loss at Bath, clinched at least a share of their sixth consecutive league title, and also marked win number 100 for Head Coach Travis Moyer. His son, junior quarterback Caleb Moyer, threw for two touchdowns and ran for one long one to pace the victors. Junior wide receiver Kaden Page grabbed 14 receptions over 134 yards to set a school record for most catches in a single-game. Senior tight-end and Louisville commit Grant Houser managed to find the endzone in the third quarter on a 14-yard slant route to finalize the scoring.
-Hillsboro junior Tre Captain led the Indians with 13 carries for 120 yards and one touchdown in Hillsboro's Week 8 loss to Washington. Also for Hillsboro, junior Jeven Hochstuhl finished with 12 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown, plus he had one catch for 14 yards.
-McComb quarterback Grady Schroeder carried 41 times for 266 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-7 win over Arlington.
-Ada quarterback Levi Green rushed for 250 yards and four scores and threw a touchdown pass as well in the Bulldogs 45-18 win over Van Buren.
-Liberty-Benton receiver Seth Elchert caught nine passes for 151 yards and three TDs as the Eagles remained undefeated (6-0) in the Blanchard Valley Conference with a 38-0 win over Leipsic.
-Columbus Grove running back Trenton Barraza, first-team all-Ohio in 2023, rushed for 118 yards and four touchdowns in the unbeaten Bulldogs (8-0) 49-7 win over Convoy Crestview. It was a school-record 29th 100-yard game for Barraza, who has 1,300 yards and 18 TDs this season, and 5,016 yards rushing in his career.
-Hardin Northern running back Nolan Hopson carried 21 times for 241 yards and four touchdowns in the Polar Bears 52-14 win over Crestline, upping his season totals to 1,589 yards and 25 TDs through eight games. Hopson also caught a pass and booted a field goal in the win.
-Wayne Trace improved to 3-2 in the Green Meadows Conference with a 34-0 victory over Antwerp this evening. With the shutout, the Raiders have now posted 16 consecutive quarters without the opposition scoring a point. The only points given up by the Raiders was a field goal in last Friday’s 3-0 overtime loss to Tinora. Otherwise, Wayne Trace has recorded shutouts of Edgerton (26-0, September 20), Hicksville (12-0, September 27) and this evening in that stretch.
-Bellbrook's Vincent Epifano went off in a 38-10 win at Monroe. He rushed for 272 yards on only 18 carries and scored two second half touchdowns to help put the game away. The defense allowed a touchdown to be scored against them after 21 consecutive quarters of excellence. The Golden Eagles have won seven straight games after its opening defeat against state-ranked Tippecanoe.
-Xenia had two school records set during the 30-8 win against Piqua. Gavin McManus went 18-for-18 passing for 215 yards and is the school's new career passing yardage leader. Deaunte White scored 4 TDs and set the school single season record for touchdowns scored with 28 and counting. McManus also has completed 29 consecutive passing attempts heading into week nine, which currently ranks third in the OHSAA record book. The Buccaneers are now 8-0.
-Greeneview produced its third consecutive shutout with a 33-0 win against Madison Plains and is now 8-0 overall. The Rams in three league games have dominated opponents, outscoring them 93-0.
-Dayton Chaminade Julienne had nine different players run for a gain of better than 10 yards during a 68-0 win against Dayton Carroll. CJ ran for more than 500 yards, led by Aiden Lowery's 166.