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August 22, 2023

 

Week 1 of the 2023 high school football season has come and gone and already, Ohio football players have put themselves on the map.

Let’s check out this week’s big-time performers with the Week 1 edition of the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association High School Football Notebook.

 

>Richland County had two huge kicking performances in Week 1. Clear Fork’s Adam Vanausdle knocked through a 25-yard extra point in the first overtime of a 17-14 double-OT win over Lucas. He then added a 37-yard field goal in the second overtime to give the Colts the lead and eventually, the win. Ontario’s Trey Booker connected on a 27-yard field goal as time expired helping the Warriors beat Lexington 17-14 in a Week 1 rivalry game.

 

>Ontario’s Chase Studer collected 118 yards rushing with a touchdowns and 82 yards receiving in Ontario’s 17-14 win over Lexington.

 

>Shelby sophomore Brayden DeVito completed 15-of-22 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown while also running for 95 yards on 12 carries with four TDs in the Whippets’ 41-14 win over Madison in Week 1.

 

>Plymouth’s Layne Bushey was a one-man show in the Big Red’s 40-20 win over Oberlin running for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries while catching a 32-yard pass for a score and recording a two-point conversion.

 

>Mansfield Senior Amarr Davis caught five passes for 130 yards and a score in the Tygers’ 35-14 loss to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary making him the career receiving yards record holder besting Chekiah Washington's all-time total of 1,884. Davis is now the only receiver in Mansfield Senior history to record 1,900 receiving yards as he sits at 1,901.

Pleasant's Owen Lowry threw for 106 yards and a touchdown and ran for 157 yards and two TDs in a 21-15 win over North Union.

 

>Highland's Kolton Stover was 13 of 20 passing for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-0 shutout win over Fredericktown.

 

>Ridgedale's Evan Ricketts recorded five sacks and had six tackles for loss in a 20-6 victory over Hilltop.

 

>River Valley's Chase Ebert scored two touchdowns in the second half to force overtime and finished 23 of 32 passing for 212 yards in a 26-20 loss at Ashland.

 

>Northmor's Hunter Fulk intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns from 43 and 58 yards in a 42-21 win over Upper Sandusky.

 

>Marion Harding's Alex Stokes completed 23 of 38 passes for nearly 300 yards and threw for 15 first downs in a 45-20 loss to Mount Vernon.

 

>Danny Stoddard threw for 420 yards and three scores and added 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground as Medina defeated Stow 48-18.

 

>Clinton-Massie junior Logan Chesser ran for 198 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 2, 6, 44 and 74 yards in a 38-8 win over Waynesville.

 

>East Clinton defeated Chillicothe Huntington 12-0 Friday for the first shutout victory for the Astros since a 3-0 win over Hillsboro Oct. 10, 2014.

 

>Marion Local overcame a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to defeat Wapakoneta 29-26 and extend their winning streak to 33 straight games. Kyle Knouff hit Andrew Pohlman for a 10-yard scoring pass with 1:04 remaining to take the lead, then MItchell Ranly intercepted Wapakoneta quarterback Caleb Moyer to seal the deal.

 

>Lima Bath snapped a 14-game losing streak in upsetting defending Division VII state champion New Bremen 14-7.

 

>Following Massillon Washington’s win Friday against Valdosta (Ga.) on Friday in the Northeast Ohio vs. America Showcase, the trio of Lakewood St. Edward, Akron Archbishop Hoban and Cleveland Glenville turned away out-of-state champions in their return to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

 

>Defending OHSAA Division I state champion St. Edward gave up just 71 yards rushing to three-time Indiana Class 6A champ Center Grove in a 27-10 win in the opener. It saw the debut of senior edge rusher Loghan Thomas, a four-star recruit committed to Notre Dame who moved from Texas. Thomas had two sacks.

 

>Hoban, a Division II state finalist, followed with a 45-6 win vs. defending Kentucky Class 5A state champ Frederick Douglass, which is moving up to 6A this year. Hoban jumped out to a 38-0 lead by halftime to set the running clock. It gave up just 39 yards.

 

>In the finale, defending Division IV state champ Glenville spotted Dinwiddie (Va.) a late first-quarter touchdown and tied it on the next play to start the second on D’Shawntae Jones’ 51-yard run. Jones scored on four straight carries, as Glenville beat Virginia’s Class 4A state champs, 36-13. Jones rushed for 133 yards and those four TDs on 11 carries, all in the first half.

 

>Cleveland Heights junior Marquise Davis scored four times in the Tigers’ 46-21 win Friday at Berea-Midpark. Offensively, Davis rushed for 228 yards on 21 carries. Defensively at linebacker, he added two interceptions with one a pick-six of about 80 yards.

 

>Amherst Steele junior cornerback Ashton Draga, who missed last year with a torn ACL, returned to the field with two interceptions and eight tackles to spark the Comets’ 41-21 win against Copley.

 

>Junior quarterback Mason Heintschel of Oregon Clay was 33 of 47 passing for 360 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score with no time left on the clock in a 33-32 win over visiting Sandusky.

While being tackled, Heintschel managed to release a desperation pass to Hudson Byers for a 7-yard touchdown, and Jackson Veler's subsequent extra-point kick gave the Eagles the victory.

 

>Rashid Sesay of West Muskingum scored a record-tying five touchdowns, including a kickoff return, and had 182 yards on 19 rushes in a win over Lakewood.

 

>Jerek Braglin from New Lexington hauled in seven catches for 145 yards and three TDs in a victory against Fairfield Union.

 

>Caden Sheridan from Sheridan went 10 of 17 for 141 yards with a TD and ran 16 times for 81 yards and three TDs against Licking Valley.

 

>Brody Zemba of Bishop Rosecrans had 166 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a loss to Sciotoville East.

 

>Crooksville ended a 21-game losing streak against Fisher Catholic, and Daniel Chapman played his part by running for 200 yards and four TDs on 29 carries to go with a 91-yard TD catch against Fisher Catholic.

 

>Maumee junior running back Cody Wulf rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown and added another 41 yards in receiving, helping lead the Panthers to a 27-20 win over visiting Holland Springfield. The win snapped a 34-game losing streak for Maumee, the state's longest at the time. Maumee's previous win came in 2019. It was also the first game for head coach Evan Karchner, a 2012 Maumee graduate who came back to his alma mater after one season at Evergreen.

 

>Hilliard Bradley quarterback Bradyn Fleharty, a Yale University commit, accounted for all three touchdowns in the Jaguars' 20-13 win over Olentangy Berlin. Fleharty rushed for a team-high 40 yards with one TD, and went 14-of-23 for 187 yards and two scores.

 

>Minster junior quarterback Brogan Stephey passed for two touchdowns and rushed for four in a 41-28 home win over Fort Loramie. Stephey's six scoring plays covered a combined 189 yards, an average of over 30 yards per TD, and he accounted for over 80% of his team’s offense.

 

>Coldwater kicker Bryce Couchot's field goals of 23, 27 and 21 yards made history at a school with plenty of football history. No one had ever kicked three field goals in a single game for the Cavaliers, who've won all seven of their state titles since 2005. Teammate Cody Depweg’s 92-yard TD run in the 29-12 win over Kenton ranks as the third-longest scoring run in Coldwater history.

 

>Amanda-Clearcreek won for the first time in 657 days with a 38-6 victory over Columbus Linden McKinley. The Aces went 0-10 in 2022, their first winless season since 1973, playing a lineup primarily of sophomores and freshmen. Amanda-Clearcreek has a storied program history with 36 playoff wins and five state championship game appearances, winning twice.

 

>Williamsport Westfall's Trent Walters had a program record 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 38-12 win over London Madison-Plains.

 

>McClain senior Andrew Potts finished with 24 carries for 114 yards, four touchdowns, and two receptions for 33 yards in McClain’s 41-23 Week 1 win over Adena.

 

>McClain senior Kaden Penwell totaled six carries for 118 yards with one touchdown, plus had three receptions for 63 yds with a touchdown in McClain 41-23 Week 1 win over Adena.

 

>Hillsboro sophomore Jeven Hochstuhl rushed for 105 yards on 14 carries with one rushing touchdown, plus three receptions for 40 yards and two receiving touchdowns in Hillsboro’s 38-27 Week 1 loss to Western Brown.

 

>Hillsboro senior Austin Barrett rushed for 192 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries in a 38-27 Week 1 loss against Western Brown.

 

>Lima Central Catholic quarterback Carson Parker accounted for 6 touchdowns -- 3 passing, 3 rushing -- in a 42-14 win over Lima Shawnee.  Parker rushed for 138 yards on 32 carries and passed for 206 yards.

 

>Lima Senior quarterback Ja'naius Hall was 30 of 57 for 429 yards passing and 4 touchdowns in the Spartans' 36-31 win over Piqua.

 

>McConnelsville Morgan's Logan Niceswanger threw four touchdown passes and ran for one in the Raiders' 52-0 win at Warsaw River View. It was the Raiders first opening week shutout since 2000.

 

>When McConnelsville Morgan hosts Vincent Warren this Friday night, it will be the first game in the new on-campus Raider Stadium at the high school. Previously, the Raiders (1966-2022) and their predecessors, the Malta-McConnesville Big Reds, (1939-1965), played at "The Historic Athletic Field" in McConnesville.

 

>Senior quarterback Steele Meister had a hand in all five touchdowns as Newark beat rival Zanesville 35-21. Meister ran for three scores and threw for a pair, leading the Wildcats to their second victory against the Blue Devils since 2006.

 

>Junior running back Kentrell Rinehart piled up 387 yards rushing and six TDs for Columbus Ready in a 53-21 victory against Newark Catholic. He helped the Silver Knights finally shake free after leading just 25-21 late in the third quarter.

 

>With a 14-7 win over Dalton on Friday, Kirtland extended its regular-season winning streak to 56 games. The last time the Hornets lost in the regular season was on Oct. 21, 2016, in a 21-0 loss to Cuyahoga Heights. Ironically, Heights defeated Kirtland twice that year, also besting the Hornets, 17-0, in the Division VI, Region 21 championship game. Coach Tiger LaVerde's team hasn't been shut out since. In addition to the 56-game regular-season winning streak, Kirtland also has won 14 straight season-openers, its last Week 1 loss coming in 2016 to Geneva, 32-23.

 

>Lake Catholic lost to Cardinal Mooney, 29-26, in the opening game of the season, but the Cougars set a few new program marks in the loss. QB Frankie Trinetti threw for 399 yards to eclipse the former record of 323 yards in a game by Pete Jelovic in 1992. Receiver Cross Nimmo, a 6-foot-6 target, caught five passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, which set a record for most TD receptions in a game. Both Trinetti and Nimmo are juniors, Nimmo holding an offer from the University of Minnesota.

 

>Kenston senior Sean Patrick, a returning All-Ohioan, carried 22 times for 221 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Boardman. The University of Akron commit also had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and an interception on defense.

 

>Brogan Castillo rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns for Defiance as the Bulldogs beat Napoleon 38-13 in the 101st meeting between the rival schools. The win is the third straight for Defiance, the first time that’s been achieved since a five-game win streak from 1990-94.

 

>Paulding’s Kobe Foor did it all in the Panthers’ 36-0 shutout win over Swanton, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, catching a 33-yard touchdown pass and racking up 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss.

 

>Edgerton receiver Scottie Krontz proved to be a weapon for the Bulldogs in a 28-26 loss to Edon, catching eight passes for 231 yards, rushing for 91 yards and recording 62 return yards while tallying six tackles and an interception on defense.

 

>Carson Altimus and Landon Brewer picked up where they left off last season for high-flying Antwerp in a 42-6 rout of Montpelier. Brewer caught six passes for 166 yards and three TDS while Altimus was 14-16 for 288 yards and four TD tosses, along with a rushing touchdown as Antwerp scored all 42 points in the first half.

 

>Waverly junior receiver Kody Swords hauled in eight receptions for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his team's home 27-26 loss to Miami Trace.

 

>Piketon senior linebacker Zane Brownfield amassed 18 tackles in his team's 28-22 win against Goshen. In possibly his biggest play of the night, Brownfield had a scoop-and-score fumble recovery of 68 yards for a touchdown.

 

>Franklin senior Josh Carter accounted for both of his teams' touchdowns in a 28-14 loss to Fenwick on Friday. Carter caught four passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

 

>Fairfield senior quarterback Talon Fisher totaled six touchdowns - three rushing and three passing - in a 58-51 loss to Wayne on Friday. Fisher threw touchdown passes of 9, 74 and 50 yards and he ran for scores of 2, 9 and 22 yards. In all, he completed 15-of-22 passes for 245 yards and three TDs and he rushed 24 times for 144 yards and three scores.

 

>Portsmouth junior Chase Heiland, a converted wide receiver and playing in his first game as a running back, rushed for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, and caught four passes for 40 yards including a 14-yard touchdown, in the Trojans’ 59-29 victory over visiting Lucasville Valley on Thursday night. The win marked the seventh consecutive for Portsmouth in the annual Thursday night opener, as the Trojans have scored at least 32 points in all seven of those wins.

 

>McDermott Northwest senior Connor Lintz made six receptions for 129 yards with three touchdowns, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and had one fumble and one interception in the Mohawks’ 38-8 win at Southeastern on Friday night. He also completed his only pass attempt on the night for 15 yards.

 

>Sciotoville East senior running back Norris McKinley rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, and added an early two-point conversion run, in the Tartans’ 42-30 victory at Zanesville Rosecrans on Friday night.

 

>Portsmouth Notre Dame scored on all 11 of its offensive possessions, and sophomore quarterback Ethan Kingrey completed six touchdown passes in his first career start, as the visiting Titans overwhelmed Manchester 78-6 on Friday night. The Titans had two rushers of at least 130 yards and two receivers of at least 107, as junior Myles Phillips scored four rushing touchdowns while sophomore Luke Cassidy made three touchdown receptions.

 

>Beaver Eastern senior Jace White made four receptions for 165 yards and one touchdown, rushed five times for 43 yards, added a two-point conversion run, and defensively made 11 tackles with two pass breakups and two interceptions. The Eagles defeated Corning Miller 43-15 in Friday night’s season opener.

 

>Proctorville Fairland senior quarterback Peyton Jackson, with his father Mike making his head coaching debut after several seasons as the Dragons’ offensive coordinator, scored the game-winning walkoff touchdown in the Dragons’ 32-29 comeback win on Friday night at Portsmouth West. Jackson completed 18-of-32 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown, and rushed for 33 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns, including the winner on the final play —a 15-yard scramble and score on a 4th-down-and-5 situation. With Jackson as the quarterback, the Dragons never lost to West in any of their three meetings —with those three meetings decided by a total of five points.

 

>Fairfield Christian Academy featured three stars on the night —in the Knights’ 42-0 Saturday night shutout of visiting Franklin Furnace Green. Rusty Hutchinson had two receiving touchdowns totaling 112 yards and made 4-of-4 extra-point kicks, Danny Blair caught a 57-yard touchdown pass and returned a fumble 35 yards for a score, and quarterback Gabe Welsh threw for three touchdown passes and rushed for two more.

 

> Eastern senior receiver Jace White hauled in six receptions for 165 yards with one touchdown and one two-point conversion catch. On defense, White had 11 tackles and secured two interceptions.

 

> Quarterback Evan Benfer led Monroeville with 22 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 27-7 win over (Kansas) Lakota. Benfer also completed four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. Benfer added an interception on defense. Tailback Landen Roeder added 21 rushes for 131 yards and a touchdown for Monroeville.

 

>Quarterback Blake Foos tallied 19 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns in Seneca East's 21-12 win over Crestview, who had not lost in the regular season since 2020. Foos also completed 10-of-21 passes for 119 yards for the Tigers.

 

>Quarterback Derex Dean completed 11-of-14 passes for 196 yards and five touchdowns in Buckeye Central's 50-0 victory over Crestline. He added an interception on defense for the Bucks.

 

>Quarterback Trevor Vogt registered 18 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown in Colonel Crawford's 21-20 road win at River. He also completed four passes for 53 yards for the Eagles.

 

>Quarterback Ben Bogner completed 16-of-28 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown in Mohawk's close 14-12 loss to Tiffin Calvert. Bogner also led the Warriors with 29 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown.