DANVILLE — Ed Honabarger will return to Tough Street on Friday, but Loudonville’s first-year coach doesn’t expect anyone to roll out the red carpet for him or his Redbirds.
Honabarger spent 16 seasons on the home sideline at this field, as the head coach at Danville, first from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2019. He guided the Blue Devils to regional championships in 1999, 2004, 2015 and 2017, compiling a 132-60 record before stepping down after the 2019 season.
School officials dedicated the Danville fieldhouse in his honor the following spring in a surprise ceremony that drew nearly 100 community members. Honabarger was instrumental in raising the money to build the facility in the early-2000s.
The “Ed Honabarger Fieldhouse” sign that hangs from an outside wall was unveiled during the dedication ceremony.
“They may cover my name with a blanket that night,” Honabarger joked when he accepted the Loudonville job in mid-May. “I’ve still got a lot of friends down there.”
Honabarger’s return to Danville highlights the area’s Week 6 slate of games. Here’s a closer look:
Loudonville (0-5, 0-2) at Danville (3-2, 1-1)
The Redbirds fell to Centerburg 42-7 last week and have been outscored 160-21 in the past four weeks. Quarterback Dilan Wade has completed 46-of-94 passes for 566 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 212 yards and two TDs on 67 carries. Josiah Hershberger leads the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference with 27 catches and 445 receiving yards. Hershberger has a pair of TD catches and has rushed for 93 yards and a score on 18 carries. Hershberger also ranks among KMAC leaders with 57 tackles, including eight tackles for loss. Collin Caley has a pair of interceptions.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 41-6 loss at Northmor. The 35-point loss was Danville’s worst since a 42-7 loss to Newark Catholic in the second round of the 2020 playoffs. Before last week, Danville hadn’t given up more than 21 points in a game. Linebacker Josh Byers leads the KMAC with 78 tackles, including four tackles for loss and two sacks. Caleb Lucas has a team-best eight TFLs and three sacks, while Wesley Payne and Carson Proper share the KMAC lead with three interceptions apiece. Offensively, running back Aidan Burke rans fifth in the KMAC with 484 yards on 84 carries. Quarterback Jacob Hackman has completed 30-of-59 passes for 378 yards and a pair of TDs. Lucas has a team-high seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Northmor (5-0, 2-0) at Fredericktown (3-2, 2-0)
The Golden Knights boast the top scoring offense and defense in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, scoring 43.8 points a game while allowing just 10.6 points a contest. All-Ohio quarterback A.J. Bower triggers the high-octane offense and leads the KMAC with 1,061 yards and 15 touchdown on 48-of-69 passing. Cowin Becker has a team-high 17 catches for 347 yards and a KMAC-leading six TDs and has rushed for 430 yards and seven TDs on 45 carries. Northmor got a boost last week with the return of All-Ohio receiver Jax Wenger, who caught a pair of TD passes in a win over Danville. Garrett Deisch leads the defense with 42 tackles. Cameron Goldbach ranks among KMAC leaders with three sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
The Freddies held on for a 14-12 win over Mount Gilead last week. Dual-threat quarterback Blake Sipes ranks third in the KMAC with 738 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 102 carries and has completed 34-of-68 passes for 590 yards and five TDs. Brode Davis is among conference leaders with 17 catches for 246 yards. Gavin Toombs has nine receptions for 124 yards and two TDs. Cirk Parker ranks fifth in the KMAC with 59.5 tackles while Elijah Roush has seven tackles for loss.
Mount Gilead (2-3, 0-2) at East Knox (3-2, 2-0)
Mount Gilead’s two KMAC losses are by a combined 14 points after last week’s 14-12 setback against Fredericktown. Defensive end Shane Carpenter leads the KMAC with six sacks and ranks second with 10 tackles for loss. Linebacker Cam Vickers leads the conference with 11 TFLs and has four sacks, while Boe Sayers and Gauge Shipman have three sacks apiece. As a team, Mount Gilead has a conference-leading 21 sacks. Vickers has rushed for 558 yards and three touchdowns on 94 carries. Carson Barnum has 236 yards and a pair of TDs on 43 carries.
Blake Elliott continues to do it all for East Knox. The senior leads the KMAC in rushing with 899 yards and eight TDs on 129 carries and ranks second with 71 tackles. Elliott broke his own single-game rushing record with 304 yards in last week’s 49-22 win at Cardington. He had set the record a week earlier when he went for 302 yards in a win over Loudonville. Quarterback Jaxon Lester has completed 48-of-75 passes for 604 yards and three touchdowns. Dakota Cooper leads the way with 22 catches for 226 yards and two TDs, while Logan Clark has 10 catches for 208 yards and a score. Parker Kimball has 63 tackles and a sack. Lester and Rush Beatty each have a pair of interceptions.