FREDERICKTOWN — The chase for the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference crown is all but decided, but the KMAC’s four Knox County teams still have plenty on the line.
Fredericktown, East Knox, Centerburg and Danville all are in the playoff hunt with three regular season games remaining.
All four county teams have one KMAC loss — to conference-leading Northmor. The Golden Knights will be heavy favorites the next three weeks against Mount Gilead, Cardington and Loudonville.
Meanwhile, the Knox County schools will spend the final three weeks battling one another for playoff positioning. Friday’s showdown between East Knox and Fredericktown will be of particular interest to Region 18 teams. The Freddies are 15th in the region ratings, while the Bulldogs are 17th.
Here’s a closer look at this week’s marquee KMAC matchups:
East Knox (4-3, 3-1) at Fredericktown (4-3, 3-1)
The Bulldogs couldn’t get anything dent the scoreboard in last week’s 42-0 loss against Northmor. Blake Elliott rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries and leads the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference with 1,044 yards on 164 carries with eight rushing TDs. Quarterback Jaxon Lester has completed 80-of-129 passes for 909 yards and five touchdowns. His favorite target is Dakota Cooper, who has 28 catches for 273 yards and two TDs. Logan Clark has 16 catches for a team-high 287 yards with two scores. Landon Dawson has 10 grabs for 126 yards. Elliott ranks second in the KMAC with 95 tackles, while Parker Kimball has 83 stops. The Bulldogs rank second in the KMAC in total defense (224.3 yards allowed per game) and third in scoring defense (16.7 points allowed per game).
The Freddies boast the KMAC’s top rushing offense, averaging 263.7 yards on the ground per game. Dual-threat quarterback Blake Sipes is third in the KMAC in rushing with 988 yards and a conference-leading 12 rushing TDs on 126 carries. Sipes has completed 45-of-86 passes for 704 yards and five TDs. Running back Elijah Roush has rushed for 518 yards on 100 carries. Brode Davis ranks among league leaders with 23 catches for 301 yards. Gavin Toombs has 11 catches for 158 yards and two TDs and has rushed for 222 yards and two TDs on 18 carries. Cirk Parker leads the squad with 70 tackles, while Roush has 67 stops and a team-best seven tackles for loss.
Centerburg (5-2, 3-1) at Danville (5-2, 3-1)
The Trojans roughed up Mount Gilead 46-14 last week and rank second in the KMAC in total offense (350.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (33.3 points per game). Quarterback Blane Ball has thrown for 1,125 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 65.2 percent of his passes (75-for-115). Running back Miles Marshall has rushed for 678 yards and 10 touchdowns on 77 carries. Five different receivers have at least two TD catches. Trevin Harris leads the way with 20 catches for 289 yards and four scores. Chris Marshall has 14 receptions for 241 yards and four TDs and leads the defense with 68 tackles. Harris has three interceptions.
The Blue Devils beat Cardington 34-8 last week behind the two-headed rushing attack of Cyren Wallace and Aidan Burke. Wallace rushed for 102 yards and three TDs on eight carries while Burke rumbled for 104 yards and a score on 13 carries. Josh Byers had 18 tackles last week and leads the KMAC with 113 stops. Blake Colopy has 74 tackles on the season, while Burke is tied for the KMAC lead with four interceptions. Danville leads the league with 12 picks. Offensively, Burke ranks fifth in the conference with 698 rushing yards. Quarterback Jacob Hackman has completed 43-of-70 passes for 496 yards