EDITOR’S NOTE: Ohio Prep Sports Media Association compiles this notebook weekly. Coaches are asked to send their stats to Jake Furr by Monday at noon to be included in this notebook. Jake can be reached at jfurr@gannett.com.
— Centerburg jumped on Fredericktown early Friday night to the tune of a 14-0 first-quarter lead. It became a 28-7 spread at halftime, and the Trojans cruised to a 35-21 victory. That helped the home squad collect the Freddieburg Trophy while improving to 7-3 this season. Centerburg is back in the playoffs for the ninth time in program history and fourth time in five seasons. The Trojans earned the No. 10 seed in Region 23 of Division VI and will visit No. 7 Reedsville Eastern (8-2) on Friday night in the playoff opener. Fredericktown will also advance to the postseason, making its fifth straight playoff appearance. The Freddies (5-5) earned the No. 14 seed in Region 18 of Division V and will play at No. 3 Oak Harbor (10-0) on Friday. Fredericktown is in the playoffs for the 13th time.
— The Devil-Dog game in Knox County has long been a cherished and storied rivalry. On Friday night, Danville came out on top of East Knox 36-6. Blue Devils’ standout Josh Byers opened Friday’s scoring when he ran 28 yards for a TD. The Blue Devils’ only other first-half score came via a double-pass play. Nolan Ridgway found Wes Payne in the front corner of the end zone on fourth-and-eight from the 11-yard line, extending Danville’s lead to 14-0 at halftime. The Blue Devils added three rushing TDs in the second half. Cyren Wallace scored from four yards out and Aidan Burke scored twice on runs of four and five yards. East Knox scored its lone TD in the fourth quarter when quarterback Jaxon Lester connected with Logan Clark for a 29-yard score. Danville earned the top seed in Region 27 of Division VII. The Blue Devils (8-2) will host No. 16 Bridgeport (3-7) at 7 p.m. Friday at Tough Street Stadium. Danville has qualified for the postseason a county-high 23 times. The Blue Devils have been to the playoffs five straight years and have reached the regional final each of the past two years.
— The Clear Fork Colts picked up a huge Week 10 win to clinch a playoff spot knocking off River Valley 34-10. The Colts piled up 490 yards of total offense running for 343 and throwing for 147. Marcus Hoeflich completed 10 of 12 passes for 147 yards and two scores as his favorite target was Jay Jackson who caught five passes for 101 yards while Mason Sansom had two catches for 19 yards and a score and Devyn Oswalt added a 5-yard TD catch. Jackson led the team with 125 yards rushing on 10 carries while Sansom added 81 yards on 10 touches. Porter Schmidt had 49 yards on 11 attempts with a TD while Hoeflich added 40 yards rushing to his big night. The Clear fork defense held River Valley to just 218 yards of total offense with 179 through the air and 39 on the ground. At 4-6, the Colts will travel to Ontario for their first-round playoff game.
— Junior quarterback Nathan Bernhard has been the story of the season for the undefeated Ashland football team. But in Friday night’s Ohio Cardinal Conference championship game against Lexington, it was the Arrows’ defense that stole the show. Coach Scott Valentine’s squad utilized a pair of pick-6s to turn back the Minutemen 30-21 at Community Stadium. Tyler Sauder had the first one, a 68-yarder late in the first half, giving the Arrows a 17-6 lead. Michael Franz clinched it with a 65-yarder midway through the fourth quarter as Lexington was driving, seeking to overcome a 23-21 deficit. The play was especially sweet for Franz, who was forced to sit out the the last five games because of a broken collarbone sustained against Maple Heights on Sept. 20. He played only on the defensive side of the ball, but came up with the play of the game. On Friday night, the Arrows will welcome No. 13 Columbus St. Charles (4-6) to Community Stadium.
— The Crestview Cougars will see Week 11 thanks to a 40-14 win over Mapleton in Week 10. Liam Kuhn had a day throwing the football completing 6-of-9 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 22 yards and a score. Bransen Hider, Ayden Reymer and Nolan Moore also ran for touchdowns in the win. Tyson Ringler caught just four passes but went for 122 yards while Moore caught one pass for 60 yards and a score and Karter Goon added a 35-yard TD. Goon also had two sacks on defense with Hider adding one sack and an interception. The Cougars will travel to Toledo Ottawa-Hills in the first round of the playoffs. Crestview (5-5) is headed to the postseason for sixth straight year and 12th time in program history. The Cougars secured the No. 14 seed in Region 22 of Division VI after Friday’s win over Mapleton and will play at No. 3 Ottawa Hills (8-1).
— Norwayne running back Mason Moyer stole the show in Friday night’s Wayne County Athletic League championship game. The Bobcats’ standout rolled for 203 yards and three touchdowns to lead his squad to a convincing, 45-21 victory at Hillsdale High School in a battle of conference unbeatens. The Falcons’ Owen Sloan had a pair of TD runs, 67 and 18 yards, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Norwayne. Both teams finished the regular season at 9-1 overall, but the Bobcats were unbeaten in the WCAL. Each will host a playoff game on Friday night. Hillsdale (9-1) will host No. 15 Fairport Harbor Harding (5-4) in the postseason opener. The Falcons are making their 13th playoff appearance and have been to the postseason nine straight times.
— The Madison football team could’ve easily gone 5-5 and be in the thick of the Ohio high school playoff scene this week. Alas a pair of last-second losses sandwiched around a triple-overtime defeat to undefeated Ashland will keep the Rams home this week. However, Madison salvaged something from a tough-luck season in the regular-season finale. The Rams made the 59th edition of the Battle of Mansfield a memorable one with a 16-6 victory over their crosstown rivals, Mansfield Senior. Cameron Kuhn completed just four passes for 29 yards but a 22-yard touchdown toss to Camden Moysi started the scoring for the Rams. After Aiden Proctor and Jaxon Stancombe combined for a safety and Kuhn added a 34-yard dagger touchdown run, the Rams had their first victory over the Tygers since 2020. Kuhn completed 4-of-11 passes for 29 yards and a score and ran for 63 yards and a TD on nine carries. Kaleb Gordan led the Rams with 92 yards on 21 carries as the Rams ran for 175 on 41 attemps as a team. They had 204 yards of total offense. Defensively, coach Brent Besnacon’s bunch held Mansfield Senior to 238 yards of total offense with just 24 rushing yards. They recorded six sacks and 12 tackles for loss with Proctor leading the way with three sacks and Khris Adkins-Tolbert adding two. Eli Lewis, Hall and Adkins-Tolbert had three TFLs apiece. It was an uncharacteristic rugged year for the Tygers, who finished 1-9.
— The Ontario Warriors completed their second straight 9-1 season with a 33-7 victory over Highland in Week 10. Bodpegn Miller completed 14-of-28 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns while running for 25 yards on four carries. James Mahon had a breakout game with 150 yards rushing on 15 carries with a TD while Jon Mahon caught four passes for 62 yards and Clark Spearman had two catches for 56 yards and a TD and Alan O’Blisk caught another score. Landon Sowards was big defensively with 14 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception while O’Blisk added six tackles, two TFLs and a sack to go with his offensive touchdown. The Warriors host Clear Fork in the first round of the playoffs.
— The Shelby Whippets completed just the sixth 10-0 regular season in program history and just the 18th undefeated regular season with their 33-14 victory over Pleasant in Week 10. Brayden DeVito slung the ball all over the field completing 24-of-31 passes for 357 yards and five touchdowns while running for 36 yards on nine carries. Brady Bowman caught 13 passes for 216 yards and three scores while Kaden Price had four catches for 70 yards and Nic Eyster and Michael Shepherd caught TD passes. Dennis LaFon had 11 tackles with two tackles for loss on defense while Sam Gwirtz added eight tackles and one TFL. Kyler Williams and Hunter Oney had one sack apiece and Karsen Homan had seven tackles with three TFLs. The Whippets host Elida in the first round of the playoffs.
— Some years it’s tougher to win the Midwest Athletic Conference than a state title at Maria Stein Marion Local, both tasks appear on the preseason goal lists. The Flyers accomplished the first part on Friday night, hammering arch-rival Coldwater 35-0 in a game that pit unbeatens. It also established a new state record, as Marion Local has now won 58 straight games.
— Massillon Washington beat Canton McKinley 16-7 on Saturday in the 135th renewal of Ohio’s most storied high school football rivalry. In the past, McKinley stars Marion Motley and Mike Doss have clashed against Washington standouts Chris Spielman and Lin Houston, with coaches like Paul Brown and Thom McDaniels prowling the sidelines. On Saturday, the Bulldogs were huge underdogs against the defending state champions, but hung tough throughout the contest at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Quarterback Jalen Slaughter threw two touchdown passes in the first half to key the Tigers ninth straight victory in the series.
— The season finale for Hillsboro and McClain (a 41-10 win for HHS) saw Hillsboro junior running back Jeven Hochstuhl rush for five touchdowns, tying the Hillsboro single-game mark previously set by Luke Gallimore (Oct. 21, 2016) and Austin Barrett (Sept. 9, 2022). Hochstuhl finished the ’24 Rotary Bowl game with 13 carries for 155 yards and the five rushing scores. Hochstuhl was an all-around threat his junior season, leading the Indians in rushing with 656 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 72 carries, plus he led HHS in receiving yards with 287, he led the team in total touchdowns with 16, and he was Hillsboro’s leader in total yards with 943 yards on offense. Also for Hillsboro, Tre Captain finished the game with five carries for 103 yards and one touchdown.
— Piketon senior running back Buddy Wilson had another big game to lead the Redstreaks past the visiting Westfall Mustangs in a 42-6 victory. Wilson piled up 156 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. In eight games played this year, he has amassed 1085 yards and 14 touchdowns on 123 carries for an average of 8.8 yards per carry. The Redstreaks have won four in row, finishing 7–3 overall. They will go to Gahanna Columbus Academy Friday night for a Region 19 playoff game.
— The Eastern Eagles of Pike County finished their second straight perfect 10-0 regular season Friday night by defeating the Green Bobcats by a score of 46–8. Senior receiver Tucker Leist had another big game, securing four catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Eric Manley Jr. was 6-8 passing for 207 yards and four touchdowns. The other one went to senior Wyatt Richardson for a 48-yard strike. The Eagles will open up Region 27 playoff action Friday night when Strasburg-Franklin comes to eastern Pike County.
— Waverly senior receiver Mason Pollard went over the 100-yard mark in Friday night’s 46-21 loss to Cincinnati Mt. Healthy. Pollard covered 105 yards and scored two touchdowns on five receptions. Pollard finishes the year with 880 yards and 11 touchdowns on 46 receptions. The Tigers will travel to Fairfield Union for a Region 15 playoff matchup Friday night.
— Celina gave visiting Wapakoneta all it could Friday night, however, the Redskins made plays down the stretch to hold off the Bulldogs for a hard-fought 21-17 victory, capping off their undefeated regular season. Despite Celina recording 385 offensive yards, Wapakoneta managed to close the door in the second half. Celina led 10-7 by the end of the first quarter, while Wapakoneta led 14-10 at the halftime break. After Celina quickly re-gained the lead, Wapakoneta answered right back. On the ensuing kick-off after Celina’s score, Wapakoneta’s Ryan Richardson ran it back 67 yards and set his team up at Celina’s 9-yard line. Quarterback Caleb Moyer wasted no time as he took the first snap from center and ran it in for the final score of the night. Moyer completed 7 of 12 pass attempts for 153 yards and had a 67-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Page in the second quarter that gave the Redskins a 14-10 advantage. Page was Moyer’s favorite target, making four catches for 116 yards and the one score. Moyer also rushed for 51 yards on ten carries with a score. Jarrett Mullen led the Redskins with 61 rushing yards on 11 carries and a touchdown.
— The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes knocked off previously-undefeated Athens 19-14 on Friday night, capturing another Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division championship – their third in four years. Austin Gautier carried 29 times for 133 yards and one touchdown, while Landen Inman added 50 yards on 15 carries, 5-of-5 passing for 56 yards, and one reception for 35 yards. Both Buckeyes made eight tackles.
— Gallia Academy quarterback Braylon Rathburn set a program record for career touchdown passes with 38.
— Fairland won the Ohio Valley Conference outright championship for the first time since 2013.
— Chesapeake finished 5-5 – it’s first non-losing regular season since 2016.
— Portsmouth Notre Dame junior quarterback Ethan Kingrey completed 16-of-22 passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns in the Titans’ 48-6 Southern Ohio Conference Division I win over archrival Sciotoville East. Eight different Titans made receptions, including one with five and three with four, as Luke Cassidy caught four for 151 yards and three touchdowns. The Titans are in the Division VII state playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
— The Wheelersburg Pirates captured their 37th all-time Southern Ohio Conference championship, and will make their 36th all-time state playoff appearance, thanks to Friday night’s 36-6 win at archrival Portsmouth West to win the SOC II. The Pirates have now won the SOC II in back-to-back years, and three of the last four, extending their league winning streak to 12. They also snapped the Senators’ seven-game winning streak. Junior quarterback Braylon Rucker threw three short touchdown passes and ran for a score, and also completed the two-point conversion pass four seconds into the fourth quarter to initiate the running-clock rule.
— With its 20-7 victory over Beavercreek, Fairmont won a share of the Greater Western Ohio Conference championship for the first time in league history, according to information on the GWOC’s website. Logan Doty had a pair of touchdown runs to power the Firebirds to the win.
— Centerville blew out Wayne 38-14 to win a share of the Greater Western Ohio Conference title. The Elks ran for 278 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Parker Johnson led the ground game with 140 yards and three touchdowns. Shane Cole added 123 yards and a score.
— Mattias Brunicardi broke a 3-3 tie with a 33-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and Springboro held on for the 10-3 win over Miamisburg. Brunicardi had 29 carries for 168 yards and the touchdown.
— Valley View’s 40-point win (61-21) over Waynesville was its second largest margin of victory this season behind a 42-point win over Milton-Union in Week 2. With the win, Valley View won the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division title outright, one in which they lost to Waynesville in the final game of the season last year. The Spartans ran for six touchdowns and threw for two more in the win. Sophomore Brody Gibbs was the leading rusher with 197 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Valenti ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns and threw two more scores, one each to Kace Kozarec and Tristan Smith. Valley View also intercepted Waynesville’s Alex Amburgey three times in the first half, one each by Owen Neal, Casen Foley and Wyatt Burkett.
— Drew Cripps ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns in leading Alter to a Greater Catholic League Coed win over Chaminade Julienne.
— Brycen Bauer-Jones was 7-for-14 passing for 72 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 126 yards in leading West Carrollton to a 30-8 win over Greenville. The Pirates also got touchdown runs from Kenyon Perkins and Nathaniel Roberts in their first win of the season.
— Gracen Goldsmith ran for 163 yards and four touchdowns in leading Hamilton to a 50-3 win over Sycamore to close out the regular season with an 8-2 record, Big Blue’s second straight season with a winning record.
— Tyler George ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns in Fairfield’s 28-21 loss to Middletown.
— Lakota West quarterback Sam Wiles completed 8-of-15 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 150 yards and two scores in the Firebirds 41-0 win over Mason.
— Ryder Hooks ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns in leading Lakota East to a 24-6 win over Oak Hills.
— Talawanda’s Cale Leitch threw four touchdown passes and completed 14-of-26 passes for 235 yards in a loss to Wheeling Park, W.Va. Demetrius Morris-Williams caught seven of those passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
— Paulding overpowered county rival Antwerp 46-6 to finish the regular season at 7-3, marking the most wins in a regular season since an 8-2 campaign in 1991. A season ago, the Panthers made their first non-COVID playoff appearance and now are postseason-bound in consecutive seasons.
— Division V No. 2 Liberty Center’s 52-0 blanking of Wauseon was not only the Tigers’ sixth shutout in 10 games, it marked the 35th consecutive regular-season victory for the program. In addition, the LC senior class became the winningest class in program history (50-4) and nabbed a top-two seed in their region for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
— One year removed from a 2-8 season, Fairview reversed its win-loss record with an 8-2 GMC runner-up campaign with a 34-12 win over Defiance County rival Hicksville. Logan Olinger caught 10 passes for 150 yards and rushed for another score.
— Tinora senior Alex Homier recorded a pair of sacks in the Rams’ 24-0 shutout of Edgerton to secure the outright GMC title. The sacks brought Homier’s total to 17 this season, a new single-season sack record, while also passing the career record of 22.5 sacks that was previously held by current Ram head coach Eric Becker. Also of note for Tinora, the Rams wrapped up a perfect 7-0 league campaign for the 10th time in program history after losing all three non-league contests this year.
— Wayne Trace quarterback Cole Morehead was 12-of-16 for 282 yards and four TDs with no picks while rushing for 129 yards and another score in the Raiders’ 48-13 win against Ayersville.
— In a matchup of unbeaten, state-ranked teams, Columbus Grove’s Trenton Barraza shone brightest, rushing for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ stunning 42-0 win over a 9-0 Bluffton team that had allowed just 52 points in the previous nine games. Columbus Grove, ranked No. 2 in Division VII, completed a 7-0 run through the Northwest Conference and improved to 10-0 overall. Bluffton, ranked No. 4 in Division VI, fell to 9-1.
— You could say Liberty-Benton’s Seth Elchert had a knack for getting his hands on the football in Friday’s 37-7 win over Van Buren. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior caught 11 passes for 159 yards, including a 93-yard catch-and-run TD reception. On defense, he intercepted four passes, tying what is believed to be a state record for thefts in a single game set by Ryan Wetterich of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in a game against Cincinnati Taft. Elchert’s four picks gave him eight for the season, a school record. L-B kicker Garrett Nealis, an all-Ohio soccer player, also set school records in that game for field goals in a game (3) and season (8).
— Ada’s Kayaleb Hickman gave the Bulldogs their first lead when he returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, and their last lead (29-26) when he caught a game-winning 61-yard TD pass from Levi Green with 6:14 left in the game.
— Waterford senior Colten Jones rushed for 260 yards and five touchdowns on 17 carries in the Wildcats 55-0 Senior Night victory over Belpre. The Waterford win cliched the outright Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division title.
— Coach Eric Huck recorded his 150th career victory at Fort Frye in the Cadets 35-7 victory at Pt. Pleasant (W.VA).