MOUNT VERNON — The Ohio high school football postseason has reached the Sweet 16 round and north central Ohio will be well-represented in the regional semifinals.
Of the two Mount Vernon-area teams still alive, Danville will play at home. Here’s a look at Friday’s regional semifinals.
Division VII, Region 27
No. 3 Toronto (10-1) at No. 2 Danville (11-0)
When the Red Knights have the ball: Toronto likes to spread the field and throw the ball. Junior quarterback Max Rebich has completed 149-of-219 passes for 2,093 yards and 20 touchdowns, but has been picked off 13 times.
Senior Colt Joynson is the centerpiece of a deep receiving corps. He has 54 catches for 935 yards and 11 TDs. Senior Kenny Jett has 38 catches for 495 yards, while senior Brody Close has 25 catches for 375 yards.
Running back Drake Bouscher has run for 978 yards and 15 touchdowns on 185 carries. The senior ran for 88 yards and two scores in last week’s 20-13 win over Strasburg.
Danville boasts one of the top defenses in all of Division VII. The Blue Devils have given up just 58 points all year and have five shutouts, including three in a row heading into the regional semifinals.
Senior lineman Owen Gronberg was selected the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Gronberg has 84 tackles, including 25 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Linebacker Jacob Byers leads the way with 121 tackles. Fellow linebacker Chris Mosher has 119 stops.
The Blue Devils have forced 28 turnovers while limiting opponents to 143.1 yards per game.
When the Blue Devils have the ball: Danville boasts a balanced offensive attack, averaging 182.7 yards rushing and 166.5 yards passing per game.
Junior running back Cy Wallace was selected the KMAC’s Offensive Player of the Year. Wallace has rushed for 979 yards and 20 touchdowns on 81 carries, averaging 12.1 yards per carry. Wallace ran for four scores in last week’s 34-0 win over Lucas.
Sophomore quarterback Parker Proper has completed 106-of-154 passes for 1,738 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has thrown just two interceptions all season.
Briggs Wallace is Proper’s favorite target. The sophomore has 39 catches for 665 yards and nine touchdowns. Brycen Burke has 29 grabs for 404 yards and seven TDs, while tight end Aidan Mickley has 18 catches for 373 yards and six scores.
Bouscher leads Toronto’s defense with 106 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and three sacks. Jackson Gibson has 82 stops.
Extra Point: Danville has reached the regional championship game each of the past four years and was a state semifinalist in 2024. … Danville running back Cy Wallace needs 35 yards to become the program’s career rushing leader.
No. 4 Clear Fork (9-2) at No. 1 Ottawa-Glandorf (11-0)
When the Colts have the ball: Clear Fork’s run-heavy offense is led by quarterback Marcus Hoeflich, who has rushed for 914 yards and eight touchdowns on 132 carries. He had 65 yards on 11 carries in last week’s 38-0 win over Otsego.
Nine different players carried the ball last week. Trey Sellers led the charge with 108 yards and a score on six attempts. The senior has 789 rushing yards and eight TDs on 108 carries.
Senior Nash Evans caught a pair of passes for 41 yards and a touchdown last week. He leads the team with 14 receptions for 249 yards and two TDs.
Ottawa-Glandorf led the Western Buckeye League in total defense during the regular season, allowing 241.2 yards per game. The Titans surrendered just 96.9 rushing yards per game and led the WBL with a plus-18 turnover ratio.
Linebacker Ayden Klausing led the way with 78 tackles.
The ball-hawking secondary picked off 14 passes. Jordan Schumaker led the WBL with six interceptions. He was selected the WBL’s Defensive Skill Position Player of the Year.
Carson Yeager picked off four passes, returning one for a touchdown. He also recovered a pair of fumbles.
When the Titans have the ball: Quarterback Tanner Vogt is a threat with his arm and his legs. He ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for another in last week’s 28-14 win over Buckeye.
Running back Oscar Salsburey ranked among WBL rushing leaders during the regular season with 983 yards and 13 touchdowns on 116 carries.
Wideout Deegan Miller led O-G with 36 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season. He caught a 34 yard TD pass last week.
Clear Fork boasts one of north central Ohio’s top defenses, allowing just nine points per game. The Colts have pitched three straight shutouts and haven’t allowed a points since in more than a month.
Linebacker Alex Schlosser ranked second in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with nine sacks during the regular season. Schlosser had a team-best 60 tackles.
Sellers returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown in last week’s 38-0 win over Otsego. He had nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks during the regular season.
Linebacker Brayden Hayes had six tackles for loss and five sacks in the regular season.
The defense got a boost with the return of Davis Hoeflich, who missed time during the regular season with an injury. Hoeflich is the quarterback of the defense from his safety spot.
Extra Point: Clear Fork is making its 20th playoff appearance, tops among Richland County schools. … Ottawa-Glandorf was 0-10 last year and finished last in Region 14. … First-year O-G head coach Ben Kaufman took over for Ken Schriner, who retired after 30 seasons. Kaufman is a Ottawa-Glandorf graduate who played collegiately at Bluffton.
