HOWARD — The new-look Bulldogs will find out where they stand Friday night.
Highly-regarded Crestview will head to Howard fresh off a 49-14 dismantling of new Knox Morrow Athletic Conference member Loudonville on opening night.
East Knox, which reached the Division VII, Region 27 semifinals last fall, lost seven offensive starters — including All-Ohio quarterback Peyton Lester — and six defensive starters to graduation. What’s more, Cody Reese stepped down following the season after leading the Bulldogs to 44 wins and three playoff appearances in his five seasons in charge — including a berth in the Division VI state semifinals in 2019.
Enter longtime assistant Andy Beatty, who served on Reese’s staff as a position coach. Beatty picked up his first coaching victory last week as the Bulldogs knocked off Northridge 26-13 last week.
“It’s a huge sense of relief right now, especially with the way that game unfolded,” Beatty said afterward. “I’m really proud of how they fought back (against) some adversity there.”
Crestview (1-0) at East Knox (1-0): The Cougars looked impressive in last week’s 49-14 win over Loudonville. Quarterback Hayden Kuhn completed 14 of 19 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Adison Reymer, a converted receiver, rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Fullback Wade Bolin added 34 yards and a pair of scores on 10 carries. Tyson Ringler and Shawn Bailey each caught a touchdown pass, while Caden Cunningham had four grabs for 65 yards.
The Bulldogs opened with a 26-13 win at Northridge, racing out to a 20-7 first-quarter lead. First-year starting quarterback Bracen Davis completed 14 of 21 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Cole Delaughder torched Northridge for 150 yards and a touchdown on seven carries while catching three passes for 38 yards and a score. Carson Steinmetz caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Newark (0-1) at Mount Vernon (1-0): Things started bad and got worse for the Wildcats in last week’s 40-14 loss to rival Zanesville. Newark fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a short Zanesville touchdown. The Wildcats trailed 21-0 early in the second quarter before quarterback Steele Meister hooked up with Carson Burnett for a 22 yard TD pass. Meister completed 7 of 16 passes for 101 yards. Trey Robinson caught two passes for 22 yards.
Jonny Askew had a big night in the win over the Presidents. Askew rushed for 132 yards, including touchdown runs of 38 and 55 yards, on eight carries. Quarterback Joel Hubbard scored both overtime touchdowns for the Jackets on runs of 2 and 3 yards. He carried the ball 23 times for 60 yards, while completing 10 of 20 passes for 124 yards. Layne Kuhlman caught six passes for 66 yards.
Bucyrus (1-0) at Danville (1-0): Bucyrus quarterback Malachi Bayless had a career night in last week’s 48-20 win over Mississinawa Valley, completing 22 of 32 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for another score. Receiver Randy Banks caught seven passes for 96 yards, including touchdown grabs of 27 and 15 yards. Running back Blayne Barto rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and had TD receptions of 9 and 24 yards. Bucyrus trailed 13-7 after the first quarter before scoring 20 unanswered points in the second to take a 27-13 halftime lead.
Max Payne did a little bit of everything for the Blue Devils in last week’s 33-17 win over Worthington Christian. The senior rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, booted three PATs, registered two tackles for loss and launched a 72 yard punt. The Blue Devils led 19-17 at the half before pitching a second-half shutout. Walker Weckesser completed 9 of 16 passes for 67 yards and rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
