MOUNT VERNON — The Knox Morrow Athletic Conference proved its mettle during the non-conference portion of schedule.
Now the real fun begins.
The eight KMAC members were a combined 13-11 during the opening three weeks. Northmor is the only remaining unbeaten KMAC school, but Centerburg, Danville, Cardington and Mount Gilead all are 2-1. Fredericktown is 1-2, but its two losses are by a combined nine points. East Knox (1-2) suffered a one-point loss in Week 1.
KMAC play kicks off Friday with some intriguing matchups. Here’s a look:
Mount Gilead (2-1) at Danville (2-1)
Mount Gilead knocked off previously unbeaten Grove City Christian 32-13 as Carson Barnum rushed for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Vickers ran for a team-high 73 yards, while quarterback Cole Fricke completed 2-of-7 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 40 yards. Wyatt Long caught a 54 yard TD pass.
The Blue Devils gave Hopewell-Loudon all it could handle in a 12-8 loss. Danville’s lone score came in the third quarter, a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jacob Hackman to Caleb Lucas. Aidan Burke rushed for 33 yards on 12 carries, but the Blue Devils managed just 37 rushing yards as a team. Burke has rushed for 338 yards and three TDs on 55 carries through the first three weeks. Josh Byers made 20 tackles last week and has 47 stops through three games. Blake Colopy has 34 tackles.
Northmor (3-0) at Centerburg (2-1)
The Golden Knights built a 41-0 halftime lead en route to a 47-7 win over Mapleton. Cowin Becker rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns, caught a 58 yard touchdown pass from A.J. Bower and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Bower completed 4-of-6 passes for 121 yards and two TDs.
The Trojans roughed up Worthington Christian 44-21 thanks in large part to dual-threat quarterback Blane Ball. The junior rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown and completed 13-of-16 passes for 151 yards and two TDs.
East Knox (1-2) at Loudonville (0-3)
The Bulldogs managed just 139 yards in last week’s 33-0 loss to Colonel Crawford. Running back Blake Elliott rushed for 47 yards on 16 carries and has 293 yards and a touchdown on 60 carries through the first three weeks. Quarterback Jax Lester has completed 28 of 46 passes for 393 yards and two TDs. Logan Clark has nine receptions for 199 yards and a TD. Elliott leads the defense with 46 tackles, while Parker Kimball has 38 stops.
The Redbirds had 169 yards of total offense in last week’s 42-7 loss to Hillsdale. Quarterback Dilan Wade completed 12-of-23 passes for 100 yards, including an 11-yard TD to Josiah Hershberger. Wade also rushed for a team-best 60 yards, while Collin Caley added 21 rushing yards. Hershberger had 72 receiving yards.