KNOX COUNTY – All five county teams began conference play on Friday night, although only two came away with victories. East Knox and Centerburg prolonged winning streaks while Mount Vernon stumbled and Danville and Fredericktown remained winless.
Here’s what happened on Friday night:
Highland 50
Danville 27
Highland took advantage of favorable field positioning all night long at Tough Street Stadium, and that made all the difference. The Fighting Scots began five of their 11 offensive possessions inside Danville territory and scored touchdowns on all five.
STORY: Danville falls to 0-4 with loss to Highland
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils struggled to convert on their own offensive opportunities and fell behind 20-7 at halftime. The bigger, deeper Fighting Scots came out strong in the second half and put the game away early, winning 50-27 behind 221 rushing yards from the team’s four tailbacks.
Highland running back Brody Matthews led the way with 110 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries, while fullback Tate Tobin added 55 yards and three scores. Quarterback Ian Taylor threw for 91 yards on 8-of-10 passing.
The Danville offense received a late spark from senior running back Chris Greenawalt, who scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and ran for 178 yards on Friday night. Danville quarterback Dalton David thew for 61 yards on 6-of-8 passing and ran for a touchdown in the first half.
Danville (0-4) is off to its worst start since 2009, when the Blue Devils began 0-6. Danville will face Northmor (4-0) on the road this week.
Lexington 38
Mount Vernon 0
After back-to-back home wins heading into conference play, the wheels fell off last Friday night for Mount Vernon (2-2) in its OCC opener at Lexington (1-3). The Minutemen jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half, amassing 302 yards of total offense, while holding the Yellow Jackets to just 30 yards themselves. Mount Vernon recorded just one first down in the first half.
STORY: Lexington makes short work of Mount Vernon
Lexington was led by quarterback Jacob Depperschmidt, who threw for 267 yards on 14-of-18 passing. He completed his first nine passes, racking up 227 yards and three touchdowns in the process.
Lexington senior (and Ohio State commit) Cade Stover rushed for 71 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts.
Mount Vernon’s running back tandem of Ashton Fisher and Wyatt Gregory, which had seemed nearly unstoppable during non-conference play, combined for just 34 rushing yards on Friday night. The loss quelled Mount Vernon’s chances of capturing its first three-game winning streak in three years.
Mount Vernon will look to bounce back against Ashland (3-1) on the road this week.
East Knox 55
Mount Gilead 0
East Knox (4-0) surpassed the 50-point mark for the fourth time this season in a route of visiting Mount Gilead (0-4) at Chet Looney Stadium on Friday night.
East Knox has outscored opponents 229-18 so far this season and 168-16 in the first half. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 46-0 halftime lead against Mount Gilead before pumping the brakes in the second half, finishing with 578 total yards of offense and averaging 13.4 yards per play.
Bulldog quarterback Kadden Lester surpassed the season 1,000-yard mark with 218 passing yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Caleb Gallwitz caught all three touchdown passes, hauling in four catches for 147 yards. Tailback Kasson Krownapple ran for 267 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, averaging 16.7 yards per carry.
East Knox held Mount Gilead to just 131 yards of total offense.
The Bulldogs will play Cardington-Lincoln (0-4) on the road next week. Their first five opponents currently have a combined record of 2-18.
Centerburg 35
Cardington-Lincoln 7
The Trojans (3-1) surpassed their 2017 win total on Friday night with a blowout home win over Cardington-Lincoln (0-4). Centerburg led 14-7 at halftime but outscored Cardington-Lincoln 21-0 in the second half, rolling to a four-score victory to open up KMAC play.
The Trojans were led by dual-threat quarterback John Sheasby, who ran for 158 yards and threw for 52, turning in three touchdowns. Centerburg racked up 432 total yards of offense (including 380 rushing yards) on Friday night, averaging 8.8 yards per play. The Trojan defense held the Pirates to 254 total yards and four yards per play.
Centerburg also forced six Cardington-Lincoln turnovers. The Pirates were led by quarterback Nate Hickman, who threw for 126 yards and one touchdown on 8-of-16 passing.
Centerburg has held its last two opponents to just seven combined points and will face its first KMAC test this Friday night, when the Trojans travel to Highland (3-1).
Northmor 32
Fredericktown 0
Fredericktown was shut out for the second time in four weeks on Friday night, falling at home to Northmor (4-0) in a game that was never close. The Golden Knights sprinted to a 20-0 first quarter lead and never gave an inch, holding the winless Freddies to just 128 yards of total offense.
Northmor returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, which was followed by a fumble recovery scoop-and-score by the defense six minutes later. The Golden Knights were led offensively by running back Conor Becker, who ran 21 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Of Northmor’s 351 total yards of offense on Friday night, 280 came on the ground.
Fredericktown struggled offensively all night long, as the Freddies turned the ball over three times and averaged just 2.7 yards per play. Tailback John Robbins recorded 18 yards on 10 carries, while quarterback Terry Fearn threw for 103 yards on 8-of-14 passing.
Fredericktown will look to get in the win column this Friday when Mount Gilead (0-4) comes to town.
What’s trending
East Knox (this one wasn’t hard)… No, the Bulldogs have not played a winning opponent yet. Yes, two of the teams East Knox has beat this season went 0-10 last year. However, there is something to be said for the complete and utter dominance that Howard’s home team has demonstrated on the field so far in 2018. On both sides of the ball, the Bulldogs have been flawless. They’ve scored 229 points and given up 18. All of their games have been over in the first half, as the second-half running clock rule has been implemented on a weekly basis. The true test for East Knox this season lies in the second half of its schedule, when it plays Centerburg, Northmor, Highland and Danville within five weeks. We will know soon whether or not the Bulldogs have made strides from last season, when they started off 7-0 but finished 7-3, a handful of points away from a playoff berth.
Centerburg QB John Sheasby… Through four weeks, the sophomore has racked up 536 rushing yards and 236 passing yards, leading the Trojans to a 3-1 start. He’s only 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, but he’s given opposing defenses fits so far this season. Sheasby started the last two games of his freshman season and has showed improvement through the start of his sophomore campaign. He and the Trojans will be tested this week against a big, physical Highland defense which gave up just six points to Centerburg last year.
The KMAC’s ‘Upper Half’… OK, it’s early, but after the opening weekend of KMAC play (and four weeks of football in total), it appears as if four teams have separated themselves – East Knox, Northmor, Highland and Centerburg. While all four teams started out conference play 1-0, they have stood out from the pack from the beginning. These four teams have a combined record of 14-2, while the KMAC’s other four teams are 0-16. There is a clear divide within the conference, straight down the middle, and it’s only getting larger as the season progresses. It will be interesting to see how that field of four narrows – and if a surprise contender emerges – as conference play rolls along.
What’s next
KMAC standings
1. East Knox (1-0, 4-0)
1. Northmor (1-0, 4-0)
1. Highland (1-0, 3-1)
1. Centerburg (1-0, 3-1)
2. Danville (0-1, 0-4)
2. Cardington-Lincoln (0-1, 0-4)
2. Fredericktown (0-1, 0-4)
2. Mount Gilead (0-1, 0-4)
Week 5 matchups:
- Centerburg (3-1) at Highland (3-1) – 7 p.m.
- Danville (0-4) at Northmor (4-0) – 7 p.m.
- East Knox (4-0) at Cardington-Lincoln (0-4) – 7 p.m.
- Mount Gilead (0-4) at Fredericktown (0-4) – 7 p.m.
OCC standings
1. West Holmes (1-0, 4-0)
1. Wooster (1-0, 2-2)
1. Lexington (1-0, 1-3)
2. Ashland (0-0, 3-1)
3. Mansfield Senior (0-1, 2-2)
3. Mount Vernon (0-1, 2-2)
3. Madison (0-1, 1-3)
Week 5 matchups:
- Mount Vernon (2-2) at Ashland (3-1) – 7 p.m.
- Wooster (2-2) at Lexington (1-3) – 7 p.m.
- Madison (1-3) at West Holmes (4-0) – 7 p.m.
- Maple Heights (4-0) at Mansfield Senior (2-2) – 7 p.m.*
*non-conference game
