High school football: Week 4

Columbian at Bishop WattersonRecords: TC 1-2; Bishop Watterson 3-0Last year: Watterson, 51-7Outlook: According to the first AP high school football poll, Columbian just visited the No. 3 team in Division III – Medina Buckeye. This week its No. 1 Bishop Watterson.In a tough back-to-back stretch TC coach Judd Lutz learned some things about his ballclub after a furious comeback last week after trailing Buckeye 28-3 in the third quarter.But the key is consistency and not letting things snowball."We're definitely a tough team, we have a lot of upside with kids that can make plays and do some really good things, but we have to be consistent," Lutz said. "I feel like when things are going good and we're playing with confidence, we really feed off of that confidence and we can be a really good version of ourselves, but I feel like we have a hard time bouncing back from some adversity and getting over it quickly … and it kind of snowballs. "Hopefully with experience that improves. I'm seeing a lot of bright spots with us, but at same point we have to find a way to close it out and win some games."Chances are the Tornadoes will have to overcome some adversity again this week as the No. 1 Eagles are coming off a state championship and have started the season 3-0, beating Big Walnut 37-15, Middletown (Delaware) and Westerville North last week 38-0."They're really good. They've done a good job recruiting a great team," Lutz said. "The school has put together some really good wrestlers and football players and they have accolades to show for it the last several years. Making a state championship run a couple years ago and then winning it last year, plus being the favorite again this year to do it again this year, so watching them on tape they have all the pieces. They don't have any glaring weakness. "They do things well on both sides of the ball and it's going to be a very difficult game that we have to find ways to keep the ball away from their offense and score when we have opportunities when we're on offense." Calvert at Hopewell-LoudonRecords: Calvert 1-2; H-L 3-0Last year: H-L, 26-0Outlook: Hopewell-Loudon coach Brian Colatruglio said it best this week: "Whether we play Calvert in Week 4, Week 10 or whenever, we're going to be excited to play that game and I know they will be too."That sums up the rivalry pretty well. Even though this year's matchup is in Week 4 and begins SBC River play for both teams, the meaning is still there."The kids know each other so well and grew up playing against each other or even on the same team," Colatruglio said. "It really makes it special because there is a familiarity there, and even the parents know each other and communities are so close."Calvert coach Mike Lento added: "The rivalry speaks for itself – the kids know what's at stake," Lento said. "Our message has been about controlling what we can control: our preparation, our effort and our attitude. We respect what Hopewell-Loudon has built, but at the same time we believe in our team. Friday is an opportunity to bounce back, compete and add another chapter to this great rivalry."What H-L has built has been the consistency of winning – 28 straight SBC River victories and five straight league championships.Calvert hasn't beaten the Chieftains since 2019."Coach Codge always has his teams disciplined and prepared," Lento said of the Chieftains. "Even though they might look a little different this year, you see the same toughness, execution and pride that has made them successful for a long time. They don't beat themselves, and they make you earn everything." H-L made it through the non-league portion of its schedule unscathed, which included an impressive 22-14 win on the road at Edison last week. Calvert is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Norwalk St. Paul, but playing a rivalry game will certainly help the Senecas from letting that game linger."Calvert has played some really quality teams like we have so far this season. You see some teams at 2-1 or 3-0 right now with not quite the schedule us and Calvert has had, and we like playing those games because they make you aware of things you need to get better at. "(Logan) DeMoss is a special player for them and they do a good job of moving him around. He's a big focal point. We'll have to try to limit him and limit their explosive plays. They have a big offensive line and some experience at running back."First-year QB Charlie Palm is 38 of 68 passing for 490 yards with four touchdowns and three picks, while Nolan Lee is the leading back with 56 carries for 211 yards and two scores. DeMoss has nine grabs for 233 yards (25.9 yards per catch) with three TDs.For the Chieftains, Jacoby Ellis is 28 of 46 passing for 317 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Kellen Frankart leads the backfield with 60 attempts for 323 yards with three TDs and Brody Brickman has been the top target while Jack Colatruglio was sidelined with an injury. Brickman has 14 grabs for 204 yards and four scores. Colatruglio had four catches for 69 yards and a score last week. Woodmore at LakotaRecords: Woodmore 3-0, Lakota 3-0.Last year: Woodmore won 21-17.Outlook: Week 4 brings a doozy to Kansas.Woodmore and Lakota not only enter Friday ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, in Region 22, but also looking to open Sandusky Bay Conference River Division play with a victory."It's like opening your season 1-0, it's huge. It kind of sets the tone for how your season's going to go," Lakota coach Ryan Lozier said. "Us and Woodmore right now are right kind of neck and neck in playoff points, so there's definitely a lot riding on the game this week."But that's what we want, that's what we work for," he said. "You want to be in this position, so you've got to take the pressure and see it as a privilege and enjoy the ride."The visiting Wildcats bring a potent run-centric offense, led by Landon Rich's 500 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Jesse Lopez (113 yards, 2 TDs) adds depth to the ground game.But Woodmore can also go to the air when needed. Calvin Lipstraw has thrown for 332 yards and four TDs so far. Wesley Kayser has been his top target, with nine catches for 192 yards and two scores. Michael Seeger has four catches for 84 yards and two more touchdowns.Defensively, Kayser has picked off two passes and scored a touchdown. Robert Seeger also has an interception.Cole Potridge and Bradley Allgier have each tallied a safety, while Potridge has blocked two punts and Ryan Maynard has blocked another."They're not overly big but their kids fire off the ball extremely hard," Lozier said. "They're fast and physical on both sides of the ball, so we know we're getting into a dogfight and we're going to have to come ready to roll."Lakota offers a more balanced offensive attack.Quarterback Jalen Wagner has thrown for 337 yards and three touchdowns, and run for 214 yards and three more scores.Avery Shilling (153 yards) and Lucas McEwan (135 yards) each have seven receptions, with Shilling scoring twice and McEwan adding a touchdown.Nate Griggson leads the ground game with 354 yards and five TDs, with A.J. Gosche (128 yards, 2 TDs) and Graham Harmon (70 yards, 1 TD) helping out.On the other side of the ball, Gabe Brubaker (38 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) and Griggson (34 tackles, 3 ½) sacks each have more than 30 tackles so far, while Steve Hornyak (23) and Bryson Ward (20) both have at least 20.Harmon, McEwan and Wagner each have an interception, and Shilling has a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown."I keep telling our guys this is what they work for and this is why they wake up in the summer and commit to something," Lozier said. "We talk about committing to something bigger than yourself and being there for your team to play in games like this, and this is why you do it." Colonel Crawford at MohawkRecords: Colonel Crawford 3-0, Mohawk 3-0.Last year: Mohawk won 35-7.Outlook: The Northern 10 Athletic Conference begins play Friday with a battle of unbeatens when the Eagles travel to Sycamore.Mohawk coach Eric Daniel welcomes the home game after back-to-back long road trips, but he said the home field won't necessarily translate into an easy game."It feels good to be home. Our kids play a little bit harder where they're comfortable playing," he said. "It's certainly advantageous, but the game's played on the same dimensions on the same field (everywhere), it doesn't matter where it's at."Colonel Crawford brings plenty of talent, led by running back Connor McMichael (290 yards, 5 TDs rushing) and last year's N10 defensive player of the year in defensive lineman Payne DeGray.The Eagles also feature both Peyton Baker (366 yards, 5 TDs passing; 135 yards rushing) and 290 yards, 4 TDs passing) at quarterback, with Roen Thew (159 yards, 5 TDs rushing) bolstering the ground game.Parker Weithman leads the receiving corps with 14 catches for 341 yards and five touchdowns, with John DeGray (6-101) adding depth.Weithman also has three interceptions on defense and Carson Rader and John DeGray each have one. Gabe Stratton has posted a team-best 22 tackles.The Eagles boast a 65-man roster full of sound, well-coached players, Daniel said."We don't have that depth so we've got to anchor in, be tough mentally and physically and anticipate a four-quarter war because that's what's going to happen," he said.The Warriors also have some weapons.Andon Clouse has thrown for 442 yards and six touchdowns and run for 371 yards and four more scores. Kaden Bish adds 363 yards and five TDs on the ground.Brant Kirian (8-107, 3 TDs), Levi Tiell (6-184, 2 TDs) and Owen Patrizi (8-104) are the main targets as receivers.Defensively, Patrizi enters with 37 tackles and a fumble recovery. Clouse has picked off two passes, returning one for a score. Eli Chevalier has two fumble recoveries, and Kirian, Jack Sager and John Stansberry have each picked off a pass"I think we're evenly matched. They're great up front and athletic on the perimeter and they're very well-coached. We anticipate it being a very close game, hard-fought game," Daniel said. "These are the ones that you don't even have to get anybody excited about, (because) they know it's going to be a great football game. It's going to be physical and these are the games that get the kids amped up and ready to go." Seneca East at WynfordRecords: Seneca East 2-1; WynfordLast year: SE, 36-15Outlook: To quote Seneca East Ed Phillips: "Good things are happening in Attica."Of course, he's referring to his team and them riding momentum after a win over Monroeville last week.But now begins a new season – N10 play.Everyone is looking for a 1-0 start in the league and that's both Seneca East and Wynford this week. While it's not the Wynford of old under Gabe Helbert, it's still a formidable opponent. But SE is riding that momentum and have a stellar defense that can travel to Bucyrus this week."I learned some stuff about our team after those non-league games, but we're still learning, which is a good thing," Phillips said. "We know what we're capable of, we just have to find ways to be more diverse on offense and we're excited about our potential. We have a great mix of veterans and youth, and we've been competing in practice."Wynford lost to Cardington-Lincoln 37-32 in Week 1, topped East Knox 28-12 in Week 2 and is fresh off a 46-0 drubbing by Western Reserve.The Royals do have the leading rusher in the N10 at this point – Bryce Locker. He has 49 carries for 407 yards with three touchdowns. Wynford has struggled to throw the ball so far as QB Braden Campbell is 22 of 44 passing for 208 yards with one TD and four picks. "This is a chance at a clean slate for many teams in the league and I know they're going to be fired up, so will we," Phillips said. "Offensively, they have a really nice backfield, which will be a challenge. They are going to a little more of a spread formation at times this year to create some space and they're doing some good things there."Phillips said the Royals defense has some nice size up front and linebackers that are playing well. Nicholas Parks is 31 of 58 passing for 339 yards with two scores and four interceptions, while also leading SE in rushing with 70 attempts (leads N10) for 311 yards and two more scores. The key for the Tigers is to create some balance and develop a threat on the perimeter. Buckeye Central at BucyrusRecords: Buckeye Central 2-1, Bucyrus 1-2.Last year: Buckeye Central won 42-24.Outlook: One week after dropping a rare Saturday game, Buckeye Central heads to Bucyrus for the Northern 10 Athletic Conference opener and a chance to get back to winning.The key, coach Jordan Phillips said, will come from focus."We just got to be more decisive about making (defensive) plays — read your key, get to your spot, get to your area, get to your zone and tackle," he said. "Offensively, it's really similar. It's identify what is your responsibility pre-snap, and once the ball's snapped, execute it."It's really not complicated. Just trying to play our best football," he said.But Bucyrus will challenge that, Phillips said.Despite having just a 1-2 record, he said the Redmen do a great job of giving opponents plenty to plan for.That starts with the Makeever boys on offense.Isaac Makeever has thrown for 440 yards and six touchdowns and run for 216 yards and five more scores, while Wyatt Makeever has run for 191 yards and three TDs and caught 12 passes for 95 yards.Christian Neal's 16 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns tops the receiving corps, with Dylan Coppler adding nine catches for 94 yards and two scores.The defense is led by Hayden Butcher's 34 tackles and two sacks. Wyatt Makeever had 33 Coppler and DeShawn Cosey each have picked off three passes, and Charlie Randall has recovered a fumble."I'm really impressed with them on tape," Phillips said. "Offensively, they really run a lot of creative formations. They really stretch the field horizontally. You really have to cover every blade of grass, left to right."Defensively, they play aggressively, they're really sound in the box, they read their keys," he said.Buckeye Central's offense features Jack Phillips throwing for 350 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing for 247 yards and four scores.Alec Phillips has 14 receptions for 177 yards and a score, and Hunter Caudill added nine catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns.Austin Bogner aids the ground game with 197 yards.Defensively, Chance Hawley, Bogner and Josh Dorsey each have a fumble recovery, and Alec Phillips and Collin Perry have each intercepted a pass. Norwalk at BellevueRecords: Norwalk 1-2; Bellevue 2-1Last year: Bellevue, 21-18Outlook: The last time Bellevue lost to Norwalk was in 2019.Bellevue isn't looking to break the winning streak, even as the Truckers will take on coach Alex Shepherd and the new team."We have to prepare better in practice this week," Shepherd said. "We have to execute better than we did last week."Last week, the Redmen (2-1) was handed their first loss of the season against a tough Shelby team 49-6 in front of their home crowd. Norwalk (1-2) lost their game last week to Galion 41-0."They're (Shelby) very talented and we didn't play up to our potential." said Shepherd of Bellevue's loss last week.For the Redmen, their poor showing on both sides of the ball is what caused the result of last week, and if they don't want a second loss, Shepherd knows what they need to do: improve."We need to do our job on every play," Shepherd said. "We can't be caught doing other things or anything else other than what we play."When it comes to this week's opponent, Norwalk, it's another week of a non league opponent. That doesn't mean they won't be any less challenging."Their offense is one we haven't seen yet," Shepherd said. "There are things that we must adjust to have success." Clyde at Toledo St. Francis Records: Clyde 0-3; Toledo St. FrancisLast year: Clyde, 30-13Outlook: It's been 14 years since Clyde has had an 0-3 start to the football season.It's not easy keeping team morale up, but the Fliers (0-3) are moving forward and staying as positive as they can."We are working hard, and that's not easy to do at 0-3," Clyde coach Ryan Carter said. "We need to keep moving forward and be better in practice. Being better in practice will carry over into the games."Last week, Clyde fell to Ashland 35-21. Ashland broke the tie in the third quarter with two touchdowns. But, the Fliers outgained the Arrows on yardage 439-378. They also had 23 first downs. Adam Young carried 31 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns, Jonathan Lantz completed 22 out of 32 passes for 287 yards and two interceptions, while Hunter Thomas completed six passes for 95 yards and Dekin Crockett had seven receptions for 83 yards."We played a better football game, but we still had too many non-winning football plays," Carter said. "We have to be better in all three areas of football in order to win and last week, those non-winning football plays caused us to lose to a good Ashland team."The lessons from last week are simple ones that Clyde has to fix. While it ran the ball well, and finished drives better, it turned the ball over too many times. Clyde turned it over three times, and it was a costly mistake.While the defense held up mostly for the Fliers, they gave a few big plays that they shouldn't have."They (Toledo St. Francis) are a solid football team," Carter said. "We will need to stop the run vs St. Francis if we want to have a chance. They run the ball very well, and we have to cut our turnovers down." Carey at Upper Sandusky Records: Carey 0-3; Upper Sandusky 1-2Last Year: Carey, 40-3Outlook: Good teams get better with consistency.Upper Sandusky finally broke its losing streak last week when it defeated Northwood 28-18 in non-conference play."It was a great win," Rams coach Russell Hall said. "It was great to see the ball being driven down the field, getting into the end zone, and our defense being fundamentally sound." Offensively, there were less mistakes on the line, there was consistency on the line, and improvement. Currently for USHS, Keegan Dunn – the quarterback, is 25 for 51 passing for 230 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. On the receiving end, Josh Heilman has nine receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown, and Caine Rupe has seven receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown. For rushing, Ethan Lewis has 59 rushes for 281 yards, the most on the team.Lewis is currently in first place for the N10 in tackles with 63. Braxton Rimmer has 34, and Ezekiel Baldwin has 20.Defensively, they were more consistent on the line, as well as a remarkable improvement since week one."I told the guys last week that every week, we are improving and it is a consistent improvement," Hall said. "We are pushing them to perform at high levels, and good teams get better."This week, US hosts Carey. The Blue Devils are 0-3 this season already, but Hall is not counting them out. It has been since 2013, 12 years, since the Rams have beaten them."Carey plays a hard non-league schedule for the first three weeks of football," Hall said. "They are physical in all three areas and disciplined. For us, we have to outperform them and out discipline them if we want to win this week." The combined record of Carey's opponents so far is 9-0. The loss of running back Eli Steen stings, but it's a new season for Carey to open up the N10 slate.It's been a struggle to throw the ball for the Blue Devils as Tripp Phoenix is 14 of 30 for 134 yards with a TD and a pick. Mace Puckett leads the team in rushing with 44 carries for 274 yards and a score. Overall, the Blue Devils have been outscored 77-21 this season, which includes a 6-0 loss last week to LCC. Fostoria at Oak HarborRecords: Fostoria 0-3, Oak Harbor 3-0.Last year: Oak Harbor won 49-0.Outlook: Fostoria has struggled to start the season and the Redmen don't get a break for the Northern Buckeye Conference opener when they travel Friday to Oak Harbor.The unbeaten Rockets sit atop the Region 18 standings and haven't lost a regular-season game since Week 2 of the 2022 season.Meanwhile, the Redmen have scored just 13 points so far this year while allowing an average of 44 points per game.Fostoria coach Derek Angelone said last week's lopsided loss led to a team meeting where players were encouraged to speak their minds and discuss their expectations."I think the kids understand. If they want to see different results, then we've got to have a different process," he said. "Our process has got to change a little bit. We have to have better work Monday through Thursday."I think we've had a lot of success trying to change some of the mental stuff this week and I think they've been really locked in," Angelone said.He said the Redmen will focus this week, especially Friday, on what they can do correctly to play better on each down."I think we have a good game plan to come and give them (Oak Harbor) a better game than what they're expecting," Angelone said."We're going to go out every play and try to do exactly what we want to do and play our best on every single play," he said. "Regardless of what the scoreboard says, regardless of the situation, we're going to do our thing and let our kids go out and play a level of ball that they feel like they need to go out and play."