Area teams turn attention to conference play

Three weeks into the 2025 season, area high school football teams will turn their attention to conference games Friday night. In the Firelands Conference, Monroeville (1-2) looks to bounce back from two straight losses when it travels to Greenwich to take on host South Central (0-3). Both teams are coming off close, if not frustrating losses. The Eagles fell, 14-2, at Seneca East on Sept. 5. Monroeville had the ball inside the Seneca East 30-yard line four different times, but were unable to score. Meanwhile, the Trojans are coming off a 14-12 loss against Rittman that also saw several opportunities for the go-ahead score. The Eagles won last season's game, 41-0, in Monroeville. The Trojans last won in 2022, a 28-21 road win at Marsh Field. South Central won the back-and-forth game with a short TD pass from Brandon Mitchell to Hagen Adams with 3:36 left. Prior to that, the previous win in the series for the Trojans came in 2019. Entering Friday, South Central quarterback Brayden Viock has thrown for 114 yards, with Cole Frankart catching five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Mapleton at Western Reserve The Roughriders look to open FC play on a high note after cruising by Bucyrus Wynford in a 46-0 rout last week. Western Reserve cruised to a 45-6 win at Wellington in Week 1, but were shut out at Margaretta, 21-0, in Week 2. The Roughriders (2-1) played the previous two games without two-way standout Hayden Keith at quarterback and linebacker. In his place last week, Colton Meagrow was 11-of-14 passing for 119 yards with 2 TDs passes. Brexton Fraelich caught four of those passes for 67 yards, while Landyn Wiegel ran 20 times for 158 yards and 2 TDs. The Mounties (1-2) were roughed up in losses at Loudonville, 60-0, and at Wellington, 28-12, before bouncing back with a 35-28 win over Crestline on Sept. 5. Western cruised to a win last year at Mapleton, 60-20. The Mounties last won in the series in the 2018 season finale. New London at Crestview The Wildcats are off to a 2-1 start for the second straight year, but are now turning their focus on winning their first FC game since Sept, 27, 2019, which was a 33-21 win at Monroeville. That will be a tall task against the Cougars (1-2), who have played a challenging non-conference schedule against Seneca East, Kirtland and Keystone. Crestview rolled to a 67-0 win in 2024 at New London. New London QB Jarrett Mencl is 23-of-44 passing for 334 yards with 5 TDs and 4 INTs in two games. Jackson Mitchell has caught eight passes for 222 yards with 5 TDs, while Hunter Chandley has 226 yards and 4 TDs on 41 rush attempts. Margaretta at Willard This will be the final meeting between the Polar Bears (2-1) and Crimson Flashes (2-1) Friday night at Terry King Stadium. The Crimson Flashes head to the Northern 10 Conference beginning next season, while Margaretta will remain in the new, smaller SBC following the exit of all Lake and Bay schools, who formed a new Northern Ohio Conference. The teams started playing yearly in 2011, with it serving as the season opener in non-conference play from 2011-19, then it shifted to later in the season the following two seasons. Margaretta went 7-2 in those games. As league foes, the Bears won two River Division games against the Flashes, including a 50-14 win last season. After a 2-0 start, Willard is coming off a rough 60-22 loss on Sept. 6 vs. Vermilion. The Polar Bears lost by 1 at Vermilion on Aug. 22, then blanked Western Reserve, 21-0, and cruised past Brookside, 48-7. Willard quarterback Jake Rothhaar is 37-of-58 passing for 608 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He also leads the team with 433 yards and 7 TDs on 66 rush attempts. Paxton Flores has 17 catches for 364 yards and 3 TDs, while Roger Whetstone paces the defense with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Edison at Johnstown Northridge The Chargers will make the 90-mile trip south to Licking County to take on the Vikings in the return trip of a two-year non-league contract. Edison dominated its way to a 36-0 shutout win over the Vikings at home in Week 4 last season. Then, ironically, Northridge came back to Milan in the first round of the state playoffs, which resulted in a 42-0 win by the Chargers. Edison is coming off a 22-14 home loss to Div. VI power Hopewell-Loudon (3-0). It snapped a 15-game win streak at home, dating back to a 28-14 loss vs. Oak Harbor in Week 8 of the 2022 season. Northridge opened with a 25-24 win at East Knox, but lost its last two games at Fredericktown (3-0) and vs. Grandview Heights (3-0) by similar scores of 34-14 and 35-14. Bryson Wittmer ran for 360 yards and 8 TDs on 45 attempts for Edison, though he was injured in last week's game. Cole Leimeister is 30-of-44 passing for 390 yards with 4 TDs and 2 INTs while adding 106 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Also for Edison, Coltyn Meagrow has nine catches for 135 yards with a TD, and Andy Strecker adds seven catches for 115 yards and 2 TDs.