HOWARD – Week 2 of the high school football season will feature a clash between a pair of teams with an interesting recent history. East Knox hosts Northmor in Howard on Friday at 7 p.m.
Despite a sloppy first half in Week 1, the Bulldogs took down an improving Fredericktown team, 34-7.
Not to be outdone, the Golden Knights also put 34 points on the board, opening the season with a shutout win over visiting Grandview Heights.
Last year, East Knox arrived at Northmor looking to settle a score. This year, it’s the reverse. The Golden Knights will go to Chet Looney Stadium in Howard, looking to avenge the 41-0 shellacking the Bulldogs put on them in Week 6 of the 2019 season, when both teams were undefeated.
In that game, the Bulldogs scored on their first play from scrimmage— a 56-yard touchdown run by now-graduated running back Ryan Gallwitz, who went on to run the ball 24 times for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Former Bulldogs’ quarterback Kadden Lester went 18-for-22 for 130 yards and a touchdown. That win was a sweet one for the Bulldogs, who had been undefeated after six weeks in the 2018 season, only to lose to the Knights by a single point, 15-14.
“Playing (Northmor) is always a battle,” East Knox coach Cody Reese said. “We were fortunate last year. We don’t expect the same thing this year. We always expect it to be a game, going against Northmor. We’ll just prepare hard, like we always do.”
If the Bulldogs hope to gain ground yards on Northmor this week, they’ll have to do it with running back Ian Toller. He and new starting quarterback Peyton Lester both averaged more than four yards per carry last week.
The Bulldogs’ strong front five should give Lester (10-for-17, 243 yards last week) plenty of time to choose from his arsenal of receivers. Senior Weston Melick had a 70-yard touchdown reception for the Bulldogs in Fredericktown. Braden Kannady and Sam Printz each caught TD passes last week, and Shane Knepp added a pair of catches. That combination gives the Bulldogs the ability to score from anywhere on the field.
The Bulldogs were penalized eight times against the Freddies, but they can’t afford any sloppy play this week. Northmor’s defense grabbed a pair of fumbles and gave up a total of 78 yards to Grandview Heights— none via the pass.
The Knights’ offense is about ball control, featuring Max Lower (15 carries, 124 yards and two TDs last week). They rolled up 240 of their 292 total yards on the ground. Knights quarterback Marcus Cortez threw short and sparingly but completed 75% of his passes.
