UTICA – A Licking County League rematch is set for the first round of the OHSAA Division V playoffs Saturday night at 7 p.m., when Utica travels to Johnstown.
The winless Redskins put three touchdowns on the board in their first meeting with the Johnnies (4-2, 4-1) in the second week of the regular season. The Johnnies won that game 49-21.
This time, Utica coach Charlie Rowley is looking for his team to spend more time controlling the football and keeping it out of the hands of the Johnnies, who have scored 143 points this season.
“They're a really good team that we’ve already seen this year,” Rowley said. “They’re stout and solid on all phases of the game. We just have to put some drives together and maintain them. That would really help our defense out. (Johnstown) has a tough running game and a great offensive line up front. We just have to be strong on all phases. We just have to be ready and execute— defensively and offensively— and take care of the football.”
The Utica offense was completely stymied in their 48-6 loss against Newark Catholic on Oct. 2, gaining only 107 total yards and three first downs in the game. But the Redskins (0-6, 0-5) figure to do better this week.
They will need a sustained ground game and control of the football – something that was missing last week when running backs Brock Wygle and Tanner Parsons managed only six yards apiece for the game. Parsons is averaging over 5 yards per carry in 2020. Wygle and Valyn Dague are averaging over three.
Utica senior quarterback Collin McCullough managed to go 8-of-13 for 46 yards, connecting with Lincoln Valentine and Clayton Cummons three times each last week. Cummons is picking up over 20 yards per catch, and Valentine is averaging close to 15.
McCullough knows what worked the last time they faced the Johnnies.
“We were confident,” McCullough said. “We knew what we had to do. We prepared well. We were taught well. We knew what we had to do to get it done.”
The Johnnies, who have lost two of their last three, had a better time of it against Newark Catholic, pulling out a 13-10 overtime win in the opening week of the season.
Senior running back Wes Myers ran for 200 yards against Utica earlier this season. Quarterback Joe Sahr is also a threat to run, but he has a pair of great passing targets too. At tight end is Jake Lusk, a 6-4, 245-pound senior who is on his way to the Naval Academy when he graduates. And wideout Brandon McConnell is a deep threat for the Johnnies.
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