Mount Vernon loses nail-biter to Newark, 35-34
It was a tight matchup between Mount Vernon and Newark on the gridiron on Aug. 26, and while Mount Vernon held a fourth-quarter lead, Newark scored in the final frame to edge out a 35-34 win. The loss puts Mount Vernon at 1-1.
Newark had a big first quarter, putting 28 points on the board compared to 14 for Mount Vernon. The Yellow Jackets scored in the first on a 28-yard pass from Joel Hubbard to Jonny Askew, and Hubbard took the ball in himself from a yard out in the second to cut Newark's lead to 28-14.
Mount Vernon’s defense woke up in the second and third quarters, holding Newark scoreless, while the Jackets scored 14 points in the third, highlighted by a 55-yard bomb from Hubbard to Askew and a 24-yard touchdown toss from the Hubbard-to-Askew combination. Evan Owens took it in from 6 yards out to make it a 34-28 game going into the fourth, but Mount Vernon missed the extra point. Newark scored a touchdown from four yards out and hit the extra point for the win.
Hubbard, the Yellow Jackets' senior quarterback, had a great day throwing the ball, going 16-for-19 with 224 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. This was good for a quarterback rating of 139.0. Hubbard also had a touchdown run at the goal line. Askew was the top rusher with nine carries for 123 yards. He was also the team’s leading receiver with nine catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Owens had eight carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, and Layne Kuhlman had five receptions for 80 yards. On defense, the two offensive leaders were strong, with Askew accumulating seven tackles and Hubbard six.
The Yellow Jackets look to get back to winning ways after the loss with a home non-conference matchup with Hayes on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.
Danville cruises to 42-0 win over Bucyrus
The Danville Blue Devils have started off the season hot with a pair of wins, the latest a 42-0 victory over Bucyrus on Aug. 26.
Running the ball was the name of the game for Danville, as the Blue Devils put up 278 yards on the ground with five touchdowns on a 7.9 yard per carry clip. Their only reception was a 16-yard pass from Walker Weckesser, who hit Aaron Mezie for a first down.
Leading the rushing attack was senior Max Payne, who carried 13 times for 124 yards, including a 55-yard run. He scored two touchdowns on the day. Weckesser had 10 rushes for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Lucas added a touchdown and had eight rushes for 43 yards. Kaiden Colopy had a big day on special teams with a punt return for 80 yards.
Defensively, Nathaniel Stevens had an interception and three tackles. Gathering sacks were Ryan Lucas, Max Payne, Joshua Byers and Landon Lyons with one apiece.
Danville looks to continue the winning ways on the road against North Union on Sept. 2, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Fredericktown runs over Northridge, 36-6
Fredericktown faced Northridge in non-conference action on August 26 and dominated from start to finish in a 36-6 win to improve to 1-1.
The Freddies were led by a rushing attack in which they put five touchdowns on the board and gained 305 yards at 8.7 yards per carry. Senior Teegan Ruhl led the charge with 198 yards on 18 carries, including three going for scores. He also had two catches for 11 yards. Defensively, he picked off a pass and tallied four tackles. Senior Kaid Carpenter had eight carries for 46 yards and a touchdown. He also had six tackles. Senior Mason Hoeflich had five carries for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Senior Ben Mast went 6-for-13 for 41 yards in the air. Senior Xavier Mullins hauled in a pair of receptions for 18 yards.
On Sept. 2, Fredericktown looks to get over the .500 mark with a home matchup against Utica at 7 p.m.
Mount Gilead falls to 1-1 with 26-6 loss to Upper Sandusky
Mount Gilead hit the gridiron on Aug. 26 coming off an opening night victory, but the Indians couldn’t ride the momentum and took their first loss of the season in a 26-6 loss to Upper Sandusky to give them a 1-1 record in the early season.
Upper Sandusky scored once in the first quarter to go up 7-0 on a Kaden Holman touchdown run from 17 yards out. Upper Sandusky scored again in the second quarter on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Holman to Ethan Hill to make it a 14-0 game. Upper Sandusky increased its lead to 20-0 with another touchdown pass to Hill, this time from 24 yards out. Mount Gilead got on the board for its only score on a 28-yard touchdown run by Matt Bland. Holman ran the ball in from 11 yards out to make it a 26-6 game and put the game out of reach.
Quarterback Matt Bland did more damage on the ground than in the air in the game with 193 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. He was 7-for-17 for 122 yards and an interception in the air. Garrett George carried 13 times for 46 yards. The top receiver was Owen High, with three catches for 71 yards.
Coach Mike Reid said he felt the team’s defense played well considering some of the tough spots turnovers put it in.
"Unfortunately, a couple of mistakes on two defensive turns led to touchdowns by Upper Sandusky," he said.
Reid said the game gave the team plenty to work on but also plenty to build on.
“We lost the turnover battle,” Reid said. “We played the ball down twice and threw an interception. We don’t win very often when we don’t take care of the ball. We moved the ball well. They did a good job neutralizing Garrett but we were able to break Matthew free a few times. We just could not finish or sustain drives tonight. Two fumbles, an interception, or just a bobbled snap or poor exchange was enough to kill a drive.”
The Elgin Comets will visit Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.
Triway uses late fourth quarter surge to beat Highland, 26-14
It was a tight game for much of the time between Highland and Triway on Aug. 26, but the Fighting Scots couldn’t fend off the Titans in the fourth quarter and fell 26-14 to even their 2022 season mark at 1-1.
Highland was up 7-6 after one quarter and 14-12 at halftime, and while both teams were held scoreless in the third quarter, Triway was able to tack on 14 points in the final frame while holding the Fighting Scots scoreless to make it a 26-14 game.
Triway capitalized on leading in time of possession and in having 21 first downs compared to 11 for Highland. However, Highland also committed 12 penalties in the game compared to only seven for Triway, setting the tone for the game.
The Fighting Scots were led by junior running back Dane Nauman, who ran the ball 23 times for 136 yards and had the game’s two touchdowns for Highland. Sophomore quarterback Kolton Stover was 12-for-21 passing for 85 yards. He also ran the ball six times for 17 yards. Hayden Kline had five catches for 31 yards, and Zach Schmidt had three catches for 32 yards. Defensively, Kline was the top performer with 11 tackles.
Highland looks to rebound this Friday against Crestview on the road with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
