Danville 28, Fredericktown 7
Walker Weckesser had a strong day throwing the ball, leading the Danville squad to a 28-7 victory Sept. 9. Danville improved to 3-1 on the season, and the Freddies fell to 2-2.
Weckesser went 7-for-14 for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns, posting a quarterback rating of 123.2 in the win. The top rusher for Danville was Max Payne, who had 14 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. Kaiden Colopy rushed for 62 yards on five carries, including a touchdown. Colopy also had five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Peyton Horn had two catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.
The Freddies were led on the field by Teegan Ruhl, who had 20 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Ben Mast was 5-for-15 in the air for 38 yards and two interceptions. He connected with Kaid Carpenter four times for 38 yards.
Fredericktown looks to get back in the win column on Sept. 16 with a home KMAC matchup against Mt. Gilead. Danville has the daunting task of facing undefeated Northmor on Sept. 16.
Mount Gilead 18, Loudonville 13
The Mount Gilead Indians hosted KMAC foe Loudonville on Sept. 9, and while the team didn’t have a single yard throwing the ball, an impressive rushing attack led to an 18-13 victory. Mount Gilead improved to 3-1 on the season with the win.
Loudonville started the scoring in the first quarter with a 72-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Zach Frankford to open the game. After Mount Gilead punted on the next possession, the Indians got the ball back on a Judah Reid interception that was returned to the Loudonville 20-yard line. Mount Gilead followed with a 3-yard touchdown run by Garrett George to make it a 7-6 game.
In the second quarter, it was a defensive struggle, but Matt Bland took a punt return into the end zone on a 65-yard return to make it a 12-7 game. Bland capped off the Mount Gilead scoring with a 1-yard run. Loudonville added a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Mount Gilead was able to lock down the win. Loudonville had the ball with 1:06 left, but Bland picked off a pass to seal the victory.
Mount Gilead was led by Bland, who had 27 carries for 173 yards and a touchdown. George had 18 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am for these boys,” said Indians coach Mike Reid. “I am so proud of their preparation and the fight they showed tonight. The defense was really lights out. I mean, neither team went for 250 total offense. That is a pretty good indication of a great defensive effort by both teams. Our offense was able to gut out a couple of drives and control the clock for the most part. It doesn’t get any easier. We have to enjoy this one for a few hours and get ready for the Freddies next Friday. We want to build on this and continue to climb. Our boys are starting to play with confidence.”
Mount Gilead travels to Fredericktown on Sept. 16 for a conference matchup under the lights.
Licking Heights 41, Utica 21
Host Utica took a 21-20 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Licking Heights scored 21 unanswered points to walk away with a 41-21 victory. The loss gives Utica a 1-3 record.
Utica started with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Chase Bennett. Leading the Indians' offense was Hayden Piper, who made the passing game count, going 12-for-23 for 148 yards. Gavin Chinn made three catches for 71 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown reception. Justin Giffin had 11 carries for 62 yards and also gained 73 yards on a screen pass in the fourth quarter. Brandon Thornsberry had three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Collar caught a pair of completions for 30 yards. He also ran the ball in from a yard out.
"The kickoff return was the perfect way to start the game," Utica coach Charlie Rowley said. "We've been pushing it at practice because I felt like we've lost the special teams battle except for in Week 1. It's been a big point of emphasis. It probably really kept us in the game.”
Utica next takes on Indian Creek at home on Sept. 16.
