Utica 41, Indian Creek 20
The Utica Redskins faced Indian Creek Sept. 16 and the Redskins turned on the offense in a 41-20 win to improve to 2-3.
Utica scored seven points in the first quarter and another seven in the second quarter, but Indian Creek scored 12 points in the second to make it a 14-12 game at halftime. While Indian Creek outscored Utica 8-7 in the third quarter, the Redskins cruised to victory with 20 points in the final frame.
Zach Heckman was 15-for-26 for 200 yards in the air, with three touchdowns and one interception, which was good for a 104.6 quarterback rating. Justin Giffin was the top running back for the Redskins, notching 16 carries for 133 yards with a 57-yard long dash and a pair of touchdowns. Tyler Collura ran the ball 12 times for 107 yards, including a 43-yard run. He also scored a touchdown.
The top receiver was Gavin Chinn, who caught six passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Collura had four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. Giffin caught two passes for 10 yards.
Defensively, Zach Cyphers was the Utica team leader in tackles with eight. Kaden Baker had three tackles, including two for a loss, and a fumble recovery. Logan Fisher and Chinn each had an interception.
Next up for Utica was a Sept. 23 matchup with Newark Catholic on the road in a conference battle.
Highland 45, Pleasant 6
Highland (3-2, 2-0) faced Pleasant (1-4, 0-2) on Sept. 16, and it was a lopsided affair with the Fighting Scots taking an easy 45-6 win in conference play.
The first quarter was 7-6 in favor of Highland, highlighted by a 28-yard interception return for a score by Hayden Kline, but the Scots caught fire in the second quarter and scored 24 unanswered points to take a 31-6 lead into halftime. Highland scored seven points in each of the next two quarters as well to complete the rout.
Leading the offense for Highland was Kolton Stover, who had a very efficient day in going 9-for-11 for 111 yards and a touchdown. This gave him a 142.6 quarterback rating on the day. Leading the rushing attack was Dane Nauman with 23 rushes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Kort Sears had five rushing attempts for 10 yards and a touchdown.
Scot receiver Hayden Kline had a touchdown catch for 53 yards. Zach Schmidt hauled in four receptions for 21 yards. Gavin Toombs had three catches for 17 yards.
Defensively, Owen Stillwell had seven tackles, including two for a loss, and a sack. Gavin Wiggand was in on 11 tackles with one for a loss. David Condron had three tackles and a sack. Zachary Church, Gavin DeBord and Hayden Kline had an interception each. Stover and Landon Pedigo had a fumble recovery each.
Next up for Highland was a conference game on the road against Marion Harding on Sept. 23.
Ashland 53, Mount Vernon 7
Mount Vernon hosted Ashland on Friday under the lights, and it was a tough matchup for the Yellow Jackets, who lost 53-7 to fall to 1-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.
It was all Ashland from the beginning who went up 20-0 after one quarter. The second quarter didn’t get any easier for the Yellow Jackets, who were down 26-0 before Layne Kuhlman tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jonny Askew for the team’s only score of the day. While it was a big play for the Yellow Jackets, it wasn’t enough to turn the momentum as Ashland tacked on another score before the half ended to go up 32-7. Ashland continued to rally with a pair of scores in the third quarter and hit a long passing play for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap off the scoring.
Kuhlman went 13-for-23 for 244 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for the Jackets. His No. 1 target was Askew, who had seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. Askew also had eight rushes for 36 yards. Karter Harris was also solid catching the ball with three receptions for 78 yards, including a 40-yard catch, which was the longest play of the day for Mount Vernon. The Jackets' top running back was Evan Owens, with 18 carries for 51 yards.
The Yellow Jackets next took on New Philadelphia at home in a non-conference matchup Sept. 23.
East Knox 14, Cardington-Lincoln 7
East Knox (2-3, 1-1) and Cardington-Lincoln (1-4, 0-2) squared off on Sept. 16 in KMAC football action, and in what was a low-scoring game, East Knox squeaked by with a 14-7 victory.
The second quarter saw all of the scoring take place. From there on, the score held, as the defenses took over.
East Knox was led by Kaiden Beach, who was 5-for-11 in the air with 134 yards passing. He also led the ground attack with 16 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown. Ashton Plowman ran the ball four times for 18 yards and caught a 27-yard pass. Kaylin Briggs had two catches for 34 yards.
Defensively for EK, Austin Vails had an interception and two tackles. Colin McAvoy had 12 tackles, including one for a loss. Ashton Plowman and Vinny Seavolt each had nine tackles. Ayden Plowman had seven tackles, including one for a loss.
East Knox took on Fredericktown next on Sept. 23. Cardington-Lincoln faced Centerburg on Sept. 23.
