Centerburg 16, Danville 11
The Centerburg Trojans (7-1, 4-0) and the Danville Blue Devils (6-2, 3-1) went head-to-head in a marquee matchup, and while the second-ranked (Div. 7, Reg. 25) Blue Devils were favored, the No. 6-ranked (Div. 5, Ref. 19) Trojans came out on top, 16-11, in a back-and-forth battle until the end.
Centerburg got on the board first with a touchdown pass from Tyler Johnson to Jesse Rings for nine yards, and Dominic Vargo hit the extra point to go up 7-0 with 10:08 left in the second quarter. With 25 seconds left in the half, Danville took the lead. Walker Weckesser connected with Max Payne for a 27-yard touchdown, and Payne passed to Blake Colopy for the 2-point conversion to make it 8-7 at the half. With 3:23 left in the third quarter, Vargo hit a 27-yard field goal. Centerburg had a 10-8 lead until 1:44 left in the game, when Danville’s Payne hit a 21-yard field goal to take a one-point lead. The advantage didn’t last long as Johnson connected on a four-yard touchdown pass to Mason Turske with 29 seconds left. Centerburg was able to hold on for the 16-11 victory.
Centerburg dominated statistically in terms of yardage, 306 to 180. The Trojans were led by Johnson, who went 19-for-29 for 180 yards in the air, with a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 55 yards on 21 carries. Caylan LeMaster ran the ball 13 times for 71 yards, and also caught three passes for 29 yards. Rings had six catches for 63 yards and Turske also caught six passes, for 47 yards.
Defensively, LeMaster had five solo tackles and eight assists. Gauge Stepp had two solos and seven assists.
Danville’s Weckesser was 5-for-8 passing for 38 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 12 times for 51 yards. Max Payne carried 18 times for 67 yards, and also caught a 27-yard pass. Wesley Payne had three catches for 20 yards. Defensively, Levi Lyons came up huge again with 12 solo tackles and nine assists for 21 tackles. Teammate Ryan Lucas was in on 16 tackles, with 12 solos.
Both teams play Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. with Centerburg taking on Northmor at home and Danville hosting Mount Gilead.
Fredericktown 34, East Knox 8
The Fredericktown Freddies (5-3, 3-1) relied heavily on the run to dominate the East Knox Bulldogs (2-6, 1-4) on Friday night, in a 31-8 win.
The Freddies posted 396 total yards of offense with 339 yards coming on the ground. East Knox finished with 266 yards with 147 passing and 119 rushing. East Knox turned the ball over on two interceptions.
Fredericktown was led by Teegan Ruhl, who continued to be a force on the ground with 31 carries for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Kaid Carpenter also had a touchdown on the ground and carried six times for 88 yards. Mason Hoeflich had nine rushes for 74 yards. Billy Woodring had one carry for a 27-yard touchdown. Ben Mast went 4-for-8 for 61 yards passing. Carpenter was his top receiver with three catches for 35 yards.
Defensively, Cameron Koelbl had seven tackles and a pair of sacks. Ruhl and Hoeflich had four tackles and an interception each. Logan Hansen had two tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
Leading East Knox was Jax Lester, who went 19-for-32 passing for 151 yards and an interception. His number-one target was Carson Steinmetz, who caught 12 passes for 93 yards. Cole Delaughder caught three passes for 37 yards. He was also solid in the ground attack with 15 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Bryar Householder led the way with 10 tackles, one going for a loss. Ryan Morton had a forced fumble in the game, which Steinmetz recovered.
Fredericktown is ranked No. 14 in Division 5, Region 18. East Knox is No. 20 in Division 6, Region 23.
The Freddies take on Cardington-Lincoln at home Friday at 7 p.m. East Knox takes on Loudonville on the road at 7 p.m. Friday.
Highland 35, Galion 21
The Highland football team (6-2, 5-0) took the Dane Nauman rushing show to face Galion on Friday night in a back-and-forth battle for much of the game, with the Fighting Scots taking a 35-21 win. Nauman didn't disappoint, gaining 279 yards on 29 carries and a pair of touchdowns, but this time out, the offense balanced with Kolton Stover passing for 65 yards and a touchdown on 9-for-14 in the air. Stover also had a rushing touchdown in the game, and the defense had several standouts.
Highland scored 14 points to start the game in the first quarter to take an early lead. Galion responded with 14 points of their own in the second quarter, but the Fighting Scots added another score to go up 21-14 at the half. Galion scored seven points in the third quarter to tie the game up, but Highland scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth to take the win.
On the receiving end for Highland, Gavin Toombs had four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Nauman had eight tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, an interception and a forced fumble. Chandler Stevens had nine tackles with three for a loss. Zachary Church had a pair of interceptions, a fumble recovery and five tackles. Zach Schmidt had four tackles and an interception. Clayton Vandyke had a forced fumble and five tackles.
Highland is ranked No. 9 in Division 5, Region 18.
Next for Highland is a road game against River Valley on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
Mount Gilead 36, Northmor 9
Mount Gilead (5-3, 3-2) faced Northmor (5-3, 2-3) in a battle of Top-10 teams, and the Indians made easy work of the Golden Knights, 36-9, highlighted by a big rushing day by Matt Bland.
This was a milestone day for the Mount Gilead rushing attack, as both Bland and Garrett George reached the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Bland now has 1,035 yards on 156 carries, and eight touchdowns. George has 154 carries for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Northmor got on the board first in the opening quarter with a 25-yard field goal, but Bland ran the ball in from one yard out and then scored the 2-point conversion to make it an 8-3 game. Northmor’s Bo Landin then caught an 18-yard pass from AJ Bower to go up 9-8, but the extra point was blocked.
In the second quarter, George ran the ball in from three yards out, and following a 2-point conversion, the Indians were ahead 16-9. Bland added another one-yard touchdown run for a 24-9 lead at the half. In the third quarter, Bland went off for a 77-yard touchdown scamper to make it 30-9, and in the final quarter, George ran the ball in from two yards out, completing a 36-9 victory.
“Northmor was able to come right back at us and score right before the end of the quarter,” Mount Gilead Coach Mike Reid said. “But in the second quarter, we were able to get them shut down and we were able to put together two long scoring drives. The defense got a huge stop at the beginning of the second half and they punted down to our 12-yard line. We got a couple first downs then Matt broke that 77-yard run and I think that sealed the deal."
Mount Gilead dominated with 367 yards rushing and only needed to rely on the pass sparingly, for 28 yards. Northmor had 89 yards passing and 52 yards rushing.
Bland ran the ball 28 times for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He also went 3-for-4 passing for 28 yards. Gabe Simpson had two catches for 17 yards, and on defense he had a pair of interceptions.
“Gabe Simpson played extremely well on defense with two interceptions, Judah Reid continued to play well with multiple tackles and a few for losses,” Reid said. “Ben Whitt had a sack-and-a-half tonight, and most importantly, Owen High did a remarkable job locking down one of their best receivers."
Northmor was led by Bower going 9-for-22 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown. Landin had a pair of receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Reid was very pleased with the win and the season that his team has put together so far.
“I can't describe how happy I am for these young men, this school, and this community,” Reid said. “This is the first time Mount Gilead has won five games since 2008. Early on they (Northmor) were giving us fits up front so I give a lot of credit and respect to Northmor. But we were able to make adjustments which opened a few things up for us.”
Northmor is No.6 and Mount Gilead is No.10 in Division 6, Region 23. Mount Gilead travels to Danville on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. and Northmor goes on the road to Centerburg, also on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
