Ashland 35, Madison Comprehensive 7
In the game between Ashland and Madison Comprehensive, Ashland emerged victorious with a final score of 35-7.
Quarterback Nathan Bernhard played a crucial role in Ashland's success, showcasing his skills with a 74-yard touchdown pass to running back Gabe Baith, a 12-yard pass to Baith, and a 19-yard touchdown pass again to Baith. Additionally, running back Cayden Spotts contributed with a 19-yard run, and Bernhard connected with wide receiver Michael Franz for a spectacular 77-yard touchdown pass.
Bernhard was named the player of the game, displaying exceptional performance stats, including a 100% completion rate, 208 passing yards, zero interceptions, and three touchdown passes. Baith had two receptions for 93 receiving yards, averaging an impressive 46.5 yards per catch, and scoring two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Franz made four receptions for 97 receiving yards, averaging 24.3 yards per catch, and tallying one touchdown.
In terms of overall yardage, the Ashland Arrows gained a total of 295 yards, with 208 passing yards and 87 rushing yards. Madison Rams managed 181 total yards, comprising 40 passing yards and 141 rushing yards.
When it came to third-down conversions, the Arrows successfully converted 1 out of 5 attempts, had one turnover, one fumble, and no interceptions. The Rams achieved 2 out of 10 third-down conversions, had one turnover, one fumble, and no interceptions during the game.
Ashland, who also defeated Mount Vernon on Sept. 15. will visit Mansfield to play against the Tygers this Friday.
Lexington 10, Mansfield Senior 37
The Lexington Minutemen faced a tough loss in their home conference game against the Mansfield Senior Tygers, falling 37-10. Mansfield wasted no time in asserting their dominance, with Duke Reese scoring a 30-yard touchdown scramble early in the game, giving the Tygers a 7-0 lead. Reese continued to shine with a 13-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 14-0. Mansfield's quarterback, Jamir Petty, added to the onslaught with a 28-yard rushing score, making it 21-0.
However, the Minutemen showed resilience as Joe Caudill connected with Brayden Fogle for a spectacular 65-yard passing touchdown, narrowing the gap to 21-7 by the end of the first quarter. Lexington managed to add more points in the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal by Will Perkins, reducing Mansfield's lead to 21-10. But the Tygers remained determined, as Reese found Nate Dismuke for a 25-yard receiving touchdown, extending their lead to 28-10 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Lexington's defense made a notable play with a sack by Daylan McGinty for safety, earning two crucial points for the Minutemen. Mansfield held a 30-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Tygers continued to dominate, with Reese connecting with Ja'ontay O'bryant for a 14-yard pass touchdown, solidifying their lead at 37-10.
Despite Lexington's late-game efforts, O'bryant's interception in the end zone sealed the victory for the Mansfield Tygers, with a final score of 37-10.
New Philadelphia 35, Mount Vernon 10
The New Philadelphia Quakers' defense dominated the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets, resulting in a 35-10 victory at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium.
New Philadelphia's Etnie Richardson had a standout game, amassing 189 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns on 27 carries.
In the first quarter, Junior quarterback Keaton Fausel scored the opening points for New Philadelphia with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Owen Schoelles in the back left corner of the end zone. Following a penalty against the Yellowjackets, Richardson added two more points for the Quakers with a successful two-point conversion run, bringing the score to 8-0 in favor of New Philadelphia.
Mount Vernon managed to respond with a Gabe Montoya field goal in the first quarter, narrowing the score to 8-3, but they were unable to get any closer. New Philadelphia led comfortably at halftime with a score of 22-3 and extended their lead to 28-3 with just a minute remaining in the game, ultimately sealing their victory.
Mount Vernon, quarterback Jake Taylor had a completion percentage of 36.4%, accumulating 39 passing yards but with one interception and no touchdowns. Quarterback Mason Richards made three carries, gaining 32 rushing yards at an impressive 10.7 yards per carry rate, and scoring one touchdown. Running back Mavrik Gregory carried the ball seven times, amassing 67 rushing yards at a rate of 9.6 yards per carry and also scoring one touchdown.
Overall, Mount Vernon gained a total of 107 yards, with 30 yards through the air and 77 on the ground. In contrast, New Philadelphia showcased a dominant performance with 413 total yards, including 135 passing yards and a substantial 278 rushing yards.
When it came to third-down conversions, the Yellowjackets managed to convert 3 out of 10 attempts, experienced one turnover, and had no fumbles but one interception. The Quakers, on the other hand, converted 2 out of 7 third downs, experienced one turnover, and had one fumble, but no interceptions.
With their current record at 4-2, the Quakers are now preparing for their upcoming game, where they will hit the road to face Madison Comprehensive in an Ohio Cardinal contest scheduled for Friday, Sept. 29.
West Holmes 43, Wooster 40
The West Holmes varsity football team secured a hard-fought victory over Wooster. The game began with the Generals kicking off to the KnightsWest Holmes, and the first score of the match came courtesy of West Holmes, who found the end zone with a rushing touchdown, taking an early 6-0 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Morgan Smith emerged as the game's standout performer, spearheading West Holmes' pivotal drive with a 74-yard rushing effort that propelled them to a 43-40 lead. Smith's remarkable contributions included four rushing touchdowns and a well-executed shovel pass to Kyle Maltarich, who had also scored the game's opening touchdown with a 22-yard run just 50 seconds into the match. Smith consistently produced substantial gains, with an impressive nine of his 27 rushing attempts resulting in gains of 10 yards or more.
Throughout the evening, both teams demonstrated their competitiveness, resulting in a halftime deadlock at 21-21. It was a back-and-forth game but West Holmes Knights still managed to end the game with a final score of 43-40 in their favor.
On Friday, West Holmes will have a match against Lexington and Wooster will play against Mount Vernon.
