By Joshua Morgret
On Twitter: @joshuamorgret

And just like that, the fall sports season came to a screeching halt.

I don't mean like slowing down from 20 miles per hour to a stop.

I mean, we were going like 60 miles per hour with high expectations and BAM, it's over.
If you would have told me Thursday when Heart of Ohio Sports owner Nate Mullins posted last week's
article that volleyball and high school football in the area would have been over Friday night by 10
p.m., I would have thought you're nuts.

But, that's exactly what happened.

Both volleyball teams in the area went down Thursday night while all five football teams lost on
Friday.

It's a weird feeling. I think we have gotten so accustomed to teams in the area doing well and even
football teams playing in the state semifinals and state championship games that when it doesn't happen, it leaves you empty. That's how I felt Friday night as I left Cleveland.

But for the last time, here's a look at how everything wrapped up last week. Again, a big thanks to Nate
for letting me share some information each and every week. Despite both colleges finishing up their
seasons Saturday, this will be the last edition of the Observer for the fall. Go out and support Tiffin and
Heidelberg this weekend.

High school football

Tiffin Columbian (9-3) – After I went to bed Thursday night, Advertiser-Tribune sports editor Matt
Nye (who was probably still working in Elida after a long night when I went to bed) said volleyball
was done all of a sudden. As I was waiting for Bellevue coach Ed Nasonti in the post-game I'll talk
about in a little bit on Friday, Columbian was the last game in the area still going on. I told Matt that
Columbian better pull one out or football was going to be done real quick (because I knew Bellevue,
Clyde, Hopewell-Loudon, and Carey had already lost). Unfortunately, the Tornadoes couldn't find the
magical finish, falling to Parma Padua, 32-28. The crazy thing is Columbian actually played pretty well against the Bruins, but just didn't have enough. Quarterback Brayden Roggow completed 19-of-34 passes for 374 yards while Damien Brockington added 29 carries for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
If you would have told me those numbers before the game, I would have figured Columbian scored 42
points in a lopsided win. But it wasn't to be on this night.

The Tornadoes exit the playoffs earlier than we really expected them to for the second year in a row. With making the state semifinals two years ago, I think a lot of people expected that again the last two years, but they haven't made the regional semifinals in either year. For the season, Roggow completed 175-of-277 passes for 2,378 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Brockington added 236 carries for 1,742 yards and 28 touchdowns. The good news for Columbian is both will be back next year for their senior seasons. For the receivers, Jack Koerper topped the Tornadoes with 65 catches for 911 yards and nine scores while Bryce Roggow came on strong with 40 receptions for 534 yards. Also, Brady Gooding added 22 catches for 433 yards and 10 TDs. Columbian will go into the off-season knowing how much explosive offense it brings back next season. The Tornadoes will look to keep the playoff tradition going it has built over the past several years under coach Judd Lutz.
Season status: Season complete

Carey (11-1) – Look, it's not that Colonel Crawford couldn't beat Carey. In fact, the Eagles gave Carey
its toughest test over the Blue Devils' 26-game winning streak when Carey topped CC, 7-3, back in
Week 6. It's that Colonel Crawford actually did it, really controlling most of the game against Carey and did it at Wentling Field to send the Blue Devils' seniors out with a loss. I won't even lie to you, I
actually thought Carey would play significantly better against the Eagles the second time and win
going away, like 28-14 or 28-7. Boy, was I wrong. After averaging 275 yards per game on the ground
through 11 wins, the Blue Devils gained just 159 yards on 41 carries against Colonel Crawford last
week. That's less than four yards a carry after putting up 6.52 yards a rush through 11 wins. That's a big
difference, especially over the course of four quarters. Quarterback Lance Rickle finished the year as
Carey's top rusher, picking up 951 yards on 121 carries with 12 touchdowns. He also completed 58-of-
108 passes for 1,076 yards and 10 scores. Also for Carey, Eli Steen ran 104 times for 627 yards and
nine touchdowns while Conner Norden added 103 rushes for 555 yards and seven TDs. The Blue
Devils surely thought another deep postseason run was in order, but suddenly, it's time for basketball
season. Carey wraps up an incredible two-year run by going 26-2 with a Division IV state
championship and a pair of undefeated runs through the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.
Season status: Season complete

Clyde (8-4) – Another team that was at home in the playoffs were the Fliers, but they came up short
against Norton, 28-13. It was another game that I was really surprised the team in our area didn’t come
out on the winning side. I’ll admit I started to wonder where Clyde and Tiffin Columbian would play in
the regional semifinals, but neither team will be there. The Fliers had an up and down season, but yet
again finish with a winning record, a playoff win, and another great season under coach Ryan Carter.
For the season, quarterback Abe Morrison completed 152-of-245 passes for 1,837 yards with 14
touchdowns while running the ball 134 times for 554 yards and 10 touchdowns. Clark Norman added
68 carries for 290 yards and 10 scores while Cole Schwochow caught 50 passes for 706 yards and four
TDs. No matter who they lose to graduation or how many players graduate, the Fliers consistently
churn out great teams and there’s nothing to indicate next season will be any different for Clyde.
Season status: Season complete

Hopewell-Loudon (9-3) – Of the five teams in the area that played last week, the Chieftains were
among two that had tough contests on the road. Hopewell-Loudon struggled against undefeated
Columbia Station and came home with a 36-6 loss to the Raiders. The Chieftains had won five in a row
since a home loss to Lima Central Catholic before the loss to Columbia. In all three of Hopewell-
Loudon’s loss, they were kept under double-digit points while scoring at least 21 points in each of the
nine wins. For the season, Evan Kreais completed 161-of-249 passes for 2,274 yards and 22
touchdowns while Braylon Martinez added 171 rushes for 987 yards and 11 touchdowns. Martinez did
a tremendous job stepping in for injured Hayden Welly, who tallied 116 rushes for 478 yards and eight
scores. H-L had a nice trio of receivers as Blake Berrier had 53 catches for 738 yards and 11
touchdowns while Jagger Endicott (42-646-5) and Martinez (44-624-4) were viable options as well.
The Chieftains will have a nice core of players back next year and will definitely look to contend for
another Sandusky Bay Conference River division championship.
Season status: Season complete

Bellevue (7-5) – The Redmen were the team that definitely had the biggest uphill climb last week with
a trip to No. 1 Cleveland Glenville. I made the trek across SR 2 as well. Bellevue played well for a
quarter before falling, 43-6 to the Tarblooders. It was definitely… different over there. The Redmen
tied the game, 6-6, late in the first quarter before Glenville scored the final 37 points of the game.
Bellevue battled major injuries this season, especially at quarterback. Deegan Horn started the year for
the Redmen before being injured. Jax LaPata came in and played well before a leg injury shut him
down the rest of the season. Ashton Martin filled in for the final few games and played well, especially
Friday at times for Bellevue. For the season, Martin completed 31-of-65 passes for 496 yards while
LaPata was 88-of-139 for 1,176 yards. Tyler Ray was the top receiver with 65 catches for 1,080 yards and six scores. Just like Clyde, the Redmen had another year with a winning record and playoff win
under veteran coach Ed Nasonti. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Season status: Season complete

Final season status for other teams in the area:

Gibsonburg (10-2) - vs (12-0) Antwerp Saturday 7pm at Liberty Center
Buckeye Central (3-7) – Season complete
Calvert (6-5) – Season complete
Fostoria (2-8) – Season complete
Lakota (2-8) – Season complete
Mohawk (4-6) – Season complete
Seneca East (7-4) – Season complete
Upper Sandusky (5-6) – Season complete

College football

Heidelberg (6-3) – Oof, that one hurt. The Student Princes were seemingly in firm control against
Baldwin Wallace, taking a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter. But, the Yellow Jackets stormed back to tie
the game in regulation and after Heidelberg scored and kicked the extra point, BW scored and
successfully converted a two-point conversion to shock the Student Princes, 21-20. That is an
extremely tough way to finish up the home slate of your season, especially for the seniors playing at
Hoernemann Stadium for the final time in their life. To play so well for 46 minutes and have it fall
apart down the stretch is painful. Drew Sims struggled at quarterback for Heidelberg, completing 8-of-
24 passes for just 76 yards. It was Montavious Yearby that had a huge game for the Student Princes,
rushing 40 times for 219 yards and the touchdown in overtime. Heidelberg will be a huge favorite in its
final game at Capital (0-9) with a chance to finish the season at 7-3. The Student Princes haven’t had a
losing season since 2009.
Next up: at Capital, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Tiffin (6-3) – The Dragons nearly matched a school-record for points in a game when they destroyed
Kentucky Wesleyan, 72-10. Tiffin led just 17-10 early in the second quarter before exploding for 38
points in the final 10:40 of the second quarter. I hear that’s pretty good. The Dragons added the next 17
points in the second half too to finish one point shy of the school-record 73 points Tiffin scored in 2007
against Missouri-Rolla. It was Drew Zaubi that took a majority of the snaps for the Dragons at
quarterback, completing 11-of-20 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns. Darius Pinnix led the
rushing attack with 18 attempts for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Devin Nelson (nine carries for 76
yards), Christian Carter, and Will Thomas each scored rushing touchdowns too. The Dragons will host
Findlay this week with a chance to finish the year 7-3. There won’t be any league title or playoff
implications on line, which is odd after the last few high-profile meetings between the two schools.
Next up: vs. Findlay, 12:00 p.m. Saturday

Volleyball

The wild and wacky weekend got started Thursday night when Carey lost to Hicksville before Calvert
lost to Convoy Crestview. I really thought there was a decent chance Carey and Calvert would play for
the regional title and that Calvert was on a collision course with No. 1 New Bremen in the state
semifinals. But, after winning the first set, Carey lost the last three sets to go down against Hicksville.
In the night cap, the Senecas lost the first set before bouncing back in Set 2. I actually picked up the
match on the radio as I was coming home from Strongsville. When Calvert won the second set, I
figured it would be Calvert comfortably in four sets. Sometimes you come out flat in the first set, sometimes the other team is playing out of its mind. But Crestview didn’t relent. When Crestview won
the third set, I knew Calvert was in trouble. Not that they’ve had many chances, but Calvert hasn’t won
a five-set match since the 2018 state championship match. The 2018 state championship match. The
last time Calvert went five sets was last year against Toledo St. Ursula at Bowling Green State
University and the Senecas came up short that night. The opportunities are so few and far between, that
actually being in a fifth set with your season on the line is difficult. Calvert won the fourth set to push it
the distance, but Crestview started strong in the fifth set and the Senecas never recovered. It’s a tough,
disappointing end to the season for Calvert. There were definitely hopes of a state championship, but
not getting out of the region or even playing for the regional title is a far cry from the desired end.

The all-Ohio teams were released this past weekend and we had some players in the area get honors.
Hannah Miller, Tiffin Calvert – 1 st -team all-Ohio
Emily Klopp, Mohawk – 1 st -team all-Ohio
Caroline Lanicek, Tiffin Calvert – 2 nd -team all-Ohio
Camryn Shook, Tiffin Calvert – honorable mention all-Ohio
Parker Vackert, Carey – honorable mention all-Ohio.
Lanicek also announced her commitment to play collegiate volleyball at Hillsdale. Congrats to her. She
will be a big piece to the Calvert team next year for her senior season.
There was also a slew of girls from opponents that teams in our area played that received recognition
(Liberty-Benton’s Karis Willow, Monroeville’s Maddie Daniel and Lilly White, McComb’s Brooklyn
Downing, and Ottawa-Glandorf’s Miya Ellerbrock just to name a few). Congrats to all the ladies that
had a fine season.

Here’s a final look at each team in the area:
Calvert (23-3): Season complete
Carey (19-7): Season complete
Mohawk (23-2): Season complete
Seneca East (20-5): Season complete
Buckeye Central (12-12): Season complete
Upper Sandusky (8-16): Season complete
Lakota (13-11): Season complete
Old Fort (14-11): Season complete
Hopewell-Loudon (11-13): Season complete
New Riegel (4-20): Season complete
Columbian (9-14): Season complete
Bellevue (13-10): Season complete
Clyde (13-11): Season complete
Fostoria (2-20): Season complete

Here are the final league and overall standings:
SBC Lake
Team – conference record – overall record
Vermilion – 12-0 – 22-3
Perkins – 8-4 – 16-9
Bellevue – 8-4 – 13-10

Clyde – 6-6 – 13-11
Columbian – 4-8 – 9-14
Norwalk – 4-8 – 7-16
Sandusky – 0-12 – 4-20
SBC River
Team – conference record – overall record
Calvert – 16-0 – 23-2
Danbury – 11-5 – 16-7
Fremont SJCC – 11-5 – 16-9
Old Fort – 10-6 – 14-11
Lakota – 10-6 – 13-11
Hopewell-Loudon – 8-8 – 11-13
New Riegel – 2-14 – 4-20
Sandusky SMCC – 2-14 – 3-19
Gibsonburg – 2-14 – 2-22
Northern 10 Athletic Conference
Mohawk – 13-1 – 23-2
Colonel Crawford – 10-4 – 19-5
Seneca East – 10-4 – 20-5
Carey – 9-5 – 19-6
Buckeye Central – 8-6 – 12-12
Wynford – 4-10 – 9-14
Bucyrus – 1-13 – 9-14
Upper Sandusky – 1-13 – 8-16