By Joshua Morgret
On Twitter: @joshuamorgret
On Instagram: @joshuamorgret
Like a big rig, we’re going to keep trucking along. It’s hard to believe that we are getting ready for Week 5 of the high school football regular season and it’s only the midpoint of September. By this time 48 hours from now, almost every high school football team will be half-way through the regular season. But for those that can make the magical journey to a state championship game, the season isn’t even 1/3 of the way done. Do we have another team in the area that can do that? If so, who is it?
Like last week, I’ve listed how each team in the area is doing when it comes to the playoff standings.
Again, the teams that finish in the top-8 will host first-round games. If a team is in the top 4 and wins
their first-round game, they will get the chance to host two games. Right now, Columbian, Bellevue,
and Carey would be the only teams in the area that finish in the top 4 with Clyde close behind.
I’ve also listed the high school football schedule for this coming Friday. I’ve also got a look at both
college football teams and high school volleyball in the area. Let’s get to it!
High school football
Tiffin Columbian (3-1) – The Tornadoes won their third game in a row that would have best been
served as a rollercoaster at Cedar Point. Columbian raced out to a 26-0 lead over Columbus Bishop
Watterson before falling behind 37-33 at one point. The Tornadoes re-took the lead only to see BW
march down in the closing moments of the game. But, an interception in the end zone allowed
Columbian to improve to 3-1 overall. After scoring just 14 points in a Week 1 loss to Fremont Ross (4-
0), the Tornadoes are averaging 50.0 points per game over their last three. Don’t expect that number to
dip too much with a trip to Toledo Waite (0-4) this Friday. Brayden Roggow has completed 67-of-106
passes this year for 842 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jack Koerper left Friday’s game hurt, but leads the
team with 24 catches for 308 yards and three touchdowns. Brady Gooding (11-214-6) and Bryce
Roggow (10-114-2) are also tremendous options at receiver. After Waite, the Tornadoes host Sandusky
to open Sandusky Bay Conference Lake division action.
Current playoff look: 1 st in Division III, Region 10
Tiffin Calvert (2-2) – After consecutive wins to open the season, the Senecas have been blown out in
each of the last two weeks. After a 33-6 loss at St. Paul in Week 3, Calvert dropped a 44-14 contest at
Gibsonburg last Friday. The Senecas trailed just 16-14 at halftime before being outscored, 28-0 in the
second half. Defensively, Calvert struggled with Gibsonburg running back Connor Smith, who blitzed
the Senecas for 346 yards and six touchdowns on 43 carries. Calvert is able to return to the friendly
confines of Frost-Kalnow Stadium to welcome in a struggling Fremont St. Joseph (1-3) team that has
been outscored, 94-28 since a Week 1 win. For Calvert, Harry Shultz has completed 50-of-99 passes for
625 yards while Jacob Rombach is up to 49 rushes for 292 yards and three scores on the ground. A
tough test against Margaretta (4-0) awaits next week.
Current playoff look: (tied) 14th in Division VII, Region 26
Carey (4-0) – In probably the least shocking thing of the week, Carey went on the road and beat a team
by double digits. Saying double digits probably doesn’t do justice the 42-0 shellacking the Blue Devils
laid on winless Wynford last week. That is now 19 straight wins, all by at least 12 points for Carey
since a Week 1 loss to Hopewell-Loudon to open the 2021 season. Lance Rickle is 18-of-30 for 297
yards on the season at quarterback for the Blue Devils, but the running game is gaining steam for Carey
each week. Rickle leads the way with 296 yards on 48 carries and five touchdowns while Conner Norden is close behind (45-278-5). As a team, Carey has rushed the ball 196 times for 1,140 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Blue Devils welcome in Buckeye Central (3-1) this week – a team that opened the
year 3-0, but took one on the chin against Mohawk (1-3) last week, 42-12. It’s Carey’s only home game
in a six-week span and things kick up a notch next week when the Blue Devils travel to Colonel
Crawford (4-0).
Current playoff look: 1st in Division VI, Region 22
Seneca East (3-1) – Despite three wins, Seneca East has trailed in each. Last week against Upper
Sandusky, the Tigers trailed by two touchdowns in the third quarter and still by a score with two
minutes to go. But a touchdown pass by Blake Foos and subsequent two-point conversion gave Seneca
East the lead and 41-34 win. Seneca East also trailed big in a Week 1 win over Northwood and also
against Fostoria in Week 2. Now, Seneca East welcomes in a tough Colonel Crawford (4-0) team that is
led by Kamryn Lohr at quarterback. The Tigers have a pretty good quarterback too as Foos has
completed 60-of-105 passes for 799 yards and 10 touchdowns while running 93 times for 502 yards
and six scores. It’s the third straight home game for Seneca East, who then goes on the road the next
two weeks.
Current playoff look: 8th in Division VI, Region 22
Mohawk (1-3) – The Warriors finally got the monkey off their back when they topped Buckeye
Central, 42-12. The 42 points was more than Mohawk had scored in its first three games combined.
Ben Bogner continues to improve each week for the Warriors, who really need another win this week at
Wynford (0-4) before facing Carey, Seneca East, and Colonel Crawford in consecutive weeks later this
season. Bogner has completed 34-of-73 passes for 466 yards and five touchdowns this year. On the
ground, Zaiden Fry leads the way with 192 yards on 20 rushes while Bogner (39-171) and Jace Margraf
(23-139) are close behind. The game against Wynford is the last of a four road games in five weeks to
open the season for Mohawk.
Current playoff look: 17 th in Division VII, Region 26
Lakota (1-3) – The Raiders finally return home after a three-week stretch on the road. The three weeks
away from Kansas weren’t kind to Lakota as they were outscored 82-10 in three losses. Things don’t
get much easier for the Raiders as they welcome in a high-powered and resurgent Willard (3-1) squad
that is averaging 54.5 points per game. Willard quarterback Isaac Robinson has completed 77-of-115
passes for 1,473 yards and 18 touchdowns in four games. His passing yards is more than Lakota has
gained so far (1473-921) as a team. CJ Biddle has completed 13-of-31 passes for 184 yards for the
Raiders while running 42 times for 284 yards. Micah Williams adds 36 rushes for 233 yards for Lakota.
A tough stretch for Lakota continues with games against Gibsonburg (4-0) and Margaretta (3-1) the
next two weeks too. I’ll make the four-minute drive from my house to Lakota’s football field to see
Willard vs. Lakota tomorrow night.
Current playoff look: (tied) 19th in Division VI, Region 22
For other high school football teams in the area:
Clyde clobbered Toledo Start, 44-0… Bellevue (3-1) avenged a playoff loss to Edison by topping the
Chargers, 24-21… Fostoria (0-4) was overwhelmed by Elmwood, 68-14… Hopewell-Loudon (3-1)
dispatched Lakota, 34-7… Despite two touchdowns by Manny Mullins, Buckeye Central lost to
Mohawk, 42-12… and Upper Sandusky (1-3) nearly upset Seneca East before falling, 41-34.
Current playoff look for those other teams in the area:
Bellevue – 3rd in Division IV, Region 14
Buckeye Central – 7th in Division VII, Region 25 Clyde – 5th in Division III, Region 10
Fostoria – (tied) 21st in Division IV, Region 14
Hopewell-Loudon – 12th in Division VI, Region 22
Upper Sandusky – 16th in Division IV, Region 14
This week's schedule:
Tiffin Columbian at Toledo Waite
Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic at Tiffin Calvert (on Heart of Ohio Sports Adrenaline Stream)
Buckeye Central at Carey
Colonel Crawford at Seneca East (on Heart of Ohio Sports X-Stream)
Mohawk at Wynford
Willard at Lakota
Bucyrus at Upper Sandusky
Hopewell-Loudon at Margaretta
Fostoria at Rossford
Toledo Scott at Clyde
Bellevue at Toledo Start
College football
Both Tiffin University and Heidelberg made it 2-for-2 with big wins last Saturday.
Tiffin (2-0) – I was at Frost-Kalnow Stadium last Saturday when the Dragons hosted and defeated
Ohio Dominican – a team that knocked off Great Midwest Athletic Conference preseason favorite
Findlay in Week 1 – 28-13. Tiffin got a touchdown pass from Christian Carter to Josh Lewis with two
seconds left in the half to take a 14-13 lead into the half. From there, Tiffin’s defense shut out ODU in
the second half while Carter added touchdown passes to Anthony Lowe and Jalen Thomas. Tiffin used
a 15-play, 81-yard drive that chewed 7:14 off the clock to seal the win. Carter completed 21-of-27
passes for 213 yards in the win. Tough matchups continue for the Dragons as they host No. 19
Indianapolis (1-0) Saturday at home. Tiffin is receiving votes in the poll, coming in at No. 29 this week.
Next up: vs. Indianapolis, 7 p.m. Saturday
Heidelberg (2-0) – The Student Princes went on the road for the first time this season last week and
topped Otterbein, 34-7. Heidelberg’s defense has given up just the seven points through two games
after shutting out Adrian, 31-0 in Week 1. Drew Sims kept up his spectacular play at quarterback with
24-of-32 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Dimitri Penick was the top target with nine catches
for 119 yards and two scores. No. 22 Heidelberg jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and never
looked back. I’ll be at Hoernemann Stadium this Saturday when Ohio Northern (1-1) comes to town at
7 p.m. After that, a tough trip to John Carroll awaits Sept. 24.
Next up: vs. Ohio Northern, 7 p.m. Saturday (LIVE ON HEART OF OHIO SPORTS)
Volleyball
Tiffin Calvert (11-1) and Mohawk (9-0) continue to separate themselves as the two best teams in the
area. The even better news for them is they are in separate districts and could both represent the area in
the regional round. The Senecas are led by Camryn Shook’s 109 kills. Right behind her is Caroline Lanicek with 108 kills. The offense is run by setter Olivia Miller, who has 284 assists on the season. Calvert picked up wins this week over Lakota and Norwalk St. Paul, both in straight sets. The Senecas host New Riegel tonight and Danbury next week. A big non-league challenge awaits Oct. 5 when Calvert faces Division I ranked Toledo St. Ursula at Bowling Green State University.
Mohawk, under veteran coach Eric Hoover, have continued to impress as the season goes on. The
Warriors topped fellow state-ranked Seneca East on the road Tuesday night to seize control atop the
Northern 10 Athletic Conference standings. Senior Emily Klopp paces Mohawk with 142 kills. The
Warriors travel to Colonel Crawford tonight and host Carey in a huge showdown next Tuesday.
In other N-10 action, Seneca East is still solid at 8-2 despite the loss to Mohawk while Buckeye Central
and Upper Sandusky hover around the .500 mark.
The race for what appears to be second place in the Sandusky Bay Conference River division continues
as Calvert is now two up in the loss column on everyone else with no stopping in sight. Lakota is the
closest team in the area, but it’s a jumbled mix of Lakota, Hopewell-Loudon, Fremont SJCC, and Old
Fort in spots 3-6. They’re all behind Danbury in second place. The Lakers are coached by Keith
Diebler, a former boys basketball coach at Fostoria and Upper Sandusky.
SBC Lake
Team – conference record – overall record
Perkins – 5-0 – 5-3
Vermilion – 4-0 – 8-1
Clyde – 3-2 – 8-4
Bellevue – 1-2 – 4-3
Columbian – 1-3 – 3-7
Sandusky – 0-3 – 2-6
Norwalk – 0-4 – 1-8
SBC River
Team – conference record – overall record
Calvert – 8-0 – 11-1
Danbury – 6-2 – 10-2
Lakota – 5-3 – 7-3
Hopewell-Loudon – 5-3 – 6-6
Fremont SJCC – 4-3 – 5-7
Old Fort – 4-4 – 5-6
New Riegel – 1-6 – 1-8
Sandusky SMCC – 1-7 – 2-8
Gibsonburg – 0-6 – 0-10
Northern 10 Athletic Conference
Mohawk – 5-0 – 9-0
Carey – 4-1 – 7-1
Seneca East – 3-2 – 8-2
Colonel Crawford – 3-2 – 7-2
Buckeye Central – 2-3 – 5-5
Wynford – 2-3 – 3-5
Upper Sandusky – 1-4 – 4-6
Bucyrus – 0-5 – 5-5
