By Joshua Morgret
On Twitter: @joshuamorgret

And just like that, the regular season is over.
Now, the fun starts.
Of the 12 teams we talk about weekly, eight made the postseason and of those eight, five have home
games. We will continue to list every team in the area until the last team in our area is eliminated from
the playoffs. Starting this week, we will switch it up a bit and list the playoff games for this Friday up
first.
Just a reminder, the first two rounds will all be played on Friday with the higher-seeded team hosting.
So, for schools like Columbian, Carey, and Clyde, they could have two home playoff games before the
switch to neutral sites. When we get to the regional semifinals, Divisions I, II, III, and V will play on
Friday while IV, VI, and VII will be on Saturday.

Week 11 schedule:
Rocky River at Tiffin Columbian
Tiffin Calvert at Lima Central Catholic
Riverdale at Carey
Seneca East at Hopewell-Loudon
Galion at Bellevue
Firelands at Clyde
Upper Sandusky at Clear Fork

High school football

Tiffin Columbian (8-2) – I was at Frost-Kalnow Stadium as the Tornadoes got things back on track
with a 41-0 thumping of Norwalk to finish up the regular-season last week. Columbian scored early
and often against the winless Truckers, bouncing back nicely after the tough loss at Perkins in Week 9.
For the season, Brayden Roggow has completed 143-of-226 passes for 1,810 yards and 21 touchdowns.
On the ground, Damien Brockington continues to have a fantastic year, running 193 times for 1,431
yards and 23 touchdowns. The passing and rushing attack of Columbian was very even on Friday
against Norwalk and if the Tornadoes can continue to do that, the offense will be hard to stop. Jack
Koerper paces the wide receivers with 53 catches for 657 yards and seven touchdowns while Bryce
Roggow has come on strong with 31 receptions for 403 yards. Brady Gooding has hauled in 18 catches
with nine of them going for touchdowns. After missing the playoffs in coach Judd Lutz’s first season,
this year marks the fifth straight appearance for the Tornadoes. Columbian hosts Rocky River (4-6)
tomorrow night to open the playoffs and should be a heavy favorite to advance to the next round. The
Pirates lost their first three games of the season, went 4-1 in a five-week stretch, but then lost their last
two games of the season. The winner of this will face either (7) Medina Buckeye or (10) Parma Padua.
If Columbian tops Rocky River, the game will be played at Frost-Kalnow.
Season status: vs. 15 Seed Rocky River, Division III Region 10 playoffs

Tiffin Calvert (6-4) – The Senecas turned a one-possession game in the third quarter into a blowout win
over Lakota, 55-14. Calvert started the year 3-3, but went 3-1 in the last four games with the lone loss
coming by just a field goal against Hopewell-Loudon. Harry Shultz has completed 117-of-223 passes
for 1,683 yards and 17 touchdowns this season while Jacob Rombach has run the ball 99 times for 583
yards. Rombach (eight TDs), Cal Warnement (seven), and Shultz (seven) have each gotten into the end
zone plenty of times on the ground for the Senecas. Calvert will be making its third playoff appearance
in five seasons under Steve Reser, but is still searching for its first playoff win since 2017. After starting the season 0-3 on the road, Calvert won its last two games away from Frost-Kalnow Stadium.
That should bode well for the Senecas as they hit the road to face (4) Lima Central Catholic (6-4) to
open the playoffs tomorrow night, but the task is large for the Seneca. LCC won four straight games –
including a 31-8 romp over Hopewell-Loudon – before dropping its season finale against Fort Loramie
last week. The Thunderbirds will be fast and explosive. Getting some stops and getting off the field
quickly will be key for Calvert.
Season status: at Lima Central Catholic, Division VII Region 26 playoffs

Carey (10-0) – Oh look, another huge win for Carey. It’s almost become expected of the Blue Devils
after a 56-12 blasting of Seneca East last week to officially win the Northern 10 Athletic Conference
title outright. Carey is the top seed in its region and will be a favorite to win it again this year. We don’t
want to look too far ahead, but Marion Local and Kirtland are also Division VI this year, so some
monster matchups could be awaiting later in November. The Blue Devils have again relied heavily on
its running game and defense to pace the team this year. As a group, Carey has run the ball 432 times
for 2,778 yards and 41 touchdowns while allowing a total of 162 yards rushing on the ground. The Blue
Devils will open the postseason at home against Riverdale (5-5), a team that lost its opener, won four in
a row, lost four in a row, and won its Week 10 game against Arcadia to grab the last spot in the region.
After no playoff appearances from 2012-2016, the Blue Devils have played in the playoffs in each of
coach Jonathon Mershman’s six seasons. The winner of this will be in a battle the next week, hosting
either (8) Colonel Crawford or (9) Margaretta, two really good teams. Carey has a close 7-3 win over
CC earlier this season.
Season status: vs. Riverdale, Division VI Region 22 playoffs

Seneca East (7-3) – Speaking of the Tigers, it was another tough loss to a really good team in its league
when they fell 56-12 to Carey last week. Seneca East has thrived in close games this year, but have
taken big losses on the chin against Colonel Crawford and Carey. The Tigers finish as runners-up to
Carey in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, but will have to bounce back on the road to open the
playoffs. Playoff appearances have become the expected for the Tigers, having made it in now eight
years in a row under coach Ed Phillips. Quarterback Blake Foos has made his push for N10 Player of
the Year, completing 167-of-281 passes for 2,020 yards and 21 touchdowns while running 199 times
for 1,071 yards and 14 touchdowns. The offense clearly starts and stops with Foos. At wide receiver,
Austin Perry leads the league with 59 receptions for 616 yards and five scores. Seneca East will face a
familiar opponent – old Midland Athletic League rival Hopewell-Loudon – to open the playoffs
tomorrow night. H-L is led by Evan Kreais’ 148-of-228 passes for 2,076 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Season status: at Hopewell-Loudon, Division VI Region 22 playoffs

Mohawk (4-6) – The Warriors finished 17th in their region, but only the top-16 make the playoffs,
meaning Mohawk’s streak of five straight playoff appearances is over. The Warriors did what they
could do, beating Bucyrus, 26-7, but it wasn’t enough playoff points to make it in. Mohawk really
needed one more big win to get in at 5-5, but all six losses were to playoff teams (Calvert, Hopewell-
Loudon, Gibsonburg, Carey, Seneca East, and Colonel Crawford). Of the four wins by Mohawk, only
one came against a playoff team (Upper Sandusky), but the lack of a big win hurt the Warriors in the
long run. For the season, Ben Bogner completed 110-of-224 passes for 1,319 yards while running 103
times for 545 yards. Jace Margraf added 67 rushes for 431 yards and Zaiden Fry tallied 45 receptions
for 578 yards and 53 rushes for 336 yards while missing a game. Before the season, coach Eric Daniel
told me a .500 record should the bare minimum when it comes to expectations, but the Warriors didn’t
even get to that mark this year. It will be an interesting and long offseason for the Warriors.
Season status: Season complete

Lakota (2-8) – Another team that didn’t have their season go they really thought it would be were the
Raiders. Injuries and questions about the most effective offense hampered Lakota the entire season.
After a Week 1 win over Monroeville, the Raiders only picked up a Week 8 win over Fremont SJCC
the rest of the way. CJ Biddle was the original starter when I talked to coach Mike Lento, but the
Raiders switched to Grant Bomer right before the Monroeville game. After just a few games, Bomer
was hurt and missed the rest of the season, forcing Lakota to switch back to Biddle. For the season,
Biddle completed 62-of-128 passes for 688 yards and six touchdowns while running 128 times for 799
yards and seven scores. Micah Williams added 78 rushes for 375 yards on the ground while Chase
Dussel hauled in 33 passes for 400 yards and four scores. It’s the worst win-loss record for Lento at
Lakota, so the Raiders have a lot of work to do between now and next August.
Season status: Season complete

For other high school football teams in the area:
Clyde (7-3) topped Route 20 rival Bellevue (6-4), 13-12… Hopewell-Loudon (8-2) pounded
Gibsonburg for the Sandusky Bay Conference River division title, 40-13… Upper Sandusky (5-5)
topped Wynford, 17-14, earning its first playoff spot since 2012 and just second since 2004… Fostoria
(2-8) made it two wins in its last three games by topping Lake, 34-27… and Buckeye Central (3-7)
took one on the chin at Colonel Crawford, 42-7.

Current season status for those other teams in the area:
Bellevue – vs. Galion, Division IV Region 14 playoffs
Buckeye Central – Season complete
Clyde – vs. Firelands, Division III Region 10 playoffs
Fostoria – Season complete
Hopewell-Loudon – vs. Seneca East, Division VI Region 22 playoffs
Upper Sandusky – at Clear Fork, Division IV Region 14 playoffs

College football
Heidelberg (5-2) – After a bye week, the Student Princes got back to action last week while celebrating
Homecoming. Heidelberg got behind 21-0 thanks to three first-quarter turnovers, but stormed back and
topped Marietta, 29-21. I was at Hoernemann Stadium for the game and the MVP of the game had to
go to Branden Steckel, who tied a conference record and set a career high with five field goals. The
Student Princes had explosive offense the last three quarters, but stumbled once inside the red zone. All
five times he was called upon, Steckel was money for Heidelberg. The game saw the return of Drew
Sims and running back Montavious Yearby. Neither started, but both went into the game once the
Student Princes got behind 14-0. Heidelberg coach Scott Donaldson seemed to hint there was a plan in
place for their return, but me thinks the plan went out the window with the horrible start the Student
Princes had. Sims completed 15-of-33 passes for 342 yards while Yearby ran 24 times for 160 yards.
It’s easy to see why they are the starters for Heidelberg. The Student Princes hit the road to take on
Wilmington (3-4), who has been outscored 156-3 in its last three games after a 3-1 start to the season.
Next up: at Wilmington, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Tiffin (4-3) – The Dragons suffered their first conference loss of the season when they fell to No. 6
Ashland, 28-20. The Eagles went wire-to-wire with the lead after a scoreless first quarter. Ashland has
proven itself to be the best team in the conference and one of the best in the country. Against the
Eagles, quarterback Christian Carter completed 14-of-20 passes for 209 yards while Devin Nelson
paced the running backs with 13 carries for 57 yards. Tiffin was just 2-of-11 on third-down conversions
and 1-of-2 on fourth-down tries. Ashland got 27 carries for 124 yards from Larry Martin to help win the time of possession battle for Ashland. The Dragons have a lot of pride to play for yet and the slim
chance of sharing a league title if someone can knock off Ashland. Tiffin has two more home games in
the final three including rival Findlay on Nov. 12.
Next up: vs. Northwood, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Volleyball
The OHSAA state tournament is rolling along with the teams left in our area playing district final
matches tonight across the area. I’ve again had volleyball matches every night this week and will be in
Willard tonight when Seneca East battles Monroeville in a rematch of a regular-season meeting that
Seneca East won.
Calvert will take on Fremont SJCC for the Fremont Ross district championship tonight. The Senecas
have a pair of sweep wins over SJCC already this season, but the Crimson Streaks have played better
this year. I really grouped them in with Danbury, Old Fort, Hopewell-Loudon, and Lakota for most of
the season, but SJCC is the only one still playing in that group. Senior Hannah Miller was named the
Sandusky Bay Conference River division most outstanding player earlier this week and the Senecas
have big aspirations of playing into November on their mind.
Another district title rematch tonight sees Mohawk and Carey face off at Riverdale High School.
Mohawk has two wins in four sets apiece over the Blue Devils, but you never know what to expect in a
third meeting. Carey had to outlast Hopewell-Loudon in five sets Tuesday just to get to this point.
Emily Klopp continues to pace the Warriors with almost 400 kills this year while twin sophomores
Parker and Paige Vackert top Carey this season. The Blue Devils have just two seniors on their roster.
As I mentioned up top, I’ll be at Willard tonight as a pair of 20-4 teams battle with Seneca East and
Monroeville taking the court. The Tigers topped Monroeville in four sets way back on Aug. 29 on a
Monday night, so don’t take much stock in that. The Eagles swept Buckeye Central and Seneca East
clobbered Lucas in Tuesday’s district semifinals, so this one should be a dandy. Madelyn Boes leads
the Tigers with right around 300 kills while Haley Boes is over 150 kills on the year. Both teams have a
plethora of big hitters, so it could come down to who can make more defensive plays. Monroeville is a
tremendous defensive team under coach Kendra Snook, who won her 300th career match against BC.

Here’s a look at each team in the area in terms of who they play next or if their season is over:
Calvert (22-2): vs. Fremont SJCC, tonight, 6 p.m. at Fremont Ross
Mohawk (23-1): vs. Carey, tonight, 6 p.m. at Riverdale
Carey (18-6): vs. Mohawk, tonight, 6 p.m. at Riverdale
Seneca East (20-4): vs. Monroeville, tonight, 6 p.m. at Willard
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 league standings. The conference records are final while overall record for some will
continue to change until all teams are eliminated from the postseason.
SBC Lake
Team – conference record – overall record
Vermilion – 12-0 – 21-3
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 – 22-2
Danbury – 11-5 – 16-7
Fremont SJCC – 11-5 – 16-8
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 – 23-1
Colonel Crawford – 10-4 – 19-5
Seneca East – 10-4 – 20-4
Carey – 9-5 – 18-6
Buckeye Central – 8-6 – 12-12
Wynford – 4-10 – 9-14
Bucyrus – 1-13 – 9-14
Upper Sandusky – 1-13 – 8-16