By Joshua Morgret
On Twitter: @joshuamorgret

Playoffs… PLAYOFFS?
Yes, the first week of the playoffs is in the book.
We had five teams in our area move on to the second week of the playoffs and three of them will be
hosting games for a second week in a row.
It’s interesting to see the match-ups at this point considering this used to be where the playoffs would
start. Seeds did well in the regions we look at, so there should be a tremendous amount of games this
week around the area.
Remember next week is when the games go to neutral sites and the divisions split between Friday and
Saturday. Divisions I, II, III, and V will play on Friday while IV, VI, and VII will be on Saturday.
For volleyball, the regional semifinals are tonight and we have two teams playing in the same region.
Which two and where are they? Keep reading!
Week 12 football schedule:

Parma Padua at Tiffin Columbian
Colonel Crawford at Carey
Hopewell-Loudon at Columbia Station
Bellevue at Cleveland Glenville
Norton at Clyde

High school football

Tiffin Columbian (9-2) – If there were any first-round playoff jitters, the Tornadoes got them out
quickly by thrashing Rocky River, 41-7. Columbian led from the get-go and had no issues with the
Pirates. Quarterback Brayden Roggow completed 13-of-17 passes for 264 yards for Columbian while
Damien Brockington ran 14 times for 167 yards on the ground. Again, that balanced attack is so very
critical and efficient for the Tornadoes. If you can force a team to do one or the other, it’s much easier
to shut them down defensively. So far, very few teams have been able to do that against Columbian.
For the season, Roggow has completed 156-of-243 passes for 2,074 yards and 24 touchdowns while
Brockington adds an impressive 207 carries for 1,598 yards and 25 touchdowns. Those numbers are
remarkable and both will likely be getting a plethora of postseason awards in the next few weeks. Jack
Koerper had four catches for 111 yards against Rocky River, giving him 57 receptions for 768 yards
and 10 touchdowns on the season. By virtue of finishing in the top-4 of Division III Region 10, the
Tornadoes will get another home game this week in the second round of the playoffs where they will
face Parma Padua (6-5). Despite being over by Cleveland, the Bruins share a common opponent with
Columbian in Sandusky. Columbian topped the Blue Streaks, 41-6 while Padua slipped by Sandusky,
42-35. The winner of this will face either (3) Clyde or (6) Norton at a neutral site next week in the
regional semifinals.
Season status: vs. Parma Padua, Division III Region 10 playoffs, second round

Tiffin Calvert (6-5) – The Senecas knew they had an uphill climb against Lima Central Catholic and
the woes came to fruition in a 41-14 loss to the Thunderbirds. Calvert showed flashes of great play this
season – opening the season 2-0 and later topping Berne Union and Buckeye Local in consecutive
weeks by a total of 95-14. But, inconsistencies at times perhaps kept the Senecas from being an elite
team. They took Hopewell-Loudon deep into the fourth quarter, but also had blowout losses to St. Paul,
Gibsonburg, and Margaretta. For the season, quarterback Harry Shultz completed 117-of-223 passes for
1,683 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Jacob Rombach finished with 99 carries for 583
yards and eight scores while Cal Warnement added 71 rushes for 499 yards and eight TDs. Billy Clouse led the receivers with 38 catches for 736 yards and seven touchdowns. Calvert had a sizeable increase
in numbers this season, taking them from mumbles of 8-man football to a solid football program with
over 40 kids out to play. Coach Steve Reser will want to see those numbers remain or even increase
before the 2023 season.
Season status: Season complete

Carey (11-0) – Oh look, another huge win for Carey. Yes, that was the same exact thing I put at the
beginning of last week’s recap for the Blue Devils, but it was the status quo with a 49-6 bashing of
Riverdale. But I would also like to go back and revisit something I said a few weeks ago in that
BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP. With the win, Carey will face Colonel Crawford – yes, that
Colonel Crawford that the Blue Devils barely beat, 7-3, in the regular season – in the next round of the
playoffs. It is a matchup of the two best teams in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, but the biggest
difference in this meeting against that meeting is tomorrow night will be at Carey. For the season, the
Blue Devils are up to 464 carries for 3,024 yards and 47 touchdowns on the ground, but the Eagles’
numbers aren’t far behind at 398 attempts for 2,628 yards and 38 touchdowns. Carey quarterback
Lance Rickle runs the offense and runs it well. He has completed 54-of-96 passes for 1,013 yards and
10 touchdowns while running the ball 104 times for 870 yards and 12 touchdowns. Colonel Crawford
is also led by its quarterback – Kamryn Lohr – who has completed 76-of-132 passes for 1,482 yards
and 21 TDs while running 85 times for 584 yards. Matt Clinard is the Eagles’ top rusher with 115
attempts for 737 yards and 11 touchdowns. The winner of this will face either (4) West Salem
Northwestern or (5) Columbus Grove in the regional semifinals.
Season status: vs. Colonel Crawford, Division VI Region 22 playoffs, second round

Seneca East (7-4) – The cardiac kids didn’t quite have one more miracle in them as the Tigers fell to
Hopewell-Loudon, 25-14, in the first round of the Division VI Region 22 playoffs. Seneca East had a
wild season with late rally wins against Northwood, Fostoria, Upper Sandusky, Mohawk, and Wynford,
but also lost decisively to Colonel Crawford and Carey. It was the eighth straight playoff appearance
for the Tigers under coach Ed Phillips after just one appearance over the previous 15 years. Blake Foos
had a tremendous year, completing 179-of-299 passes for 2,187 yards and 22 touchdowns while
carrying the ball 219 times for 1,159 yards and 15 scores. He will be a big returner for next season for
the Tigers. His top target was Austin Perry, who had 60 receptions for 622 yards, but graduates. Caden
Fritz and Bryler Beamer will be among the favorites to step into Perry’s role next year. The Northern
10 Athletic Conference is tough yearly, but so improvement in the offseason will be needed to keep the
tradition Seneca East has birthed going.
Season status: Season complete

Clyde (8-3) – We want to bring up a couple teams to replace Mohawk and Lakota who didn’t make the
playoffs. The one that stood out to me that has been playing well lately is Clyde. The Fliers were 4-3
after seven weeks and were coming off of one-sided losses to Perkins and Columbian, but Clyde has
won its last four games including a big 63-35 win over Firelands last week to open the playoffs. The
Fliers were looking at being on the bubble of the top-4 in Division III Region 10 going into a Week 10
game at Bellevue, but by defeating the Redmen, Clyde shot all the way into third and will host Norton
(9-2) this week in the playoffs. Clyde has a tremendous quarterback in Abe Morrison, who has
completed 152-of-245 passes for 1,837 yards and 14 touchdowns. His top receiver is Cole Schwochow,
who has hauled in 50 passes for 706 yards while Jay Plummer has 22 receptions for 271 yards. On the
ground, Morrison has 134 rushes for 554 yards and 10 scores while Clark Norman is up to 68 attempts
for 290 yards and 10 TDs. The Fliers are one win away from possible meeting Tiffin Columbian in the
regional semifinals. The Tornadoes blasted Clyde, 35-7 in Week 7.
Season status: vs. Norton, Division III Region 10 playoffs, second round

Upper Sandusky (5-6) – Another team we want to give a little love to before the season wraps up is
Upper Sandusky. The Rams had an incredible four-week stretch to end the regular-season before being
overpowered by Clear Fork in the first round of the playoffs. Upper Sandusky first knocked off Colonel
Crawford on the road in overtime before blasting Buckeye Central in Week 8. Then, the Rams took
Carey into deep waters in the fourth quarter before coming up just short against the defending state
champions. Upper Sandusky then defeated Wynford in Week 10 to secure just its second earned playoff
birth since 2004 and first since 2012. The five wins are the most in a season for the Rams since a 7-4
mark in that 2012 playoff season. Kaden Holman completed 199-of-334 passes for 2,484 yards and 19
touchdowns this season and will be back for his senior campaign next year. Levi Lamb topped Upper
Sandusky with 177 carries for 790 yards and five scores while Holman added 100 rushes for 365 yards
and 10 TDs. Evan Hill led the receivers with 64 catches for 860 yards and eight touchdowns while
Gavin Frey added 59 catches for 520 yards. Also for the Rams, Ethan Hill tallied 42 receptions for 771
yards and seven touchdowns. Gavin Frey and Ethan Hill should be a formidable 1-2 combo next season
for Holman.
Season status: Season complete

For other high school football teams in the area:
Bellevue (7-4) defeated Galion, 40-9 to advance to the second round of the Division IV Region 14
playoffs… Hopewell-Loudon (9-2) defended home field in a 25-14 win over Seneca East… Buckeye
Central, Fostoria, Lakota, and Mohawk were done before this week.
Current season status for other teams in the area:
Bellevue – vs. Cleveland Glenville, Division IV Region 14 playoffs, second round
Buckeye Central (3-7) – Season complete
Fostoria (2-8) – Season complete
Hopewell-Loudon – at Columbia Station, Division VI Region 22 playoffs, second round
Lakota (2-8) – Season complete
Mohawk (4-6) – Season complete

College football

Heidelberg (6-2) – The Student Princes picked up a good road win over Wilmington (3-5), 57-7.
Heidelberg scored the first two touchdowns of the game on a Drew Sims pass to Oliver Kelleher and
Montavious Yearby run before Wilmington responded with a score. But then, it was all Student Princes
the rest of the way with the next and final 43 points of the game. Sims and Yearby are completely back
for Heidelberg and they continue to lead the way offensively for the Student Princes. Sims completed
12-of-17 passes for 160 yards and four touchdowns while Yearby ran 13 times for 107 yards. Dimitri
Penick led the receivers with four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Heidelberg has a tough game
with Baldwin Wallace (6-2) next. The Yellow Jackets have losses to Mount St. Joseph and John Carroll
with Mount Union waiting next week. Heidelberg will be a prohibitive favorite in its final game at
Capital, so this is a chance to possibly finish the season 8-2. It’s also Senior Day and Veterans
Appreciation Day at Hoernemann Stadium, so get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather as the
Student Princes face a tough opponent.
Next up: vs. Baldwin Wallace, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Tiffin (5-3) – The Dragons made it 2-for-2 for local college teams when they laid the smack down on
Northwood, 48-3. Tiffin scored the first 34 points of the game before the Timberwolves mustered just a
field goal in the third quarter. Christian Carter completed 12-of-19 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown while Devin Nelson had a big game with 10 carries for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Nelson has typically been the second running back for the Dragons this season behind Darius Pinnix, but showcased his abilities against Northwood. Tiffin will make the long trek down to Kentucky Wesleyan (2-7) and face a not-so-good Panthers team. After that, the Dragons will wrap up their season at home against rival Findlay, which is always a big game for both teams.
Next up: at Kentucky Wesleyan, 4:00 p.m. Saturday

Volleyball
The OHSAA state tournament is rolling along with the teams left in our area playing regional semifinal
matches tonight at Elida. Both teams we have left are opposite of each other in the regional, meaning if
both win tonight, they could face each other. I’m also here to admit I had some faults when talking
volleyball. What did I do wrong? Read on…

Calvert will take on Convoy Crestview in the regional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. at Elida tonight. The
Senecas swept Fremont SJCC for a third time last week to win their fifth straight district championship.
The Knights certainly challenge themselves with a solid schedule against the likes of New Bremen,
Coldwater, Leipsic, Bluffton, Allen East, Celina, and Russia. Crestview won its conference in
undefeated fashion – just like Calvert. The Senecas have won six matches in a row since the non-league
loss to Toledo St. Ursula. Calvert has lost just six sets all year and five of them came in their two
losses. Junior Caroline Lanicek paces Calvert with 257 kills while junior Camryn Shook has 242 kills.
Right behind them is Sandusky Bay Conference River division player of the year Hannah Miller with
219 kills. In her first year setting, Olivia Miller has dished up 759 assists against just 13 errors. Ceceila
Palm leads Calvert with 244 digs while Hannah Miller adds 231 digs.

Now I’m ready to admit my mistake. When considering the possibility of a Calvert vs. Mohawk
regional final, I never took into consideration the team that topped Mohawk in a Division IV district
final last week – Carey. After two losses to Mohawk in the regular season, the Blue Devils turned it
around and topped Mohawk in four sets to take the Riverdale district. Carey is 7-1 in its last eight
matches after a road loss to Buckeye Central. What stands out to me about the Blue Devils is the youth.
Carey has just two seniors in Tristen Courtad and Julia Brodman, so they are getting a plethora of
contributions from players that will be on the court next year. Sophomore Parker Vackert leads Carey
with 336 kills while junior Kelsey Bursby has 223 kills. Other formidable hitters include junior Rylee
Row (127 kills), junior Macy Hoepf (119), Payton Vackert (118), and Brodman (103). Leading Carey
in assists is Payton Vackert with 505 assists while Parker Vackert has 363 assists. The Blue Devils will
have another tough challenge ahead against Hicksville (21-4) in the first regional semifinal at Elida
tonight at 6 p.m.

The other team in the area that played last week was Seneca East. The Tigers came up short against
Monroeville in four sets. Seneca East actually finished the first set strong and took the opener, but the
Eagles took over from there and won the last three sets. Senior Madelyn Boes led Seneca East with 307
kills this year while sophomore Haley Boes tallied 156 kills. Senior Hillary Bogner added 155 kills,
senior Ryleigh Stanley had 136 and junior Caroline Kagy registered 118 kills. There’s some solid
hitters coming back, but replacing those seniors – especially Madelyn Boes – will be big for the Tigers
next season. Stanley added 447 assists while Alaina Chapman contributed 359 assists for Seneca East.
It will be interesting if the job belongs solely to Chapman next season or if coach Greg Hendrix goes
with two setters against next year.

Here’s a look at each team in the area in terms of who they play next or if their season is over:

Calvert (23-2): vs. Convoy Crestview, tonight, 7:30 p.m. at Elida
Carey (19-6): vs. Hicksville, tonight, 6 p.m. at Elida
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 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 – 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