Heart of Ohio Sports Observer Vol 3.10
Written by: Joshua Morgret
Twitter (x): @Joshuamorgret
Welcome back to the weekly Observer here on Heart of Ohio Sports.
It is here already. It being Week 10. The high school football regular season flies by and this is no exception.
It was a good week last week for our teams and I think all five are headed to the playoffs. A couple will host while a couple will be on the road. Read on to find out who is which!
I'll be at Firelands Stadium on Friday as Perkins hosts Columbian. This is just the second time I've seen the Tornadoes, so I'm curious to see how they've grown and how they compete against a really good Perkins team.
Without any further babbling, here's a look at our local teams:
The Tornadoes made it two wins in a row when they trounced Norwalk, 47-20. This was a game Columbian was heavily favored in and TC did what it needed to do. Masen Seitz was huge for the Tornadoes against Norwalk, racking up 264 yards on 28 carries with six touchdowns. Zach Shawberry added 157 yards passing with a touchdown. That's a nice offensive outburst for TC, scoring the second-most points in a game so far this season. For the season, Shawberry has completed 88-of-175 passes for 1,141 yards with 17 touchdowns while Seitz has rushed 132 times for 809 yards and 10 TDs. The top target for Shawberry continues to be Johnny Bremyer, who has hauled in 32 passes for 563 yards and seven scores. Up next is a tough contest at Division IV, No. 2 Perkins, who has clinched at least a share of the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division and can win it outright against the Tornadoes. Perkins is tough offensively and defensively. Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth has completed 97-of-148 passes for 1,541 yards and 19 touchdowns while Isaac Bunts has amassed 1,513 yards on 191 carries with 21 scores. Schweinfurth's top target is Michigan State recruit Braylon Collier, who has 41 receptions for 626 yards and 11 TDs. The Pirates' defense has pitched six shutouts already this year. Columbian is likely in the playoffs regardless of the result, but would sure love to take a three-game winning streak into a road playoff game.
Current playoff positioning: 14th in Division III, Region 10
Up next: at Perkins (8-1)
The Senecas took care of business when they shredded Willard, 42-6. Calvert came into the game as a huge favorite and never blinked in beating the Crimson Flashes. Tucker Coleman threw three touchdowns among his 7-of-11 performance for 79 yards. Cal Warnament did what Cal Warnament does with eight carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Out wide, Carter Wolph caught two touchdown passes while Logan Demoss had the other TD catch. For the season, Coleman has completed 70-of-130 passes for 985 yards and 10 TDs while Warnament is up to 162 carries for 1,060 yards and 13 scores. Demoss is the top receiver with 22 catches for 408 yards. Calvert doesn't have a chance to win the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division title, but will have a say when they host Hopewell-Loudon to wrap up the regular season. Calvert currently sits fifth in their region, but it's a tight margin all the way down to 10th. A loss could send the Senecas on the road in Week 11, but a win over the Chieftains will position Calvert to host at least one playoff game. Big stakes!
Current playoff positioning: 5th in Division VII, Region 26
Up next: vs. Hopewell-Loudon (8-0)
After sitting at home in Week 8 due to a bye, the Chieftains got back on the field last week and showed no glimpses of rust in pounding Woodmore, 57-0. Braylon Martinez tallied 12 carries for 72 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while Jacoby Ellis and Kellen Frankart each tossed a touchdown pass. There's the age-old debate when it comes to a bye. You don't see it often in high school, but I get the feeling this helped Hopewell-Loudon. I would ponder to guess the guys got a couple days to rest before gearing up to face Woodmore. That's not something you'll get all the time. For the year, Ellis is 83-of-127 passing for 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns while Martinez has 104 rushes for 700 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jack Colatruglio leads the receivers with 35 catches for 552 yards and three TDs. Martinez adds four touchdown receptions to really make himself a dual threat. Hopewell-Loudon is No. 1 in their region and will stay there if they beat Calvert, no matter what Bluffton (9-0) does against Columbus Grove (9-0). A loss by the Chieftains gives Bluffton a chance to jump H-L if they beat Grove. No matter how it shakes out, this region is tough with Hopewell-Loudon, Bluffton, Patrick Henry, and Huron sitting in the top four spots right now. The Chieftains will have a home playoff game in Week 11 and will be at home in Week 12 should they win their first playoff game.
Current playoff positioning: 1st in Division VI, Region 22
Up next: at Calvert (6-3)
Outside of Columbian, the other four teams cross paths this week as Seneca East hosts Mohawk in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference championship game. The Tigers got there by pounding Bucyrus last week, 59-6. Seneca East was a big favorite going into that game and did what they needed to do to get out of there healthy and ready to host the biggest league game of the year. For the season, Nicholas Parks has completed 128-of-214 passes for 2,175 yards with 26 touchdowns. He has two huge receivers in Taylor Young and Bryler Beamer. Both have had huge seasons for Seneca East as Young has 49 receptions for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns while Beamer has hauled in 42 passes for 734 yards and seven scores. Seneca East really needs a win to be able to host a playoff game in Week 11. The Tigers sit eighth in their region with the top-8 hosting playoff games. Western Reserve is just behind Seneca East at ninth, but trail the Tigers by just .0166 points. That means a Western Reserve win and Seneca East loss could send the Tigers on the road in Week 11 - perhaps to Collins to face Western Reserve. A win should mean Seneca East is home in Week 11.
Current playoff positioning: 8th in Division VI, Region 22
Up next: vs. Mohawk (7-2)
Alright, so I guess I need to eat my crow. Mohawk got both Kahne Hayman and Kaleb Bish last week and it paid off as the Warriors picked up a massive 27-14 win over Carey to put themselves in a spot to play for the Northern 10 Athletic Conference championship this week at Seneca East. Mohawk has two losses this year, but it's by a combined eight points. For the season, Ben Bogner has completed 94-of-161 passes for 1,631 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, he has carried the ball 120 times for 798 yards and five touchdowns. N-10 Player of the Year, dare I say? Hayman is now up to 42 receptions for 752 yards and nine touchdowns. Kaleb Bish has six TD catches among his 25 receptions for 435 yards while Kaden Bish has seven rushing touchdowns. The Warriors sit seventh in their region and really are in a similar spot to Seneca East. A win would guarantee Mohawk a home game in Week 11 while a loss makes things interesting. I have no doubt that Eric Daniel from Mohawk and Ed Phillips from Seneca East are focused on each other and they'll find out later their playoff fates. This should be a dandy with quite possibly a standing-room only crowd in Attica.
Current playoff positioning: 7th in Division VII, Region 26
Up next: at Seneca East (6-3)
This Friday, join us on the Adrenaline Stream as the Seneca East Tigers host the Mohawk Warriors in a battle of N10 Rivals that will determine the outright league championship LIVE from Tigers Stadium in Attica. Nate Mullins will be on the call with Tommy Hall alongside Greg ‘The Wizard’ Kinn, with Austin Rodriguez on camera and Eric Hall on the sidelines bringing you every pulse-pounding moment LIVE on the pulse of the buckeye state!
Meanwhile, on the X-Stream, Dominic Helmstetter, Zack Dillon, Jacob Ellis, and Connor Roush deliver another thrilling week 10 matchup as the Calvert Senecas host the Hopewell-Loudon Chieftains with playoff positioning on the line and the Chieftains looking to secure their 5th straight SBC River Title! The X-Stream gang will bring you that one live from Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin!
To catch all the action, head over to HeartOfOhioSports.com, click on the ‘WATCH LIVE’ tab, and enjoy both games paywall-free from the comfort of your home on your smart TV. Of course, you can always take the games with you wherever you go on your smartphone or tablet.
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