OPSMA weekly prep football notebook

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COLUMBUS — Week 6 of the 2025 high school football season is in the books.

Football players from all over Ohio put up some amazing performances in the sixth week of the season. Here, the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association compiles the best of the best with the OPSMA High School Football Notebook.

Let’s take a look.

-Convoy Crestview senior defensive end Liam Putman set a school record with seven sacks during Friday’s 35-0 win over Delphos Jefferson. He led a defensive unit that held the Wildcats to 14 yards of total offense, including -79 yards rushing.

-35 percent of Bluffton quarterback Tayte Giesige’s passes have gone for touchdowns. Through six games, Giesige has completed 70-of-95 passes for 1,470 yards, 25 touchdowns and three interceptions. The Pirates are currently 6-1.  

-Caleb Moyer led Wapakoneta to a 42-28 victory over Van Wert with five total touchdowns, keeping the team unbeaten. Kaden Page added 11 receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, while Braylon Walter anchored the defense with five tackles for loss and three sacks.

-St. Marys Memorial placekicker Bradey Triplett, who two weeks ago kicked a 49-yard free kick field goal against Defiance, broke the school record for convential field goal with a 43-yard boot in the Roughriders’ 17-3 win over Ottawa-Glandorf, breaking the old mark of 41 yards set in 2021 by Brandon Bowers in the playoffs against Chaminade-Julienne.

-Celina broke a school record for points scored in a 70-35 win over Kenton, breaking the mark of 66 set in 1995. Running back Parker Bertke carried the ball 16 times for 177 yards and five touchdowns, tying the school record for rushing touchdowns in a game jointly held by future Ohio State and NFL running back Jim Otis (1965) and Braylon Gabes (2023).

-Coldwater had a school-record 583 yards of total offense in a 63-19 win over Rockford Parkway. Karsyn Homan was 12-of-14 for 294 yards and two touchdowns (both to Cadin Obringer, who had four catches for 131 yards), backup quarterback Hugh Hemmelgarn was 4-of-5 for 88 yards and two touchdowns and running backs Derek Dues and Karter Freed had two touchdowns each.

-Brayden Mescher’s 10-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brennen Hess with 2:58 to play in the game allowed Maria Stein Marion Local to remain unbeaten and extend the nation’s longest current active winning streak to 70 straight games with a 20-19 win over Versailles at Booster Stadium in Maria Stein. The Flyers trailed 19-7 with 2:31 to go in the third quarter before coming back. Derek Knapke intercepted Ethan Wilker’s pass with 1:03 to play to seal the victory.

-For the first time since its unbeaten 1988 season, Paulding is 6-0 in football after defeating Fairview 36-31 in a battle of 5-0 Green Meadows Conference teams. Jalen Manz again starred for the Panthers by catching six passes for 151 yards and two TDs, rushing for another score and racking up 14 tackles and three TFL, forcing a fumble and recovering two more before capping the night with the game-winning touchdown from 54 yards out with 38 seconds to go.

-William Zeedyk kept Fairview right in it as the senior signal-caller completed 34-of-60 passes for 459 yards and four TDs in the loss to Paulding.

-Columbus Grove’s Landon Best threw five TD passes in the Bulldogs 44-7 win over Allen East. After starting the season 0-3 again three opponents currently a combined 15-3, Grove has won three straight Northwest Conference games to runs its NWC winning streak to 22 games.

-Napoleon’s George Eggers had his biggest offensive game of the year as he returned to full strength from a preseason injury, rushing for 132 yards and three TDs in the Wildcats’ 42-6 win vs. Sylvania Southview. Eggers’ scores put him at 34 career rushing TDs, tying him for the program career record. Running mate Hayden Groll added 158 yards and two scores on 11 carries.

-Liberty Center picked up a 35-6 victory over rival Patrick Henry that extended multiple streaks. The rivalry win is the seventh straight for the Tigers against PH, the 29th straight Northwest Ohio Athletic League win (league record is 30 straight), the 31st straight home win (longest active streak in Ohio) and 41st straight regular-season win (second-longest active streak).

-Bryan freshman Jake Arnold helped keep the Golden Bears neck-and-neck with Evergreen in a 41-38 defeat. Arnold completed 15-of-21 passes for 251 yards and three TDS, rushed for 83 yards and another score and recorded an interception on defense.

-Holgate running back Weiand Stalnaker rushed 21 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns against Sebring McKinley with both scores coming in a 20-8 third-quarter margin for the Tigers, who rallied from 22-12 in the third quarter to win a 34-22 Northern 8 Football Conference contest.

-West Unity Hilltop’s 39-6 win over Erie-Mason (Mich.) marked the Cadets’ second straight win and second straight Toledo Area Athletic Conference victory. That achievement marks the first time Hilltop has won consecutive games or won multiple conference games since 2018.

-North Baltimore quarterback Luke Long had 222 yards passing, 101 rushing in Tigers 54-6 win over Lima Perry. Under first-year head coach Greg Bishop, whose first head coaching job was at North Baltimore from 2013-15, the Tigers are averaging 49 ppg and are off to their first 6-0 start since going 10-0 in 1995.

-Gibsonburg had four forced turnovers in their game, two of which were pick 6’s. The first was for 54 yards and the second was for 88 yards. Gibsonburg won their game against Calvert 42-6 on Friday.

-Perkins senior quarterback Sam Schweinfurth completed 14 of 17 passes for 234 yards and five touchdowns – all in the first half – as the Pirates rolled to a 63-14 Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division win over Clyde.

-Clear Fork’s Nash Evans had the game of his life in a 31-7 win over Marion Harding. He hauled in two touchdown passes of 39 and 75 yards, kicked a 25-yard field goal and returned a kickoff 91 yards for three total touchdowns. Marcus Hoeflich completed 5 of 13 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns while running for 57 yards on 13 attempts. Evans ended his day with three catches for 126 yards and two TDs for one amazing performance.

-Lexington’s Joe Caudill completed 10 of 16 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns in the Minutemen’s 48-6 win over Mansfield Senior. Caudill connected with Brayden Fogle for a 24-yard TD pass and Seven Allen for a 33-yarder. Fogle ended with three catches for 63 yards, while Allen had four catches for 82 yards. Fogle also had an interception he returned for a touchdown on defense. Markale Martin had an explosive return from a hand injury that caused him to miss the first four weeks as he ran for 64 yards and three TDs on nine carries. Luke Triska was the spearhead on defense with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Allen also had an interception on defense.

-Shelby’s Brayden DeVito was excellent with his arm again, completing 16 of 26 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 34 yards on six carries with three more scores. Luke Blevins was the Whippets’ leading rusher with 60 yards on six carries and a TD, while Brady Bowman had five catches for 80 yards and a score and Carter Kessler had two catches for 65 yards and a TD. Cadyn Stine and Landon Foltz both had interceptions to lead a shutout defensive effort in the 42-0 win over River Valley.

-Ontario’s Jon Mahon caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Trey Remy, while Cardae Brown matched that with a 25-yard TD catch of his own in the Warriors’ 27-24 win over Pleasant. Gavin Miller added a 2-yard rushing touchdown, while Kooper Kilgore connected on field goals of 42 and 41 yards to help Ontario get back to .500.

-Crestview’s Liam Kuhn tossed three touchdown passes in the third quarter alone during the Cougars’ 42-0 win over Plymouth, connecting with Max Durbin on a 60-yarder, Reymer on a 67-yarder and Karter Goon on a 10-yard strike. Kuhn finished the day 8-for-10 for 178 yards and three touchdowns while running for 23 yards on three carries. Ayden Reymer was the leading rusher with 82 yards on eight carries, while Bransen Hider had 40 yards on six touches with a TD, Wyatt Barber had 47 yards on four carries with a score and Gavin Webb had 36 yards on three carries. Max Durbin caught two passes for 69 yards, while Reymer had one catch for 67 and a TD.

-Mount Gilead is 6-0 for the first time in program history after a 39-7 home win over East Knox. MG previously went 5-0 to start the 1980 season. The last time the program won six in a row in a season was in 1996. Combining with two wins to end last year, Mount Gilead’s eight-game streak matches those from 1992-93, 1979-80 and 1974, when it lost its opener then won its last eight in a row. In Mount Gilead’s win on Friday, Carson Barnum ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns as the defense limited East Knox to 116 yards of total offense and only 12 yards on the ground.

-Liberty-Benton quarterback Connor Barbara threw for two TDs, ran for two more in just one half of football in the Eagles 56-13 win over Arlington. It was a fourth straight 50-point game for L-B, which has outscored the opposition 291-25 this season and has won every game by at least a 35-point margin.

-Van Buren’s Brody Scoles carried 17 times for 232 yards and quarterback Brady Lance had four rushing TDs and threw for another in the Black Knights 35-14 victory over McComb, their first win over the panthers since 2014.

-The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes remained undefeated with a 25-8 Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division victory at Meigs on Friday night. Austin Gautier carried 24 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns, while attempting one pass which went for a 19-yard touchdown. Caeleb Layton led the defensive effort with 13 total tackles, including four for loss with two sacks. 

-In a battle of undefeated teams, and for the first time in several seasons in which the game has not been the season opener, Wheelersburg defeated defending Division V state champion Ironton 24-15 at Ed Miller Stadium. Ironton had won the last five regular-season meetings, as the two teams did not play during the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season. Before Friday night, the Fighting Tigers’ last loss to an Ohio team was against Cincinnati Moeller in 2021, and their last loss to a team hailing from the United States was against Cabell Midland (W. Va.) in 2023. Ironton lost 28-27 against Clarkson North from Ontario Canada a full calendar year ago. Last season, the Pirates were outscored in their two matchups against Ironton by a combined 92-7, including 55-0 in the Division V Region 19 championship game. Wheelersburg’s only other win against Ironton since 2018 has been in the 2021 Division V Region 19 semifinals at Portsmouth. 

-Anthony Bishop rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, and Brody Hall completed 10-of-20 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns, in Portsmouth West’s 40-8 Southern Ohio Conference Division II victory over visiting Minford. 

-Portsmouth Notre Dame senior quarterback Luke Cassidy accounted for all eight Titan touchdowns during their 56-46 high-scoring Southern Ohio Conference Division I win over visiting South Gallia. Cassidy rushed for four touchdowns, with the longest being a 52-yard run. He passed for two others, and in the first quarter ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns – the opening from 80 yards and the other from 75 yards. He rushed for 162 yards on 17 carries, as the Titans opened the season 6-0 for the first time since 2000, which was their last SOC I championship in football. For the Rebels in the losing effort, Layne Wright rushed for 318 yards and four scores on 17 carries, and Hunter Wright rushed for two touchdowns and 77 yards on 18 attempts. Hunter Wright also completed 6-of-8-passes for 133 yards. 

-The Eastlake North football team entered the record books for the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Friday despite losing to visiting Kenston, 42-38. The Rangers carried 51 times for 620 yards in the Western Reserve Conference opener. It’s the 16th-most rushing yard in a game in OHSAA history, and the most yards rushing in a game since Fairfield Christian ran for 633 yards in a 2023 win over Bishop Rosecrans. Twin Valley South owns the state record for its 790-yard rushing performance in a 1978 game against New Parris National Trail. Senior Bray Sandstrom carried 27 times for 353 yards in the four-point loss to the Bombers, with touchdown runs of 17, 17 and 78 yards. Backfield mate Alex Harris carried 11 times for 180 yards, with touchdown jaunts of 57 and 70 yards.

-Painesville Harvey running back Shahn Alston, a USC commit, ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns, caught four passes for 90 yards and a score, and had four tackles on defense in a win over Lutheran West. Teammate Chris Burt also ran for more than 200 yards in the game.

-Mentor running back Jackson Farley ran 19 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Cleveland Heights. He is averaging more than 10 yards a carry (101 carries, 1,147 yards with 18 touchdowns) through six games.

-Gates Mills Hawken QB Donovan Moorhead threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns in the Hawks’ win over West Geauga. The Jacksonville State commit has thrown for 1,965 yards and 23 touchdowns with zero interceptions through six weeks.

-Several Fairview players had impressive nights in the Warriors’ 44-7 win over Trinity. Senior quarterback Burke Lowry completed 19 of 28 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Cal Reis had five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while junior running back LeMarcus Clark had 123 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

-Bay’s Rocco Ereditario, a senior, rushed for 241 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Westlake. In that game, senior teammate Charlie Rodgers finished with five catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns and sophomore quarterback Patrick Cleary completed 14 of 29passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns.

-The West Branch Warriors put out a dominant performance against Minerva, amassing 42 points in the first half. The following three players delivered outstanding contributions in a decisive 56-6 victory: WR Jeremiah Thomas gained 170 yards on five receptions along with two touchdowns, QB Grady Hirst threw for 342 yards, completing 13 of 16 attempts and scoring five touchdowns, and University of Toledo commit TE Gavin Gregory had two touchdowns on three receptions for 124 yards.

-Kings Knights quarterback Grant Nurre played a significant role in advancing the team’s record to 5-1 for the season, delivering an impressive performance against Lebanon with a statline of 442 yards in the air and five touchdowns in a 38-20 victory. 

-Canton McKinley’s junior OLB, Amare Mitchell, made a significant impact on defense during a victory over Green (Uniontown) with a score of 21-3. He recorded four tackles that resulted in a total loss of 19.5 yards, including three sacks, two of which were unassisted, leading to a loss of 15.5 yards. His performance contributed to the Bulldogs maintaining their undefeated status in the Federal League.

-The River Valley Raiders snapped their 25-game losing streak with a 3-0 win against Wellston. With 35 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, sophomore kicker Tyson Hersman nailed a 23-yard field goal to give the Raiders the lead and the win.

-McConnelsville Morgan’s senior kicker Jude Garber broke the school record, kicking a 42-yard field goal in the Raiders’ 42-28 victory over Zanesville West Muskingum, breaking the old mark of 41 yards. Also, Senior Haiden Pauley passed for 172 yards (14 of 18), rushed for 125 yards, and had a fumble recovery on defense.

-Beverly Fort Frye’s Tyce Beardsley and Gavin Rauch both averaged nine yards a carry in rushing for over 100 yards with a touchdown in the Cadets’ 31-7 victory over Caldwell. Beardsley carried 14 times for 127 yards, and Rauch tallied 112 yards on 12 carries. Beardsley also had two interceptions on defense.

-Waterford’s Hayden Jones rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown, and Weston Fairchild returned an interception 58 yards for a score as the Wildcats began Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division action with a 28-13 victory at Reedsville Eastern.

-There were three major moments in the Sandusky vs Tiffin Columbian game Friday. Though the Blue Streaks lost, 28-20, the first bright moment was from the Sandusky side on a pass from Dale Johnson to Trae-Mori Johnson for an 87 yard touchdown, and for Dante Shipp Jr, who ran for a 63 yard touchdown. For TC, the highlight was when Blake Miller intercepted a Dale Johnson pass on a pick 6 and ran for 38 yards for a touchdown.

-Arcanum junior running back MJ Macy rushed for 260-yards on 16 carries.  He sparked the team in the first half on back-to-back TD runs of 82-yards and 65-yards, then added another TD run from 48-yard early in 2nd half in their win over National Trail.  The Trojans are now 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference.

-Cedarville’s Will Mossing passed for 333 yards on 29-for-41 attempts with two touchdowns, but it was his only interception thrown in the game coming during the final minute that Jace Withers grabbed to help Greeneview secure a 19-14 comeback win in the rivalry game. Jordan Stafford ran for 141 yards to lead the Rams.

-Shawn Fishwick produced his second consecutive 100-plus yard receiving game and had a career high 10 catches for Xenia during its 42-21 win at Piqua. His quarterback, Gage Stephan, also passed for a season-best 21 of 26 for 233 yards with three touchdowns. Alex Gragg had a 29-yard interception for a touchdown, one of three picks forced by the Xenia defense in the game.

-Beloit West Branch ran just 31 offensive plays but averaged over 16 yards per play (511 total) in a 56-6 win over Minerva. Five of the Warriors’ touchdowns covered 52 yards or more. Quarterback Grady Hirst completed 13 of 16 passes for 342 yards and five touchdowns, while Jeremiah Thomas caught five passes for 170 yards and two scores. Thomas has 20 receptions for 441 yards and six TDs in his last two games. Tight end Gavin Gregory, a University of Toledo commit, had three catches for 124 yards and two TDs.