ANNA — Anna stayed close to Marion Local for most of the first half last Friday but couldn’t keep up as the game went on. The Rockets (5-1) will try for a better result against another Midwest Athletic Conference heavyweight in St. Henry this Friday.
Marion Local scored a touchdown right before halftime to take a 19-7 lead and then added two touchdown runs in the second half to pull away. The Flyers had 278 yards of offense in the game and held Anna to a season-low with 196 yards.
Friday’s game is crucial for both Anna and St. Henry to stay in the MAC race. The Redskins (5-1) lost to Coldwater 13-10 on Sept. 22 and are tied with Anna and the Cavaliers for second in the conference behind Marion Local (6-0, 4-0 MAC).
Aside from the Week 5 loss to Coldwater, St. Henry has rolled over all its opponents, including a 30-7 win over Minster last Friday.
Anna leads the MAC with an average of 34.8 points per game, while St. Henry is second with an average of 32.5 points. The Redskins average 287.5 yards per game, while Anna averages 367 yards.
St. Henry’s offense has been paced by quarterback Ryan Luttmer and running back Daylon Lange. Luttmer averages 137 passing yards per game, while Luttmer averages 83 rushing yards per game. Tyler Schlarman has led St. Henry’s receiving corps with 21 catches of 344 yards.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Lehman Catholic
Lehman (5-1) steamrolled its first three Northwest Central Conference opponents and may do the same to Waynesfield-Goshen on Friday at Alexander Stadium in Piqua.
The Cavaliers outscored their first three NWCC opponents by a total score of 180-16. How easy has scoring been for Lehman? Elliot Gilardi completed four passes in the first half of last Friday’s 63-0 win over Hardin Northern — and all four were touchdown passes.
It took Waynesfield Goshen (1-5) three games to score against an NWCC opponent. The Tigers scored a touchdown late against Riverside last Friday in a 48-6 loss. They were beat by a combined 76-0 against Upper Scioto Valley and Lima Perry in Weeks 3 and 4.
Lehman has players among the top five in the NWCC in nearly every statistical category. Gilardi is second among NWCC players in passing yards (809) and third in rushing yards (471). Running back Owen Smith is second in the league in rushing yards (853) while Kameron Lee and Brandon Barhorst are tied for second with 306 receiving yards each.
Smith has scored a league-best 12 touchdowns, while Gilardi has scored 10 and Barhorst has scored seven. Michael Bunker leads the conference with eight sacks, and Drew Barhorst is third in total tackles (50).
Minster at Coldwater
Minster enters Week 7 against Coldwater in a similar spot as last season and will hope for a repeat performance against the Cavaliers.
The Wildcats (3-3) had lost four consecutive games last year but beat Coldwater 33-18. The Wildcats didn’t lose again until the Division VII state championship game.
Minster has lost three straight games heading into this year’s contest, including a 30-7 loss to St. Henry last week.
Senior quarterback Jared Huelsman has carried Minster’s offense through the losing streak. He ran for 103 yards and threw for 61 against the Redskins last week. Huelsman is second in the MAC with 703 rushing yards behind Fort Recovery’s Will Homan, who has 1,071 rushing yards.
Coldwater (4-2) lost back-to-back games to Clinton Massie and Marion Local but has won three consecutive games, including a 35-6 win over Parkway last week. Quarterback Sam Broering leads the MAC with 1,018 passing yards with 10 touchdowns.
Marion Local at New Bremen
New Bremen’s offense has been rolling since a loss to Anna in Week 4. The Cardinals racked up 300 yards and 28 points against Delphos St. John’s last week but couldn’t contain the Blue Jays on defense. St. John’s had 453 yards of offense in the 61-28 win.
The Cardinals will have their hands full with the undefeated Flyers, who have scored 30 or more points three times.
Versailles at Parkway
Versailles had a breakout performance last week after losing four consecutive games. The Tigers walloped Fort Recovery 35-14 to earn their first MAC win of the year and will try for a second consecutive conference win against Parkway.
Parkway beat Spencerville 14-13 in Week 2 but hasn’t come within 12 points of any other opponent. Coldwater beat the Panthers 35-6 last week. Quarterback Nathan Bruns is second in the MAC with 913 passing yards.
New Bremen quarterback Noah Bornhorst is fourth in the MAC in rushing yards (527) and eighth in passing (514).
Upper Scioto Valley at Riverside
Riverside has been nearly as dominant as Lehman in the first three weeks of NWCC play. The Pirates beat Marion Elgin, Hardin Northern and Waynesfield-Goshen by a combined 155-40.
Upper Scioto Valley (3-3) may be more of a challenge. The Rams beat Waynesfield-Goshen 32-0 in Week 4 and Ridgemont 63-8 in Week 5 to open NWCC play but lost 41-6 to Lima Perry last Friday.
Upper Scioto Valley has gained most of its yards on the ground. Kolton Keith has rushed for 329 yards and five touchdowns while Devan Sousley has rushed for 292 yards and two scores. Quarterback Jason Moots has rushed for 154 yards on 32 carries and has thrown for 357 yards and seven touchdowns.
Like Lehman, Riverside has players in the top five in the NWCC in most statistical categories. Senior running back Gaven Anderson has thrown for 861 yards while Luke Roby has rushed for 457 yards. Anderson has scored 10 total touchdowns. Nick Hall is second in the league with 53 tackles, while Gavin Stallard is tied for second with five sacks.
