SIDNEY — Sidney may not be facing a future Division I collegiate quarterback this Friday, but the squad will be facing another of the best QBs it’ll see this season in Tippecanoe senior Liam Poronsky.
Poronsky, who is in his second year as a starter, had a solid debut for the Red Devils in a 14-10 win over Bellbrook on Friday. He completed 10-of-14 passes for 115 yards with two TDs and led the squad with 72 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Poronsky ran for 84 yards against Sidney in a 45-7 win last year and completed 12-of-14 passes for 78 yards with one TD. The Yellow Jackets stayed close for almost all the first half a year ago, but Poronsky threw a TD pass with 26 seconds left to boost the lead to 21-7 at halftime, and the Red Devils ran away with three TDs in the fourth quarter.
Sidney will be looking for defensive improvement after giving up 454 yards to Bellefontaine in a 43-13 opener on Friday. Highly-touted sophomore QB Tavien St. Clair threw for 168 yards and two TDs and caught one TD pass while junior running back Chris Fogan ran for 217 yards and three TDs.
Lehman Catholic finishes strong in opener
It took Chris Kash one year to do something former Lehman coach Dick Roll needed 15 seasons to do: win an opener.
After a scoreless first half, the Cavaliers scored two touchdowns in each the third and fourth quarters to run away to a 26-6 win over former Northwest Central Conference rival Lima Perry on the road last week.
Turnovers helped Lehman earn the win. Hayden Sever intercepted two passes and Nathan Sollmann intercepted one, which he returned 57 yards for a touchdown.
Lehman amassed 244 yards, 171 of which came on the ground. Sollmann led a balanced rushing attack with 56 rushing yards on nine carries with one TD. He also caught two passes for 38 yards.
Donovan O’Leary completed 5-of-23 passes for 69 yards and ran for 29 yards on eight carries with one TD.
Roll led Lehman to 11 playoff berths and two regional titles during his tenure, but the Cavaliers famously struggled in nonconference games during his tenure. Lehman lost every opener in Roll’s tenure until a 22-12 win over Ridgemont in 2020.
The 2020 season-opening win wasn’t a nonconference game; the squad played only conference opponents in regular season that year (as did most leagues across the state) due to an adjusted season format the OHSAA put in place due to COVID-19.
Lehman lost 27-13 to Perry last year. Perry finished 6-5 a year ago but lost many starters and is expecting a rebuilding year.
The Cavaliers will have a tougher challenge this Saturday when they host New Bremen at Sidney Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals, which Lima Bath 28-0 in their opener, have many starters back from an 8-4 squad which beat Lehman 58-0 last year.
Maurer finishes strong against Minster
Fort Loramie senior Caleb Maurer will be able to boast about something few of the program’s QBs can: beating Minster twice as a starter.
Maurer threw for 195 yards and three TDs and ran for 129 yards and two TDs in a 39-27 win over the Wildcats on Friday. He threw for 202 yards and two TDs in a 40-7 win over Minster a year ago.
Fort Loramie, which started its program in 2005, had previously only beaten Minster in consecutive seasons in 2009 and 2010. The Redskins hadn’t beaten the Wildcats since 2013 before last season’s opener.
Anna, Brookville not often nailbiters
Anna and Brookville have been perennial Week 2 opponents. The matchups have often been lopsided, regardless of who the victor was.
The Rockets rallied late in the fourth quarter last year to make things interesting but lost 28-22. Brookville scored the first TD of the fourth quarter to take a 21-point lead before Anna rallied late.
The squads will meet on Friday at Booster Field.
