The Daily Standard
Sports Preview
The lone unbeaten teams in the Midwest Athletic Conference face off on Friday in a game that could likely see a postseason rematch.
Both Marion Local and New Bremen face off on Friday at Cardinals Stadium at 4-0 with shares of the conference lead with Minster at 2-0.
The Flyers and Cardinals took differing trails to picking up their fourth wins last Friday night.
A week after experiencingone of its closest contests of their 67-game winning streak in beating St. Henry 21-14 at the Wally Post Athletic Conference, Marion celebrated its annual Flyergate with a 61-0 win over Delphos St. John's at Booster Stadium.
Marion Local's Brennen Hess (8) has completed over 75% of his passes this season.
The Flyers held St. John's to just seven yards rushing and 41 yards of total offense. Marion quarterback Brennen Hess completed all seven of his pass attempts for 115 yards and one touchdown. Cam Wolters had two touchdown runs, Cale Nagel had punt return touchdowns of 72 and 68 yards and Cam Griesdorn had a rushing touchdown and fumble recovery score in the fourth quarter as Flyers coach Tim Goodwin got as many players in the game as he could.
Brennen Hess has been excellent at quarterback, competing over 75% of his passing for 580 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. The tandem of Brayden Mescher (211 yards, four touchdowns) and Nagel (191 yards, three touchdowns) has been the main recipients of the passing game.
The running game is led by Ben Meier, who is averaging 7.7 yards per carry (42 totes for 325 yards) for eight touchdowns.
Defensively, the Flyers have recorded nine interceptions and seven sacks. The tackle duties have been divided up well, with Derek Knapke's 26 tackles leading the team.
New Bremen's Jacob Kelly (4) is averaging over 100 yards per game rushing this season.
New Bremen's route to win No. 4 was winding. Leading 20-13 after three quarters, New Bremen gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns to Versailles, the second coming with 63 seconds remaining to make it 25-20. A missed two-point conversion proved big for the Cardinals as quarterback Gavin Dicke moved the team downfield, converting a big fourth-and-15 to get to the Tiger 20-yard line with one second remaining on the clock. Dicke then found tight end Trevor Topp in the end zone for the game-winning score at 26-25.
Dicke was 10-of-15 passing for 245 yards and four touchdowns with Gavin Quellhorst recording five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. On the season, Dicke has thrown for 491 yards and six touchdowns with Quellhorst tallying 254 yards receiving through four games. Running back Jacoby Kelly, held to 36 yards against Versailles, went over the 500-yard mark on the season with 508 yards and eight touchdowns.
Caleb Keller had 12 tackles against Versailles, raising his season total to 27 on the season.
Last week we saw several games in both the WBL and the MAC involving teams with equal records or where the team with the lesser record won. That included four of the five WBL games and three such games in the MAC. The most dramatic of these may have been Celina earning its first victory over Van Wert in overtime, though unbeaten New Bremen's last second victory over previously undefeated Versailles could also claim that title.
This week's biggest game in the WBL standings is Wapakoneta hosting St. Marys. The more important computer points game involves two teams on the border of playoff qualification, Defiance hosting Van Wert.
Similarly, the MAC has a game at the top of the standings involving New Bremen hosting Marion Local. One game back in the standings is an important matchup of Anna at St. Henry.
But perhaps the most important game is Coldwater hosting Minster. Both teams are in the top eight of their regions at the moment. However, Coldwater faces two winless teams before finishing against New Bremen, Versailles and Marion Local. Minster faces St. Henry next week before playing that same gauntlet of three opponents. The winner of this game should feel good about their computer points as well as those tough upcoming games. The loser is going to be more apprehensive about both.
Wapakoneta - 3rd (8.15)
Shawnee - 5th (6.80)
St. Marys - 12th (4.25)
Defiance - 13th (3.65)
Celina - 18th (2.25)
Wapakoneta fell slightly in the standings as few points were gained from defeating Ottawa-Glandorf. A win over St. Marys will almost lock up a home playoff game and make a first-round bye quite possible. The Roughriders have just made it to the cut line of playoff qualification. A win for St. Marys also makes a home playoff game probable and opens up the possibility of a first-round bye.
Lima Shawnee rose four places in the standings by beating Bath last week, and this Friday they face a Celina squad coming off its first victory of the year. A win makes the Indians huge favorites to reach the postseason, while Celina jumps back into contention with a win and drops into deep trouble with a loss.
After two close wins, Defiance has suffered two crushing losses. A loss to Van Wert will drop the Bulldogs far off the playoff pace.
Bath - 2nd (6.65)
Van Wert - 11th (4.10)
Elida - 15th (3.13)
Kenton - 19th (1.25)
Ottawa-Glandorf - 21st (0.00)
Bath and Kenton both lost last week though neither fell any positions in the computer standings. Bath becomes almost a lock for the playoffs with a win over Kenton, while a Kenton loss means they need to pull four upsets in their final five games to be in postseason contention.
Van Wert plummeted six spots to 11th after losing in overtime to Celina. The Cougars need six victories to ensure a spot in the playoffs, and it is hard to project where they will come from without a victory over Defiance.
Elida also needs six regular season wins, so they have to beat every team currently or worse remaining on their schedule. Ottawa-Glandorf may be the least challenging of these opponents.
Versailles - 7th (4.65)
Versailles may be the best team in this region but are only the seventh-ranked team in the computer points. After hosting Parkway this week, the Tigers face five games against teams whose combined record is 15-5.
Parkway - 22nd (0.00)
Parkway is going to need a couple of big upsets to get back in the playoff conversation. Versailles would be a good start.
Coldwater - 5th (4.63)
Anna - 7th (4.13)
Coldwater's loss to Anna really tightened up the computer points in this region. There is a team with a losing record currently in the Top 12 in this region, so Coldwater can probably lock down a playoff spot with a win over Minster. Actually, the Cavaliers are likely in the postseason just with victories over winless Parkway and Delphos St. John's, but defeating Minster makes a home playoff game likely.
Anna may also be in the postseason just with wins over Parkway and St. John's. Much like Coldwater, a victory over St. Henry not only locks up a postseason berth for the Rockets but also makes a home playoff game probable.
Delphos St. John's - 26th (0.00)
Delphos St. John's needs at least four wins in the next six games, so this week's game against Fort Recovery is a must.
Marion Local - 1st (7.00)
St. Henry - 4th (6.00)
New Bremen - 5th (5.43)
Minster - 8th (4.03)
Fort Recovery - 15th (2.73)
Marion Local can lose any two remaining games and still easily finish in the top four to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Flyers' toughest remaining challenge may be this week at New Bremen. Three of the Cardinals' victims are still winless which is hurting their computer points. New Bremen should be a lock for the playoffs, but an upset of Marion Local puts the Cardinals in line for a MAC title and a bye (or at least a first-round home game) in the postseason.
St. Henry has four games remaining against teams with a 3-1 record or better. The Redskins do not need to win any of those to make the playoffs, but one or two such victories put St. Henry in line for a home playoff game. The first such opportunity is against Anna.
Minster needs to win two more games to ensure a playoff spot, and they face no teams with a losing record the rest of the season. A victory at Coldwater this week almost locks up the postseason berth and makes a home playoff game more likely than not.
Fort Recovery is not getting any computer help from their non-conference wins, so the Indians probably need to win four MAC games to earn a spot in the playoffs. One of their better opportunities is at Delphos St. John's this week.
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The computer points for the entire state, and especially the four regions involving most area teams (Regions 10, 22, 24 and 28) can be found throughout the season at: user.nktelco.net/bdmonnin/football.htm
For more computer point analysis for teams across west central Ohio, listen to my weekly podcast. Search your favorite streaming platform for Bruce Monnin's computer points.
Celina's Parker Wynk (left) pitches the ball to running back Parker Bertke.
The Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, overcoming a lost lead to beat Van Wert 38-37 in overtime at Eggerss Stadium.
Celina used the running game to control the offense, rushing for 309 total yards with Parker Bertke rushing for 203 yards and a touchdown. Parker Wynk was 12-of-17 passing for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
After compiling a league-worst 23 penalties for 195 yards in the first three weeks of the season, Celina trimmed the issue with just four penalties for 40 yards against Van Wert.
After dropping the opener to state-ranked LCC, Shawnee has won three straight after handing Limaland rival Bath its first loss of the season 31-21 in Bath Township for the program's best start since 2021. The Indian defense, ranked first in the WBL going into last week, held Bath to 312 yards, 150 yards under their average coming into the game.
JJ Spyker brings a multi-tasking role as quarterback for Shawnee. Against Bath, Spyker threw for 170 yards and a touchdown and ran for 141 yards on 31 carries and a score in the read-option offense. Issac Meeks added two touchdowns, one rushing and the other receiving.
The annual battle of Auglaize County foes poses a resurgent St. Marys squad against a Wapak team that continues to chug along atop the WBL standings.
After dropping the first two games, the Roughriders have surged, beating Celina in the annual Battle of Grand Lake, then shutting out Defiance at home last week to get back to .500.
Fullback Caleb Schmidt continues his amazing start to the season, scoring two more touchdowns last week to raise his season total to 13 to go with an area-best 618 yards with a hearty 7.3 yards per carry average. Linebacker Taylor Compton has 53 tackles this season.
The Redskins won their 20th straight league game in beating Ottawa-Glandorf 42-14 at Titan Stadium in Ottawa.
Quarterback Caleb Moyer was a perfect 15-of-15 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns with Jarrett Mullen having a big game with two rushing touchdowns.
The Wildcats broke open the offense against Parkway in a 49-20 win in Rockford. Quarterback Carson Kaylor tied the school record for touchdown passes with six after going 16-of-20 for 258 yards without an interception. Kaylor also rushed for the only non-passing touchdown. Minster outgained Parkway 419-248 and held the ball for nearly 31 1/2 minutes while punting only once.
The Cavaliers are 2-2 for the first time since 2017 when the Cavaliers won the opener with Kenton before losing back-to-back to Clinton-Massie and Marion Local before beating Fort Recovery.
It took Coldwater nearly 2 1/2 quarters to break a scoreless tie against Anna, but the Rockets had the advantage on defense as neither team turned the ball over and combined for 11 punts. The Cavaliers were held to eight first downs and were 4-of-11 on third down conversion attempts.
The Rockets enter the game having held the potent Coldwater offense to 157 yards of offense in 14-7 win in which the final score coming with under four minutes to play in regulation.
Anna quarterback Logan Ziegenbusch continues to be the go-to on offense, throwing for 541 yards with eight touchdowns while rushing for 465 yards and six scores. Zebadiah Pleiman, who had the tying touchdown reception against Coldwater, has 14 receptions for 175 yards and four touchdowns.
St. Henry bounced back from the late loss to Marion Local with a 33-13 win at Fort Recovery. Charlie Werling rushed for 195 yards and three scores and added an 11-yard touchdown pass to Will Speck. Werling leads the MAC in rushing with 546 yards with seven touchdowns. Owen Zimmerman, had two sacks on defense while booting three point-afters. Jack Huelsman had an interception return touchdown for the second straight week.
The Panthers posted their second-best scoring output in last week's 49-20 loss to Minster, after scoring 41 points in the season-opening loss to Crestview.
Quarterback Jacoby Triplett returned after leaving the New Bremen game and threw for 133 yards and a touchhdown. Luke Booher, who rushed for 279 yards in the opener, then held to five yards in Weeks Two and Three, added 39 yards and a score.
The Tigers rallied in the fourth quarter to take a 25-20 lead on New Bremen with just over a minute to play, only for New Bremen to stage a final drive for a 26-25 win to hand the Tigers their first loss.
Ethan Wilker threw for two touchdowns and Landyn Henry rushed for two touchdowns.
The Indians and Blue Jays get a chance to play a Saturday matinee with both teams looking for a bounce-back.
Fort Recovery played St. Henry tough in the first half before the Redskins pulled away in the second half for a 33-13 loss at Barrenbrugge Park.
The Indians have outscored teams 94-77 this season, but taking away the 67-16 margin the team had in non-conference play, Fort Recovery is being outscored 61-27 in conference.
Alex Gaerke has scored 42 of the team's 94 points with five touchdowns, a field goal and nine extra points
The Blue Jays have struggled to get any offense going the last three weeks. After scoring 35 in the season-opener against Lehman, St. John's has been outscored 124-7 with back-to-back shutouts from Versailles and Marion Local.
Carson Kaylor, QB, Minster
Taylor Compton, LB, St. MarysCelina at Shawnee
St. Marys at Wapakoneta
Bath at Kenton
Van Wert at Defiance
Ottawa-Glandorf at Elida
Anna at St. Henry
Minster at Coldwater
Marion Local at New Bremen
Parkway at Versailles
Fort Recovery at St. John's, (Saturday at 1:30 p.m.)
| WBL | Overall | |
| Wapakoneta | 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Shawnee | 3-0 | 3-1 |
| Bath | 2-1 | 3-1 |
| St. Marys | 2-1 | 2-2 |
| Defiance | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| Van Wert | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| Celina | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Elida | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| Kenton | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Ottawa-Glandorf | 0-3 | 0-4 |
| MAC | Overall | |
| Marion Local | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| New Bremen | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| Minster | 2-0 | 3-1 |
| Anna | 1-1 | 3-1 |
| St. Henry | 1-1 | 3-1 |
| Versailles | 1-1 | 3-1 |
| Coldwater | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Fort Recovery | 0-2 | 2-2 |
| Parkway | 0-2 | 0-4 |
| St. John's | 0-2 | 0-4 |
