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Redmen
Seniors 2015
| T16 & T17
Fostoria High graduate
spends fall Saturdays on
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T2
COVER STORY
FOSTORIA REVIEW TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015
Fostoria grad Clay makes it official
Big Ten field judge got his
start on area prep gridirons
By SCOTT COTTOS
SPORTS EDITOR
Joel Clay does what many Big Ten
football fans would love to do.
During the season, he may be
in Columbus on one Saturday; Ann
Arbor, Michigan, the next; and West
Lafayette, Indiana, the one after that.
Clay, a Fostoria High School graduate, enjoys it. But he’s far from being
a fan with a seat in the stands, a box
of popcorn in his hand and a rooting
interest in a particular team. His part
of attending the
games is one that
few fans would do
or enjoy.
Clay’s part-time
job lands him in
those Big Ten college towns to officiate games. And
Clay
while he enjoys the
avocation he’s had
at some level for close to 30 years,
officiating is far more than keeping
the peace on a stadium floor for three
hours on a Saturday.
“It’s a great gig, but it’s not one
of those where you just drive down
to Columbus, work a football game
and drive home,” the 48-year-old
Clay, who now lives in Fremont, said.
“There is so much more involved in
what we do.”
Indeed, reviewing and learning are
never-ending facets of officiating at a
top college level, which Clay is heading into his sixth season of doing. He
has responsibilities not only on fall
Saturdays, but during the week while
in season and on a few occasions in
the fall. While he gets paid “pretty
well” — Clay doesn’t wish to disclose
how much per game — his travel and
lodging expenses come out of his own
pocket.
And, of course, as Clay noted,
“Only half of the crowd likes you, and
for only half of the time.”
But there’s something about pulling on that zebra-striped shirt.
“Any official will tell you, no matter
what their sport is, that as soon as
you are into it and you get bitten by
that bug, it’s fun,” Clay said. “Yeah,
there are some officials who drop off
because they really don’t like it or they
didn’t know what they were getting
into. The officials who stay in, they
do it just because they’re passionate
about doing it. They have a lot of fun.
It’s just that officiating bug. It’s hard
to explain.”
While officiating is often pegged
as being “thankless,” jobs well done
in officiating do have their payoffs.
Clay, who is a field judge on his Big
Ten crew, has climbed the ladder from
working junior high games through
high school and small-college contests
to the upper echelon of the college
football ranks.
Along the way in his career, he’s
worked two OHSAA state championship games, the Big 33 game (formerly
between Ohio and Pennsylvania allstars), the Ohio North-South All-Star
Game, four postseason contests in the
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference, two Mid-American Conference title meetings, the 2012 Big
Photo provided by Joel ClayCutline1
BIG TEN OFFICIAL JOEL CLAY, a Fostoria High School graduate, signals a touchdown in last year’s
Northwestern /Illinois game.
Ten championship game and the 2013
Sugar Bowl.
“Even at the high school level —
you know, the Friday night thing is
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it to walk out on that field, to bring
the captains out at Ohio State when
See CLAY, Page T3
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just so much fun. ... It’s just fun to
be a part of that, to walk out on that
field,” Clay said. “And, of course, at
the level I’m at now, how much fun is
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COVER STORY
Clay
Continued from page T2
there are 105,000 people there? You’re
escorting the captains out or you’re
leading the team out of the tunnel, and
you come out of that tunnel and into a
Michigan or a Penn State or an Ohio
State or a Wisconsin. ... You know, it
kind of sends chills down your spine,
knowing that, ‘Man, I am a part of this
game. I’m not in the stands watching
it. I’m part of this.’ It’s a lot of fun.”
Joel and his younger brothers,
John and Jamie, came by the “officiating bug” honestly, as their father,
Dee, officiated high school football
games for 30 years before stopping
in 2007. He continues to officiate track
and field.
“They just kind of followed in my
footsteps,” Dee Clay said. “Of course,
they all played (football) at Fostoria
and they enjoyed the game, especially
because we were so successful as a
football team here in Fostoria. None
of them got to play on a state-championship team; all of that came after
they graduated. But they enjoyed the
game so much, and they weren’t college football material, and they missed
the game, so they said, ‘Well, dad.
Let’s do it.’”
John Clay lives in Gahanna and
continues to work high school football
games, while Jamie Clay, who resides
in Rossford, switched from officiating
football to basketball. Like Joel, both
have merited big assignments, with
John working three state championship football games and Jamie handling two state semifinal basketball
contests.
But while his younger brothers
have started families and restricted
their officiating pursuits, Joel has
remained a bachelor who now leaves
his job as a health and physical education teacher in the Clyde-Green
Springs schools on Fridays to head
to his Big Ten assignments.
“He’s very fortunate that they allow
him that time off,” Dee Clay said. “He
has to be (at his game site) on Friday
night for dinner and a meeting. It’s
not too bad if on a Saturday he has
to work at Michigan or Ohio State or
Indiana or Northwestern, because he
drives there. He’ll go in and teach half
a day. He’s already packed and he’ll get
in his vehicle after lunch and go. But
last year, his first two games were at
Iowa and Minnesota. You’re not going
to drive there, so he takes the day off
without pay.”
As athletic director at the former
Emerson Junior High, Dee Clay
helped give Joel, then a track athlete
at the University of Toledo, his start as
an official by hiring him for seventhand eighth-grade games.
In 1988, Joel Clay began working
high school games, something he did
through 2005, and he also honed his
skills by working junior varsity games
of northwest Ohio small-college
teams.
In 1999, Clay broke fully into
college ball as an NCAA Division II
GLIAC official, and his weekends
became very full.
“I would work a Friday night (high
school) game and then on Saturday
morning I would get up and drive
to my college game,” he said. “Or,
oftentimes, I would take off (after a
high school contest) on Friday night,
depending on where I was and where
my Saturday game was, and get as far
as I could or just get to the site. In the
GLIAC, we would get, like, four hotel
rooms for the crew.”
Clay was hired by the MAC in
2006, and “once I moved up to Division I, high school had to go.”
After having worked in other spots
on a crew, Clay became a field judge
upon joining the MAC and he continues to hold that job as he enters his
fifth season in the Big Ten.
A field judge lines up for each play
about 24 yards downfield. His first
concentration is on the widest stationary man in a formation, which is
typically a wide receiver.
But then, the field judge will go
with the flow — without going too far.
“We all have initial keys, but sometimes you need to get off of them,
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depending on how the play develops,”
Clay said. “You don’t just stare at your
man. There are 22 players on the field
and there are only eight officials. Generally speaking, you can’t just lock in
on one player because the math just
doesn’t work out. You need to read
the play and then you go to the hot
spots: You transition your vision to
the point where, ‘This is where I need
to be looking.’”
The field judge will look for infractions such as illegal hits, pass interference and holding, and if he needs to
escort a player away from an opponent’s sideline after a play goes out of
bounds, he’ll do that, too.
“If the ball goes away from me —
let’s say there’s a sweep to the other
sideline — then I’ve got the back
side,” Clay said. “All of the flow is
going away, but you’ve still got these
linemen back here taking a shot or
mixing it up. The other officials’ focus
is on the play, but what we have to
do is watch the seven or eight players
behind the play.”
Clay will pay attention to trash talk
and physical contact between players
and make sure it doesn’t escalate into
something outside the rules.
“A lot of times, you don’t necessarily have to pull the flag,” he said. “But
if they’re jawing, you just get there,
use your voice, use your presence, and
then they know, ‘Oh, that official’s
paying attention to us.’ No flag was
necessary, but sometimes you just talk
to them.
“These guys are kids. They look
like men and they’re fast and they’re
huge, but when you think about it,
these guys are 21- or 22-year-old kids.
These guys respond well to positive
reinforcement. If two guys are away
from the play and they’re kind of in
each other’s faces, but they don’t really
do anything and don’t push and shove,
sometimes it’s just good to get in there
and say, ‘Hey, 86, great job. Good
job, you two, not mixing it up. Good
sportsmanship.’ Sometimes it’s good
to give them some positive feedback.
That tends to go a long way.”
If you ask Clay to sift through his
memory bank, the game at the top of
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his list comes from 2011: Michigan’s
40-34 win over Ohio State at Ann
Arbor.
“I grew up an Ohio State fan, and
if you’re an Ohio State fan or a Michigan fan, that game is The Game, no
matter what the records are,” Clay
said. “When I actually got a chance
to work that, that was my first year
in the Big Ten. There was nothing
about the game, per se, that stands
out. It’s just the fact that I got to work
it. I mean, that’s a bucket-list game
and it’s possible that I may never get
to work that game again. It only happens once a year, and they move it
around (between officiating crews)
and it’s very possible if I spend even
another eight or 10 years in the Big
Ten, I could get to work that game
another two or three more times or
maybe never.”
While Clay rooted for the Buckeyes as a youngster, he said he and
his fellow officials do not let old allegiances play into how they call a game.
“We truly do not care who wins,”
he said. “Any official will tell you
that. Our job is to make sure that it’s
fair. The team that wins — they won
because they had better strategy, they
had better coaching, they had better
players. And sometimes it’s luck
— they had good breaks, they ball
bounced in their favor.”
Largely, if you don’t hear an official’s name mentioned, that’s good for
everyone involved. But Clay did enjoy
one time when an announcer did call
him out — in a positive way, during
another memorable outing for him,
the 2013 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
“I heard that one!” Dee Clay said,
referring to Teddy Bridgewater’s
15-yard touchdown pass to DaVante
Parker that helped Louisville upset
Florida 33-23. “Generally, officials’
names are not mentioned, but on that
one, it amazed me. He was right where
he was supposed to be, observing a
catch. It had to be possessed and had
to be inbounds, and as you roll out
you have to be in possession. Whoever was doing the announcing said,
INSIDE
Fostoria
Arcadia
Elmwood
Findlay
Hopewell-Loudon
2015 Seniors
Lakota
Liberty-Benton
North Baltimore
Van Buren
Vanlue
T4-5
T6-7
T8-9
T10-11
T12-13
T16-17
T18-19
T20-21
T22-23
T24-25
T26-27
SPORTS EDITOR
Scott Cottos
STAFF WRITERS
Dave Hanneman
Nick Kairys
Ted Radick
Ryan Satkowiak
Andy Wolf
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Matthias Leguire
Patrick Riley
Randy Roberts
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Patrick Riley
COVER DESIGN
Jason Smith
See CLAY, Page T14
:('2
6325763+<6,&$/6
T4
FOSTORIA
Redmen have
made strides
in weight room
KEY TO THE SEASON
By SCOTT COTTOS
SPORTS EDITOR
Lorenzen
Phillips
O FFE N S E
According to tackle Jarrett
Lorenzen: “I believe the offense
is going to be effective this year
because we were in the weight
room a lot more. A lot of us are
stronger than last year, and we’re
pretty quick off the ball, too.”
D E FE N S E
According to linebacker
Ryan Phillips: “A lot of us were
in the weight room all winter, so
we’re a lot stronger. ... A lot of
changes (on defense) will be beneficial, I think.”
2014 LEADERS
PASSING
Stanton
ATT COMP YDS
172
88 1,111
RUSHING
Stanton
Diaz
ATT
142
110
YDS AVG
503 3.5
492 4.5
RECEIVING
Twining
Ko. Bemis
REC
21
17
YDS AVG
382 18.2
216 12.7
TD
x
INT
12
Second-year coach Derek Kidwell
likes the players on his Fostoria High
School roster. He’d just like to have
more of them.
The Redmen lost just six seniors
to graduation from 2014’s roster of
40, but with only a half-dozen freshmen and the decisions of other players
not to return for various reasons, this
year’s group numbers just 30.
Kidwell expected many more players, but he realizes that football is not
for everyone and he’s moving ahead
in his second year of rebuilding the
Fostoria program with the ones he
has on hand.
“We’re not going to beg anybody
to play this sport,” he said. “That’s
the last thing you want to do, is beg
somebody to play this sport because
if they’re not playing for themselves,
they’re going to get hurt.
“We have 30 kids who I think are
pretty tough and committed, so we’ll
coach their butts off and we’ll see what
happens.”
Kidwell, a former Ohio Mr. Football as the quarterback who led the
Redmen to the 1991 Division II
MATTHIAS LEGUIRE / for The Courier
FOSTORIA RECEIVER Kashata
Johnson hauls in a pass during the
Liberty-Benton 7-on-7 tournament
in late July.
state championship, returned to his
alma mater last year after having
reconstructed winning programs at
Hopewell-Loudon and Fremont Ross.
Season 1 for Kidwell at Fostoria
ended with records of 4-6 overall and
2-5 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. None of the wins came against
particularly strong opponents, but it
was good for the Redmen to claim
some victories after not having won a
game for two straight seasons.
Kidwell, however, wasn’t fully satisfied with the season and he’s looking
for further progress this season.
“For me, personally, as a head
coach, I didn’t think we progressed
during the season like we should
have,” he said. “Against the better
teams, we should have played tougher
and better, and we didn’t. That was a
little disappointing to me.
“I didn’t take this job expecting to
go 0-10, so when we did win, it wasn’t
a surprise to me. The kids deserved to
win and they made the plays to win.
There were a couple of games that I
think we let slip away, that we could
have won and didn’t. It would have
been nice to play tough against the
Genoas and the Eastwoods and stay in
there for a half. Those are the things
that are disappointing and those are
the things that motivate us. We’ve got
to close those gaps.
“It was nice for these kids to taste
victory, especially at home. We were
still 0-5 on the road, so we’ve got to
find a way to win on the road and
that’s a challenge for us this year.”
The Redmen did step up to meet an
important challenge in the offseason.
Kidwell spoke all of last season about
how a lack of strength was hampering his players, and he said they have
since addressed that problem in the
weight room.
“We’ve gotten light-years stronSee REDMEN, Page T14
DEPTH CHART
OFFENSIVE UNIT
Pos.
QB
RB
FB
WR
WR
WR
OG
OG
OT
OT
C
K
Jayden Stanton
Cordero Diaz
Zach Jimmison
Ryan Phillips
Kobey Bemis
Jordan Marshall
Brystan Baeder
Tommy Oldaker
Montrese Brooks
Jarrett Lorenzen
Monty Stahl
Tommy Oldaker
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
So.
Sr.
160
175
150
155
165
160
200
200
205
200
220
200
QB
WR
WR
OG
5-10
5-7
5-6
5-8
5-9
5-10
5-11
5-8
5-9
6-0
5-10
5-8
)26725,$
(<(&$5(,1&
Skylar Garcia
Jayden Stanton
Skylar Garcia
Collin Rice
DEFENSIVE UNIT
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
So.
Jr.
So.
So.
140
160
140
185
DT
DT
DE
DE
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
CB
SS
FS
P
5-9
5-10
5-9
6-0
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Monty Stahl
Tommy Oldaker
Jarrett Lorenzen
Jordan Diaz
Zach Jimmison
Jace Boff
Ryan Phillips
Skylar Garcia
Jordan Marshall
Cordero Diaz
Jayden Stanton
Zach Jimmison
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
So.
Sr.
Jr.
Fr.
Jr.
So.
Jr.
So.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
220
200
200
155
150
145
155
140
160
175
160
150
5-10
5-8
6-0
6-1
5-6
5-8
5-8
5-9
5-10
5-7
5-10
5-6
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Pos.
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
QUICK FACTS
COACH: Derek Kidwell (2nd
season, 4-6)
LAST YEAR: 4-6 overall, 2-5
Northern Buckeye Conference
LAST TITLE: 2008 in Northern
Ohio League
OFFENSIVE SCHEME: Spread
DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3
STRENGTHS: The players
are familiar
with Kidwell’s
system after
one season,
and they have
a few victories
to build on
after winless
seasons in 2013
and 2012. The
Redmen sport
Kidwell
quite a bit of
game experience and have
added bulk to help them compete.
WEAKNESSES: Depth will be
a concern with only 30 players
on the roster. FHS is thin at
receiver, a spot at which some
players did not return from last
year. The schedule will provide
tougher tests, with Port Clinton
and Wauseon replacing Toledo
Horizon Science Academy and
Cardinal Stritch.
GRIDIRON GURU
Year 2 of Derek Kidwell’s
rebuilding mission at Fostoria
begins with a greater amount of
strength and a greater knowledge
of the coach’s system among the
players. But there’s little depth on
the roster and a tougher schedule,
so an interesting journey appears
to lie ahead.
The Fostoria
Redmen
know the
meaning of
hard work.
Great accomplishments are the result of hard
work. The kind of work every Redmen puts in.
You are an inspiration to us all. Go Redmen.
biorefining
poet.com/fostoria
FOSTORIA
T5
Jordan Marshall (2), Jaydn Miller (3), Cordero Diaz (4), Alex Sierra (6), Kasey Finsel (7), Malik Tucker (9), Jayden Stanton (12), Skylar Garcia (16), Jace Boff (22), Kobey Bemis (23), Donovan
Vogel (25), Gabe Turner (31), Weston Weimerskirch (33), Kashata Johnson (34), Zach Jimmison (36), Ryan Phillips (43), Mo’ntrese Brooks (50), Collin Rice (57), Kaiden Mezger (52), Tyler
Edwards (55), Kyle Gavin (58), Eli Ward (62), Nate Cessna (63), Chad Spangler (65), Brystan Baeder (66), Monty Stahl (72), Tommy Oldaker (73), Jarrett Lorenzen (75), Lucas Hill (81), Michael
Hoffbauer (83), Jordan Diaz (84). HEAD COACH — Derek Kidwell. ASSISTANT COACHES — J.T. Bates, Jeremy Robbins, Greg Fleming, John Groth, George Tucker, J.R. Haupert, Ryan Ottney,
Mykel Heberling.
2015 SCHEDULE
Date
Opponent
Home/Away
August
28 Toledo Scott
September 4 Wauseon
11 Port Clinton
18 Eastwood*
25 Lake*
October
2 Elmwood*
9 Rossford*
16 Genoa*
23 Otsego*
30 Woodmore*
All games 7 p.m.
*—Northern Buckeye Conference games
Good Luck
To All Area
Teams
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H
H
A
H
H
A
H
A
H
A
Fostoria
REDMEN
2014 RESULTS
Scott
Cardinal Stritch
Horizon Science
Elmwood
Rossford
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12-30
36-14
68-6
47-27
12-49
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Otsego
Woodmore
Eastwood
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RECORD BOOK
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
0-54
6-27
32-26
8-56
8-41
4-6
0-10
0-10
5-5
0-10
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
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3-7
10-2
8-3
5-5
6-4
T6
ARCADIA
Redskins are
loaded with
upperclassmen
KEY TO THE SEASON
By ANDY WOLF
STAFF WRITER
Baker
Knepper
O FFE N S E
According to quarterback
Chad Baker: “ I feel like our offensive line is doing way better than
what they were last year. They’re
stronger. They’re working harder.
That should help in pass protection
and running the ball.”
D E FE N S E
According to defensive
tackle A.J. Knepper: “It’s important to stay calm when things get
down. When they score a touchdown, heads go down but this year
it’s going to be different. It’s a good
atmosphere this year.”
2014 LEADERS
PASSING
C. Baker
ATT COMP YDS
297
125 1,305
TD
12
RUSHING
Lentz
Carnicom
ATT
109
53
YDS AVG
355 3.3
175 3.5
TD
1
2
RECEIVING
Cheeks
Enders
REC
42
14
YDS AVG
495 11.8
243 17.3
TD
6
3
INT
14
ARCADIA — For the first time in
Pat Gehrisch’s four-year run as coach
at Arcadia, he’ll have a roster heavy
with upperclassmen.
Eight seniors and 12 juniors make
up the bulk of the 33-man Redskins
roster, as well as five sophomores and
eight freshmen.
Though the 20 upperclassmen are
mostly all multi-letterwinners, there’s
a lot of room for improvement after
last year’s 2-8 finish which included
an 0-5 run through Blanchard Valley
Conference Blanchard Divisioin play.
“This team actually started coming
up with their own identity in the offseason,” Gehrisch said. “This group is
probably as close of a group, (grades)
9-12, as I’ve had..”
Gehrisch noted the leadership is
coming actions rather than words.
Those actions have translated into
extensive time in the weight room in
the offseason with the upperclassmen
leading the charge.
“Quite frankly everyone in the
league is working to get stronger and
if we want to compete, it’s one of the
things we need to do,” Gehrisch said.
ARCADIA QUARTERBACK CHAD
BAKER looks for an open receiver
during a 7-on-7 tourney this summer
at Liberty-Benton.
But strength and size don’t always
translate to consistent play — something the Redskins frequently lacked
in 2014.
Arcadia scored 90 total points in
its two wins against Lakota (29-28)
and Vanlue (61-12), but averaged just
5.7 points in its eight losses. Its average margin of defeat came at 43 points
per game.
Senior Chad Baker (6-foot-4, 220
pounds) will again lead the spread-
based offense at quarterback.
Last season, Baker completed 42.1
percent (125 for 297) of his passes for
1,305 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14
interceptions.
Instead of a two-back set, the Redskins will lean heavily on the run with
junior A.J. Lentz (6-0, 205) becoming
the feature back. Gehrisch said Lentz
has added 20 pounds of muscle to his
frame without affecting his mobility.
Gehrisch has also experimented
with putting Baker at tight end to
take advantage of his frame and create
matchup nightmares for opposing
defenses.
“The thing with Chad is, A, he’s
smart and, B, he’s very big,” Gehrisch
said. “If you line him up at receiver, he
catches everything near him.”
At wide receiver will be Garrett
Enders (6-1, 175) and Landon Carnicom (6-1, 185) in the slot with Tristan
Love (5-9, 175) and Austin Bohn (6-0,
185) lining up out wide.
Turning around the BVC’s lastranked rushing attack at 74 yards
per game won’t be easy, but it will
start up front with senior Jorden
Johnson returning as starting guard.
Josh Loudon (6-0, 260) and Brayden
George (5-11, 200) competing for the
other guard spot.
Austin Rhodes (5-10, 220) and
Ethan Boes (6-2, 260) will start at
tackle and senior A.J. Knepper (6-2,
280) will play center.
Defensively Arcadia will switch to
See REDSKINS, Page T14
DEPTH CHART
OFFENSIVE UNIT
Pos.
QB
RB
WR
WR
WR
WR
OT
OT
OG
OG
C
K
Chad Baker
A.J. Lentz
Garrett Enders
Austin Bohn
Alex Pessell
Landon Carnicom
Ethan Boes
Austin Rhodes
Josh Loudon
Jacob Keefe
A.J. Knepper
Logan Boyd
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
220
200
175
185
190
185
260
220
260
245
280
170
QB
RB
WR
WR
WR
WR
OT
OT
OG
OG
C
6-4
6-0
6-1
6-0
6-3
6-1
6-2
5-10
6-0
6-3
6-2
5-10
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Trevor Brubaker
Tristan Love
Trevor Lucius
Logan Boyd
Skyler Cramer
Austin Jones
John Hill
Jorden Johnson
Sean Kelly
Matt Hill
DEFENSIVE UNIT
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Jr.
So.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
Fr.
Sr.
Jr.
So.
190
145
175
165
170
175
215
240
205
185
180
DE
DE
DT
DT
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
CB
FS
SS
P
6-3
5-8
5-9
5-7
5-10
5-10
5-10
6-2
6-2
5-10
6-1
Chad Baker
Sean Kelly
A.J. Knepper
Ethan Boes
A.J. Lentz
Jorden Johnson
Landon Carnicom
Garrett Enders
Trevor Brubaker
Alex Pessell
Austin Bohn
Logan Boyd
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
220
185
280
260
200
205
185
175
145
190
185
170
DE
DE
DT
DT
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
CB
FS
SS
P
6-4
5-10
6-2
6-2
6-0
6-2
6-1
6-1
5-8
6-3
6-0
5-10
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Matt Hill
John Hill
Austin Jones
Cole Coppus
Andrew Husted
Derron Seaburn
Gage Boyd
Tristan Love
Trevor Lucius
Jordan McGowan
Alex Pessell
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Sr.
So.
Fr.
Jr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Sr.
Sr.
Fr.
Jr.
245
180
240
215
145
140
180
155
175
165
185
190
6-3
6-1
6-2
5-10
5-9
5-7
5-8
5-10
5-9
5-7
5-7
6-3
QUICK FACTS
COACH: Pat Gehrisch (4th year,
9-22).
Blanchard Valley Conference
LAST BVC TITLE: None.
OFFENSIVE SCHEME: Spread.
DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3.
STRENGTHS: Especially on a
roster of 33 players, having 20
upperclassmen who are
mostly multiple
letterwinners
and battletested will
bode well for
the Redskins.
The 12 seniors
are a tight-knit
bunch and were
freshmen when
Gehrisch
Gehrisch took
over the job.
WEAKNESSES: While the Redskins have reliable starters, depth
is lacking at most positions. It’ll
be up to the underclass to step in
and assist when needed, especially if the injury bug bites hard.
GRIDIRON GURU
Arcadia reached the playoffs in
2011, winning seven games, but
has since seen its win total drop
every year after. If the Redskins
wish to become a surprise team in
the BVC, it all starts with being
much more competitive in conference play. Over the past two seasons, Arcadia has lost 13 games to
BVC teams with its average margin
of defeat being 44.3 points. Look
for the Redskins to try and hang
tough early by establishing tempo
with their spread-based rushing
attack.
ARCADIA
T7
Landon Carnicom (1), Garrett Enders (2), Gage Boyd (3), Cole Coppus (5), Tristan Love (7), Trevor Brubaker (8), Derron Seaburn (9), Chad Baker (10), Austin Bohn (11), Skyler Cramer (12),
Kenneth Durst (14), Paul Sowders (16), AJ Lentz (25), Alex Pessell (33), Andrew Husted (35), Logan Boyd (36), Jorden Johnson (50), Sean Kelly (51), Ethan Boes (54), Austin Jones (55), Austin
Rhodes (56), Reece Grine (57), Brayden George (60), Cole Cramer (64), Matt Hill (71), Josh Loudon (72), Dylan Fenimore (72), Jacob Keefe (74), AJ Knepper (77), John Hill (78), Trevor Lucius
(85), Jordan McGowan (88), HEAD COACH — Pat Gehrisch.
2015 SCHEDULE
Date
Opponent
Home/Away
August
28 Lakota
September 4 Riverside
11 Vanlue*
18 North Baltimore*
25 McComb*
October
2 Cory-Rawson*
9 Arlington*
16 Liberty-Benton*
23 Pandora-Gilboa*
30 Riverdale*
All games 7 p.m.
*—Blanchard Valley Conference games
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REDSKINS
2014 RESULTS
Lakota
Riverside
Vanlue
North Baltimore
McComb
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Luck on
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Season
29-28
0-57
61-12
6-47
0-75
Cory-Rawson
Arlington
Liberty-Benton
Pandora-Gilboa
Riverdale
ARCADIA
LIONS
COMMUNITY
CENTER
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RECORD BOOK
8-27
0-62
6-41
6-46
20-35
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2-8
3-7
4-6
7-4
4-6
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2-8
1-9
6-4
2-8
2-8
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ELMWOOD
Royals to run
the ball behind
big offensive line
KEY TO THE SEASON
QUICK FACTS
BY RYAN SATKOWIAK
STAFF WRITER
Baker
Bentley
O FFE N S E
Noah Baker: “We just have to
keep going after it and running
hard, staying in it and not getting
down on ourselves.”
D E FE N S E
According to defensive end
Rob Bentley: “Defensively we
have to follow our assignments,
keep our technique and stick to
what we’re doing. We have to be
more aggressive and try to lay a
hit.”
2014 LEADERS
PASSING
Baker
ATT COMP YDS
142
75 964
TD
7
RUSHING
Jasso
Baker
ATT YDS AVG
217 1,019 4.7
119
419 3.5
TD
8
8
RECEIVING
Camden
Hall
REC
26
24
TD
3
0
YDS AVG
419 16.1
256 10.7
INT
14
BLOOMDALE — To borrow a
quote from Elmwood head coach Brian
Cooper, the Royals’ veteran players have
been through some tough experiences.
But they have been experiences,
and it’s those experiences that Cooper
is going to lean on to help Elmwood
improve this season.
Experience has been one of the key
words for the Royals this summer. Following a difficult 2014 season that saw
the team trot out an unnaturally high
number of underclassmen, Elmwood
returns a solid group of players that
have game experience.
“I’ve already seen it with a couple
of guys that it’s going to be a bonus,”
said Cooper, who is entering his fourth
season as the team’s head coach. “The
game maybe doesn’t move as fast. You
never want to put a freshman or sophomore in a bad position, but when you’re
rolling out the numbers we are, it’s just
a necessity.
“It was a good experience for them
and I think, obviously any time you
get game experience even if it’s just a
game or two, let alone starting nine
or 10 games, they now know what to
ELMWOOD COACH BRIAN COOPER gives instruction to Brock Reinhard
between plays during a 7-on-7 scrimmage against Fremont St. Joseph.
expect and what it means to be a part
of the team.”
Of the 24 non-freshmen listed on
Elmwood’s roster, 13 are letterwinners.
Among that group are 2014 All-Northern Buckeye Conference honorable mentions in receiver/safety Dylan Hall and
tight end/linebacker Noah Smith.
Smith and Hall are both three-year
starters, and are part of a senior class
that has seen a lot of bad, but hopes to
leave the program on a positive note.
“You definitely have to be resilient
out here and be able to bounce back
and go back to work every single time,”
Smith said. “If you get down on yourself,
you just have to get right back up.”
The Royals’ seniors are charged with
guiding a team that is still dominated
by underclassmen. Elmwood has five
seniors on the roster — Hall, Smith,
linemen Rob Bentley and Nick Wiseman, and split end/defensive back Josh
Lorenzen — compared to 15 freshmen
See ROYALS, Page T14
DEPTH CHART
OFFENSIVE UNIT
Pos.
QB
FB
HB
WR
WR
TE
OT
OT
OG
OG
C
Noah Baker
Noah Smith
Jace Grossman
Christian Aldaco
Dylan Hall
Nate Uzelac
Rob Bentley
Ryan Krouse
Jordan Thrash
Nick Wiseman
Kyle Dibling
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
So.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
175
200
185
150
165
180
265
300
175
240
180
QB
5-11
6-3
5-11
5-7
5-11
6-4
6-3
6-4
5-10
5-11
5-8
DEFENSIVE UNIT
Yr. Ht.
Brock Reinhard
Wt.
Pos.
So. 5-11 155
DE
DE
DT
DT
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
CB
FS
SS
Chant Meece
Calvin Thatcher
Griffin Sperry
Nick Wiseman
Jordan Thrash
Noah Smith
Nate Uzelac
Jace Grossman
Christian Aldaco
Noah Baker
Dylan Hall
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
So.
Jr.
Sr.
190
185
200
200
175
200
180
185
150
175
165
6-3
5-11
5-10
5-11
5-10
6-3
6-4
5-11
5-7
5-11
5-11
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GOOD LUCK
AREA TEAMS
From Our Team At
381 Perry St.
419-435-2224
2Q$
:,11,1*
6($621
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Pos.
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
COACH: Brian Cooper (4th year,
6-24 overall).
Northern Buckeye Conference.
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2006.
OFFENSIVE SCHEME: WingT.
DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-front.
STRENGTHS: The Royals
have plenty of
returning experience in the
trenches, led by
mammoth tackles Rob Bentley
and Ryan
Krouse, which
should help the
team as they
transition to a
Wing-T offense.
Cooper
Elmwood also
returns key
players at quarterback, linebacker
and in the secondary.
WEAKNESSES: For a team that
has only two victories the past
two years, learning to win can
be a hard thing to accomplish.
Cooper said the team needs to
avoid the “here we go again,” attitude if something goes wrong on
the field, and needs to maintain
focus on only the things it can
control.
GRIDIRON GURU
The Royals took their lumps a
year ago with a roster composed
mostly of freshmen and sophomores. With a solid, albeit small,
senior class, Elmwood hopes the
lessons learned a year ago will pay
dividends this year. The first three
games will be key. If the Royals can
pick up a win or two, or even in all
three games, they should be feeling pretty confident heading into
league play. But if things don’t go
well early, it could be another long
season in Bloomdale.
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ELMWOOD
T9
Brock Reinhard (2), Aaron Crislip (3), Nate Uzelac (5), Adam Lewallen (6), Dylan Hinton (7), Noah Baker (8), Noah Smith (9), Tyler St. Clair (14), Christian Aldaco (15), Corey Loera (18), Dylan
Hall (20), Josh Lorenzen (21), Jacob Corral (22), Marshall Tienerand (23), Matthew Cline (28), Carter Taft (32), Levi Garner (35), Karl Clementz (40), Donovan Gallagher (45), Jace Grossman
(46), Miguel Garcia (50), Jordan Thrash (52), Lincoln Thatcher (54), Tyler Zimmerman (55), Calvin Thatcher (57), Dakota Clementz (58), Griffin Sperry (60), Kyle Dibling (63), Nick Wiseman
(67), Connar Barringer (68), Kain Brossia (70), Chant Meece (72), Rob Bentley (77), Ryan Krouse (78), Brayden Heinze (79), Austin Murphy (80), Bo Donaldson (82), Kyle Klett (87). HEAD
COACH — Brian Cooper. ASSISTANT COACHES — Vic Meyer, Jason Shirkey, Ben Steele, Jeremy Woodard.
2015 SCHEDULE
Date
Opponent
Home/Away
August
28 Gibsonburg
September 4 Hopewell-Loudon
11 Toledo Christian
18 Genoa*
25 Rossford*
October
2 Fostoria*
9 Otsego*
16 Woodmore*
23 Eastwood*
30 Lake*
All games 7 p.m.
*—Northern Buckeye Conference games
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ROYALS
2014 RESULTS
Gibsonburg
Hopewell-Loudon
Toledo Christian
Fostoria
Otsego
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28-50
42-49
27-47
28-39
Woodmore
Eastwood
Lake
Genoa
Rossford
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RECORD BOOK
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
26-16
12-49
6-55
13-53
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1-9
4-6
4-6
5-5
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
3-7
6-4
7-3
8-2
7-4
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T10
FINDLAY
Trojans will run
with Mogolu,
experienced line
KEY TO THE SEASON
By DAVE HANNEMAN
STAFF WRITER
Mogolu
Ochoa
O FFE N S E
According to running back
Emmanuel Mogolu: “We’ll still
be throwing the ball because we
have some tall athletic receivers
who can make big plays down field.
But I think our running game can
be the strength of this team.”
D E FE N S E
According to linebacker Jose
Ochoa: “This year, we have to be
a lot more physical. I think there is
this perception of Findlay that we
are soft. Coach drills into us all the
time that we need to change that.”
2014 LEADERS
PASSING
Muehl
ATT
261
COMP
151
YDS
1,806
TD
18
RUSHING
Mogolu
Jones
Muehl
ATT
186
27
48
YDS
1,482
135
128
AVG.
8.0
5.0
2.7
TD
21
1
4
RECEIVING
Niswander
Hammond
Feay
Stillings
REC
65
41
16
16
YDS
846
427
173
149
AVG.
13.0
10.4
10.8
9.3
TD
11
2
0
1
INT
9
Mark Ritzler has been Findlay
High’s head football coach for nine
seasons and on staff for 25.
But what he saw three weeks ago,
at the end of Findlay’s first preseason
scrimmage, stunned even him ... took
him back to another era.
“It was our final drive of the scrimmage,” Ritzler said. “We chunked and
chunked and chunked, I think we went
something like 70 yards in 12 plays,
and we finished it off with a play
action pass to the tight end dragging
across the back of the end zone.
“I can’t remember the last time I
saw a Findlay team do that. Probably
not since I played, anyway.”
It’s something Findlay fans might
be seeing a lot more of this season.
Ritzler isn’t scrapping the fivewide spread offense that has been a
Trojans’ trademark since Cliff Hite
brought it with him when he took over
the program in 1996. But with a talented backfield and a veteran offensive
line returning this season, he is planning on adding a few wrinkles to it.
“I feel that with our running backs,
and because we have four guys return-
RANDY ROBERTS / The Courier
FINDLAY WIDE RECEIVER Joe
Misamore looks to pick up some
yardage after the catch during a
7-on-7 tourney earlier this summer.
ing up front that played all or part of
the time last season, that the running
game, right now, is our strength,” Ritzler said. “We are going to form our
offense around the possibilities of
what we can do in the run game. That
means using tight ends and H-backs,
things we haven’t seen around here in
Findlay in a long time.”
Graduation cost the Trojans three
two-year starters at key offensive positions who generated a ton of yards
the past two seasons: quarterback
Brandon Muehl and receivers Grant
Niswander and Joey Hammond.
There’s another two-year starter
back, though, to spearhead Findlay’s
offense. Emmanuel Mogolu made an
impressive debut as a sophomore when
he rushed for 505 yards. The 5-foot-10,
180-pound senior speedster followed
that with an explosive junior season
when he averaged 8 yards per carry,
rushed for 1,482 yards and scored 21
touchdowns. Mogolu added another
140 yards and three TDs receiving.
Findlay’s backfield will be more
than one dimensional, though, with
senior Jordan Jones (5-10, 176) and
junior D’on Stinson (5-10, 213) also
returning. Jones, who along with
Mogolu formed half of Findlay’s
record-setting state-qualifying 400meter relay team last spring, rushed
for 135 yards and a TD last season;
Stinson had just six carries in 2014,
but like Jones averaged 5 yards per
carry.
It’s a backfield with talent, speed
and depth.
Seniors Nick Berry (6-2, 183) and
junior Mitchell Hucke (6-0, 191) will
be called on when Findlay lines up
with a tight end. Stinson, Hucke and
junior Kyle Nunn (6-5, 187) will be
H-back in that formation.
Findlay’s backs will be operating
behind a veteran offensive line that
returns big 6-5, 279-pound senior
tackle Noah Routson, guards Dewey
See TROJANS, Page T15
DEPTH CHART
OFFENSIVE UNIT
Pos.
QB
RB
WR
WR
WR
WR
OT
OT
OG
OG
C
K
Tre Miller
Emmanuel Mogolu
Chandler Stillings
Cam Crotinger
Nick Berry
Joe Misamore
Noah Routson
JJ Reneau
Dewey Lee
Rick Coleman
Luke Cosiano
Grant McKinniss
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
141
180
181
189
183
146
279
216
251
254
216
207
QB
RB
RB
WR
WR
WR
WR
OT
OT
OG
OG
C
5-8
5-10
6-2
6-1
6-2
5-11
6-5
6-2
5-10
6-1
5-11
6-0
Chandler Stillings
Jordan Jones
D’on Stinson
Mitchell Hucke
Sami Salama
Adam Gutting
Chaze Proehl
Alex Miller
Loren Charles
Justin Hudson
Devin Zimmerman
Zach Short
DEFENSIVE UNIT
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
So.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
181
176
213
191
175
186
193
175
218
262
286
178
DE
DE
DT
DT
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
SS
FS
CB
P
6-2
5-10
5-10
6-0
6-0
6-2
6-9
6-2
6-1
6-0
6-0
5-7
Sam Kovaleski
Aaron Kupferberg
Anthony Bilbrey
Tre Gerlach
Jose Ochoa
Jeremiah Tate
Bryce Burrows
Jordan Jones
Cam Dillon
Kyle Nunn
Justin Eyerly
Grant McKinniss
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
So.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
171
197
216
170
185
211
189
176
196
187
160
207
DE
DE
DT
DT
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
SS
FS
CB
P
6-0
6-0
6-0
5-10
5-8
5-11
5-11
5-10
6-2
6-5
5-9
6-0
Connor Price
Matthew Lichtinger
Gage Watson
Billy Milliron
Bryant Shaffer
D’on Stinson
Jesse Lamb
Brandon Armstrong
Cam Armstrong
Avery Wirt
Elisha Hensley
Avery Wirt
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Jr.
177
200
265
274
187
213
159
136
126
173
140
173
6-4
6-1
6-0
6-0
5-7
5-10
6-0
5-6
5-5
6-0
5-8
6-0
QUICK FACTS
COACH: Mark Ritzler (10th
year, 49-42).
Three Rivers Athletic Conference.
LAST TRAC TITLE: 2011.
STRENGTHS: Running game;
kicking game. In Manny Mogolu,
Findlay has
one of the top
running backs
in the TRAC
and he has
four returning
veterans on the
offensive line
as well. Findlay
also has one of
the top kickers
Ritzler
in the state in
Grant McKinniss, a three-time
all-Ohioan.
WEAKNESSES: Overall size,
youth on defense. Findlay’s offensive line will average around 245
pounds per man. Good, but still
likely smaller than many of the
TRAC programs. The Trojans
will be young on defense, with
seven underclassmen starting on
that side of the ball.
GRIDIRON GURU
Findlay’s schedule favors a
young team needing to get some
quality Friday night experience.
The first four games are at home.
Only one of the first six opponents
won more than two games last
season. There’s enough talent in
the backfield and experience up
front for the offense to control time
of possession and “chunk” its way
down the field. That would be a
huge advantage for a young, a bit
undersized defense that last season
was on the field for long periods
of time.
g
n
i
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l
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c
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Se
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speed o
recovery!
Training
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Sports Med
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Ph
Speech Therapy
When you are injured, our team will get you safely back to your game.
419.425.3199 • 1721 Medical Blvd., Suite B, Findlay
FINDLAY
T11
Cam Armstrong (2), Jordan Jones (3), Emmanuel Mogolu (5), Justin Eyerly (6), Will Kiffmeyer (8), Joe Misamore (9), Brayton Rader (10), Tre Miller (11), Owen Morse (12), Sami Salama (13),
Marlon Collins (14), Nick Berry (15), Mitchell Hucke (16), Jacob Harris (17), Marquis Landers (18), Kyle Nunn (19), Elisha Hensley (20), Brandon Armstrong (21), Chandler Stillings (22), D’on
Stinson (23), Bryant Shaffer (24), Caleb Peltier (25), Sam Kovaleski (26), Josh Shuck (27), Cade McCaskey (28), KCaleeb Gonzales (29), Cam Dillon (30), Avery Wirt (31), Jesse Lamb (32), Zach
Hannah (33), Loren Couch (34), Bryce Burrows (35), Jake Shaw (36), Tre Gerlach (37), Brady Butler (38), Blake Watson (39), Anthony Bilbrey (40), Elijah Mahone (41), Baylee Hamilton (42),
Adam Gutting (43), Matt Short (44), Mathew Lichtinger (45), Joran Contreras (46), Aaron Kupferberg (47), Jeremiah Tate (48), Jose Barrientos (49), JJ Reneau (50), Connor Price (51), Dewey
Lee (52), Jose Ochoa (53), Jonathon Ricard (54), Justin Hudson (55), Alex Miller (56), Seth Leonard (57), Zach Short (58), Chris Ricker (59), Luke Cosiano (61), Jonathon Arthur (62), Wyatt
Deem (63), Peyton Manns (64), Noah Routson (65), Tod Beard (66), Loren Charles (67), Drake Heidepriem (67), Jesse Guzman (69), Zach Fairbanks (70), Devin Zimmerman (71), Gage Watson
(72), Thomas Riker (73), Damien Preteroti (74), Wes VanAtta (75), Alex Gallegos (76), Rick Coleman (77), Robert Hammond (78), Ben Baldridge (79), Grant McKinniss (80), Brice Engard (81),
Javon Stallings (82), Darius McDonald (83), Anthony Gonzalez (84), Chaze Proehl (85), Caden Spradlin (86), Cameron Crotinger (87), Peter Strzempka (88), Sam Giedeman (89), Billy Milliron
(90). HEAD COACH — Mark Ritzler. ASSISTANT COACHES — Todd Armstrong, Dave Sprouse, Chris Ireland, Marc Bosworth, Brad Burrows, Ryan Brooks, Cory Echelberry,
2015 SCHEDULE
Date
Opponent
Home/Away
August
28 Anthony Wayne
H
September 4 Hamilton
H
11 Sylvania Southview
H
18 Toledo St. Francis*
H
25 Oregon Clay*
A
October
2 Toledo St. John’s*
A
9 Lima Senior*
H
16 Toledo Central Catholic* A
23 Toledo Whitmer*
A
30 Fremont Ross*
H
All games 7 p.m.
*—Three Rivers Athletic Conference games
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TROJANS
2014 RESULTS
Anthony Wayne
Grove City
Sylvania Southview
Oregon Clay
Toledo St. John’s
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Lima Senior
Toledo Central Catholic
Toledo Whitmer
Fremont Ross
Toledo St Francis
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2013
2012
2011
2010
17-56
14-35
21-58
34-41
41-13
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27-25
45-14
48-0
56-28
RECORD BOOK
6-4
2-8
8-2
9-2
5-5
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
Clean The
Field Trojans!
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HOPEWELL-LOUDON
Secondary
a strength
for Chieftains
KEY TO THE SEASON
QUICK FACTS
By ANDY WOLF
STAFF WRITER
Tooker
Burns
O FFE N S E
Austin Tooker: “Right now we
have a great running back. If our
line can block, and I have faith that
they can, we can keep our ground
game strong.”
D E FE N S E
According to defensive end L
Ray Burns: “Our defensive backs
and our linemen have to play a big
key to control the air game and the
run. We have the same strategy
every game: listen to our coaches,
make plays and get the ball back.”
2014 LEADERS
PASSING
Runion
Att
232
COMP
125
YDS
1840
TD
16
RUSHING
Runion
Tran
ATT
98
83
YDS
357
327
AVG
3.6
3.9
TD
1
7
RECEIVING
Tooker
Park
Lommerse
REC
28
32
18
YDS
501
434
378
AVG
17.9
13.6
21.0
TD
6
3
5
INT
5
BASCOM — Hopewell-Loudon
received a warm welcome from its new
Blanchard Valley Conference foes upon
entering the 2014 season.
By the end of the season, the Chieftains also received what coach Jeremy
Nutter referred to as an “eye-opening
introduction to the BVC.”
Hopewell-Loudon finished at 3-7
overall and 2-3 in the BVC Valley Division, with two more losses coming from
non-divisional conference foes.
“Clearly they play good football over
there,” Nutter said, noting the quality
of programs in the league. “I think our
kids realize we need to raise our level of
competition. We need to raise our level
of work ethic so we can compete in that
league. We’re excited to see where we’re
at.”
Nutter will have a balanced squad
in terms of experience with 40 players
made up of 11 seniors and sophomores
each, and nine juniors and freshmen
each.
Regardless of enduring its lowest
win total of the 21st century, the shortterm and long-term goals aren’t changing.
RANDY ROBERTS / The Courier
HOPEWELL-LOUDON LINEMAN LRay Burns, center, runs through
defensive drills with Hunter Brady, left, and Logan Tyree.
“Ultimately our program goal is to
become one of those upper-tier competitors for the BVC, be competing for
a league title and hopefully a Week 11
spot,” Nutter said. “If those aren’t goals
you have, you probably shouldn’t be
playing football. We accomplish those
goals by taking it one practice at a time,
one game at a time, just trying to master
our own jobs.”
The Chieftains, who averaged 24.2
points per game last season, cracked 50
points in each of their three wins but
failed to score 20 points in all seven of
their losses.
Nutter again will run a shotgunbased one-back spread on offense,
believing “it gives us the best chance to
compete in the BVC”.
He’ll be able to turn to another
senior quarterback in Austin Tooker
(6-foot-2, 180 pounds), who had challenged previous starter Derek Runion
from the backup position in the last two
seasons.
Runion, a BVC honorable mention
his senior year, had completed at least
50 percent in both seasons, reaching
GRIDIRON GURU
See H-L, Page T15
DEPTH CHART
OFFENSIVE UNIT
Pos.
QB
RB
WR
WR
WR
WR
OT
OT
OG
OG
C
PK
Austin Tooker
Noah Breidenbach
Trent Ardner
Logan Tyree
Dillon Williams
Jackson Sebetto
LRay Burns
Tristan Molotla
Gus Panuto
Hunter Brady
Noah Babcock
Austin Tooker
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
So.
Jr.
Sr.
180
180
140
215
160
170
250
180
180
185
240
180
QB
RB
WR
WR
WR
WR
OT
OT
OG
C
6-2
5-11
5-10
6-4
6-0
6-0
6-4
5-8
5-7
5-8
6-0
6-2
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DEFENSIVE UNIT
Zach Kreais
Isaiah Jones
Hunter Sadler
Logan St. Clair
Ben Hulse
Isaiah Jones
Gage Stahl
Donovan Bickelhaupt
Andrew Scaife
Alec Bower
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
So.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
Fr.
So.
So.
150
165
170
155
190
165
230
200
185
200
DE
DE
DT
DT
MLB
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
CB
FS
P
6-0
5-10
5-10
6-3
6-1
5-10
6-2
5-10
5-7
6-0
Good
Luck To
All AREA
TEAMS
Logan Tyree
LRay Burns
Hunter Brady
Gus Panuto
Tristan Molotla
Noah Breidenbach
Dylan Hammond
Jackson Sebetto
Dillon Williams
Trent Ardner
Austin Tooker
Logan Tyree
Yr. Ht.
Wt.
Pos.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
215
250
185
180
180
180
140
170
160
140
180
215
DE
DT
DT
MLB
MLB
OLB
OLB
CB
CB
FS
6-4
6-4
5-8
5-7
5-8
5-11
5-10
6-0
6-0
5-10
6-2
6-4
/
D=F<=J
Wt.
230
200
155
155
180
170
140
165
135
180
6-2
5-10
5-10
5-11
6-1
5-10
5-7
5-10
5-6
6-2
0LDPL6W7LI¿Q2KLR
The bad news is HopewellLoudon faces seven playoff teams
from last season — five of those
won first-round games. The good
news is this season poses a clean
slate for the Chieftains, who now
know first-hand what to expect
as a member of the BVC. H-L certainly has the firepower on offense
to compete with the multitude of
offenses across the conference,
but most battles could come down
to winning the line of scrimmage
with an inexperienced group boasting three new starters.
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So.
Fr.
Fr.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
So.
Sr.
So.
Sr.
GOOD LUCK
CHIEFTAINS
Frameworks
LLC
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Gage Stahl
Donovan Bickelhaupt
Sam Stickley
Ben Hulse
Charlie Dell
Hunter Sadler
Dominic Hedrick
Isaiah Jones
Derek Foos
Austin Tooker
COACH: Jeremy Nutter (6th
year, 28-23).
LAST YEAR: 3-7 overall. 2-3
Blanchard Valley Conference.
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2011
(Midland Athletic League).
STRENGTHS: HopewellLoudon will
have plenty
of skilled and
athletic weapons on offense.
Quarterback
Austin Tooker
is moving over
from wide
receiver while
running back
Nutter
Noah Breidenbach and receivers Isaiah Jones
and Dillon Williams made up
three-quarters of the eight-place
1,600-meter relay team at the
Division III state track meet.
WEAKNESSES: The Chieftains
return just two starters each on
the offensive and defensive lines.
Inexperienced lines could spell
disaster with the physical nature
of the BVC. Tackling fundamentals must also improve to cut
down a vulnerability to surrendering the big play.
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HOPEWELL-LOUDON
T13
Brock Williams (2), Noah Borer (3), Isaiah Jones (4), Jackson Sebetto (5), John Turco (6), Zach Kreais (7), Austin Tooker (8), Trent Ardner (9), Derek Foos (10), Dillon Williams (11), Hunter
Sadler (12), Noah Winter (13), Takoda Pahl (14), Gage Myers (17), Charlie Wickham (18), Dylan Hammond (19), Jaret Nelson (20), Dominic Hedrick (21), Logan Tyree (22), Brandon Cichowski
(24), Drew Kurtz (25), Charlie Dell (32), Sam Stickley (33), Noah Breidenbach (34), Ben Hulse (35), Gage Stahl (50), Alec Bower (51), Noah Babcock (52), Gus Panuto (53), Donovan Bickelhaupt
(54), Casey Gutierrez (55), Jakob Breidenbach (56), Tristan Molotla (57), LRay Burns (58), Jarrod Kirian (64), Hunter Brady (72), Andrew Scaife (73), Gage Burns (74), Aaron Yerkes (77),
Logan St. Clair (80), Gauge Sadler (88). HEAD COACH — Jeremy Nutter.
2015 SCHEDULE
Date
Opponent
Home/Away
August
28 Tiffin Calvert
September 4 Elmwood
11 Arlington*
18 Vanlue*
25 Liberty-Benton*
October
2 Pandora-Gilboa*
9 McComb*
16 Van Buren*
23 North Baltimore*
30 Leipsic*
All games 7 p.m.
*—Blanchard Valley Conference games
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Hopewell-Loudon
CHIEFTAINS
2014 RESULTS
Tiffin Calvert
Elmwood
Arlington
Vanlue
Liberty-Benton
16-41
50-28
14-55
62-14
0-35
Pandora-Gilboa
McComb
Van Buren
North Baltimore
Leipsic
RECORD BOOK
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
19-20
20-45
6-41
55-21
0-40
3-7
4-6
5-5
10-1
6-3
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
9-3
14-1
14-1
11-2
13-2
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T14
PREP FOOTBALL
Redmen
ger,” Kidwell said. “Some of our kids
have gained 20, 30, 40 pounds — not of
fat, but muscle and proper weight gain.
So, we’ve closed the gap that way. We
don’t have kids missing practice due to
bumps and bruises. Our kids have practiced every day — those who don’t have
serious injuries.”
The players are also familiar with
the way a Kidwell team is run, with the
only major changes this season coming
from those installed by new defensive
coordinator J.T. Bates.
While added strength should assist
the Redmen in their tackling, the bodies
of the top players are going to have to
be in tip-top condition as well because
they will rarely leave the field.
“They know they’ve got to be in
shape because we’ve got a lot of playing both ways,” Kidwell said. “They
know they can’t take plays off and they
can’t feel sorry for themselves. Mental
toughness has been a big approach with
our kids and they’ve embraced it up to
this point.”
The Redmen will continue to line up
in Kidwell’s familiar spread offense, but
there will be an operational change due
to several receivers not having returned
from 2014.
“We’ll probably run the ball a little
more than I envisioned at first,” Kidwell
said. “We’ll adapt to our strengths.”
The running game looks to be in
strong hands with junior quarterback
Jayden Stanton and senior running back
Royals
and 11 sophomores.
But leadership isn’t something
Cooper is worried about. This senior
class is the first he’s seen all the way
through. He’s familiar with them,
they’re familiar with him and he’s confident in their abilities.
“I’ve seen them definitely grow, and
it’s neat to see,” Cooper said. “They’re
almost like your kids when you think
about it. You don’t realize how much
they’re growing until maybe you look
back at old film or rosters.”
Just because there’s familiarity doesn’t mean there haven’t been
changes. Cooper has traded in defensive
play calling for offense, bringing a shift
in scheme on both sides of the ball.
“We’ve changed everything each
year we’ve been out,” Hall said. “It’s
been pretty difficult, but coming back
every year it’s the same story so we just
have to get used to it.”
Offensively, the Royals are transitioning to a Wing-T offense. The Royals
have bevy of options out of the back-
Cordero Diaz, who rushed for 503 and
492 yards, respectively, last season.
Junior Zach Jimmison will also be
inserted as both a running and blocking back.
The receiving corps will involve a
rotation of seniors Jordan Marshall and
Kobey Bemis, junior Ryan Phillips and
sophomore Skylar Garcia, who will also
back up Stanton at quarterback.
Stanton threw for 1,111 yards last
season, with Bemis catching 17 passes
for 216 yards.
The offensive line in mid-August
had sophomore Monty Stahl at center,
senior Tommy Oldaker and sophomore
Collin Rice at the guards and senior
Brystan Baeder and junior Jarrett
Lorenzen at the tackles. Sophomore
Montrese Brooks was set to move into
a tackle spot upon his return from a
medical condition, with Baeder shifting to guard.
“I want to do some different kinds of
things offensively,” Kidwell said. “Zach
Jimmison will be our fullback type of
kid and we’ll run some Gun-I stuff.
We’ll be diverse on offense. We won’t
be as simple as we were last year. We’ll
give you some different formations and
different looks that people haven’t seen
from us. That’s a tribute to our coaching
staff, to try to get creative and coach to
the strengths of our team.”
Stahl and Oldaker will line up as
defensive tackles, with Lorenzen and
freshman Jordan Diaz at the ends. Jimmison will be the middle linebacker,
with Phillips and sophomore Jace Boff
on the outside. Garcia and Marshall
will be the cornerbacks, with Cordero
Diaz at strong safety and Stanton at free
safety.
“The biggest things are that we have
to communicate on defense and we line
up properly, and we’ve been doing that
at a high level,” Kidwell said. “Then
it’s going to come down to our defensive line playing well enough to keep
the (opponent’s) offensive line off our
linebackers and us tackling when we’re
in space.”
Depth is a definite concern for the
Redmen.
“We’re going to have to stay healthy,”
Kidwell said. “Any injuries to any of our
starters, and it really, really affects our
landscape as a football team because
we’ve got to really shuffle and move
people around and it’s not fun once
you’ve got to start doing that.”
With a desire to improve by facing
stronger competition, Fostoria will play
a pair of playoff teams of 2014, Wauseon
and Port Clinton, in nonconference
games, in addition to Toledo Scott in
its opener. The Redmen will then take
on good teams from Eastwood and Lake
to open Northern Buckeye Conference
play.
“We’ll find out early on if we’re better
than we were last year, and we’re going
to have to be or we’re going to take it on
the chin because our first five games are
going to be tough,” Kidwell said.
In the meantime, Kidwell and his
staff are putting through the paces a
squad that he’s enjoyed coaching.
“The kids we have are fun to be
around and they’ve worked hard,” he
said. “They’ve done everything we’ve
asked and they’ve picked up everything
and there’s not a whole lot of confusion.
There’s a strong commitment from
them. So, we’ll see what happens when
we line up each and every Friday night.”
field as opposed to out wide like in past
years, Cooper said. There’s also have
some beef up front, led by the 6-foot-3,
265-pound Bentley and 6-foot-4, 300pound Ryan Krouse.
Third-year starting quarterback
Noah Baker will be utilized in a slightly
different way this year.
“We might not throw the ball 15-20
times a game, but hopefully we can
surprise somebody and go over the top
whenever we need to and set that up
with the play action,” Cooper said.
The biggest obstacle this year for
Elmwood is going to be attitude. Following several tough years, the Royals
have been keeping a positive mindset
in camp.
“It’s about being a team and working
together, and no matter what happened
in the past, you have to be together and
come back to work and give your best
every day,” Bentley said.
“(We’re going to be) leading by
example,” Hall said. “(Some) people
maybe don’t want to be out here, they’re
just in it for the jersey. You can show
them what to do and they’ll do it.
“You just play for the people out here
and not yourself, play for my brothers.”
OHSAA state final
tickets on sale
COLUMBUS — Tickets are now
available for the Ohio High School Athletic Association football state championship games, which return Dec. 3-5 to
Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
All-session tickets for the seven
championship games in the club level,
which are the chair-back seats on the
west side of the stadium, are $105 and
also permit indoor access in the Huntington Club before, during and after
each game. All-session reserved tickets
on the east side of the stadium, which
don’t include indoor access, are $84.
All-session tickets are available
online at http://go.osu.edu/OHSAAFB
Single game tickets will go on sale
Nov. 29 and cost $10 at the state finalist
schools, or at the gate before each game
for $15 (club level) and $12 (reserved).
The state semifinal games are
Friday, Nov. 28, for Divisions II, III, V
and VII, and Saturday, Nov. 29, for Divisions I, IV and VI. The schedule for the
Friday’s games will be announced on the
OHSAA’s twitter page at approximately
11 p.m. on Nov. 28.
Clay
‘The field judge is Joel Clay and he
was right on the money.’ That’s the
only time I heard his name mentioned.”
Joel Clay found out about the mention shortly after the game.
“That was awesome,” he said with
a laugh. “I was in the locker room and
I didn’t know anything about it. It was
a play to the end zone, and I went up
with (the touchdown signal). I check my
phone and there are a bunch of texts on
there. And they’re like, ‘They gave you
a shoutout on TV’ or ‘They mentioned
you on TV.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s good.’ I
saw it later.”
While both Dee and Joel Clay got a
kick out of that instance, they don’t talk
much about calls that Joel encounters
during the course of games, and there’s
certainly a line that’s never crossed.
“I don’t ever critique him,” Dee said.
“He’s more of a very good football official than I ever hoped to be. That’s why
he’s climbed the ladder. He’s very, very
good at what he does.”
Officiating is like any other craft in
that you get better with experience. And
Joel Clay likes to get plenty of offseason
work in, whether it’s a college spring
game or an NFL team’s practices.
“The more I work, the slower the
game becomes, it least in my mind,” he
said. “I’ve had the opportunity the last
couple of years to go work at the Detroit
Lions’ (organized team activities) and
minicamps. Back in June, I spent two
separate days up at the Lions’ OTAs.
It’s not the mandatory stuff, but most of
the players are out there in shorts and
jerseys. Working at that level — they’re
the cream of the crop from the college
level. So, talk about fast — they’re just a
step above the Big Ten and the (Southeastern Conference). These guys were
the best in their conferences.
“Just getting a chance to go up and
work that and see those receivers and
quarterbacks and running backs and
Redskins
a 4-3, after Gehrisch felt “in the 4-2-5,
teams were able to line up and run
the ball on us.” The regular season
stats backed that feeling up as the
Redskins allowed a BVC-worst 284.2
rushing yards per game.
“We need to stop the run and the
big play and probably in that order,”
Gehrisch said. “These teams are
spread teams in the BVC that still
want to run the ball, and if you can’t
stop the run, you’re done.”
The new scheme will allow at
least seven men, and at times more,
regularly in the box to aid in stop-
how fast they are ... that helps, to watch
them and then you come down one level
(during the college season). As you do
it year after year after year, it just slows
down in your mind and you tend to see
more. ... You’re still amazed at some of
the plays they make, but it doesn’t surprise you because you’ve seen it before.”
Clay said no perfectly officiated
game will ever take place, but it knowing what to look for certainly helps in
striving toward that goal. The most difficult calls in that regard for him come
in potential pass-interference situations.
“These guys are so good at sort of
hiding things,” he said. “They’ve been
coached very well, and some of your top
athletes, they get to that level because of
their athleticism but also because they
know how to play the game and they can
get away with some things that maybe
you can’t see or is so slight that it’ll give
them a slight advantage or keep them in
the play so they don’t get beat.”
Another challenge on such plays is
realizing what really justifies a penalty
flag and what should not.
“There’s always going to be banging and if you call every little ticky-tack
thing, you would have 35 fouls in a game
and the game would take four hours,”
Clay said. “No one would be happy, and
your supervisor would be like, ‘That’s
too ticky-tack; it didn’t really have an
effect.’ You have to determine, ‘Did it
have an impact on the play?’ And if you
can say yes, then you’ve got to throw
on it.”
Clay applied to officiate in the
NFL eight years ago, but he’s not been
selected and “I do know that at 48 years
old, it’s probably not going to happen
now.”
But he’s fine with that and he’ll continue to spend his fall Saturdays as he
has been for so many years.
“(NCAA Division I) is as high as you
can get without being (in the NFL),” he
said. “I realize that I’m very lucky to be
where I am.”
ping the run.
Knepper and Boes will start at
defensive tackle, with Rhodes and
Baker starting at end. Lentz will
start at middle linebacker, with
Johnson and Carnicom starting on
the outside.
Enders and Gage Boyd (5-10, 155)
will start at cornerback with Tristan
Love seeing time at the position.
Bohn and Alex Pessell (6-3, 190) will
hold down the starting safety jobs.
Gehrisch felt his defense was
most vulnerable at the cornerback
positions in stopping edge rushes
and not being where needed in pass
coverage.
“As happy as I am the way the
offense is coming around, I’m
extremely happy the way the defense
is coming around,” Gehrisch said.
H-L
1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns and five
interceptions or less in each season.
“(Tooker) is ready to step into that
spotlight. He’s taken that leadership role
very seriously and the results are showing in practice,” Nutter said. “We’re
really excited. He’s an exceptional athlete.”
Seniors wide receivers Logan Tyree
(6-4, 215) and Dillon Williams (6-0,
160) will see plenty of action on the
inside. Lining up on the outside will be
Jackson Sebetto (6-0, 170) and Trent
Ardner (5-10, 140).
Senior Noah Breidenbach (5-11,
180) will start at running back. He
missed most of his sophomore year with
an injury and was limited last year due
to a high ankle sprain. Spelling him in
the backfield will be senior Isaiah Jones
(5-10, 165). Jones and Breidenbach each
are coming off a strong track season
with both running on the eighth-place
800- and 1,600-meter relay teams at the
Division III state meet in June.
Gone from last year’s offensive line
are three senior starters. Senior LRay
Burns (6-4, 250) will remain at left
tackle and junior Tristan Molotla (5-8,
180) will be the right tackle.
Senior Hunter Brady (5-8, 185) and
junior Gus Panuto (5-7, 180) will start
at guard on either side of junior center
Noah Babcock (6-0, 240).
On the defensive side, Nutter has
shifted the Chieftains from a multiple
set to a definite 4-4 look. In turn, H-L
will resort back to the fundamentals in
order to improve on allowing 34 ppg
last season.
Burns, a second-team BVC selection
who made 103 tackles last season, will
return as an end with Tyree. Brady and
Panuto will start at defensive tackle.
Breidenbach and Molotla will return
as inside linebackers, with Dylan Hammond (5-10, 140) and Sebetto starting
at the outside backer spots.
Williams will play cornerback
opposite Ardner on the weak side with
Tooker capping off the third level at free
safety.
“Our third level of our defense may
be as good as we’ve had here,” Nutter
said.
PREP FOOTBALL
Trojans
Lee (5-10, 251, jr.) and Rick Coleman
(6-1, 254, sr.) and senior center Luke
Cosiano (5-11, 216).
With 86 players out for football, the
biggest contingent Ritzler can remember during his years with the program,
there’s also some solid depth in juniors
Loren Charles (6-1, 218), Justin Hudson
(6-0, 262), Devin Zimmerman (6-0,
286) and Zach Short (5-7, 178) and
sophomore Alex Miller (6-2, 175).
Chandler Stillings, a 6-1, 181-pound
senior who caught 16 passes for 149
yards and a score, and Mogolu (10, 140,
3 TDs) are the top returning receivers.
Berry and Joe Misamore (5-11, 146)
also saw varsity time a year ago, and
there’s good size and talent at the position in juniors Cam Crotinger (6-1, 169),
Hucke and Sami Salama (6-0, 175),
sophomore Adam Gutting (6-2, 186)
and senior Chaze Proehl, possibly the
tallest wide receiver in the state at 6-9.
Junior Tre Miller, who saw action
in five varsity games last season, takes
T15
over at quarterback. At 5-8 and 141
pounds, he’s not the prototypical drop
back passer that Muehl (6-5, 205) was,
but he brings a style that will also fit
well in Findlay’s scheme to run more
and throw less.
“Tre is able to throw the ball very
well on the run, which a guy his size has
to be able to do,” Ritzler said.
“He’s very football smart. He seems
to just know when to tuck it in and he’s
elusive enough that he always seems to
avoid the big hit. He has enough shake
in him to buy a little more time, get
around the edge and pick up 5 yards if
the roll out (pass) isn’t there.”
Findlay’s defense didn’t get a lot of
rest last season. On average, opponents
had possession of the ball for 28:10 of
every game, Findlay for 19:47.
Ironically, it’s on defense where Findlay is lightest and least experienced this
season. Junior defensive Aaron Kupferberg (18 solo tackles, 3 sacks), and
senior middle linebackers Jose Ochoa
(68 tackles) and Nunn (74 tackles, 3
ints.) are the only full-time returning
starters. Junior linebacker Bryce Burrows (16 tackles, 1 int.) was a regular
in the lineup later in the season.
Findlay’s defensive front will aver-
age less than 190 pounds, and there will
likely be at least seven underclassmen
will be in the starting lineup.
“Defensively we’re really young and
we’re not very big,” Ritzler said. “At that
first scrimmage, everybody was pretty
much brand new, but the No. 1 thing we
as coaches saw on that field was how
well we were running to the football.”
Senior Anthony Bilbrey (6-0, 216),
junior Sam Kovaleski (6-0, 171) and
sophomore Tre Gerlach (5-10, 170)
will join Kupferberg on the four-man
defensive front.
Jeremiah Tate will join Ochoa and
Burrows at linebacker, with senior
Justin Eyerly and sophomore Cam
Dillon joining Nunn and Jones in the
secondary.
Findlay enters the 2015 season with
an added weapon in kicker/punter
Grant McKinniss. Already a three-time
all-Ohio selection, McKinniss converted
40 of 42 PAT kicks last season, 5 of 8
field goals, including a school-record 53
yarder, averaged 40.8 yards per punt,
and put 12 of his 41 punts inside the
opponents 20-yard line.
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