Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Landon Echelberry rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns, and Bryce Besgrove jetted 50 yards for the game-winning score to help Clay snap Wapakoneta’s 28-game regular season winning streak with a 27-21 home victory on Aug. 21 to open the high school football year for Press-area teams.
“With some of the read stuff we're doing, they really give us a two-headed monster in terms of being able to run the ball with what we're doing, and we've added some additional stuff,” Clay’s second-year head coach Derek Pennington said.
The Eagles are led by Pennington, and as a long-time former high school football coach in the state of Michigan, he’s used some concepts from Ferris State University to help grow of the offense behind the abilities of guys such as Echelberry and Besgrove.
“We're running a little bit of triple option out of the gun, similar to what Ferris State runs,” he said. “I’ve always exchanged ideas with them. It was a good night for us, and those two kids really made some people miss and broke some tackles. They're both super strong kids in the weight room. They've really worked hard on their speed, and they're both obviously great athletes.”
The win also avenged a season-opening loss on the road to Wapakoneta last year.
“Wapakoneta obviously has had tremendous success over the last 10 years, especially with the win streak they had going back to 2023,” Pennington said. “It was a very good win for our program and a great way to start the year.”
Pennington said that he doesn’t get caught up in expectations, but he believes the win is a confidence boost for his team going forward.
“Last year we went down there, and we played them pretty tough except for the score,” Pennington said. “We just we just didn't finish some drives, and they did. This year, we really outgained them, outplayed them, and I thought we out schemed them.”
Defensively, Pennington was pleased with Crew Schliesser, a junior linebacker who is in his first year with varsity.
“He was one of our best defensive players who just has a nose for the football at linebacker,” he said. “He played really well. Obviously, Besgrove and Echelberry did well on the offensive side, but Crew really surprised us with how well he played.”
The game itself saw the Eagles take a 14-0 lead through one quarter behind touchdown runs of 27 and 30 yards from Echelberry, and Pennington thought the home atmosphere played a big role in the strong start.
“It was an awesome crowd at the stadium,” he said. “It was packed. It was youth night. The community really showed out. The kids were really jacked up coming out in front of a really cool crowd. They were great all night, and the game went right down to the end.”
Besgrove, who broke five tackles on the way to his game-winning score with 4:19 left, totaled 150 yards on the ground.
“It was a great victory over a really good opponent,” Pennington said.
The Eagles will be on the road at Southview this week.
Eastwood 28, Kenton 20
Brayden Luidhardt broke the school’s single-game record for completions, finishing 27-of-35 for 274 yards and three touchdowns in his first game as the full-time starter, to lead the Eagles to a season-opening win. Brayden Brown added 24 carries for 46 yards and one touchdown, while Cam Schumaker registered a school-record 13 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Landon Weemes tacked on 51 yards via seven catches, while Mason Chaffee had the other touchdown reception from Luidhardt. Logan Brown (3 receptions, 27 yards), Brady Ramlow (1 reception, 22 yards), and Brown (1 reception, 13 yards) also contributed in the receiving department. The Eagles get a stiff test this week at home against state-power Liberty Center.
Archbold 38, Genoa 7
Myles Mollenhauer’s 32-yard touchdown strike to Cruz Diaz pulled Genoa within three at the half, but Archbold produced 14 points in each of the final two quarters to pull out the win. Mollenhauer finished 8-of-14 passing for 95 yards. Hunter Bickel (25), Jaxon Magnone (23), and Tommy Braun (13) added a combined 61 yards receiving. Josh Caughorn led the Comets on the ground with 41 yards on six carries. The Comets will host Bowsher this week.
Seneca East 44, Gibsonburg 26
Despite a big game from Reece Walby, including a one-yard touchdown run to give Gibsonburg a 26-21 lead at halftime, Seneca East pulled away in the third quarter by scoring a pair of touchdowns and recording a safety to secure the victory. Walby rushed for 253 yards overall while producing three touchdowns in the game, including a 91-yard score that put the Golden Bears up 20-7 early in the second quarter. Grant Smith added 83 yards on 14 carries with the other touchdown. Walby led the team in tackles with 11, while Hunter Wasserman (9), Nathaniel Chafin (7), and Xander Zimmerman (6) also combined for 22 tackles. In fact, Wasserman and Chafin also had one sack apiece, while Ty Ickes and Haydin Brown split a third sack. The Golden Bears travel to Rogers this week.
Hopewell-Loudon 49, Lake 13
Lake suffered a season-opening defeat at the hands of the defending Division VI state runner-up as the hosts racked up a 37-0 lead at the half. The Flyers added a pair of scores in the second half on a 63-yard touchdown strike from KJ Magers to Jaxson Rymers and an eight-yard run from Julian Rodriguez. Magers finished 10-of-16 passing for 133 yards. Rodriguez had eight carries for 52 yards and five receptions for 57 yards. Rymers added 76 yards on four receptions. The Flyers host Northwood in the Battle of Lemoyne Road this week.
Northwood 27, Rossford 24
Tyler Osley’s last-minute touchdown and a fumble recovery by Nino Vollolovos on the ensuing kickoff secured a thrilling come-from-behind win for Northwood in the season opener. The Bulldogs initially led 14-0 and 24-14 before Osley had back-to-back touchdown runs in the second half to close the victory. Overall, the senior quarterback produced three scores on the ground while rushing for 92 yards on 18 carries. Skyler Rita was a force on the ground all night for the Rangers, racking up a game-best 197 yards on 26 carries with one touchdown, which tied the game at 14 early in the second quarter. The Rangers travel to Lake for the Battle of Lemoyne Road this week.
Oak Harbor 42, Huron 7
Micah Miller and Bralyn Johnson combined for big offensive performances, and Oak Harbor used a big third quarter to open the season with a win. After scoring three times in the first half to help the Rockets take a 21-7 lead at the break, Miller added a fourth touchdown on the ground, and Bralyn Johnson tacked on two more scores to give Oak Harbor a 35-point lead through three. Miller’s second score came on a 94-yard run with 4:37 left in the first quarter, and he finished with 167 yards on seven carries. Johnson accumulated 67 yards, while Preston Bickelhaupt added a team-best 15 carries for 76 yards. Bickelhaupt also completed 7-of-8 passes for 61 yards, while Max Barr (47), Braxtin Witt (33), and Ayden Gaskalla (25) combined for 105 yards receiving. Gaskalla added one interception defensively, while Johnson and Bryar Myerholtz had one sack apiece. The Rockets will host Woodward this week.
St. Francis 44, Waite 21
Waite gave St. Francis a scare, leading 15-14 at halftime before the Knights broke it open in the second half. Shayne Curns led the Indians offensively with 165 yards on 10-for-21 passing with a pair of touchdowns. Myell Carter, who also rushed for 23 yards, added a 37-yard touchdown strike through the air. Carl Foard chipped in 23 yards on the ground, and Zach Ford added 18 more. Antwuan Williams had four receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown. Connor Koonce added two receptions, both of which were touchdowns, while racking up 67 yards. Ford had a team-best five receptions to produce 40 yards. The Indians host Rossford this week.
Woodmore 61, New London 7
Woodmore built a 41-0 lead while cruising to its season-opening win over New London. The Wildcats rushed for 272 yards, led by Lucas Caldwell’s 102 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Ish Nagy added 69 yards, while Noah Huss had 55 yards. Both ran the ball six times and reached the endzone once. Calvin Lipstraw completed 9-of-10 passes with two touchdowns. Auden Hemminger caught a touchdown, and Gavin Donley had a 53-yard punt return score. The Wildcats travel to Toledo Christian this week.
