Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor and Eastwood will meet Oct. 3 for a third consecutive season in a game that could play a key role in determining a Northern Buckeye Conference champion.
In a regular season rivalry that resumed when Oak Harbor joined the NBC two years ago, the Rockets won 22 consecutive games in league play until Genoa handed them their first loss in the Celestial Bowl last week.
Meanwhile, Eastwood has won every game in league play the past two seasons, except for the two matchups against Oak Harbor. With last week’s win over Otsego, they are 16-2 in league play during that span.
"I think we've gotten a little better each week, but there's still plenty to work on," Eastwood coach Sam Cotterman said. "We faced the adversity of replacing our quarterback, and Cam Schumaker got hurt and missed the Liberty Center game. We know it's going to be a grind (for the rest of the season). We have to keep getting better each week."
In week nine of last season, Eastwood came within just a few yards of ending that streak, but the Oak Harbor defense forced two incompletions from the Eagles, who had the ball at the four-yard line in the game’s final drive.
Tied 14-all at halftime, the game saw the Rockets score 10 straight points out of the break, but Eastwood rebounded with 13 points to go ahead, 27-24, before Oak Harbor QB Michael Lalonde scored on an eight-yard touchdown run with 1:08 to play.
The Rockets won 35-21 in 2023.
While Oak Harbor has won the past two league titles, Eastwood won in 2022 and has captured six titles since the NBC’s creation in 2011. Interestingly, the conference has had an undefeated champion every season.
Both teams reside in Division V Region 18, where Oak Harbor (5-1, 2-1 NBC) is currently ranked second with 8.3 points, just behind Liberty Center, who has 8.4 points. Eastwood (5-1, 3-0) is ninth with 5.55 points, just behind Liberty-Benton (5.8).
"I think we are playing with a lot of confidence at the midway point of the season," Oak Harbor coach Mike May said prior to the Genoa loss. "Our players are having fun and enjoying playing together due to our outstanding team chemistry. The seniors are a group of excellent leaders, and they make sure we are putting in the work to improve on a daily basis."
The Rockets feature a three-headed monster at running back with Blake Nickel, Travis Bouyer, a former tight end, and Kason Marshall, a backup that comes into the game when one of the starters needs a break.
May credits his tight ends and H-backs, notably Garrett Perkins, Braden Schultz and Matthew Hubans, for their efforts, too.
The offensive line consists of six players — Alex Rife, Ryder Lindsay, Hayden McGee, Hudson Lindsay, Bryar Myerholtz and Henry Noble — alternating between five spots.
The group could also soon see the addition of reigning First Team All-Ohio Isaac Schulte, who is hoping to return from injury soon. He has yet to play this season, and May said Schulte is the heart of the offensive line.
The Eagles beat Kenton, 40-21, in the opener before losing to Liberty Center, 48-14, in week two, but have rebounded to win three straight games over Wauseon, Rossford and Fostoria by a combined score of 133-20. They beat Otsego 34-21 on the road last week.
"(Brayden) Luidhardt does a really good job of spreading the ball around. (Brayden) Brown is our workhorse,” Cotterman said prior to the Otsego game. “We want him to turn a six-yard gain into a 26-yard gain and break more tackles. (Edmund) Opfer has stepped up as a sophomore (because) a lot of teams are keying in on (Cam) Schumaker. Zach Mullholand has done a great job at wide receiver, and our tight end, Brady Ramlow, has got some good speed and catches it well, and he's doing a good job of blocking, too."
One key addition for Eastwood last week was Drew Luidhardt, who returned as the starting quarterback after suffering a preseason injury. He went 18-of-22 passing with 229 yards and three touchdowns, including a 36-yard strike to his brother, Brayden, who had seven catches for 137 yards along with two interceptions as a safety.
Cotterman actually played for May in the 1990s when he was an assistant coach at Elmwood.
For years, the teams battled in the old Suburban Lakes League before the Rockets left for the SBC in 1986. There were some big games between former coaches Gary Quisno and Jerry Rutherford, who built their programs into some of the best in northwest Ohio.
Quisno was Oak Harbor's coach from 1979 to 2007 while Rutherford was the coach at Eastwood from 1982 to 2016.
The two teams started playing against each other again in 2001 continued until 2016. Those 16 games were split evenly, and the next meeting came in the playoffs three years ago when Eastwood defeated Oak Harbor, 24-20, in the second round.
The Rockets have won the last two meetings.
