ASHLAND —The Arrows need to be at their best.
Ashland travels to Arlin Field on Friday for an Ohio Cardinal Conference showdown against front-running Mansfield Senior. The Tygers are the OCC’s only remaining unbeaten team and have outscored their three conference opponents by a combined score of 110-52.
“We’ve got to have our best week of practice and we have to execute next Friday night,” Ashland quarterback Nathan Bernhard said after last week’s 35-7 win over Madison. “That’s a good team, and we’re going to have to play our best game.”
Ashland is one of four OCC teams with one loss. They are all looking up at a Senior High team that has won three straight after going 1-2 in non-conference games. The Tygers fell to Akron St. Vincent St. Mary (4-2), beat defending Division III state champ Canfield (3-3) and fell to Massillon (6-0).
Here’s a look at some of the area’s biggest games this week:
Ashland (4-2, 2-1) at Mansfield Senior (4-2, 3-0): The Arrows are still in contention for the Ohio Cardinal Conference title after last week’s 35-7 win over Madison. Quarterback Nathan Bernhard completed all eight of his passing attempts for 209 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score against the Rams. Receivers Gabe Baith and Michael Franz combined for 194 yards and three TDs. The defense, meanwhile, limited Madison to 142 yards of offense.
The Tygers roughed up Lexington 37-10 as quarterback Duke Reese rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and threw for 95 yards and two scores. Ja’ontay O’Bryant and Nate Dismuke each had a touchdown catch while record-setting receiver Amarr Davis had a pair of catches. Davis has a team-high 27 receptions for 519 yards and five TDs on the year. Maurice Bradley II had 14 tackles against the Minutemen and leads the team with 67 stops and 11.5 tackles for loss. Symirr Phillips has a team-high 7.5 sacks.
Smithville (4-2, 2-1) at Hillsdale (4-2, 1-2): The Smithies knocked off Waynedale 21-7 last week as Mason Haines rushed for 184 yards and all three touchdowns on 33 carries. Smithville’s stout run defense limited Waynedale to minus-4 rushing yards.
The Falcons are coming off a 50-7 loss to Wayne County Athletic League heavyweight Dalton. Hillsdale is led by quarterback Jack Fickes, who has completed 48-of-72 passes for 694 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 241 yards and five TDs on 45 carries. Sophomore running back Owen Sloan has rushed for a team-best 321 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries, including 122 yards last week. Braylen Jarvis has rushed for 239 yards and a touchdown on 45 carries and caught 16 passes for 193 yards and three TDs. Hayden McFadden has a team-high 20 receptions for 407 yards and six TDs. Jarvis leads the defense with 50 tackles, while Brady Heller has 46 stops.
Plymouth (2-4, 0-3) at Crestview (2-4, 1-1): The Big Red have dropped three straight after last week’s 42-12 loss to Mapleton. Plymouth rushed for 212 yards, but managed just 43 yards through the air. The Big Red have been outscored 138-26 during its three-game losing streak.
The Cougars snapped a three-game slide with last week’s 41-7 win over South Central. Ayden Reymer ran for 303 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries and now has 811 yards and seven touchdowns on 134 carries on the season. Clete Rogers has rumbled for 222 yards and a pair of scores on 43 carries. Quarterback Liam Kuhn has completed 50-of-93 passes for 761 yards and seven TDs. Defensively, Dylan Burge has made a team-high 61 tackles. Jaden Hedrick has 58 stops. Caleb Cunningham has five sacks and 16 tackles for loss.