ASHLAND — The race for an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship is a marathon, not a sprint.
Ashland will look to regain its footing Friday against visiting Mount Vernon after stumbling out of the blocks last week. The Arrows managed only 203 total yards against a stout New Philadelphia defense in a 15-7 loss to the Quakers.
“We knew they had a really good defense,” Ashland coach Sean Seder said. “We just could not get anything going.”
The chase for the OCC crown began to take shape last week. Wooster, which opened conference play a week early against New Philadelphia, is 2-0. West Holmes and Lexington also won their OCC openers.
Ashland, which had won two straight before last week, can get back in the mix with a win over the Yellow Jackets on Friday. The Arrows are 6-0 against the Yellow Jackets since Mount Vernon joined the OCC for the 2016 season.
Mount Vernon (1-3, 0-1) at Ashland (2-2, 0-1): The Yellow Jackets head to Ashland’s Community Stadium after a disappointing 30-7 loss at Lexington. Mount Vernon’s lone score came late in the fourth quarter on sophomore wideout Luke Hubbard’s 26-yard touchdown reception. Hubbard led the Jackets with three catches for 61 yards. Do-it-all junior Jonny Askew caught five passes for 50 yards and rushed for 52 yards on six carries.
The Arrows’ normally high-octane passing attack was grounded in last week’s 15-7 loss to Ohio Cardinal Conference newcomer New Philadelphia. Ashland managed just 153 yards through the air as the Quakers intercepted three passes. Ashland’s lone touchdown came on an 8-yard run by Landon McFrederick midway through the fourth quarter. Cayden Spotts rushed for 29 yards on 10 carries and has a team-high 383 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 64 carries.
Luke Bryant and Nathan Bernhard have shared the quarterbacking responsibilities this fall. Bryant has completed 40-of-86 passes for 529 yards and three touchdowns, while Bernhard has completed 31-of-42 passes for 513 yards and four TDs. Jonathan Metzger has 23 catches for 391 yards and three touchdowns, while McFrederick has 22 catches for 268 yards and two scores. Parker Grissinger continues to lead the defense with 38 tackles.
Centerburg (3-1, 1-0) at Loudonville (2-2, 0-1): The Trojans made a statement with a 42-7 win over East Knox, their third straight win. Quarterback Tyler Johnson threw for a pair of touchdowns and rushed for another, while running back Caylan LeMaster rushed for two touchdowns.
Johnson is the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference’s second leading rusher with 625 yards and six touchdowns on 96 carries. The dual-threat QB has completed 33-of-72 passes for 357 yards and eight TDs. LeMaster has run for 433 yards and two TDs on 53 carries. Jesse Rings has 12 catches for 179 yards and a score and has picked off two passes.
The Redbirds didn’t allow a passing yard in last week’s 18-13 loss at Mount Gilead, but surrendered 243 yards on the ground. Defensive back Baylor Weiser is second in the KMAC with 42 tackles, while linebacker Aiden Wolford is second in the conference with four sacks.
Offensively, quarterback Matt Sprang leads the KMAC with 788 passing yards while completing 55 percent of his passes. Zach Frankford has 19 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown and returned a punt 72 yards for Loudonville’s first score against Mount Gilead. Micah Simpson has 11 catches for 126 yards and a TD.
Mapleton (3-1, 0-0) at Norwalk St. Paul (2-2, 1-0), Saturday: The Mounties surrendered 474 yards in last week’s 55-21 loss to Lucas and scored fewer than 30 points for the first time this season. The game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter before the Cubs erupted for 28 points in the second. Mapleton quarterback Kollin Cline tossed a 72-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Sloter in the first quarter and added a rushing touchdown.
The Flyers got back to .500 with last week’s 54-20 win over South Central. All-Ohio running back Quincey Crabbs rushed for 183 yards and three touchdown on 17 carries, caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Drew Kuhnle and returned a blocked punt 13 yards for a score. St. Paul scored three special teams touchdowns as A.J. Meyer returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns. Ben Burger rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
