The Daily Standard
Sports Preview
With four more weeks in the high school football regular season, teams are looking to secure playoff berths or lock up conference hopes.
At Cardinal Field, Coldwater and New Bremen will face off with Coldwater still staying close to a Midwest Athletic Conference title while New Bremen is looking to secure a top-eight spot in its region to host a playoff game in Week 11.
Coldwater (5-2, 4-1 MAC) enters Friday after beating Delphos St. John's 42-7 at Cavalier Stadium. The Cavs outgained the Blue Jays 421-190.
After a tough 14-7 loss in Week Four at Anna put the team at 2-2, Coldwater has outscored teams 139-33 during a three-game win streak, including 63-19 over Parkway and 34-7 over Minster.
Coldwater's Karsyn Homan (15) has thrown for over 1,000 yards and rushed for over 600 yards this season.
Quarterback Karsyn Homan, who rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown and passed for 232 yards and four touchdowns against the Jays, went over the 1,000-yard passing mark (1,037) with 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions and leads the team with 616 rushing yards and seven scores. The balanced receiving game is paced by Cadin Obringer's 394 yards and three scores while Caleb Schroer has 261 yards and a team-high five touchdown catches.
Obringer also is the leader of the defense, tallying a team-high 60 tackles. Derek Dues has 52 tackles, including a team-high nine tackles for loss while Aidan Fiely leads the team with three sacks. Nolan Mescher has three interceptions this season.
As potent as the offense has been, kicker Bryce Couchot has been with the kicking game. Couchot has made all 29 of his point-after tries this season, raising his school-record streak to 94 consecutive, six away from becoming the eighth kicker in Ohio history to have converted at least 100 straight PATs. Couchot has also kicked two field goals and has 18 touchbacks in 38 kickoffs, averaging 53.6 yards per kickoff.
New Bremen's Jacob Kelly (4) is one of the top running backs in the area, rushing for 10 touchdowns.
After starting off the season 4-0, the Cardinals (4-3, 2-3 MAC) have struggled through a tough part of the the MAC schedule, losing to Marion Local (40-7), Fort Recovery (20-13) and Minster (27-16) the last three weeks.
Running back Jacob Kelly is four yards away from reaching 1,000 yards this season (167 carries for 996 yards and 10 touchdowns). Quarterback Gavin Dicke has passed for 681 yards and six touchdowns with seven interceptions. Gavin Quellhorst has 19 receptions for 332 yards.
Most years I mention how the MAC games are finishing as expected but the WBL always throws out an interesting result or two. Well, this year the MAC is keeping up with their WBL brethren.
Last Friday gave us a close scoring, statistical bonanza as St. Marys defeated Van Wert 42-35. It also gave us Defiance beating Kenton 43-42 in overtime. However, the MAC provided us with Anna surprisingly dominating Versailles 35-7 and Minster coming from behind to upset New Bremen 27-16. Both Anna and Minster will benefit greatly in their playoff hopes from these upsets.
We still have only Wapakoneta and Bath as projected to be playoff bound from the WBL. Same in the MAC with Marion Local, St. Henry and Coldwater remaining the only three MAC teams to already qualify for the postseason. St. Henry and Wapakoneta did join Marion Local as teams assured of starting the playoffs at home, while the Flyers have already locked down an opening-round bye in the playoffs.
In the WBL, no games are bigger than St. Marys hosting Shawnee. A win gets the Roughriders into the playoffs and probably a home postseason game. A win for Shawnee gives the Indians a probable first-round bye.
The MAC has two very interesting games. Versailles hosts Minster with the Wildcats earning their playoff invitation with a win, while Versailles would be close to clinching their own spot in the postseason with a victory. New Bremen hosts Coldwater where a win would secure a playoff berth for the Cardinals and make a home first round game a possibility. On the Cavaliers' side, a victory would let Coldwater start to plan on hosting their opening playoff game.
Medina Buckeye - 1st (18.99)
Wapakoneta - 2nd (16.53)
Shawnee - 6th (11.81)
St. Marys - 10th (7.05)
Maumee - 12th (6.66)
Grafton Midview - 13th (6.40)
Defiance - 16th (5.59)
Celina - 20th (3.48)
The top seven teams in this region look fairly secure, then six 4-3 teams and four 3-4 squads are fighting for the last five playoff spots.
Undefeated No. 2 Wapakoneta has now earned a home playoff game after defeating Shawnee. One more win should get the Redskins that opening round bye and two wins will secure it. 1-6 Kenton awaits this week and Elida follows in Week 9 before the final showdown with Bath.
No. 6 Shawnee is about as certain of making the postseason as you can be but needs two more wins to secure a home playoff game. St. Marys provides their toughest remaining opponent.
No. 10 St. Marys rose six positions after a 42-35 win over Van Wert. The game against Shawnee is also the toughest remaining contest for the Roughriders. Kenton and Elida follow, and any two wins get St. Marys into the playoffs. A win this week over Shawnee would make a home playoff game a real possibility.
No. 16 Defiance needs to win two of their final three games, but they are underdogs in all three contests.
No. 20 Celina needs to win out to have a 50% chance at the postseason, and that means upsetting Bath Friday.
Shelby - 1st (19.55)
Bath - 2nd (12.84)
Van Wert - 10th (6.81)
Clyde - 12th (5.49)
Orrville - 13th (5.36)
Elida - 16th (4.50)
Kenton - 22nd (0.71)
Ottawa-Glandorf - 23rd (0.00)
Only four playoff berths have been clinched in this region, including one by No. 2 Bath.
Bath should finish with a top four seed and an opening round bye with wins over Celina and Defiance. One win might be enough. An upset in Week 10 over undefeated Wapakoneta makes a top two finish likely.
No. 10 Van Wert needs to win out to hold onto its spot in the postseason. Assuming they survive Ottawa-Glandorf and Kenton, the Wildcats will still need to upset Shawnee in Week Nine.
No. 16 Elida is likely to make the playoffs if they defeat Defiance and St. Marys. A big Week Nine upset over Wapakoneta would bring the possibility of a home game into play.
Versailles - 10th (6.38)
Greeneview - 13th (5.66)
The top six teams have secured their playoff spots, while the final six positions are up for grabs among eight teams with winning records.
No. 10 Versailles suffered a startling 35-7 loss to Anna. A win over Minster this week probably gets the Tigers into the playoffs with about a No. 11 seed. A loss means they will need to upset either Coldwater or St. Henry.
Ironton Rock Hill - 1st (10.28)
Coldwater - 3rd (8.94)
Anna - 10th (7.24)
Covington - 13th (3.89)
Another region with five playoff spots already claimed, but only 10 teams with 3-4 or better records are fighting for the last seven postseason berths.
No. 3 Coldwater will probably get a home playoff game, especially if they defeat New Bremen or Versailles next week. Winning both games makes a first-round bye probable and perhaps a visit from Anna in the second round.
No. 10 Anna did not move up in the standings after a 35-7 win over Versailles but is likely in the playoffs. Two more wins makes a home first-round playoff game probable. Marion Local will be difficult this Friday, then Fort Recovery and Parkway follow.
Marion Local - 1st (14.74)
St. Henry - 2nd (12.25)
Minster - 7th (6.14)
New Bremen - 8th (6.06)
Fort Recovery - 10th (5.26)
Manchester - 13th (4.13)
Six of the 12 playoff spots have already been claimed in this region, including at least five of the top eight spots. Eight other teams with winning records are the main contenders for the final six qualifiers.
No. 1 Marion Local needs one more win to finish in the top two and two more wins to secure the top seed. The Flyers face mercurial Anna next.
No. 2 St. Henry has assured themselves of a home playoff game. The Redskins should earn an opening round bye with a victory over Delphos St. John's and over either New Bremen or Versailles.
No. 7 Minster rose six positions after upsetting New Bremen. The Wildcats are underdogs in their final three games against Versailles, Marion Local and Fort Recovery. Three losses should still earn Minster a No. 12 seed. One win secures a playoff spot, likely in the neighborhood of a No. 9 seed.
No. 8 New Bremen is 98% in the playoffs, probably with a No. 11 seed, assuming they can defeat winless Delphos St. John's in Week 10. A win over Coldwater or St. Henry makes something more like a #9 seed likely. A sweep earns the Cardinals a home playoff game.
A victory over winless Parkway should get No. 10 Fort Recovery in line for a 12th seed in the playoffs. A win over Anna or Minster makes a postseason berth definite with around a No. 10 seed. Three wins make a home playoff game possible.
Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50 computer still lists Parkway in Region 22 and Delphos St. John's in Region 26 as out of postseason contention.
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The computer points for the entire state, and especially the four regions involving most area teams (Regions 10, 22, 24 and 28) can be found throughout the season at: user.nktelco.net/bdmonnin/football.htm.
For more computer point analysis for teams across west central Ohio, listen to my weekly podcast. Search your favorite streaming platform for Bruce Monnin's computer points.
The Bulldogs enter looking for consistency after playing a strong first half last week against Elida before getting outscored 24-0 in the second half in a 45-21 loss. Celina has been outscored 112-87 in the first half of games this season, but opponents have outscored Celina 96-42 in the third quarter and 144-91 in the second half and overtime this season. Celina had 288 yards of offense against Elida last week and recorded three turnovers. Friday will be the last road game of the season as Celina wraps up the regular season at Celina Stadium against Ottawa-Glandorf and Defiance. Celina ranks ninth in the WBL in penalties with 42 for 345 yards.
Bath continues to play solid football with the lone loss coming in Week Four against Shawnee. The Wildcats have scored 35 or more points in all six wins. Quarterback Zach Welsch has passed for 1,892 yards and 17 touchdowns this season and rushed for 449 yards. Running back Mikey Hale is closing in on 700 yards. The tandem of Josiah Clark (626 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns) and Logan Markley (623 yards, three touchdowns) will provide a challenge to a Celina team that ranks ninth in the WBL in pass defense (219.6 ypg).
The Roughriders picked up a big win over Van Wert where the teams combined for over 850 yards of total offense. Caleb Schmidt became the area's first 1,000-yard rusher with his 315-yard performance. The game pits St. Marys' top-ranked rushing offense (276.7 ypg) against the best run defense (101 ypg).
The Indians are a game back of league leader Wapakoneta in the standings at 5-1. Quarterback JJ Spyker has passed for 1,339 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 538 yards and 10 scores. One area Shawnee has struggled with is turnovers. The Indians are a minus-1 in turnover ratio (11 giveaways to 10 takeaways), which could pose a challenge as St. Marys is tied with Wapakoneta with the best ratio of plus-4 (10 takeaways to just six giveaways. Shawnee's 370 penalty yards on 41 flags is the most in the WBL.
The Rockets came up with a big boost to their playoff chances with a 35-7 win over Versailles in Shelby County. Logan Ziegenbusch passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 67 yards and a score as the defense held Versailles to just 183 yards of total offense. Anna ranks third in the MAC in total offense with 333.43 yards per game and fourth in total defense (200.86 ypg).
The Flyers keep rolling after picking up a 41-7 win at Fort Recovery last week to make it 71 straight wins. Marion has allowed just 47 points this season and has outscored teams 114-13 in the second half. Kamden Eifert had a big game against Fort Recovery, rushing for 104 yards and three scores as Brennen Hess added two touchdown passes.
Minster snapped a two-game skid in beating New Bremen 27-16 in the Battle of Route 66 to start a happy Oktobertfest weekend. The Wildcats relied on the legs of Dominick Meyer (176 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and the defense (two interceptions of Gavin Dicke) to pick up a key win towards cementing a playoff spot.
The Tigers suffered a second-straight tough loss in falling to Anna 35-7 last week. Versailles had just 183 yards of total offense last week and had a 10-21 disadvantage in first downs earned.
The Redskins continue to be on a tear after losing in Week Three to Marion Local. St. Henry has outscored opponents 162-27 during the current four-game winning streak. Quarterback Charlie Werling is 102 yards away from reaching 1,000 rushing yards on the season after a 150-yard performance against Parkway last week. St. Henry has allowed just 74 points this season (10.57 per game).
The Blue Jays continue to struggle, losing games by an average of 36.57 points per game this season. St. John's has scored just 49 points this season.
The Indians had their two-game winning streak snapped in a loss to Marion Local as the defending Division VII state champs scored 35 points in the first half. Fort Recovery ranks third in the MAC in rushing offense, averaging 177.57 yards per game with Parkway ranking 10th in rushing defense, allowing 257.14 yards per game and 31 touchdowns. Reece Wendel ranks sixth in the MAC with 596 rushing yards.
Parkway's Jacoby Triplett is 165 yards away from reaching 1,000 passing yards. The Panthers are minus-9 in turnover ratio (12 giveaways, three takeaways).
Caleb Schmidt, RB, St. Marys
Nolan Eckstein, OLB, Marion LocalCelina at Bath
Shawnee at St. Marys
Defiance at Elida
Kenton at Wapakoneta
Ottawa-Glandorf at Van Wert
Anna at Marion Local
Coldwater at New Bremen
St. Henry at St. John's
Fort Recovery at Parkway
Minster at Versailles
| WBL | Overall | |
| Wapakoneta | 6-0 | 7-0 |
| Shawnee | 5-1 | 5-2 |
| Bath | 5-1 | 6-1 |
| St. Marys | 4-2 | 4-3 |
| Elida | 3-3 | 4-3 |
| Defiance | 2-4 | 3-4 |
| Van Wert | 2-4 | 3-4 |
| Celina | 2-4 | 2-5 |
| Kenton | 1-5 | 1-6 |
| Ottawa-Glandorf | 0-6 | 0-7 |
| MAC | Overall | |
| Marion Local | 5-0 | 7-0 |
| St. Henry | 4-1 | 6-1 |
| Coldwater | 4-1 | 5-2 |
| Anna | 3-2 | 5-2 |
| Minster | 3-2 | 4-3 |
| Fort Recovery | 2-3 | 4-3 |
| New Bremen | 2-3 | 4-3 |
| Versailles | 1-3 | 4-3 |
| Parkway | 0-5 | 0-7 |
| St. John's | 0-5 | 0-7 |
