Number of Undefeateds Diminished After Week 5
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Through five weeks of OVAC football this season, only 10 teams remain standing with an unblemished record.
Last week's slate of games featured three contests between teams with perfect records, with Steubenville, Union Local and Barnesville handing losses to Dover, Shenandoah and River, respectively.
"There is no easy street in football," Steubenville (5-0) coach Reno Saccoccia said after Big Red defeated Dover 29-13. "The only way you might be able to get to easy street is by going through the mud, the sewer or doing whatever you have to do to get there. There is no easy street."
Steubenville's quick-strike offense responded after Dover opened the second half with a lengthy touchdown drive to go 63 yards in just five plays to steal away any momentum the Crimson Tornadoes were building. Gavin Bozica sealed the deal with one of his two second-half touchdowns runs.
"It was a great game, a physical game," Saccoccia said. "Both teams have respect for each other and both teams gave it their all. It was a great win for us."
Steubenville will face another test this week as Big Red travels to Wheeling Island Stadium to take on the 3-1 Wheeling Park Patriots.
Other undefeateds in OVAC's Class 5A include Parkersburg South (4-0) and Morgantown (3-0). Parkersburg South travels to John Marshall (2-2) this week while Morgantown will visit rival Musselman (3-1).
Edison stands alone atop Class 4A with a 5-0 record after a 34-0 victory over Steubenville Catholic Central last week.
"We're happy that we won but we have a lot of things we need to improve going forward," Edison coach Mike Collopy said after the win. "We made a lot of mistakes but our kids kept playing hard. We need to clean up those mistakes and that falls on the coaches in general and me in particular."
The Wildcats are on the road this week with an intriguing matchup against previously-undefeated Toronto (4-1).
"Every week is a one-week season so we won (last) week," Collopy said. "Now we have to watch the film, keep working to improve and move on to next week."
Toronto started the season a perfect 4-0 but were stunned by previously winless Oak Glen, 25-8, on Friday.
Class 3A saw two games between unbeatens last week when Barnesville knocked off River in Morristown, 35-21, and Union Local ran all over Shenandoah, 49-20.
"I couldn't be any prouder of my kids," Barnesville coach Blake Allen said after the game. "It was a defensive slugfest in the first half. Two good teams going at it, but (River) had all the momentum going into the locker room at halftime. The way our kids came out and responded. I couldn't be happier for them."
A 21-point third quarter propelled the Shamrocks (5-0) to the road win.
The Jets, meanwhile, continue to lean on senior standout Jaksan Price, who once again topped 200 yards in the ground, running for 230 and four touchdowns against the Zeps.
"First, and foremost, credit to Shenaodah, they are a great team, they were 4-0 for a reason," complimented Union Local (5-0) coach Bernie Thompson. "We knew that going into this week Shenandoah is a great team. We faced some adversity and I'm happy, and I'm happy how we handled it."
Fort Frye (5-0) and Caldwell (5-0) also sport spotless records in 3A. Fort Frye will be tested this week with a talented Linsly (3-1) squad coming to town.
Wheeling Central in Class 2A is one of only two teams in the class still unbeaten. The Knights (4-0) defeated winless Shadyside 45-7 and are idle this week before a long trip to play Mount View on Sept. 30.
"It was a good win for our kids," Central coach Mike Young said. "To be 4-0 at this stage in the game says a lot about our kids and our program."
Southern Local (5-0) is also perfect in 2A with a matchup against Wellsville (3-2) on tap.
Finally, the Cameron Dragons (4-0) stand as the only undefeated team in Class 1A.
The Dragons defeated Magnolia 53-8 Friday and Madonna's (2-1) loss to Vienna Matthews on Saturday left them as the only 1A team still unblemished.
Cameron will face its toughest tests of the season with games against Tyler Consolidated (3-1) and the Blue Dons coming up in the next two weeks.
Cameron was one of three OVAC teams to finish with a perfect regular season record last year. Joining the Dragons in perfection in 2021 were University and Dover.
Offensive Player of the Week
Trey Hoover, Buckeye Local -- There were several strong offensive performances last week, but Hoover stands out as he ran for an absurd 319 yards and school-record seven touchdowns. Hoover scored on runs of 10, 15, 11, nine, seven, 33 and nine yards as the Panthers pocketed their second win of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week
Aiden Flowers, Oak Glen -- The Golden Bears pulled off a stunner, upsetting previously-undefeated Toronto for their first win of the season. Flowers punctuated the win when he stepped in front of a pass and returned it 81 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Santiago Graneros, Linsly -- There are not many kickers in the valley who will make three field goals this season, let alone in just one game, as Graneros did for the Cadets against St. Clairsville. Graneros was true on three PATs while also hitting on field goals of 24, 26 and 34 yards.
Ground Gainers
Brayden Roth, Bellaire -- Ran for 131 yards and a touchdown as the Big Reds won for the second week in a row.
Zion McGee, Indian Creek -- Found the endzone twice, rushing 13 times for 67 yards.
Klypson Wallace, John Marshall -- Scored his third touchdown of the first half on a 44-yard jaunt as he finished with 155 yards and the trio of scores.
Tucker Howell, Monroe Central -- Score twice, once through the air for 28 yards and once on the ground for 69 while running for 76 yards and throwing for 50.
Kholton Goodlin, Oak Glen -- Scored on a 54-yard run in the first quarter and finished with 84 yards on nine carries.
Matt Greenlief, Oak Glen -- Opened the scoring with a 68-yard touchdown as the Golden Bears upset previously-unbeaten Toronto. Finished with 72 rushing yards.
Kayden Meyers, Paden City -- The Wildcats' sophomore QB ran for 135 yards and two scores on seven carries and also threw for a touchdown.
Brayden Neff, Paden City -- On just seven touches, the freshman rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns.
Jacob Walker, St. Clairsville -- Ran 20 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Gavin Bozica, Steubenville -- Scored a couple of touchdowns in the second half and finished with 94 rushing yards.
Sean Winfrey, Tyler -- Ran wild for 293 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries against Gilmer County.
Carter Blake, Union Local -- Ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 55 yards and third score.
Jaksan Price, Union Local -- Would you believe Price had another 200-yard game? Well he went for 230 and four touchdowns as he became the Jets' all-time touchdown leader.
Braden McWreath, Wheeling Central -- Ran seven times for 121 yards with an 87-yard touchdown and also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Jamari Hubbard-Bass, Weir -- Gained 118 yards and scored a touchdown on just 11 carries.
Corey Lyons, Weir -- Led the Red Riders with 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Aerial Attack
CJ Hannahs, Barnesville -- Topped 400 total yards with four touchdowns. Threw for 240 yards and three scores while running for 79 and another touchdown.
Hayden Cassidy, Harrison Central -- Continued his strong season with 207 yards and three touchdowns on 13-of-24 passing.
Atley Cowan, Linsly -- Another strong performance for Cowan, who completed 14-of-21 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown.
Kabel Isaly, River -- Completed 19-of-30 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.
Braxton Barnett, Shenandoah -- Completed 13-of-22 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted twice.
Brett Phillips, Wheeling Park -- The Patriots' senior quarterback orchestrated a huge comeback against University, throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 87 yards and two more scores, including a 59-yard touchdown run.
Mr. Everything
Taison Starr, Barnesville -- Caught a 50-yard touchdown and ran for 43 yards and another score.
Gage Cline, Edison -- Broke through a hole for a 98-yard touchdown in the first quarter and finished with 187 yards and three scores on the ground. Also threw for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Joey Baker, Paden City -- Returned the opening kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown, ran for 60 yards and another score and had an interception, two fumbles recoveries and four tackles on defense.
Gavin Derby, Valley -- A Mr. Everything regular, the sophomore did it all again last week as the 3-1 Lumberjacks downed Frontier. Derby threw for 141 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 90 and another score and intercepted a pass on defense.
Lorenzo Ferrera, Wheeling Central -- The speedy playmaker racked up 172 total yards and three touchdowns. Had 101 yards rushing and 71 receiving with a touchdown run of 61 yards and a scoring catch of 51.
Jerrae Hawkins, Wheeling Park -- Made five receptions for 121 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown, and also returned an interception 80 yards on defense.
Good Hands Team
Luke Detling, Barnesville -- Caught five passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Tre Rex, Harrison Central -- Committed to play baseball at the University of Akron Friday morning and then caught four passes for 92 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
Luca DiLorenzo, Linsly -- He caught six passes for 181 yards, but it was on the ground where he found the endzone, running one in from two yards out.
Jy'Leik Johnson, Linsly -- Caught a 52-yard touchdown, finishing with 74 yards on three receptions.
Brody Lollathin, River -- Had 161 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
Elijah Brock, Shadyside -- Made five receptions for 94 yards.
Brendan Portman, Shenandoah -- Put up huge numbers with 204 yards on six catches. Scored twice on catches of 81 and 56 yards.
Isaac Hill, Steubenville -- A popular target, finished with 123 yards on 10 catches.
Dallas Preat, Valley -- Only had two catches, but both ended in the endzone as he scored on receptions of 23 and 34 yards.
Will James, Wheeling Park -- Amassed 169 yards and two touchdowns on just three receptions. A 90-yard touchdown catch and run helps explain those numbers.
Wrecking Crew
Maurice Webb, Bellaire -- Recorded a pick-six during Bellaire's win over Cambridge.
Decker Lancaster, Edison -- Returned a 55-yard pick-six as the Wildcats stayed perfect on the season.
Zach Byard, Indian Creek -- Scored on a 63-yard pick-six for IC and finished with five tackles.
Luca Morelli, Indian Creek -- Had a dozen tackles, seven solo, and was credited with a QB pressure and a pass breakup.
Justin Vergaona, Indian Creek -- Finished with a baker's dozen tackles, five solo, with two tackles for loss.
Jamie Reidel, Linsly -- Talk about wreaking havoc, four of Reidel's nine tackles were behind the line for a loss and he was also credited with 1.5 sacks and a pass deflection.
Alex Taylor, Linsly -- Finished with 11 total tackles, 10 solo, with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. Was also the Cadets' leading rusher with 56 yards.
Oskar Lehtonen, Paden City -- Finished with five total tackles, including two tackles for loss and a strip sack.
JR Adams, St. Clairsville -- Recovered his own forced fumble on a strip sack and finished with five total tackles.
Sage Landis, Tyler -- Picked off a pass and made four tackles against Gilmer County.
Joey Hall, Wheeling Central -- The freshman grabbed his second interception of the season while also making four tackles.
Noah Loy, Wheeling Central -- Finished with six tackles while also defending a pass and forcing a fumble.
Erick Brothers, Wheeling Park -- 11 of his 13 tackles were solo stops as he was also credited with three tackles for loss, two passes defended and a fumble recovery.
Big Boot
Evan Lough, Barnesville -- Was perfect on five point-after attempts for the victorious Shamrocks.
Jace Madzia, Harrison Central -- Connected on a 31-yard field goal while also sending four extra points through the uprights.
Conor Fitzpatrick, John Marshall -- Kicked one of the more impressive field goals you'll see from a high schooler as he made it through the uprights from 42 yards away with room to spare. Also made four point after kicks.
Trent Richmond, Oak Glen -- Kicked a 26-yard field goal to go with a couple of extra points.
Brody Seckman, Tyler -- Connected on all six of his PAT attempts.
Eli Tucker, Wheeling Central -- Kicked a 30-yard field goal to go with six extra points.
Ben Howard, Weir -- Kicked true on all five PAT opportunities.