Rockets, Redskins battle on brink of league play

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

For Port Clinton and Oak Harbor, there's no bigger rivalry.
The two towns, separated by less than 12 miles, have been rivals for decades, and there’s no bigger game on the schedule for both teams (though Genoa would argue it’s the Rockets’ biggest rival).
Mike May, now in his 17th season coaching at Oak Harbor, has coached against Toby Hammond, Beau Carmon and now Eric Leuthold in this rivalry.
May is 12-4 against the Redskins during his tenure, including 6-1 in the last seven games.
“One thing I learned through the years, Port Clinton is always going to play extremely hard. They’re always fundamentally sound. You’ll get their best shot, year in and year out,” said May. “I think Coach Leuthold is doing a great job, they have a good staff. It’s a game we look forward to, and there's a little more intensity during the week.
“Toby has coached a lot of football and had a lot of success; Beau had a great run – he had some of the best teams Port Clinton has had. I think they have a good young coach in Eric Leuthold. I like some of the schemes he uses. It is an intense rivalry, but I've always had a good relationship with those coaches — there’s a mutual respect there.”
Like any great rivalry, there is the dynamic that exists with players competing for one team when they have a parent or parents that attended the other school.
After some great games in the Sandusky Bay Conference, the Rockets left for the Northern Buckeye Conference following the 2022-23 season.
A victory could result in a good deal of computer points for the winner.
“There’s a lot of things going into the Port Clinton game. We want to win; we want to get some computer points,” May said. “Those first three weeks are always very important because we want to get momentum going into league play and be 3-0. One of our major goals is to protect our borders with Genoa and Port Clinton. It doesn’t matter what the records are. It’s always a huge game and we’re always going to get their best shot.”
Two years ago, the two teams had one of the best games in the rivalry when Oak Harbor rallied to defeat Port Clinton, 25-21.
The Rockets rallied to take the lead early in the fourth quarter when Carson Ridener scored on a 15-yard touchdown run.
Late in the game, the ‘Skins blocked a punt in Oak Harbor territory and took over at the Port Clinton 47-yard-line with 19 seconds to play.
Redskins QB Cam Gillum completed two passes to Adam Thorbahn and then Demetrious Skoufos, getting the ball to the 27 with four seconds to play, but Gillum was sacked by Evan Hall and fumbled the ball on the final play, sending the Rockets into a frenzy.
“I remember that last play. I got kind of nervous when they blocked the punt and had some time to throw the ball down the field,” said May. “Evan Hall had just come back from his ankle injury, and really only played a few snaps that game. One of the snaps he played was on the final play, and he made the sack to get us the victory.”
In that game, there were four lead changes.
Dagan Meyers got Port Clinton on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run, and Michael Lalonde threw two touchdown passes to Hayden Buhro (52 yards) and Judson Overmyer (4 yards) to give the Rockets a 12-7 lead. Gillum connected with Thorbahn for a 20-yard touchdown just before the half, and Tyler Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yard for a touchdown with 12 seconds left to play in the first half.
Gary Quisno, a Port Clinton native who coached at Oak Harbor from 1979-2007, talked about what makes the rivalry so special. A 1973 graduate of Port Clinton, Quisno never played against Oak Harbor because the ‘Skins were in the old Great Lakes League and the Rockets were in the old Suburban Lakes League.
Quisno recalled that there was a fight between the two teams following a Port Clinton win in ’76, and the two did not resume playing one another until eight years later. He coached against some of the coaches who tutored him when he was a player at Port Clinton.
“Don Drusbacky was always on the staff and was the head coach in ’87, which was the only year we lost to them in my time as head coach. He was my freshman coach,” said Quisno. “Carey Clum was the head coach for a while, and he and I are good friends. All those guys, Toby Hammond – for example – they had good coaches.
“It was tough coaching against my alma mater, but it was some added motivation. I’ve always been grateful for my four years at Port Clinton — I wouldn’t be where I am now without having played football. It’s always a special game for me,” he said.
Rest assured that the game was always one that was circled on the calendar for both teams.
“I always talk about the proximity of the two schools, and the players know each other,” said Quisno. “It’s a good, local rivalry.”