Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
A breakout performance from Jaxson Rymers helped the Lake football team produce a critical 36-35 win over Northwood inside Flyer Stadium on Aug. 31 in come-from-behind fashion as part of the latest installment in the storied Battle of Lemoyne Road rivalry.
“It was kind of a pivotal point in our season,” Lake head coach Lane Bishop said. “We're really in the mindset that we're going to have a really good season, and if you start off 0-2, it can kind of weigh heavy on the mental aspect of where you're at.”
The Flyers (1-1) had opened the season with a loss to defending Division VI state champion, Hopewell-Loudon. Bishop said his team then made some self-inflicted wounds against Northwood and trailed 28-14 late in the third quarter.
That’s when quarterback KJ Magers connected with Rymers for an 80-yard touchdown strike, which Bishop said injected life in his team.
“We really needed an answer there,” Bishop said. “We had a play that we hadn't put on film yet that we've been practicing, and we felt really good about whenever we needed it that we were going to be able to get a pretty big chunk play off of it. Obviously, I don't know that I really envisioned it going exactly like that, but that was a pivotal moment because it really injected some life into us and stole some of their momentum after they had went up two scores.”
Overall, including his 80-yard touchdown reception, Rymers finished with 213 total yards of offense on 14 touches for three scores.
“Jaxson is one of the best football players that I've ever coached in terms of talent, but when it comes to mental preparation and all that stuff, he’s one of the smartest, most knowledgeable kids,” Bishop said. “You get that partially because his dad's a football coach, and he's been around it since he was a kid.
“It was a big priority for us this offseason, finding ways that we can get him more involved. Truthfully, the blame relied solely on me for not having him involved enough last year, so we knew it was only a matter of time before he kind of exploded and took off. He's done a really good job of staying patient and earning these opportunities. He’s just a tough kid, a warrior and a guy that we trust with the ball in his hands late in the game.”
Despite that momentum after the big play, Northwood’s Skyler Rita responded with his second touchdown of the third quarter as the Rangers took a 35-21 lead into the fourth after outscoring the Flyers 21-7 out of the locker room.
Rymers, however, answered back with a 20-yard touchdown run less than one minute into the fourth quarter, and he also completed a two-point conversion to pull Lake within six.
With 1:35 left, Rymers struck again with a three-yard touchdown run, and following the extra point, Lake led by one point.
Northwood had one last opportunity, but missed a field goal from just under 40 yards out as time expired.
Lake and Northwood had battled to a tie at halftime as Tyler Osley connected with Valyric Goings for a 34-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left, which Bishop said was one of the self-inflicted wounds.
“Kudos to Northwood. They made some plays,” Bishop said. “But we felt like we had some plays that we didn’t make, that it was more about what we were doing as opposed to them. (On that play), we were in great coverage, and we just kind of missed the ball. Then coming out of half, it was 14-14, and we have them fourth and six, we jump a route, and the ball goes right through our (defensive back’s) hands, their receiver catches it and runs for a touchdown.”
Bishop said that the Flyers also got stuffed at the goal line on a fourth down attempt, and his team may not have come back from negative plays like those in past seasons.
“If we punch that one in, it changes our psyche a little bit,” he said. “They made plays and they did some things, but in years past, I don't know if we would have been mentally tough enough to overcome a 14-point deficit and be able to find a way to win. It was really encouraging, and I think this is going to propel us forward with our group. We are not the same Lake team that we've been in the years past.”
Julian Rodriguez was a force in the running game, toting the ball 22 times for a game-best 169 yards and a touchdown. Roelino Maya added one catch, which went for a 13-yard touchdown. Mason Cutchall and Kashess Echols also had one catch. As a team, the Flyers rushed for 231 yards.
On a final note, Bishop praised his senior quarterback KJ Magers, who went 8-for-13 for 193 yards in the run-heavy offense, but had the best game of his career, in his opinion.
“He made some really timely throws and was very poised,” he said. “KJ kind of became a man in that setting, not letting the moment get too big. He was rock solid and did everything that we asked. Julian and Jaxson may kind of overshadow his performance a little bit because their numbers were a little more eye-popping, but KJ did an incredible job of managing the game, making plays when he needed to, and kind of bailing us out late in the game on a big, big play.”
For the Rangers, Osley went 8-for-11 passing with 122 yards, and he ran for 62 yards. John Sawyer caught three passes for 52 yards and ran six times for 51 yards, while Goings had three receptions for 47 yards. Rita rumbled for a team-best 168 yards on 29 carries, while he also caught one pass for 19 yards. Rita and Sawyer each produced a pair of touchdowns, and Osley added another.
Lake will travel to Evergreen in week three, and Northwood will be at Norwalk St. Paul.
Clay 35, Southview 14
Clay (2-0) remained undefeated, avoiding a letdown after its big season-opening win over Wapakoneta with a road win over Southview. The Eagles scored 28 of their 35 points in the second half, breaking open a tie game at the half. The junior tandem of Landon Echelberry (16 carries, 158 yards, three touchdowns) and Bryce Besgrove (20 carries, 196 yards, two touchdowns) accounted for all the scoring, while Echelberry also passed for 61 yards. Echelberry had an eight-yard score and Besgrove had a 27-yard score in the crucial third quarter. Two more juniors, Brannan Vargas (9) and Crew Schliesser (7) combined for a team-best 16 tackles, and Vargas added one tackle for loss. Besgrove led the team with three tackles for loss while racking up six overall tackles. Seniors Ray Campos and Augie Lohmeyer added six tackles apiece. Clay hosts Bowling Green in week three, and they’ll have several other activities going on around the game as part of the school’s 100th-year celebration.
Liberty Center 41, Eastwood 14
Despite a pair of touchdown receptions from Cam Schumaker and Tanner Jensen in the fourth quarter, Eastwood (1-1) was defeated by the defending Division V state champions. Brayden Luidhardt, who completed 17-of-32 passes for 157 yards, connected with Schumaker on the first one, while Erich Hepler, who went 2-for-2 with 21 yards, tossed the one to Jensen late. Brayden Brown rushed 16 times for 50 yards. Schumaker and Landon Weemes each had a team-best 45 yards receiving, while Vincent Opfer had 26 yards on four receptions. The visitors outrushed the Eagles 253 to 53. Eastwood travels to Wauseon in week three.
Genoa 56, Bowsher 7
Genoa (1-1) earned its first win in dominating fashion as Alex Materni rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns, and Myles Mollenhauer completed 14-of-18 for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Jaxon Magnone led the receiving corps with seven catches for 86 yards and a pair of scores. Josh Caughorn (52), Gavin Grigson (41), Keith Davis (32) and Hunter Bickel (32) also all rushed for at least 30 yards, while Caughorn and Bickel added one touchdown each. Tommy Braun caught four passes for 51 yards and one touchdown. The Comets, which host Huron in week three, outgained Bowsher 506 to 174 overall, which included an eye-popping 327-2 advantage in rushing yards.
Gibsonburg 39, Rogers 27
Gibsonburg (1-1) scored all 39 of its points in the middle two quarters, including 23 in the second behind a trio of touchdown scampers from Grant Smith from 22, 14 and three yards out. He even added a pair of two-point conversions for good measure on the final two while finishing with 154 yards on 24 carries. The Golden Bears trailed 14-0 through one quarter before Smith’s first score got them on the board. Keese Sanchez, who totaled 38 yards on seven carries, had a two-yard rushing score to complete a nine-play, 69-yard drive early to open the second-half scoring. Reece Walby, who scored a two-point conversion following that, added an 81-yard interception return for a touchdown on the ensuing drive for a 39-21 lead. He finished with 82 yards rushing and caught the lone reception in the game for nine yards. The Golden Bears host Delta in week three.
Oak Harbor 49, Woodward 16
Oak Harbor (2-0) produced a shellacking of Woodward behind a 28-0 performance in the first quarter, and the Rockets eventually led 42-0 at the half. Max Barr, who finished with 140 yards on the ground, scored the final three touchdowns of the opening half, Preston Bickelhaupt, who rushed for 114 yards, added two others on QB keepers and Bralyn Johnson opened the scoring with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. Kasen Heminger concluded the game’s scoring with a 48-yard run late. Bickelhaupt also passed for 41 yards, which came on one completion to Barr. Bickelhaupt added an interception defensively, where Johnson had a team-high eight tackles. Micah Miller and Miller Pierson each added six, while Nolan Arnold, Jacob Sandwisch and Matthew Hubans had five apiece. The Rockets travel to Port Clinton in week three.
Waite 28, Rossford 21
Waite (1-1) earned its first win of the season behind a big game from Carl Foard, who rushed 27 times for 190 yards. Takhi Meyers and Myell Carter had one touchdown apiece on the ground, while Deondre Pope had two catches for 22 yards and a score. He also caught a two-point conversion. Antwuan Williams (29), BK Hudson (27) and Foard (26) also combined for 82 yards receiving. Shayne Curns completed 11-of-19 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Indians host Maumee in week three.
Woodmore 49, Toledo Christian 6
The Wildcats (2-0) remained unbeaten with an easy win behind a defensive effort that allowed just 114 yards and had two goal-line interceptions in the second quarter. Lucas Caldwell rushed for 109 yards on 18 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Wesley Kayser recorded six receptions for 101 yards and a pair of scores from Calvin Lipstraw, who completed 9-of-16 passes overall for 161 yards. Ish Nagy rushed seven times for 78 yards, including a 40-yard burst for a touchdown in the second quarter that gave the Wildcats a 28-6 lead at halftime. Woodmore, which produced 408 total yards of offense, put the game away in the third quarter with a 14-play drive that culminated in an eight-yard rushing touchdown from Lipstraw. Noah Huss, who ran six times for 47 yards, closed the scoring with a one-yard touchdown. The Wildcats travel to Fostoria in week three.
