Centerburg at Lucas
Centerburg (1-0) brought in the new season with a 22-8 win over Cardington on Friday. Having to replace quarterback Drew Osborne, the Trojans have an inexperienced Tyler Stoyle at the helm, but have a wealth of experience around him in the backfield and on the outside. This game is also a revenge game of sorts, as Centerburg had to forfeit last year’s win due to an ineligible player.
Lucas (0-1) had to break in an entirely new backfield in last week’s 21-18 Week 1 loss to Plymouth. The Cubs have their entire offensive line back from last season, but three of thwm are under 200 pounds, so they might not be able to create many holes for their new backs. On defense, Lucas had to replace its top two tacklers, so Centerburg should be able to run at will. The Cubs head coach is also familiar with Knox County fans, former Mount Vernon mentor Scott Spitler, who is in his third year at Lucas.
Zanesville Rosecrans at Danville
Danville (1-0) did pretty much everything it had to in a 47-0 whipping of Rittman on Friday. The Blue Devils offensive and defensive lines were equally impressive, the former opening holes for 167-yard rusher Heath Buckingham, and the latter holding Rittman to -37 yards on the ground and just 7 total. The Blue Devils also scored twice on defense. Danville won’t mess with that success by changing anything this week.
Zanesville Rosecrans (1-0) avenged a 39-13 loss to Bridgeport in 2010 with last week’s 44-8 victory. Luke Lloyd ran for 200 yards, including a 75-yard TD, which kept the high-scoring Bridgeport offense (10-0 last season) off the field. Lloyd also returns punts and kickoffs, which bring the Bishops good field position. This game boils down to two teams which do much of the same things.. The team which does them better will win.
Grandview Heights at East Knox
East Knox (0-1) was shut out by Coshocton, 41-0, on Friday. The Bulldogs had difficulty on both ends of the field, gaining just 102 total yards, of which 74 were on the ground. The defense surrendered 435 yards, 316 rushing and 119 on 7-of-9 passing. East Knox gave up four scoring plays of 10 yards or more, and got past the 50 yard line just once.
Grandview Heights (1-0) started the year on the opposite track, with a 46-19 victory over Centennial. The Bobcats don’t play a lot of tricks on offense; their 372 yards of offense came entirely on the ground. Six different players scored at least one touchdown in the game, and the leading rusher, Oliver Rouch, had a 10.2-yards-per-carry average. Looks like another rough night for the Bulldogs.
Bishop Ready at Fredericktown
Fredericktown (1-0) had its second tough outing against rival Highland in two seasons on Friday, scoring a TD late in the third quarter to win, 28-21. The Freddies dominating running game, led by junior Matt Smith, ran up 287 yards, but junior quarterback Ryan Logan was a bit shaky, going only 5-of-11 for 53 yards. Turnovers, which were Fredericktown’s friends in the first half, proved a bane in the second, something the Freddies will need to address.
Ready (1-0) did not face much of a test in the first week with a 54-7 victory over Frankin Heights. In 2010, the Silver Knights went 4-6, but with victories over some very poor teams helping their percentage. Against the Falcons, Bo Hardy ran for four touchdowns in the first half alone, totaled 171 yards on 11 carries. Ready got more than half of their total yards on their numerous big scoring plays, but Fredericktown’s defense won’t be so forgiving.
Granville at Utica
Utica (0-1) first season in four years without Jason Hoar at quarterback began with a thud, a 33-16 loss to Buckeye Local. Clay Rowley played well enough behind center, with 12-of-23 passing and 147 yards, but Redskin rushers managed only 45 yards on 23 carries. Buckeye Local completed better than 60 percent of its passes against the Utica defense, and gained almost six yards per carry.
Granville (0-1) faced the rushing juggernaut known as Ross Franklin in a 38-29 loss to Johnstown. Franklin put up 330 ground yards and scored six touchdowns, but the Blue Aces managed to keep the game fairly close. Granville had two rushers wih 64 or more yards, and quarterback Isaac Maurer, despite a poor 38.5 completion percentage, had some big plays. The team that makes the biggest strides on defense should come out the winner.
 brought in the new season with a 22-8 win over Cardington on Friday. Having to replace quarterback Drew Osborne, the Trojans have an inexperienced Tyler Stoyle at the helm, but have a wealth of experience around him in the backfield and on the outside. ){kind=link}