Week 3 High School Football Preview

How is it already time for the third game of the Ohio high school football season? As we all work to get through this recent heat wave, the start of the third week of the high school football season is something to look forward to this Friday night. 

Highland County will have the McClain Tigers (2-0) play their second consecutive home game, playing for the “Battle of 41” trophy against the visiting Paint Valley Bearcats (0-2) at McClain Field with a scheduled start time of 7 p.m. McClain currently has possession of the trophy as they won the game last season by a 35-22 score at Paint Valley. 

The Hillsboro Indians (0-2) will be on the road for a third consecutive week, as they are set to take on the Waynesville Spartans (2-0) of the Southwestern Buckeye League. These two teams didn’t face each other last season. 

Here is a closer look at the two games for the Highland County teams:

• HILLSBORO INDIANS (0-2) at WAYNESVILLE SPARTANS (2-0)

Hillsboro had to use their starting running back Tre Captain at quarterback last week due to an injury to usual starter Collin Swackhamer. Captain (with the official stats listed on the FAC page) was 6-of-10 for 68 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception in his very first game as a varsity quarterback. Captain also rushed the ball 12 times. 

The leading rusher in Week 2 for the Indians was Malachi Aber who had six carries for 80 yards, including a 51-yard run against Goshen. He averaged 13.3 yards per carry. The Indians also had the following rushing totals in Week 2: Jonathan Malone (12 carries, 56 yards, 4.7 yards per carry) and Braylon Mayes (eight carries, 58 yards, 7.3 ypc).

The receiving leader was Ryker Zink, who caught two passes for 34 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown reception. Mayes also had two receptions for 20 yards (10.0 yards per reception), and Malone had one reception for 13 yards. 

The tackle leaders for the Indians in Week 2 were Aber and Zink with four each (two solo each), as Aber had two sacks. Malone and Rush Workman each finished with two tackles, and Ryker Snyder had a pass defensed. 

In Week 1, the Indians rushed for 274 yards as Malone carried the ball 21 times for 140 yards, and Captain rushed for 129 yards on 11 carries. Against the Broncos, both players each rushed for a touchdown. 

Defensively in Week 1,  Aber led the Indians with eight tackles (seven solo), while Zink, Kel’el Captain and Conner Yochum each finished with four tackles. 

Waynesville is coming off a 28-14 win over the Greeneview Rams in Week 2, a game where they totaled 306 yards of offense according to stats on the SWBL page. 

The passing leader was junior Gregory Marlow, who was 11-of-16 for 151 yards against Greeneview on the road. In that game, he also threw a touchdown and two interceptions, while also collecting 64 yards rushing on 10 rushes with a touchdown. In Week 1 against Clintion-Massie, Marlow was 12-of-21 for 174 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception. 

Though Marlow was the rushing leader in Week 2 in terms of yards gained, Tyce Rutledge totaled eight carries for 63 yards for a 7.9 yards per carry total. Hudson Back of WHS finished with seven carries for 28 yards, giving Waynesville a total of 25 rushes for 155 yards for a 6.23 ypc average for the team.

Six Waynesville players caught at least one pass against Greeneview, with their Week 2 leader being  Chase Kazmierski with three receptions ofr 40 yards and a touchdown. Back had two receptions for 36 yards (18.0 ypr), and Bennett Post also had two receptions for 22 yards (11.o ypr). John Baker caught two passes for WHS totaling 13 yards. Tyce Rutledge caught one pass for 24 yards, and teammate Coleman Carmichael caught one pass for 16 yards. 

Waynesville’s defense in Week 2 had two interceptions with those being made by Kazmierski (0-yard return) and Baker (25-yard return). 

Mac Sullivan led the Spartans last Friday night with 15 tackles (10 solo), and Levi McMullen collected 11 tackles (six solo). Also with double-figure tackles was Baker with 10 total tackles (six solo). Waynesville had Rutledge with two sacks, while Hayden Harrison had one. 

Waynesville in Week 1 had a three-point win over Clinton-Massie with that game they had 24 total rushing yards, but in the air they totaled 174 yards as Rutledge caught four passes for 75 yards (18.8 ypr) and a touchdown. Back caught two passes for 25 yards, Baker had two receptions for 33 yards and Carmichael had a 12-yard touchdown reception.

In Week 1 on defense, McMullen grabbed an interception, and he also had nine tackles (three solo, one tackle for loss). Sullivan led the Spartans against Clinton-Massie with 11 tackles. Harrison and Dalton Taylor each had a sack versus the Falcons. 

Click here for a Waynesville roster. 

Click here for a Hillsboro roster.
 

• MCCLAIN TIGERS (2-0) vs. PAINT VALLEY (0-2) 

It has been a very nice start in the win column for the McClain Tigers, and this week they are back at home for the second consecutive week as they host the Paint Valley Bearcats in the “Battle of 41” with the coveted traveling trophy on the line. 

Last season McClain defeated Paint Valley 35-22 in a game where current McClain quarterback, junior Hudson Lovett (then a sophomore), had five rushing touchdowns, finishing that game with 24 carries for 132 yards, plus he was 11-of-18 passing for 121 yards. 

This season, Lovett in two games has passed for 499 yards (29-of-46) with four touchdown passes and one interception. Lovett has also rushed for 149 yards on 19 carries with five rushing touchdowns in games against Adena and Northwest.

Last week against the Northwest Mohawks, a game the Tigers won 34-7, Lovett was 11-of-21 for 158 yards with a touchdown pass. He also rushed for 68 yards on nine carries. In Week 1 against the Adena Warriors, Lovett was 18-of-25 for 341 passing yards with three touchdowns. That game, the junior QB also had 10 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Tigers last Friday were led in rushing by Bentley Marsh, who had seven rushes for 95 yards (averaging 13.6 yards per carry). The receivers of the Tigers finished with a combined 11 receptions, as Gavin Anderson had four receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown, averaging 20.8 ypr. MHS last Friday also had receptions by Hunter Peabody, Brady Binegar, Marsh, Leiland Bond and Holden Lyons. 

McClain freshman kicker Ross Roman is having a great start to his kicking career as he’s 9-of-10 in his first two games combined in extra-point attempts, and last Friday he was 4-of-5. 

Also last Friday, the Tigers had 13 tackles from Lyons, who also collected a half sack. Bryson Bihl led MHS with 14 tackles (two TFL), and Peabody finished with 11 tackles. Teammate Skaggs ended the game with 10 tackles, and Marsh had 11 tackles, giving the Tigers five players with at least 10 tackles in the win. Kamden Penwell and Binegar each had a sack. 

Paint Valley is a very young team in ’26, starting 0-2 overall with losses to Valley (Lucasville), 41-0, and Vinton County by a 60-33 score. 

In Week 1 for Paint Valley, junior quarterback Brennen Ison was 13-of-20 for 189 yards passing. Catching most of those yards was sophomore Ethan Burke with seven receptions for 133 yards.  

Click here for Paint Valley’s roster (via MaxPreps.com)

Click here for McClain’s roster. 
 

• THE REST OF THE FAC SCHEDULE

The FAC will also have the following games played by member schools in Week 3: 

Jackson (1-1) at Wheelersburg (1-1)
Miami Trace (1-1) at Logan Elm (1-1)
Chillicothe (2-0) at Western Brown (1-1)
Washington (0-2) vs. Thurgood Marshall (0-2)

• NOTES ABOUT THE FAC

- In Miami Trace’s 35-7 loss to Wilmington, Julian Baker rushed for 85 yards an a touchdown on 17 carries. Teammate Drayden Gleason had six carries for 57 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. 
Baker also had one catch for 58 yards against Wilmington. 

- Also for MTHS in Week 2, Baker and teammate Gage Henry each recorded 11 tackles with Baker having one TFL. Eli Barnard had a sack for the Panthers. 

- In the Blue Lions’ 28-26 loss to Circleville, QB Sam Pfeifer was 18-of-26 for 194 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led WCH with 11 rushes for 47 yards. 

- Washington had receiving touchdowns in Week 2 made by Aden Osborne with two (six receptions for 69 yards), and teammate Champ Walters had four receptions for 68 yards (17 ypr) with one touchdown. 

- WCH was led in tackles in Week 2 by Wesley Gibbs, who totaled 15 tackles (four solo). Kiontae Tyree finished with 13 tackles (six solo) and a sack. Anthony Burns recorded a sack in week 2 for the Blue Lions, while Cole Leach had a TFL. 

- Also for Washington, Aden Osborne had two points, averaging 39 yards per punt.