HS FOOTBALL: Star seniors lead list of 2024 storylines

Believe it or not, high school football season kicks off in almost exactly two months — Week 1 Friday night is August 23. In Ohio, it's never a bad time to think about the gridiron, and there's certainly been plenty of conversation ongoing these days in the Register sports office about the season ahead. Here are some of the storylines we're looking forward to: Loaded senior class It's been clear for years, and now it's finally here — few area groups have compared to the graduating class of 2025, which begins its senior fall in a couple of months. Everywhere you look, the stars have aligned for this group. Perkins' senior unit is loaded, with three Division I commits already in Braylon Collier (Michigan State), Mikey Young (Harvard) and Weston Sturzinger (James Madison). They're joined by the likes of Isaac Bunts, Joey Diederich, Brady Legando, Tim Boals, Haiden Bollini, Dylan Crabtree, Vinny Strohl and Reagan Kaufman. Sandusky rolls out Jason Henlon, Amir Aaron, Aa'Zoriyon Bonner, Dre Campbell, Maky'Veon Lately, Landon Parker, Dennarius Walk and a healthy Rocco D'Amico. Norwalk features Ben Rothhaar, whose Division I football commitment is forthcoming. At Clyde, Brennan Wilson will be quarterback in his final season, chucking it to leading wideout Kam Shortridge. Edison is loaded up with seniors such as Luke Blatnik, Cy Finnen, Davin Wendt, Grayson Smith, Luke Langhals and Zach Rang. Senior standouts elsewhere include Cooper Moyer (Bellevue); Cam Manner, Paul Maloney and Jackson McNulty (Huron); Briar Rohrer and Gabe Koskela (Port Clinton); AJ Mathis (Vermilion); Tristan Nickoli (St. Paul); Connor Dawson (Western Reserve); and Evan Benfer and Landen Roeder (Monroeville). Those lists leave out plenty of additional talented athletes, some of whom will seize larger football roles this fall, and others who will mostly ply their trades in winter and spring sports. Perkins boys basketball coach Eric Kochendoerfer said it best recently when speaking about this year's upcoming seniors: "They've been beating each other up their whole lives. Steel sharpens steel." Coaching changes The lead-up to the new football season will of course include plenty of interest in Sandusky, where Lucas Poggiali will no longer be the head coach after a messy athletic director hiring process compelled Poggiali to step away from his alma mater. The Blue Streaks appear to have kept most of their staff intact, a huge plus for the returning players who can use all the continuity they can get. The expectation is that associate head coach Jamaris Brown could eventually be named head coach, following two years with Poggiali at the helm. Elsewhere, St. Paul has the most notable coaching change. Hall of fame coach John Livengood will no longer lead the Flyers. In steps Chris Doughty, a 2009 graduate of the school. He's got quite the shoes to fill — Livengood won 310 games, 22 league titles, eight regional crowns and a state championship. The Doughty era begins with the standard Flyers Week 1 matchup against Huron, with this season's game taking place at Huron Memorial Stadium. A familiar local face, Clyde state champion quarterback Ryan Lozier, starts his first head coaching job this fall. He takes over in the SBC River Division at Lakota, which went 5-6 last season. The Raiders open the Lozier era at home against high-powered Monroeville. Postseason movement Playoffs will be here before we know it, too, and a few area football teams made notable moves in postseason alignment. Sandusky rose up to Division II. The Blue Streaks are tied with two other schools as the smallest in the state in D-II for the upcoming season. It's a return to Region 6 for Sandusky, which played there from 2003 to 2012. Oregon Clay and Fremont Ross, who are Sandusky's first two opponents in the regular season, are also part of Region 6. Clyde and Huron both moved down in playoff division — the Fliers to D-IV, the Tigers to D-VI. D-IV Region 14 now features Bellevue, Clyde, Perkins and Vermilion. Those teams will benefit from a couple departures out of Region 14: powerhouse Glenville is now in Region 13, and talented St. Marys Memorial moved up to Division III. Region 14 does welcome Ontario, which drops down from D-III. The Warriors are quarterbacked by Bodpegn Miller, who this week committed to Ohio State (with his college position to be determined). Huron joins Margaretta in Region 22. That region also added two powerhouses up from D-VII: Hopewell-Loudon and Patrick Henry. SBC breakdown The SBC Lake and Bay divisions stand pat this fall after some shifting in 2023. Clyde, Columbian, Norwalk, Perkins and Sandusky make up the Lake, which has been won by the Pirates each of the past two seasons. In the Bay, it's Bellevue, Edison, Huron, Port Clinton and Vermilion, with the Chargers as the defending champs. The SBC River Division has changed again. New SBC member Northwood joins the small-school portion of the conference after a 3-7 season in 2023. The Rangers' addition makes up for the departure of Fremont St. Joseph to 8-man football. The River remains at eight football-playing teams: Northwood, Margaretta, Willard, Hopewell-Loudon, Lakota, Tiffin Calvert, Woodmore and Gibsonburg. Eight slots in as the ideal number for a football league, as that's a common number in other leagues in this part of the state, benefiting non-league scheduling. The Lake and Bay teams will still play two mandatory crossover games, with some teams playing more against opponents from the other division. That leaves Week 4 as the toughest scheduling spot in the SBC Lake and Bay, resulting in multiple unusual matchups before the league/crossover season gets underway. Week 4 oddities Speaking of Week 4 — here's how a few local SBC teams have filled that tricky spot on their schedule on Friday, Sept. 13 or Saturday, Sept. 14. Perkins hosts powerful Harvest Prep from the Columbus area. The Warriors went 12-2 last season. Huron plays a rare Saturday 1 p.m. contest against visiting Dayton Dunbar, a strong city league program that produced Ohio State great Keith Byars. Edison welcomes Johnstown Northridge, 2-8 last season, to Freedom Field. That's a two-hour drive from the Columbus area to Milan. Vermilion filled that spot with a much more local game, and one that speaks to how the Sailors feel about their upcoming season — they'll host Elyria Catholic that Friday night. Sandusky is also home that week, in a non-league matchup that has become familiar of late against Padua Franciscan. Port Clinton adds a new opponent that week, taking a trip to Ottawa Hills — another team that plays in a league without the ideal eight teams. The only straightforward Lake/Bay matchup in Week 4 is a crossover between former SBC Lake and NOL opponents — Bellevue visits Norwalk. How far can Perkins go? The Pirates fell in a Division IV regional final last season to Glenville, but the Tarblooders are now in Region 13, not 14. That would appear to open up a path to the final four for Perkins, if a team like Ontario doesn't stop the Pirates first. The big Perkins question comes at quarterback, where either junior Sam Schweinfurth or senior Tim Boals will take over for the program's best-ever passer, graduated Logan Lesch. If Schweinfurth wins the job, Boals can slot in as a dynamic tight end for the Pirates. Either way, the weapons all around the field are almost entirely back for Perkins. In addition to all the seniors mentioned above, there are juniors like Eli Sanchez, Joey Ziegler and Braxden Martin, not to mention speedy backfield option Levi Jackson, still a sophomore. The biggest threats to an undefeated regular season for Perkins are likely Harvest Prep in Week 4 and Sandusky in Week 9. In the regional playoffs, Ontario is joined as a threat by Shelby and Van Wert. Perkins hasn't won a regional title since the 1999 team that won a state championship. After coming so close to the state semifinal last fall, these Pirates will be motivated to go even further. Is this Monroeville's year? By one measure, Monroeville had the single-best turnaround in the state heading into Week 10 last season, when St. Paul spoiled the Eagles' fun a bit. They were 0-10 in 2022. In 2023, they finished 7-4 after falling in the first round of the playoffs. There's a heck of a lot back, starting with quarterback/safety Evan Benfer and powerful running back Landen Roeder. Monroeville had just six seniors last fall. Head coach Tylor Nester will certainly have the Eagles dreaming big in pursuit of a 12th Firelands Conference title. The Eagles play Lakota, Calvert and Seneca East in the non-league before beginning FC play. If they can beat Crestview in Week 4 and slow down Western Reserve's Connor Dawson in Week 8, an undefeated regular season could be on the line in Week 10 when Monroeville hosts St. Paul. Cam Manner's long-distance kicks Huron rising senior kicker Cameron Manner spends a lot of his free time on the Memorial Stadium turf. He's turned into one of the best placekickers in the state, and he reached 50 yards on a field goal last season. Part of an offense with a lot of new skill pieces, Manner may be called on to secure the Tigers some additional points. The only question: What's his range? There have been 29 field goals of 55 yards or longer in OHSAA history, including a 57-yarder by Norwalk graduate Garrison Smith. Manner might get a chance to be the 30th. 8-man growth The Northern 8 is up to eight 8-man football teams with the additions of two for this fall — Fremont St. Joseph and Southington Chalker, a school located between Akron and Youngstown. That gives a few more possible opponents to the local 8-man groups, St. Mary Central Catholic and Danbury. A trip to Fremont for either will certainly be a welcome reprieve from some long road trips. It remains to be seen when, or if, 8-man football will truly take off in Ohio. It has certainly made a difference at SMCC — the Panthers went 6-4 last fall, a record they likely would've had a tough time coming near in the SBC River. The OHSAA has not taken any further steps toward making 8-man football a part of its governing body. That likely would be the action that could lead to rapid growth. In the meantime, the Northern 8 plays on, providing some of the state's smallest schools a chance to take part in Ohio's favorite sport. --- --- 2024 football schedules SBC Lake Division Clyde Fliers Aug. 23: at Bellevue Aug. 30: Toledo Start Sept. 6: at Toledo Waite Sept. 13: Toledo St. Francis Sept. 20: Port Clinton Sept. 27: at Perkins Oct. 4: Columbian Oct. 11: at Sandusky Oct. 18: Huron Oct. 25: at Norwalk Columbian Tornadoes Aug. 23: Fremont Ross Aug. 30: at Chardon Sept. 6: Shaw Sept. 13: Bishop Watterson Sept. 20: at Huron Sept. 27: Sandusky Oct. 4: at Clyde Oct. 11: at Bellevue Oct. 18: Norwalk Oct. 25: at Perkins Norwalk Truckers Aug. 23: at Toledo Start Aug. 30: at Westlake North Sept. 6: Toledo Rogers Sept. 13: Bellevue Sept. 20: Edison Sept. 27: at Vermilion Oct. 4: at Sandusky Oct. 11: Perkins Oct. 18: at Columbian Oct. 25: Norwalk Perkins Pirates Aug. 23: Clear Fork Aug. 30: at Padua Franciscan Sept. 6: at Rocky River Sept. 13: Harvest Prep Sept. 20: at Bellevue Sept. 27: Clyde Oct. 4: at Edison Oct. 11: at Norwalk Oct. 18: Sandusky Oct. 25: Columbian Sandusky Blue Streaks Aug. 23: Oregon Clay Aug. 30: at Fremont Ross Sept. 6: at Lorain Sept. 13: Padua Franciscan Sept. 20: Vermilion Sept. 27: at Columbian Oct. 4: Norwalk Oct. 11: Clyde Oct. 18: at Perkins Oct. 25: at Port Clinton SBC Bay Division Bellevue Redmen Aug. 23: Clyde Aug. 30: at Wauseon Sept. 6: at Shelby Sept. 13: at Norwalk Sept. 20: Perkins Sept. 27: Edison Oct. 4: at Huron Oct. 11: Columbian Oct. 18: Port Clinton Oct. 25: at Vermilion Edison Chargers Aug. 23: at Firelands Aug. 30: at St. Paul Sept. 6: Gibsonburg Sept. 13: Johnstown Northridge Sept. 20: at Norwalk Sept. 27: at Bellevue Oct. 4: Perkins Oct. 11: Port Clinton Oct. 18: Vermilion Oct. 25: at Huron Huron Tigers Aug. 23: St. Paul Aug. 30: at Brookside Sept. 6: at Genoa Sept. 14: Dayton Dunbar (1 p.m.) Sept. 20: Columbian Sept. 27: at Port Clinton Oct. 4: Bellevue Oct. 11: at Vermilion Oct. 18: at Clyde Oct. 25: Edison Port Clinton Redskins Aug. 23: Toledo Waite Aug. 30: at Rossford Sept. 6: Oak Harbor Sept. 13: at Ottawa Hills Sept. 20: at Clyde Sept. 27: Huron Oct. 4: Vermilion Oct. 11: at Edison Oct. 18: at Bellevue Oct. 25: Sandusky Vermilion Sailors Aug. 23: at Margaretta Aug. 30: at Firelands Sept. 6: Willard Sept. 13: Elyria Catholic Sept. 20: at Sandusky Sept. 27: Norwalk Oct. 4: at Port Clinton Oct. 11: Huron Oct. 18: at Edison Oct. 25: Bellevue SBC River Division Margaretta Polar Bears Aug. 23: Vermilion Aug. 30: at Western Reserve Sept. 6: at Mohawk Sept. 13: Edon Sept. 20: Woodmore Sept. 27: Hopewell-Loudon Oct. 4: Calvert Oct. 11: at Lakota Oct. 18: at Gibsonburg Oct. 25: Willard Willard Flashes Aug. 23: South Central Aug. 30: Plymouth Sept. 6: at Vermilion Sept. 13: at Woodmore Sept. 20: at Lucas Sept. 27: Lakota Oct. 4: at Hopewell-Loudon Oct. 11: Gibsonburg Oct. 18: Calvert Oct. 25: at Margaretta Firelands Conference Monroeville Eagles Aug. 23: at Lakota Aug. 30: at Calvert Sept. 6: Seneca East Sept. 13: Crestview Sept. 20: South Central Sept. 27: at New London Oct. 4: Western Reserve Oct. 11: at Mapleton Oct. 18: at Plymouth Oct. 25: St. Paul New London Wildcats Aug. 23: Millersport Aug. 30: at Bishop Rosecrans Sept. 6: at Vanlue Sept. 13: at South Central Sept. 20: Crestview Sept. 27: Monroeville Oct. 4: at St. Paul Oct. 11: at Plymouth Oct. 18: Mapleton Oct. 25: Western Reserve South Central Trojans Aug. 23: at Willard Aug. 30: Northmor Sept. 6: at Rittman Sept. 13: New London Sept. 20: at Monroeville Sept. 27: at Crestview Oct. 4: Mapleton Oct. 11: at Western Reserve Oct. 18: St. Paul Oct. 25: Plymouth St. Paul Flyers Aug. 23: at Huron Aug. 30: Edison Sept. 7: Calvert Sept. 14: Mapleton Sept. 20: at Plymouth Sept. 27: at Western Reserve Oct. 4: New London Oct. 12: Crestview Oct. 18: at South Central Oct. 25: at Monroeville Western Reserve Roughriders Aug. 23: Wellington Aug. 30: Margaretta Sept. 6: at Wynford Sept. 13: Plymouth Sept. 20: at Mapleton Sept. 27: St. Paul Oct. 4: at Monroeville Oct. 11: South Central Oct. 18: at Crestview Oct. 25: at New London Northern 8 Danbury Lakers Aug. 30: at Waldron (Mich.) Sept. 7: at SJCC Sept. 13: Stryker Sept. 20: Holgate Sept. 27: at SMCC Oct. 4: at Toledo Christian Oct. 11: Sebring McKinley Oct. 19: at Stryker Oct. 25: SJCC Nov. 2: at Southington Chalker St. Mary CC Panthers Aug. 31: SJCC Sept. 6: at Sebring McKinley Sept. 21: at Stryker Sept. 27: Danbury Oct. 5: at SJCC Oct. 12: Southington Chalker Oct. 26: Toledo Christian Nov. 2: Holgate