WEEK 9: Edison, Vermilion try to grind out a Bay title

First place in the SBC Bay Division is up for grabs when Vermilion visits Edison on Friday night in a matchup of two old-school teams that prefer to run the football. The Sailors and Chargers have combined for 598 rushing attempts and 4,191 rushing yards this season. In a day and age when many teams chuck the ball all over the field and play deep into the night, the Chargers and Sailors usually keep things snappy. "We may get the film back from Hudl by the time most other teams are finishing up," Vermilion coach Bill DiFucci joked. Edison is 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the Bay. The Chargers are ranked No. 4 in the state in Division V. Vermilion is 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the Bay. The Sailors are ranked No. 15 in the state in Division IV. "These are the nights you hope for in high school football in Ohio," DiFucci said. "It's what you coach for." Edison's triple-option offense is keyed by senior quarterback Abe Hermes. He has rushed for 441 yards and six touchdowns and has been a consistence presence as the Chargers' top three backs — Cy Finnen, Luke Blatnik and Bryson Wittmer — all have fought injuries this season. Blatnik, who is recovering from a broken collarbone, is on schedule to return to the field next week against Huron. Vermilion also has four reliable backs. Senior QB Aaron Mathis has rushed for 660 yards and 15 TDs and junior Evan Kuhns has 644 yards and five scores. Cohen Mooney and Logan Peterson — who returns after missing last week's win over Huron — provide more boost to the backfield. Edison's defense has been up to the challenge all season. The Chargers haven't allowed more than 16 points in a game through eight weeks. Linebacker Ryder Kramb leads the defense with 66 tackles. "They believe in our scheme and our coaches do a great job in planning to take away what our opponent does best," Edison coach Jim Hall said. "We have good team speed and it's a very good group of athletic kids who have a lot of pride. "We gotta slow them down." A win for Vermilion would give the Sailors their first conference title since winning the old Erie Shore Conference in 1992. That was DiFucci's senior year. He knows possessions will be valuable in this showdown at Freedom Field. "We know it's gonna be a ground-and-pound situation," he said. "You have to make the most of your possessions because we won't get many." A look at this week's other area matchups:Sandusky at Perkins The SBC Lake Division title is on the line when Division IV No. 2 Perkins (7-1, 2-0) hosts Sandusky (5-3, 3-0). It is the last league game of the season for Sandusky, so the Blue Streaks would capture the league championship outright with a win against their crosstown rivals. The Pirates got back to their winning ways with a 49-0 thrashing of Norwalk last week. Isaac Bunts has amassed 1,425 yards on 177 carries with 20 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth has completed 90 of 129 passes for 1,411 yards and 17 TDs while Braylon Collier leads the team with 37 catches for 565 yards and 10 scores. Sandusky lost its first three games but has answered with five straight wins, included a touchdown catch by Landon Parker as time expired to top Clyde last week, 22-21. One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround is quarterback Jason Henlon. Since returning from injury that caused the senior to miss the first three games of the season, Henlon has completed 70 of 101 passes for 960 yards and eight scores. Makyveon Lately has been consistent for the Blue Streaks with 88 rushes for 481 yards and seven scores while Amir Aaron does a little bit of everything, including four kick return TDs and a team-high 34 catches for 722 yards and six TDs. Huron at Clyde Two teams coming off tough losses meet at Robert J. Bishop Stadium as Clyde (5-3) hosts Huron (6-2). The Fliers lost on the last play of the game to Sandusky last week while Huron watched as Vermilion kicked a field goal in the final 10 seconds to lose, 13-10. Both teams are playoff bound, but a win Friday would increase the odds of hosting at least one playoff game if not two. Brennan Wilson leads Clyde at quarterback, completing 73 of 107 passes for 944 yards and three touchdowns. Adam Young paces the ground game with 98 attempts for 509 yards and seven scores. Landon Hohler has keyed Huron's offense with 82 rushes for 445 yards and seven TDs on the ground while completing 74 of 127 passes for 844 yards and 11 scores. Tommie McDonald is Hohler's top option at receiver with 40 catches for 438 yards and five TDs. Norwalk at Columbian Norwalk (2-6, 0-2) hasn't scored in four weeks while Columbian (3-5, 0-2) is coming off of a nice 28-14 win over Bellevue last week when these two meet at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in SBC Lake Division action. The Truckers opened the season with two wins in the first three weeks, but have fallen on hard times with losses to Edison (35-0), Vermilion (21-0), Sandusky (42-0) and Perkins (49-0). Zach Shawberry has completed 83 of 167 passes for 985 yards and 10 touchdowns for Columbian while Masen Seitz has 545 yards rushing. Port Clinton at Bellevue Both teams are desperate for a win to have any chance of making the playoffs. After starting the year with wins over Toledo Waite and Rossford, Port Clinton (2-6) has lost six straight games. The Redskins have been close in some of them - single-digit losses to Ottawa Hills (7-1), Huron (6-2), nd Vermilion (7-1) — but most fell 41-7 to Edison last week. Bellevue (2-6) has lost four games in a row including three straight to state-ranked teams before a home loss to Columbian last week. The Redmen are led by Ike Brown at quarterback. He has completed 72 of 159 passes for 786 yards with three TDs and eight interceptions. On the ground, he has rushed 167 times for 609 yards and seven scores. For Port Clinton, Wyatt Yarbrough has completed 79 of 157 passes for 1,172 yards, 13 TDs, and eight interceptions. His top target is Briar Rohrer, who has caught 25 passes for 487 yards and seven TDs. Margaretta at Gibsonburg Margaretta has won two straight to improve to 3-5. The Polar Bears and Gibsonburg each have just one loss in the SBC River Division and need a win to stay within striking distance of first-place Hopewell-Loudon. Margaretta is getting healthy after a rough start to the season. Juniors Jake Bouy (quarterback) and Judah Keller (running back, safety) are athletic weapons. Margaretta has allowed only 14 first quarter points over the last five games. Gibsonburg, ranked No. 11 in the state in Division VII, has thrown only 25 passes all season. The Golden Bears rely on sophomore running backs Grant Smith and Reece Walby, who have combined for 1,537 yards and 22 touchdowns no the ground. Monroeville at Plymouth Not much has slowed down Division VII No. 5 Monroeville (8-0, 5-0) and the Eagles hope to keep it going against Plymouth (2-6, 1-4) and clinch at least a share of the Firelands Conference title. Monroeville's defense has put together four straight shutouts, defeating South Central (41-0), New London (71-0), Western Reserve (48-0) and Mapleton (49-0). Last week, quarterback Evan Benfer accounted for four touchdowns, including a 65-yard punt return, while Landin Hershiser scored twice for the Eagles, who finish the regular season next week at home against St. Paul. St. Mary CC at Morenci, Mich. SMCC plays its final non-league game when the Panthers (6-0) make the 90-minute drive northwest to take on Morenci (3-4) just inside the Michigan border. SMCC enters after wins over Fremont SJCC (31-13) and Southington Chalker (26-14). It will serve as the Panthers' final tuneup before facing the other two undefeated teams in the Northern 8 Conference in Toledo Christian (6-0, 4-0) and Holgate (6-0, 5-0). Morenci lost its season opener before three straight wins. Since then, the Bulldogs have lost three straight games, giving up 32, 46 and 62 points in those three contests. Danbury at Stryker Danbury (3-4, 1-3 Northern 8) is coming off a 52-0 win against Sebring McKinley and will look for another win Saturday against a Stryker team that 1-6 overall and 0-5 in the conference.