Margaretta rolls to its first SBC title since 2001

CASTALIA — Margaretta celebrated its first conference championship since 2001 on Friday. There might be a lot more celebrating to do for this bunch of Polar Bears. Margaretta ran, passed and tackled its way to a thorough 38-7 win over Lakota at the Duck Pond, clinching no worse than a tie for the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division title. The Bears, ranked No. 4 in the state in Division VI this week, improved to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the River. They can win the River outright next Friday at home against a stout Gibsonburg team. "They were hungry to get a championship, or at least a share of it," Margaretta coach Gary Quisno said. "They played hard and the defense played great in the first half. On offense we have some big-play capability. "It was a great team win and now we're looking forward to trying to get the whole thing next week against Gibsonburg." The first half was all Margaretta, which did not surrender a Lakota first down and limited the Raiders to seven total yards in the first two quarters. The Bears scored three minutes into the game when senior quarterback Jake Bouy connected with Kale Bailey on a well-timed 42-yard post pattern for a touchdown. Bouy added the first of his five extra points and Margaretta was off and running. Bouy rolled left and hit Mason Reinboldt with an eight-yard scoring pass with 4:35 left in the first quarter. Bouy finished 7-for-10 passing for 104 yards and two touchdowns. "Super fun tonight," he said. "We knew we had to take control early and keep pounding it, and that's what we did." On the first play of the second quarter, Carter Luzader went 15 yards for a touchdown. Judah Keller made a nice move and scored on a 13-yard run to make it 28-0. After Wyatt Goodrich recovered a Lakota fumble on a failed fourth-down attempt, Margaretta burned most of the remaining first half clock with an eight-play drive that ended with a 21-yard Bouy field goal. Keller added a 41-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 carries for 190 yards and two touchdowns. "We approached this game like it was for a league title," Keller said. "Coach told us all week we can't win the league if we don't beat Lakota. We came out and won it. This has always been Coach Quisno's goal — come to Margaretta, be here for however many years and win a SBC championship. "Hopefully we can win it outright against Gibsonburg. They're a good team so we'll see how that goes." Captains Keller, Bouy and Brett Miller are part of a nine-man senior class that endured a rash of injuries and a 4-6 season in 2024. Things have changed this year. "They all got a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger," Quisno said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence and great team chemistry. They get along, they enjoy each other and work hard. It's been a good go so far, but we want to keep this momentum going into next week and the playoffs. "We've accomplished one thing, but we want to see what we can do in the playoffs. Looking forward to it." The game was played under a running clock in the entire second half. Lakota's AJ Gosche broke loose for a late 50-yard touchdown to get the Raiders (4-5, 1-5) on the board. Margaretta, which outgained Lakota 418-139, played in front of a packed house at the Duck Pond. "It was incredible," Keller said. "The Margaretta faithful shows up all the time, even when we were 4-6 last year they came out. I'm so thankful for our crowd." Afterward, Bouy was part of a group of players and cheerleaders who signed autographs. The kids swarmed him. "It's so fun when we see all these people come out to support us," he said. "It means the world." Margaretta, which has clinched a first round bye in the playoffs, will open the postseason at home Nov. 7. "We're not completely satisfied yet," Bouy said. "We've got our mind set on Gibsonburg and we've got to keep this momentum into the playoffs and keep rolling." Lakota 0 0 0 7 — 7Margaretta 14 17 0 7 — 38 M — Kale Bailey 42 pass from Jake Bouy (Bouy kick)M — Mason Reinboldt 8 pass from Bouy (Bouy kick)M — Carter Luzader 15 run (Bouy kick)M — Judah Keller 13 run (Bouy kick)M — Bouy 21 field goalM — Keller 41 run (Bouy kick)L — AJ Gosche 50 run (Nate Griggson kick)