Ohio high school football notebook: Freshman QB leads Mapleton to thrilling win

Freshman quarterback Keith Donley threw a 14-yard touchdown to Jack Keener with 1:09 remaining and then found J.J. Guilliams for the game-winning two-point conversion as Mapleton defeated Plymouth 30-28 in Firelands Conference play. The Mounties (2-3, 1-1) blew a 22-7 lead against the Big Red (0-5, 0-2) but went 90 yards in 13 plays to secure their fifth victory decided by eight points or fewer since former Black River standout Mitchell Young took over as coach last season. Guilliams logged 21 carries for 163 yards and a touchdown for Mapleton, which saw cornerback Ben Brannon intercept a pass at the 1-yard line as time expired. Kenston's Kahlil Hinton recorded 102 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns in a 24-17 victory over previously undefeated Manchester to give coach Jeff Grubich his 100th career win. Canton McKinley's Kyelin West delivered another impressive performance, leading a 28-18 Federal League victory against Massillon. West amassed 192 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, with a long of 89. Rocky River sophomore Carter Atwater completed 10-of-14 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns in a 39-13 win over Lakewood. Lexington's Joe Caudill threw a 30-yard touchdown and returned an interception 48 yards for a score in a 42-14 win over Wooster. Ashland Crestview's Liam Kuhn completed 11-of-17 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-7 win over South Central. He also added 26 rushing yards. Clear Fork's Marcus Hoeflich threw for 73 yards but also rushed for 156 yards on 19 carries with a TD during a 34-0 win over Marion Pleasant. Devyn Oswalt and Alex Schlosser returned interceptions for touchdowns, while Schlosser also added a 2-yard touchdown run. The Clear Fork defense was stout again, allowing just 45 yards total offense. Shelby's Brayden DeVito completed 17-of-19 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-0 win over Marengo Highland. Brady Bowman caught eight passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Ashland's Nathan Bernhard delivered an outstanding performance in a 42-7 victory over Dover, completing 17-of-26 passes and 230 passing yards while rushing for 64 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Colonel Crawford's Parker Weithman caught two passes for 67 yards and returned a punt 48 yards for a touchdown in a win over Buckeye Central. Crestline's Weston Clark caught a 32-yard touchdown and returned a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown in a win over Richmond Heights. Ridgedale's Ayden Salyer had three receptions for 135 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a TD in a 38-26 win over Upper Scioto Valley. Cardington's Wyatt Denney rushed 33 times for 217 yards, three touchdowns and two two-point conversions and made 14 tackles in a 36-35 win over East Knox. Galion Northmor's Brady Carr caught six passes for 63 yards, kicked a 31-yard field goal and four extra points and snared an interception in a 37-12 win over Danville. Mount Gilead's Carson Barnum ran for 164 yards on 30 carries to score two touchdowns in a 41-7 win over previously unbeaten Fredericktown. North Union's Wyatt Arver made three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown and returned an interception 68 yards for a TD in a 46-27 win over Urbana. Liberty-Benton quarterback Connor Barbara threw three touchdown passes, ran for two scores and returned an interception for a TD in a 56-0 win over Elmwood. Liberty-Benton, which will move from the Blanchard Valley Conference to the Cardinal Division of the Northern Lakes League net season, has outscored opponents 235-12. McComb quarterback Grady Schroeder rushed for 183 yards and three scores and completed 8-of-9 passes for 108 yards and a TD in a 49-0 win over Ada. Pandora-Gilboa quarterback Cory Gerten completed 17-of-29 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score in a 24-14 win over previously unbeaten Arlington. Senior receiver Chase Meyer caught nine passes for 201 yards, including TDs of 93 and 16. Arlington's Ayden Cavinee had 109 rushing yards, six receptions for 135 yards and scored twice. There were fireworks during Van Wert's 36-27 win over Defiance. In the second quarter, Cougars wide receiver Keaten Welch caught a tipped pass and outraced the Defiance secondary 70 yards to the end zone. On the very next play from scrimmage, Welch, playing as a defensive back, returned a fumble 31 yards for another touchdown. In the third quarter, Xavier Kelly had touchdown runs of 68 and 92 yards. Convoy Crestview's Braxton Leeth had 35 carries for 264 yards and four touchdowns as the Knights held off Allen East 34-33. Crestview clinched the win by stopping a two-point conversion attempt with fewer than 30 seconds left. For the season, Leeth has 127 carries for 1,312 yards (10.3 average) and 22 touchdowns. Marion Local quarterback Brennen Hess had quite a night, completing 8-of-10 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-7 victory over New Bremen. Receiver Cale Nagel was the recipient of five passes for 176 yards and all four touchdowns as the Flyers extended their winning streak to 69. Wapakoneta scored a 42-7 victory over rival St. Mary's for its 21st straight in Western Buckeye League win. Caleb Moyer finished 14-for-15 for 353 yards and three touchdowns to go with 54 yards and three scores on the ground. Noah Bishop caught five balls for 202 yards. Senior Jack Cornele tied the Hillsboro record with five touchdown runs as the Indians won 50-14 over the Ponitz Career Technology Center. Cornele, a fullback, scored all five of his touchdowns in the first three quarters, including three in the first. Cornele totaled 105 rushing yards on 14 carries. Defending Division III state champion Bishop Watterson extended its winning streak to 21 with a 36-6 home win over Harvest Prep. Senior quarterback Drew Bellisari had a hand in all five touchdowns, rushing for three, throwing one to junior Carter Bellisari and returning an interception 36 yards. Logan Doty had his biggest rushing performance of the season, going for 223 yards on the ground, but he was held out of the end zone as Kettering Fairmont suffered a 21-18 loss to Huber Heights Wayne. Springboro quarterback Max Miller completed 17-of-25 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 win over Clayton Northmont. Two scores went to Noah Billinski, who had 11 catches in all for 177 yards. Brody Gibbs ran for 135 yards and a touchdowns and threw for 117 yards and two scores in leading Valley View to a 48-10 win over Eaton. Jackson Kaufman ran for four touchdowns in Bishop Fenwick's 55-20 win over Mount Healthy. Carlisle is 4-1 for the first time since 2017 after a 21-18 win over rival Franklin. Jordan Vann had a kickoff return and a punt return for touchdowns in Middletown's 62-0 blowout over Sycamore. Vann went 98 yards on the opening kickoff for a touchdown and took a punt 67 yards midway through the second quarter. Harlem Coleman returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown and Laaren Cornwall took one back 23 yards. Talawanda running back Lance Cantrell had his fourth game of more than 200 rushing yards this season with a 10-carry, 286-yard performance in a 42-8 win over Carroll. He also scored four touchdowns. Cantrell has 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Lem Grayson ran for 204 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries in Bain's 42-24 win over Bishop Hartley. Grayson also became the top scorer in Hamilton Catholic/Badin history. Badin's James Brink caught seven passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Brookville used 10 runners to total 339 rushing yards in a 49-8 win over Madison. Roman Smith had two interceptions and Paytin Wells had one in a 31-13 Edgewood win over Chaminade-Julienne. Eastern ran its regular-season winning streak to 27, defeating the Southern Tornadoes 41-6. Out of the six Eagles touchdowns, four were on one-play drives. Junior receiver Boston Webb was the beneficiary of three touchdowns en route to four catches for 174 yards. Sophomore running back Jack Montgomery needed just three rushes to cover 124 yards and two TDs. Meigs junior quarterback Gunner Cleland accounted for 277 total yards and seven touchdowns (4 passing, 3 rushing) in a 52-6 win over River Valley. Wide receiver Owen Tracy, who came out for football for the first time since eighth grade, had eight catches for 134 yards. Springfield junior quarterback C.J. Wallace was nearly perfect, going 21-for-23 for 253 yards and three TDs — all to senior Sherrod Lay Jr. — in a 35-0 win over Centerville. Nelsonville-York trailed Waterford 21-7 but rallied and scored with a minute remaining to win 29-28 and remain undefeated. The Buckeyes lined up to kick an extra point kick but faked it and converted a pass from the kicker to the wingback. Austin Gautier led the defensive effort with 12 tackles (2 for loss) and an interception. Fairland defeated Gallia Academy 28-26 in an Ohio Valley Conference clash, as Yardley Gorby kicked the deciding two extra points. Gorby is the daughter of Fairland athletic director Jeff Gorby and a member of the girls soccer squad. Gorby has been working with former Fairland kicker and Shawnee State University cross country runner Emma Marshall. Coal Grove senior running back Kaden Murphy scored all three touchdowns in a 20-14 Ohio Valley Conference win at Portsmouth. Murphy rushed for two touchdowns, including 73 yards on the game's opening play, and caught one on a screen pass. He rushed for 199 yards on 26 carries and made two receptions for 36 yards. McDermott Northwest senior quarterback Jake Brown rushed for 117 yards and passed for 117 in a 27-12 Southern Ohio Conference Division II victory over Minford. He completed 10-of-17 passes with two touchdowns while rushing for one touchdown across 25 carries. Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward earned his 174th career win, a 52-7 victory at Lucasville Valley. He now has the most wins in program history, surpassing the 173 by the legendary Ed Miller, whom the Wheelersburg stadium is named after. Woodward's teams have captured 10 Southern Ohio Conference Division II championships, three 3 Division V regional championships and the 2017 D-V state championship. Portsmouth Notre Dame defeated Shadyside 45-7. ND has now played Shadyside three times in the past calendar year despite the schools being an estimated 3½ hours apart. They played in the 2024 regular season at Shadyside, then again in the D-VII playoffs at Notre Dame. Northeastern senior quarterback Diezel Taylor went 15-for-18 for 403 yards and seven TDs — setting school records for game passing yards and passing TDs — as the Jets improved to 5-0 with a 60-18 win over Madison Plains. Northeastern senior wide receiver Jacoby Newman caught eight passes for 277 yards and five TDs, setting school records for game receiving yards and receiving TDs. Lehman Catholic senior quarterback Turner Lachey went 11-for-12 for 323 yards and five TDs as the Cavaliers improved to 5-0 with 64-6 win over Troy Christian. With Delta's 65-0 victory over Swanton, coach Mike Vicars earned his 200th career win in a career dating to 1987. Vicars is 76-41 across three stops at Delta (1999-06, 2013, 2024-25), Holgate (1987-88), Ada (1989-94), Hilltop (1997-98), Genoa (2007-11) and Swanton (2014-15). Avenging a 35-34 loss to county rival Defiance Tinora last season in which it led 28-7 at halftime, Sherwood Fairview pulled away to defeat the Rams 49-28 to move to 5-0 for the first time since 2020. William Zeedyk was 22-of-30 for 315 yards, three TDs and no picks while rushing for 87 yards and two more scores. Logan Olinger had 13 catches for 215 yards and two TDs while rushing twice for 52 yards and a touchdown. Either Maddox Baker or Karter Gibson had a hand in all four touchdowns in Edgerton's 35-28 loss to Wayne Trace. Baker had 353 yards passing and three TDs — all to Gibson in a 12-catch, 200-yard night — while also rushing for 83 yards and a fourth score. However, three interceptions by WT helped the Raiders get off a winless skid to start the year. Hayden Groll found the end zone four times, rushing 29 times for 241 yards to power Napoleon past Sylvania Northview 42-12. Garrison Kruse continued his gaudy rushing average for No. 1 Liberty Center, entering with a 16-per-carry clip (31 rushes, 497 yards, 9 TDs) before racking up 147 yards and three more TDs on just six carries in a 76-7 blitzing of Bryan. Colt Camacho, a sophomore running back, helped Tri-Village to a 55-22 win over Ansonia in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference. Camacho accounted for five touchdowns, rushed for 180 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for 10 yards. Tri-Village's win snapped Ansonia's 25 game home winning streak. McConnelsville Morgan's Tanner Bankes rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns and Devin Waggy blocked a punt and extra points in a 21-18 victory at Crooksville. West Branch senior Jeremiah Thomas broke a school record, tied two others and accounted for five touchdowns in a 48-7 win over Warren Howland. Thomas caught 15 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns. The yardage was a game record, while the receptions and TDs equaled marks. Thomas also rushed for a touchdown, threw for another one and had an interception. Cedarville's Isaiah Christian was a do-it-all star in a 41-6 win against Triad. On offense he amassed 174 total yards and scored two touchdowns, and on defense he had 10 tackles (7 for loss, sack). Colin Hunter of Beavercreek had 15 tackles and one important pass breakup in a 21-19 win against Miamisburg. Hunter's big play came on the penultimate snap of the game, when he delivered a hit to help dislodge what would have been a long reception for the Vikings to get into field goal range. Jamison Webster picked off a Hail Mary pass to end the first half, helping Beavercreek get to 2-0 in the GWOC for the first time in a decade.