COLUMBUS — The 2023 Ohio high school football season now enters Week 7.
Once again, the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association has compiled the top performances from around the state for this week’s high school football notebook following Week 6.
*Nelsonville-York’s Makhi Williams completed 7-of-11 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 124 yards with three touchdowns on only four carries in the Buckeyes’ 47-14 Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division victory over Meigs. Gavin Richards led the defensive charge with 15 tackles, while adding eight carries and 61 yards and two receptions and 37 yards. He also had one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.
* The Trimble Tomcats, of 30-year head coach Phil Faires, rushed for 497 yards in their 59-19 Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division victory over Racine Southern. Operating out of the ‘wishbone’ attack, Xavier Cunningham had 220 yards on 15 carries —with five touchdowns and four two-point conversions. Brandon Burnette added 102 yards on only four carries.
* Athens will have bragging rights over Logan for at least the next few years. Athens rallied for a 30-21 win at Logan Chieftain Stadium on Friday night in the 99th all-time meeting between the two schools. Logan is joining the Ohio Capital Conference starting next season, which did not leave an opening for the two schools to continue their long-running series in 2024. Athens scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, including 18 in the final three minutes for the comeback. Athens took a 24-21 lead on Braeden Young’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Leo Martin, then clinched the win with Luke Kaiser’s 60-yard interception return in the closing seconds. The first meeting between Logan and Athens came in 1907. Logan leads the all-time series 54-40-5.
* It was indeed a three-star offensive night for the Harvest Prep Warriors in their 32-16 non-league road win at Wheelersburg on Friday night. The sophomore quarterback Dezmond Porter rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns of 52 and 51 yards on 14 carries, and threw for a touchdown and completed a two-point conversion pass. Marchello Cox chipped in an even 100 rushing yards on only eight carries, as he had an 83-yard touchdown run. Chris Brown caught a pair of touchdown passes, part of four receptions for 45 yards. This was the first regular-season meeting between the Warriors and Pirates, as their only other meetings before Friday night were in the past two Division V Region 19 playoffs —a pair of close Warrior wins (20-17 in Region 19 final in 2021 and 25-21 in Region 19 semifinal in 2022). For the Pirates, in a losing effort for Friday night, senior Landon Hutchinson played the role of ‘wildcat’ quarterback —and rushed 32 times for 192 yards and Wheelersburg’s only two touchdowns.
* Portsmouth West junior running back Mason Parker rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries in the Senators’ 34-7 Southern Ohio Conference Division II home win over Minford.
*Portsmouth Notre Dame senior running back Jordan Davis rushed for 233 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries in the Titans’ 40-6 Southern Ohio Conference Division I home win over South Gallia. He also ran in a two-point conversion try.
* Pike Eastern senior Teagan Werner was all over the field in the Eagles’ 43-22 win at Sciotoville East on Friday night. Werner led the team in receiving yards, securing six passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He also piled up 12 tackles on defense, and had a pick-6 TD with a return of 70-plus yards. Eastern improved to 6-0 for the first time in program history.
* McClain senior quarterback Drake Stapleton was 9-of-18 for 219 yards passing with one touchdown, plus he had six rushes for 33 yards and a touchdown in McClain’s 29-20 loss to Miami Trace in week 6. McClain wide receiver Max Eikenberry caught four passes for 110 yards and one touchdown.
* Hillsboro senior running back Austin Barrett rushed for 178 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown run in overtime in Hillsboro’s 23-17 win against Chillicothe in week 6, giving Barrett six consecutive 100-plus yard rushing games to start the 2023 season. Barrett also had two sacks on defense at linebacker. Hillsboro sophomore running back Jeven Hochstuhl finished with 87 yards rushing with one rushing touchdown, and on special teams the sophomore blocked the game-winning field goal attempt in overtime.
* Waterford quarterback Hayden Jones completed 17 of 29 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and scored a rushing touchdown in the Wildcats’ 31-0 win at Frontier.
