Bath’s Mikey Hale breaks a tackle against Celina last season. Hale ran for 142 yards on 24 carries against the Bulldogs last year.
Don Speck | The Lima News/File photo
CELINA — There’s plenty at stake for Bath and Celina on Friday night.
Both teams enter the matchup off a Week 6 loss, the second for Celina in Western Buckeye League action and the first for Bath since Week 1 against New Bremen.
The Wildcats (4-2, 4-1 WBL) are still tied with Defiance for second place in the WBL standings. Both are one game behind unbeaten Wapakoneta. A loss for Bath could effectively end its title hopes, with the potential of going down two games to the Redskins with three games left.
A win on Friday night could keep Celina (4-2, 3-2 WBL) in the hunt, but for the Bulldogs, it’s more about bouncing back from a 17-14 loss to Elida and finding some positive momentum with the playoffs around the corner.
Celina closes out the regular season with Ottawa-Glandorf, Wapakoneta and Defiance, but Bath presents the first challenge fresh off a 26-0 loss to Ottawa-Glandorf last week.
“Bath is an excellent football team with an explosive offense,” Celina coach Brennen Bader said. “Defensively, we must mitigate the big plays and make them earn their points by forcing long drives. We must also prepare for their fast tempo.”
Despite last week’s shutout, Bath is still averaging 35 points per game, led by quarterback Zach Welsch and running back Mikey Hale.
Welsch has completed 99 of his 152 passes for 1,409 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. His favorite target is Jaxon Foster, who’s made 25 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
Josiah Clark (15 catches, 279 yards, TD) and Ethan Cole (12 catches, 259 yards, 2 TDs) also spread the field out in the passing game.
On the ground, Hale’s stats include a team-leading 311 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in addition to 185 receiving yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions.
While Bath thrives more through the air, Celina has been equally as successful in its run-heavy offense.
Quarterback Bobby Morris and running back Jon Lutz are two of the WBL’s top 10 runners, and as a team, the Bulldogs are second in the league only to St. Marys in rushing yards per game.
“Offensively, we must protect the football and stay ahead of the chains,” Bader said. “Converting on 3rd and 4th downs will be critical.”
Morris has completed 31 of his 50 passes for 518 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in addition to running for 525 yards and eight touchdowns.
With 147 yards last week against Elida, Lutz is up to 575 rushing yards on the season in addition to six touchdowns.
“Celina is a good football team that’s very physical and well-coached,” Bath coach Frank Russell said. “Defensively we need to get more stops and force some turnovers so we can put our offense in a better position.”
Bath’s defense has allowed its opponents to score just under 32 points per game, the second-highest total in the conference outside of Van Wert.
After holding New Bremen to 17 points in Week 1, Bath’s defense has allowed at least 23 points in its five WBL matchups.
For Russell and the Wildcats, everything starts with protecting the ball on offense.
“We need to play more complementary football, and offensively, not turn the ball over and put our defense in bad spots,” Rusell said. “Executing and lining up properly on both sides of the ball will be extremely important on Friday night.”
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
