LCC’s Michael Quatman (right) had five interceptions during the regular season, while Matthew Quatman is the team’s leading rusher with 749 yards and eight touchdowns.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
Very few things are better in the first round of the high school football playoffs than an 8-9 matchup, not to mention one between two strong area teams who didn’t meet during the regular season.
On Friday night at Spartan Stadium, Lima Central Catholic and Pandora-Gilboa will provide just that for us, two 7-3 teams going head-to-head with a potential second-round matchup against Columbus Grove on the line.
“I think our matchup with Pandora-Gilboa is what you’d expect from an 8-9 matchup,” LCC coach Scott Palte said. “Two teams that are evenly matched and have shown at times that both can be good football teams. P-G is a very well-coached team, and I’m really impressed watching their kids on film.”
The Rockets dropped their first two games of the season then ripped off two separate winning streaks of four and a current three-game streak.
Many of those wins are due to the success in the ground game, a philosophy that Pandora-Gilboa embraced this year after losing some key wide receivers to graduation from 2023.
Ben Burkholder and Andrew Miller have been strong two-way presences for the Rockets, combining for 1,841 yards and 18 touchdowns out of the backfield, while accounting for 75 total tackles, 18 for loss on defense.
“They have shown the ability to be really physical on both sides of the ball,” Palte said of the Rockets. “They have good size on the OL and ball carriers that run really hard. Defensively they are aggressive in their 3-4 defense and really attack you and make it difficult to run the football.”
Quarterback Cory Gerten has completed 79 of 150 pass attempts for 1,108 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His top target is Chase Meyer, who’s made 35 receptions for 620 yards and nine touchdowns.
On defense, Meyer also leads the team in interceptions (3), including one returned for a touchdown.
As a team, the Rockets average just under 30 points per game on offense while allowing about 21 points on defense. They’ve yielded nearly equal production against the pass (131 yards per game) and the run (122 yards per game).
Pandora-Gilboa’s run-dominant attack will go up against an LCC defense that ranked third in the Northwest Conference in points allowed (15 per game), total yards allowed (2,607) and yards rushing allowed (129 per game).
“Offensively we need to have quality possessions,” Pandora-Gilboa coach Matt Hershey said. “We can’t have three-and-outs. Our recipe for success has been a solid running game and taking shots in the passing game when available.
“LCC is a complete team. They have size where you want it and speed where you need it. They’re good up front on both sides of the ball and very disciplined.”
At all three levels of its defense, LCC has what might be classified as a “gamebreaker.”
Defensive back Michael Quatman tied the top mark for interceptions in the NWC with five. Caden Falke has made 58 tackles with a team-high six tackles for loss and Louis Knotts has six sacks along with five tackles for loss.
On offense, first-year starting quarterback Brady Parker has completed 70 of 134 pass attempts for 1,066 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s found Mylon Cowans 18 times for 365 yards and three touchdowns.
Matthew Quatman is the team’s leading rusher with 749 yards and eight touchdowns. Parker also plays a prominent role in the running game with 656 yards and eight scores.
“Defensively we need to play assignment football,” Hershey said. “They motion a lot, so we need to communicate well. They also have a good young QB and a talented RB among their other really good players. They will break big plays, and we just need to have the ‘next play’ mentality.”
Both Pandora-Gilboa and LCC have two common opponents, Columbus Grove and Bluffton, and neither picked up a win in those four games.
The Rockets were outscored 77-7, while the T-Birds found a little more success against the two juggernauts, 63-20.
The winner of this matchup advances to face the winner of Columbus Grove and North Baltimore next week.
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
