Lima Senior’s Boog Wilson runs against Toledo Rodgers’ Gilvarion Smith during Friday’s game at Spartan Stadium.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
Week 7 didn’t provide any separation in the majority of conference championship races but placed even more importance on the season’s final three weeks.
Wapakoneta, Defiance, Columbus Grove, Bluffton, Coldwater and Marion Local remained head and shoulders above the rest, while teams like Celina, Van Wert and Leipsic pulled off thrilling last-second victories.
Week 6 might have provided more shocking upsets, but Week 7 was equally as impressive in its own way.
Let’s take a look at what stood out.
3178, 1149 — On a night when Lima Senior’s offense “sputtered” according to coach Bill Lawrence, quarterback Ja’Niaus Hall threw for 364 yards and Isaiah Wilson was on the receiving end for 129 of them. According to MaxPreps, Friday’s performance against Rogers keeps Hall in first place in the nation for passing yards at 3,178 and Wilson at second in the country for receiving yards with 1,149. This week, Lima Senior’s dynamic duo is set up for another big game statistically against a winless Waite team.
3.42 — After last week, Bluffton was holding its opponents to just 4 points per game, which I took a deeper dive into with a feature piece. In Week 7, that number fell even lower to 3.42 points per game with a 42-0 shutout of Crestview. I hate to get repetitive, but I can guarantee they’ll get a mention every time that number gets smaller from here on out.
2 — Michael Quatman of LCC and Gavin Barraza of Columbus Grove had something in common on Friday night. Both players made a pair of first-half interceptions. Both of Barraza’s picks came in the redzone to erase scoring opportunities for Fort Loramie. He’s now up to four interceptions on the season, tied with teammate Trevon Baxter for the most in the Northwest Conference. Quatman set the tone in the absence of Matthew Quatman for the T-Birds in a bounce-back win over Delphos Jefferson on Saturday. Quatman is also up to four picks on the year along with Barraza, Baxter and Kellen Brotherwood of Delphos Jefferson.
93.7% — Another week, another dominant performance by Coldwater (52-7 win over Delphos St. John’s) and Marion Local (62-0 win over Fort Recovery), the class of the Midwest Athletic Conference. In those wins, Coldwater’s Baylen Blockberger and Marion Local’s Justin Knouff combined to complete 93.7 percent of their passes or all but one of 16 pass attempts. The two signal callers passed for a collective 328 yards and four touchdowns to stay on track for an undefeated matchup between the two teams in Week 10.
5/5, 36 — Kickers don’t often get the recognition they deserve, and two kickers in particular played huge roles in Week 7 wins. Van Wert’s Griffin McCracken knocked through all five of his extra points, the fifth of which turned out to be the difference in a 35-34 win over Ottawa-Glandorf. In a 3-0 overtime win for Tinora over Wayne Trace, Rams kicker Jacob Bishop hit a 36-yard field goal to end the previously scoreless battle. For a lot of teams, developing a kicker isn’t high on the list of priorities, but having a reliable kicker to turn to in the clutch is a valuable piece of the puzzle.
77-0 — Defiance and St. Marys, two of the top three teams in the Western Buckeye League, combined to shut out Elida and Shawnee 77-0 last week. For Defiance (35-0 over Elida), that was a fifth-straight win with games against Bath, Celina and Ottawa-Glandorf to end the season. If the Bulldogs win out and get some help, they’re still very much in the mix for a share of the league title. St. Marys (42-0 over Shawnee) also appears to have regained its early-season form, and with the playoffs around the corner, the Roughriders could be a very dangerous team.
14 — Despite giving up a season-high 21 points to Kenton last week, Wapakoneta has still won every game this season by at least 14 points. Aside from its two 14-point victories against St. John’s Jesuit (35-21) and St. Marys (28-14), the Redskins are handling opponents by an average margin of victory of 24 points. Wapakoneta can still win the WBL outright with wins against Elida, Bath and Celina to close out the year.
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
