Landon Best, of Columbus Grove, ran for 85 yards and a touchdown in last season’s loss to Pandora-Gilboa.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
For Columbus Grove, no extra motivation is needed for Thursday night’s season opener against Pandora-Gilboa.
It’s a game that’s been on the Bulldogs’ minds for nearly 53 weeks.
That’s because the two teams played down to the wire last season, and the Rockets pulled out a 25-22 victory in the final seconds.
It didn’t derail Columbus Grove’s season by any means, but it’s not something they’ve forgotten.
“It’s obvious motivation for us,” said Columbus Grove coach Andy Schafer. “Having a lead late in the fourth quarter and making some mistakes that set up a last-minute win from Pandora will eat at us for many years.”
The Bulldogs led 22-19 in the fourth quarter. After milking more than seven minutes off the clock, they were forced to punt, giving Pandora-Gilboa the ball with 1:28 left to drive into field goal range.
Rockets’ quarterback Cory Gerten instead hit a game-winner when he evaded pressure and found then-senior wide receiver Aidan Morris in the back corner of the end zone, who caught the ball over a pair of defenders.
“Anytime we can beat Columbus Grove, it really sets a tone for our season,” Pandora-Gilboa coach Matt Hershey said after that win. “They are well coached and play hard. I’m glad our kids got to experience a win against Grove.”
Pandora-Gilboa lost both Morris and Colin Harris, two key offensive weapons to graduation, but Gerten and running backs Andrew Miller and Ben Burkholder return this year.
The Rockets have 11 returning letter winners, but depth is a concern with a 35-man roster.
Miller and Burkholder combined for 1,584 of P-G’s 1,623 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023. Gerten threw for 2,421 yards and 28 touchdowns in 12 games as a sophomore starting quarterback.
Those returners are something that might sway the Rockets’ attack into a more run-dominant approach but their goal is to always stay balanced.
“It’s hard to predict what we’ll do well because, in my time as head coach, we’ve had the league’s top passing offense in certain years and 1,000-yard rushers in others,” Hershey said. “It will be up to our coaches to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s team and put our players in positions to be successful.”
Both sides have the advantage of returning experience on offense.
Columbus Grove has quarterback Landon Best, running back Trenton Barraza and wide receiver Kyle Hopkins back in the fold — three of 20 total returning letter winners.
Barraza topped 1,900 yards rushing last year with 21 touchdowns, and Best completed nearly 70% of his passes as a sophomore.
Columbus Grove’s loss to Pandora-Gilboa was part of a 1-2 start. After that, the Bulldogs ripped off 11 straight victories before losing to Versailles in the state semifinals.
This year is the 73rd rendition of the rivalry between Columbus Grove and Pandora-Gilboa. In the past five meetings, the Bulldogs are 3-2.
Schafer said that starting the season with this game only ups the ante for his team.
“This is one of the longest rivalries around, and having it on a Thursday night to kick off the season only adds to a bigger crowd and some high-pressure stakes,” he said.
Week 1 schedule
(all kickoffs scheduled for 7 p.m. unless marked)
Thursday
Pandora-Gilboa at Columbus Grove
Shawnee at LCC
North College Hill at Delphos Jefferson
Friday
Piqua at Lima Senior
Bath at New Bremen
Columbus South at Celina
Defiance at Napoleon
Elida at Rogers
Eastwood at Kenton
Liberty-Benton at Ottawa-Glandorf
St. Henry at St. Marys
Bryan at Van Wert
St. John’s Jesuit at Wapakoneta
Valley View at Coldwater
Lehman Catholic at Delphos St. John’s
Parkway at Crestview
Bluffton at Benjamin Logan
Ridgemont at Spencerville
Ada at Upper Scioto Valley
Hardin Northern at Arlington
Lake at Leipsic
Dixie at Perry
Mississinawa Valley at Waynesfield-Goshen
Arcadia at Cory-Rawson
Wayne Trace at Fort Recovery
Marion Local at Linton-Stockton
Minster at Fort Loramie
Milton-Union at Versailles
Anna at Indian Lake
