Local conference football title races starting to take shape

Entering week seven of the high school football season, conference titles are beginning to take shape with West Holmes, Hillsdale, Norwayne and Smithville right in the thick of things. The Knights are among the Ohio Cardinal Conference’s unbeatens in conference play, with the Falcons and the Bobcats unblemished in the Wayne County Athletic League.

Tough road ahead

West Holmes has opened its conference slate with a 3-0 mark as it hunts its first title since 2022 and sixth overall. Over the next couple of weeks, the Knights will have their chance to dictate their own fate as they host Lexington on Oct. 3 and then travel to Ashland the following Friday. All three teams are unbeaten in conference play with West Holmes downing Mansfield, Madison and Wooster by a combined score of 119-12.

“Our motto all year has been 1-0 at the end of each rep, set, practice and at the end of the night on Fridays,” West Holmes coach Keaton Leppla said. “Obviously, the stakes are high (against Lexington) this week, but our kids have had big goals since we started. They want to compete for an OCC championship, and right now they’ve put themselves in a position to do that.”

Leading the way for the Knights defense have been Coi Beachy, Braxton Blake and Chris Williams, who are 1-2-3 in the area in total tackles. Beachy leads the area with 69 total tackles, Blake has recorded 63.5 and Williams has posted 57. Also racking up tackles are Lynn Cline with 51 and Rhett Chanay with 37.

Offensively, West Holmes is led by quarterback Brayden Parsons, running back Brody Bowman and Cline. Parsons has thrown for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns, Bowman has peeled off 606 yards on the ground, and Cline has racked up 30 total points.

“Our culture, the RH factor, or as we call it, run and hit,” Leppla said, “our kids have bought into having a love and passion for playing defense. They have pride in being good defensively and being the backbone of this team. They have continually stepped up to the challenge with an edge and passion that, as a coach, you love to see.”

Big-time showdown

In a battle of Wayne County Athletic League unbeatens, Hillsdale used the big play and some stingy defense to beat Smithville 35-10 on Sept. 26. Setting the tone was senior Hayden McFadden, who made his return from a knee injury with a pair of early receptions for scores, finishing with five catches for 112 yards and two scores.

“It was awesome; I was so excited to come back,” McFadden said. “It was fun watching my team excel from the sidelines, but I was happy to get back out there and catch some touchdowns.”

Hillsdale coach Trevor Cline couldn’t have been happier to see him back out there.

“It’s always great when you get one of your best players back,” he said. “It’s always a positive for your program. We had other guys step up in his absence, but it’s just nice having him back.”

Gunslinger

Continuing his strong play since taking the helm as a freshman was Falcons quarterback Kael Lewis. On Sept. 26 against the Smithies, he broke the program’s passing touchdown record of 48, set by Trey Williams in 2017. He now has 50, with at least another five games to go this year, if not more, as the Falcons eye another long playoff run, and that isn’t including next year.

"That’s a special accomplishment, especially to do it in his junior year,” Cline said. “That’s a credit to him and the work that he puts in. Each day he is one of our hardest workers. He’s taking over that leadership role, so everything he has accomplished so far, it’s stuff that he’s earned through his hard work."