A new season brings new hope, and coaches of all five diocesan high school football teams in Ohio’s smallest enrollment classification are enthusiastic about their chances to make the playoffs.
Four of the five – Newark Catholic, Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans, Lancaster Fisher Catholic and Portsmouth Notre Dame – were in the playoff field last year as postseason play expanded to 16 teams per region. Only New Philadelphia Tuscarawas Central Catholic had its year end with the last game of the regular season.
Newark Catholic extended its state record for playoff appearances, making the postseason for the 38th time since the playoffs began in 1972. The nine-time Ohio High School Athletic Association champion Green Wave made it to their 15th state title game, losing to 12-time champion Maria Stein Marion Local 42-7 at Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. That team made it one step farther than its 2020 counterpart, who lost 20-13 to Warren John F. Kennedy in the state semifinals.
Here’s a look at how the coming season shapes up for the diocese’s five small high schools:
NEWARK CATHOLIC
Six Green Wave players received all-state recognition last year, and two are back – first-team running back Mason Hackett and third-team linebacker Brendan Sheehan, both seniors.
Hackett gained 2,055 yards in 265 carries for an average of 7.8 yards per try and scored 26 touchdowns rushing. He also caught three passes, two of them for touchdowns. A similar season this year would make him a strong contender for the state Division VII player of the year award.
“Mason blew everyone away with his performance last year because he hadn’t played junior high football,” coach Ryan Aiello said. “I’m excited to see how he will follow up last year’s impressive season.
“The biggest challenge for him this year will be to be a leader and to lead others. Our team culture and the tradition we’ve developed helps there because we’re pushing each other to match what the other great teams in Newark Catholic history have done.
“Brendan Sheehan has been a leader for four years, and all of that experience will benefit the team. He’s only 175 pounds, but he plays linebacker like someone a lot bigger. Last year, he also qualified for the state wrestling tournament at 157 pounds, and he has a wrestler’s toughness. He’s had offers to play for Dayton and Tiffin in college next year.”
Seniors on last year’s team who were awarded all-state honors were Elijah Wallace, linebacker, first team; Cole Canter, quarterback, and Daniel Gray, defensive line, second team; and Tanner Elwell, receiver, third team.
Canter completed 145 of 247 passes for 2,293 yards and 32 touchdowns and will be playing at Wayne State in Detroit this fall. Wide receiver Brandon Buchanan will be at Ohio Dominican, and Elwell will be playing baseball at Capital.
Aiello said he’s anticipating a big year from senior running back-defensive back Kyle Langenbrunner, who was hurt for much of last year. Other notable members of the team’s 20-player senior class include defensive back-wide receivers Anthony Dry and Grant Moore, running back-defensive lineman Anthony Robertson and lineman Tanner Wirt.
The offseason was an interesting one for Aiello. He resigned as coach in February to spend more time with his family, only to return in May after the coach from California who was hired to replace him was asked to resign because of what Newark Catholic officials described as “a violation of … (his) employment contract.”
“That was an unfortunate situation in how it evolved,” Aiello said. “The other coach’s leaving was no fault of anyone. When you’re left with a coaching vacancy at that time of year, it’s tough to get another person, so I came back. I learned a lot from that whole process, which worked to our mutual benefit.”
Lancaster Fisher Catholic
Coach Luke Thimmes is counting on a pair of seniors to provide leadership on a 24-player roster for the Irish, who finished 5-6 and lost to Glouster Trimble in the first round of the playoffs.
“Ben Boyden as a two-way lineman, and Nick Dolci at running back and linebacker have provided a good example for the rest of the players,” Thimmes said. “If they do well, the rest of the team will follow.” The team’s only other seniors are punter Jake Krooner and placekicker JJ Viau, who earned honorable mention on last year’s all-state list. Viau’s foot could make a difference in close games. Last year, he kicked field goals of 45, 42, 39, 38 and 35 yards.
Junior Jack Wright ran for 842 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last year and will return at running back. The quarterback is sophomore Grant Keefer, who played several games at the position as a freshman.
“He made huge strides last year and has become much more two-dimensional,” Thimmes said. “That means we won’t be the ‘ground-and-pound’ team we were last year. You’ll see a lot more passing. This is a young but talented team putting its kids in their best positions to succeed.”
Thimmes expects his toughest competition will come from Sugar Grove Berne Union, which finished undefeated last year, and Worthington Christian, “the same culprits we usually have trouble with,” with Zanesville Rosecrans, Fairfield Christian, Portsmouth Notre Dame and Martins Ferry also as strong foes.
Portsmouth Notre Dame
Coach Bob Ashley, entering his 18th year with the Titans, is the dean of diocesan football mentors and was honored by the state’s high school sports writers association as its Division VII coach of the year for 2021.
“The honor was a total surprise,” Ashley said. “I never talked to anyone about it before being told I’d won. I see the award as a reflection of the hard work of the staff and the dedication of the players year after year at one of the smallest schools in the state.
“The people, the school and the faith I see at Notre Dame combine for a unique experience I’ve been proud to be a part of,” said Ashley, who played for the University of Utah, then transferred to West Virginia State, where he earned first-team National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics honors as a punter. “This is a great place to coach.”
Ashley said his 32-player lineup includes nine returning offensive and seven defensive starters. He expects junior running back Gavin Hart will be the key to the team’s offense again. Hart started the third game of the season in 2021 and remained a starter the rest of the way, gaining 1,026 yards on 117 carries with eight touchdowns and earning third-team all-state honors. “He’s a hard worker, tough between the tackles, and has bulked up to 215 pounds this year from 180 last season,” Ashley said.
Anchoring the defense is senior lineman Carter Campbell, a second-team all-stater who had 52 tackles, including 13 for loss, plus 10 sacks, two interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries last year.
The quarterback is senior Wyatt Webb, who passed for 756 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for a score last year, completing 73 percent of his passes before being injured near the end of the season. His leading receiver, senior Dylan Seison, is back. Seison had 847 yards in total offense and scored eight times in 2021.
Senior lineman Dominic Sparks, at 6-7 and 230 pounds, is considered a possible Division I college player. Junior linebacker Cody Metzler also will play a key role on defense. The team’s other seniors are linemen John Ball and Hunter McNutt.
Tuscarawas Central Catholic
Casey Cummings’ Saints have a small roster of 21 players, but it’s a veteran crew, with seven juniors and nine seniors trying to improve on last year’s 3-7 record.
“We had five starters out because of injury in the second half of the season, and there’s no doubt that had a big impact, especially when you have a small roster to begin with,” Cummings said. “If we can stay healthy, especially defensively, we should be much better this year without a doubt.”
Senior Chase Ciekanski was lost to the team early in 2021, breaking his collarbone in the second game of the season but coming back for Week 10. “He’s a four-year starter, standing 6-4 or 6-5, so he’s a big target,” Cummings said. “The way he came back last year shows the kind of player he is’
“Another two-way player who’s been very good is senior Thayne Mahaffey. Jordan Cherry, another senior, will be our quarterback. We’ll have a big offensive line, led by two guys who started last year as sophomores, Carson Norris and Gavin Douglass.
“Jayce McCollins, a sophomore, will play wide receiver this year and probably start at quarterback next year. We don’t have the numbers but have a lot of experience, so we’ll be all right.”
Cummings, who also owns a small trucking and excavating company, has been the Saints’ head coach for 11 seasons and is in his 14th year of coaching at Tusky Central.
“Coaching here goes a lot deeper than just football,” he said. “I graduated from this school, so did my wife, and my kids go here or went here. The parents provide a great atmosphere, and watching a new batch of kids come in every year and seeing how they grow keeps me coming back.”
Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans
Coach Chris Zemba said a continuing increase in the number of his players is the big story for his team. The Bishops had to cut back to seven-player football in 2019 when they had only 13 on the roster. Zemba, an assistant on that team, took the head coaching job the following year and had 17 players for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. That number rose to 23 last year and is now at 31 – enough for a full scrimmage with players to spare.
“Eleven of those guys are freshmen, and we have only four seniors,” he said. “That’s great for our future because a lot of guys will get experience and be coming back next year. Finishing 4-6 last year in the regular season and averaging 26 points a game before losing to a strong Berne Union team in the playoffs gave us hope for this season.”
The Bishops’ four seniors are receivers Weston Hartman and Skyler Hittle, lineman Nathan Hart and kicker Garrett Pugh, who also plays soccer.
Returning at quarterback is Brendan Bernath, a three-year starter and one of three sets of brothers on the team. Brendan’s younger brother, Nick, is a freshman who’s likely to start at running back. His older brother, Tommy, was a third-team all-state selection at linebacker last year.
Junior Gavin Bee is a captain and another three-year starter. “He’s an outside linebacker and a tremendous leader on and off the field,” Zemba said. Bee is joined this year by his brother Gage.
Zemba also has three Burkharts on the team – juniors Mike at tight end and linebacker and Maddux on the offensive and defensive lines and freshman Max, also a two-way lineman. “I’ve coached these guys since first grade. They’re a huge part of the team,” Zemba said.