The Daily Standard
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The more things change, the more they stay the same, so says the old adage.
For the Minster Wildcats, the offseason was one where coach Seth Whiting had to find the right combination of players to fill the spots that graduation took last season.
So far, the Wildcats have looked good as the team makes its first venture away from Memorial Field in Week Four of the football season after playing three straight home games.
Minster's Colby Niemeyer (15) closes in on Africentric's Joshua Smith during the Week Two game at Memorial Field in Minster.
The Wildcats head to Rockford to face a Parkway team that has struggled on offense after an opening game in which the Panthers scored 41 points in a shootout loss to Crestview. In the next two games, the Panthers managed a combined 28 points while allowing 82 points.
Graduation for Minster meant seeing some good players grab diplomas, especially on offense with Division VII Offensive Player of the Year Brogan Stephey departing after throwing for 7,497 yards and 62 touchdowns while rushing for 54 scores and 2,816 yards.
The Wildcats won their annual rivalry game with Fort Loramie 24-14 in Week One, then faced a tough Columbus Africentric squad, where Bowling Green-commit Joshua Smith threw for 217 yards and two scores and Caleb Anthony had 230 yards of offense and three scores in a 48-20 win for the Nubians.
Last week in the conference opener, Minster and Anna were tied at 14-all through three quarters before the Wildcats took the lead with 10:41 to play and came away with a 24-14 win.
Carson Kaylor, a sophomore, took over as signal caller and has been solid in his first three starts, passing for 460 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for a team-best 205 yards and four scores.
The receiving corps also had turnover, with Tyler Bergman (28 receptions for 404 yards in 2024) the only significant returnee, leading the team with 16 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Noah Schwieterman, limited to just four games and two receptions last season, has seven catches for 154 yards this season.
Dominick Meyer, who rushed for 495 yards last season, has rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown this season as the primary back behind Kaylor.
Defenisvely, Colby Niemeyer leads the team with 28 tackles and two sacks. Chase Bishop leads the team with four sacks. Schwieterman has been the lockdown defensive back, recording three interceptions.
Parkway's Perry Schwieterman (12) hands off the ball to Branson Lyons during last Friday's game at New Bremen.
Parkway's season got off to a roaring start. Luke Booher's school-record 279-yard effort on the ground gave the Panthers some offense, but not enough to counter Braxton Leeth's 400-plus yard effort in Crestview's 62-41 win in Rockford. A tough 26-14 loss at Delphos Jefferson in Week Two was followed by New Bremen scoring 42 points in the first quarter en route to a 56-14 win in the MAC opener in New Bremen.
Injuries took a toll on Parkway, especially losing starting quarterback Jacoby Triplett (19-of-38, 241 yards) early in last Friday's game. Perry Schwieterman was 10-of-19 for 118 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 30 yards on seven carries coming off the bench. Booher, held yardless against Jefferson, had five yards on three carries against New Bremen.
Both the Western Buckeye League and Midwest Athletic Conference are fully into league play, and this brings home one crucial point: there are only five wins to be had each week in each conference, and when teams like Marion Local and Wapakoneta claim one each week, that leaves two less wins for teams to fight for.
That tends to mean each week there are a couple of games between two playoff hopefuls that are crucial for both teams' postseason hopes.
The game that most closely fits this criterion is in the WBL where St. Marys is hosting Defiance. Each team has already lost to conference frontrunners (Bath and Wapakoneta), so a second WBL loss this early in the season would put either in a position of having to play catchup in the computer points the rest of the season.
The MAC has three intriguing games. New Bremen travels to Versailles with the winner eyeing a future home playoff game and the loser hoping to not get caught in the MAC meat grinder. Coldwater traveling to Anna is a similar game, mostly because both teams are in Division VI Region 24, which looks to be an easier path to the postseason. Plus, don't forget the matchup of two 2-1 squads as St. Henry travels to Fort Recovery.
The computer points for the entire state, and especially the four regions involving most area teams (Regions 10, 22, 24 and 28) can be found throughout the season at: user.nktelco.net/bdmonnin/football.htm
Wapakoneta - 2nd (7.82)
Shawnee - 9th (4.38)
Defiance - 12th (3.88)
St. Marys - 18th (1.83)
Celina - 20th (0.00)
Wapakoneta gained good points by defeating Defiance 31-7 and edged one spot away from the top of the region. This week's game against Ottawa-Glandorf will not provide any boost to the Redskins' computer points.
Defiance has given up 23 points more than they have scored on the season. Similarly, St. Marys has surrendered 21 points more than they have scored. The team that can reverse this trend on Friday should be ranked higher in the standings next week.
Shawnee rose eight places in the standings by beating Elida last week, but a true computer point bonanza is available as the Indians travel to Bath.
Celina needs to start earning computer points immediately, and Van Wert offers up the possibility of a good start if the Bulldogs can pull off the upset.
Bath - 2nd (7.35)
Van Wert - 5th (4.43)
Elida - 15th (1.83)
Kenton - 19th (1.67)
Ottawa-Glandorf - 20th (0.00)
Bath is starting to look like a contender for the league title. They will look more so (and possibly reach the top ranking in this region) if they can defeat Shawnee this week.
Van Wert fell three spots to fifth after losing to Bath, and while Celina could help get the Cougars back on the winning track, there are few computer points to be had even with a victory.
Elida and Kenton are both outside of the Top 12 at the moment. The winner of this matchup will get closer, while the loser falls further away from the postseason cut line.
Ottawa-Glandorf desperately needs a win and playing Wapakoneta is not an easy way to earn one.
Versailles - 6th (5.28)
The Tigers fell four places after beating winless Delphos St. John's. This week New Bremen provides a greater challenge and a greater reward.
Parkway - 20th (0.00)
Another team desperate for a win faces a difficult opponent as Parkway hosts Minster. A loss just about ends any Panther postseason hopes.
Coldwater - 3rd (4.88)
Anna - 10th (2.90)
The Cavaliers travel to Anna in what looks like an even game, but a closer look shows that Coldwater has well over double the amount of raw computer points thanks to beating two squads. Therefore, this game is much more critical for the Rockets' postseason hopes than the Cavaliers'.
Delphos St. John's - 24th (0.00)
The Blue Jays probably need four wins to have a chance at the playoffs, and with playing Marion Local this Friday they are rapidly running low on winnable games.
Marion Local - 2nd (5.98)
St. Henry - 5th (4.02)
New Bremen - 6th (4.00)
Fort Recovery - 10th (3.52)
Minster - 13th (3.25)
The Flyers are almost insurmountable favorites this week in a game against Delphos St. John's that is worth few computer points to the Flyers. Bigger challenges await versus undefeated New Bremen and Versailles the following two weeks.
St. Henry travels to Fort Recovery in another matchup where one team (St. Henry) has far more computer points, making the outcome more critical for the homestanding Indians.
New Bremen has defeated three winless teams so far but has done so handily. The Cardinals' next six opponents have a combined record of 14-4, which increases both the risk and the potential reward if New Bremen keeps winning. It wouldn't hurt to defeat Versailles with Marion Local awaiting the following week.
Minster greatly needed its win over Anna last week. Parkway would not be expected to provide nearly as many computer points, but the Wildcats are going to need this win as well.
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For more computer point analysis for teams across west central Ohio, listen to my weekly podcast. Search your favorite streaming platform for Bruce Monnin's computer points.
Both teams are coming off tough losses after strong non-conference showings.
The Redskins came close to snapping Marion Local's 66-game winning streak as the Flyers escaped the Wally Post Athletic Complex with a 21-14 win.
Charlie Werling rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown while passing just seven times - completing three - for 46 yards. Jack Huelsman had two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown that opened the scoring against the Flyers.
Fort Recovery gave Coldwater a battle for 48 minutes before taking a tough 28-14 loss at Cavalier Stadium. The Indians had 236 yards of offense and did not turn the ball over as they held possession for just over 21 minutes. The Indians are averaging over 200 yards rushing per game with Reece Wendel leading the team with 317 yards.
The Cavaliers bounced back from a Week Two loss in holding off Fort Recovery 28-14 in a close battle in which neither team turned the ball over and combined for five total penalties for 40 yards with five total punts.
Quarterback Karsyn Homan rushed for 141 yards and passed for 100 yards and two touchdowns while Braxton Taylor rushed for 118 yards and two scores, the second coming with two minutes remaining in the third quarter for the go-ahead score. Kicker Bryce Couchot extended his consecutive point-after streak to 76 straight with four last week. The state record is 260 set by Avon's Nathanial Vakos from 2018 to 2021. A win on Friday would give Coldwater head coach Chip Otten 103 conference wins at Coldwater, breaking the mark of 102 shared with the late John Reed.
The Rockets struggled at Minster last week after scoring 89 points over the first two weeks of the season. After scoring 14 points in the first half against Minster, Anna was held scoreless as the Wildcats scored 10 points in the fourth quarter for the 24-14 decision.
Quarterback Logan Ziegenbusch as picked off twice and held to 119 yards passing and 64 yards rushing as Anna was limited to 217 yards of total offense.
The Cardinals are 3-0 out the gate for the second straight season after a 56-14 rout of Parkway in the home opener in New Bremen.
Jacob Kelly has established himself as one of the MAC's best runners in his first three games this season, rushing for 472 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging a hefty 8.9 yards per carry. The 14 points scored by Parkway were the first points allowed this season while averaging 48.7 points per game.
The Tigers roll into Week Four after beating St. John's 35-0 last week in Delphos. Versailles is allowing just nine points per game through the first three weeks.
The Blue Jays have struggled out the gate. After scoring 35 points in a 56-35 loss to Lehman, St. John's has been outscored 63-7 in the last two games against LCC and Versailles.
St. John's had just 93 yards of offense against Versailles last week. Christian Young passed for 51 yards with Riley Mueller rushing for 35 yards.
Marion allowed its first regular season points since Week Five from a season ago as they survived and advanced with a 21-14 win over St. Henry.
The Flyers had a 238-214 advantage in offense against the Redskins. Brennen Hess was 9-of-16 for 140 yards with the winning touchdown with 51/2 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Bulldogs, struggling this season, travel to Van Wert to face a Cougar team that lost 35-28 to unbeaten Bath last week.
Celina had its third straight week of playing tough in the first half, trailing only 14-0 to St. Marys at halftime, before falling behind in the final 24 minutes. Of the 97 points allowed this season, 65 of those points have come in the second half.
The Bulldog offense had some sparks in scoring in double digits for the first time this season - and doubling the overall season output. Parker Bertke (75 yards receiving) and Brodee Schulte-Arnold (73) had big games as Parker Wynk threw for nearly 200 yards.
The Cougars lost a tough battle with Bath in an early battle of unbeaten teams. Van Wert ranks second in the WBL in scoring offense (29.7 points per game), second in rushing offense (202.3 yards per game) and third in total offense (400.7 yards per game). The big rushing does not bode well for Celina, ranked 10th in the league in allowing 226.7 yards per game, but ranks sixth in total defense, but ninth in scoring defense.
Xavier Kelly ranks second in the league in rushing with 381 yards and three scores. Quarterback Zach Crummey has thrown for 592 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Roughriders got the big game it needed after two rough weeks in winning the Battle of Grand Lake over Celina. Caleb Schmidt's 293 yards and six touchdowns, breaking a 49-yard school record for touchdowns, allowed St. Marys to stay on top of the WBL in rushing offense. Defiance ranks fifth in the WBL in rushing defense in allowing 109 yards per contest.
Defiance opened with two wins before taking a 31-7 loss to defending WBL champ Wapakoneta.
The running game is led by Chase Commisso (294 yards, four touchdowns) and Kelton Gibbs (259 yards, 1 TD). Quarterback Colt Ward has thrown for 145 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, with only St. Marys (89 yards) having fewer passing yards.
Caleb Schmidt, RB, St. Marys
Cadin Obringer, S, ColdwaterCelina at Van Wert
Defiance at St. Marys
Shawnee at Bath
Kenton at Elida
Wapakoneta at Ott.-Glandorf
Coldwater at Anna
St. John's at Marion Local
St. Henry at Fort Recovery
Minster at Parkway
New Bremen at Versailles
| WBL | Overall | |
| Bath | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| Wapakoneta | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| Shawnee | 2-0 | 2-1 |
| Defiance | 1-1 | 2-1 |
| Van Wert | 1-1 | 2-1 |
| Kenton | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| St. Marys | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Elida | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Celina | 0-2 | 0-3 |
| Ottawa-Glandorf | 0-2 | 0-3 |
| MAC | Overall | |
| Marion Local | 1-0 | 3-0 |
| New Bremen | 1-0 | 3-0 |
| Versailles | 1-0 | 3-0 |
| Coldwater | 1-0 | 2-1 |
| Minster | 1-0 | 2-1 |
| Anna | 0-1 | 2-1 |
| Fort Recovery | 0-1 | 2-1 |
| St. Henry | 0-1 | 2-1 |
| Parkway | 0-1 | 0-3 |
| St. John's | 0-1 | 0-3 |
