The season has had its fair share of excitement but there is still plenty to be decided with conference titles and playoff positions to be won.
Celina (8-1, 8-0 WBL) at Wapakoneta (7-2, 7-1)
Celina, already guaranteed at least a share of its first Western Buckeye League football championship since 1995, is looking to prevent Wapakoneta from joining the Bulldogs atop the standings and collecting its fifth straight league championship (not including the 2020 season where no league title was issued) either outright or shared.
Both squads come into the game after impressive week nine performances. Wapakoneta 38-0 win over Bath and Celina a 17-0 win against Defiance.
Coming into week nine, Wapakoneta was the best team against the run in the WBL, giving up an average of 97.4 yards a game. Celina was third overall, giving up an average of 143 yards a contest.
Overall, the Redskins were No. 1 in total team defense, giving up an average of 227.4 yards a contest.
Against Defiance, Celina’s Braylon Gabes rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Gabes has gained 738 yards and scored 21 touchdowns, 15 rushing.
Not including the 2020 COVID year (Celina won 14-10), the Bulldogs have not beaten Wapakoneta since 2017.
Bluffton (9-0, 6-0 NWC) at Columbus Grove (7-2, 6-0)
The Northwest Conference title is up for grabs when Columbus Grove and Bluffton square off Friday night.
Bluffton has not won an NWC crown since 2005 where coincidentally the Pirates shared the league title with Columbus Grove along with Crestview. The Bulldogs won four straight league titles from 2018-21. In the history of the NWC, Columbus Grove has won or shared the league title 15 times and Bluffton has done so 14 times.
Coming into the game, the Pirates have given up 28 total points and have not given up a score since week two and blanked Allen East 42-0 last week.
Bluffton’s defense is giving up an average of 127.8 yards a contest and a stingy 67 yards a contest on the ground.
Columbus Grove’s defense is giving up an average of 132.2 points a contest and 91.5 yard a game on the ground.
Offensively, the Pirates are tops in the NWC in averaging rushing yards, gaining 279 yards a contest. Columbus Grove is second in the league, averaging 273 yards a contest.
Individually, Bluffton’s Landen Worcester has rushed for 1,247 yards and 18 touchdowns and Columbus Grove’s Trent Barraza has 1,097 on the ground to go with 14 overall TDs, 11 on the ground.
Columbus Grove has won the last four meetings between these two teams (they did not face each other in 2020) with the Pirates’ last victory over the Bulldogs coming in 2017 when they won 28-27.
Lima Central Catholic (5-3) vs. Fort Loramie (5-4)
Next year these two teams will be battling in the Northwest Conference but Saturday the two squads face off looking to secure a higher seed in the playoffs.
LCC comes into this game after downing Cardinal Stretch, 53-0,to extend its win streak to three A win would likely earn Lima Central Catholic a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
Relying on their running game the T-Birds racked up 273 yards on the ground with Matthew Quatman leading the way with 117 yards on four carries. Quarterback Carson Parker passed for two scores and ran for another.
The T-Birds limited the Cardinals to 5 total yards in recording the shutout.
Fort Loramie had its four-game win streak snapped by Lucas, 34-7, last week. Earlier in the year, LCC defeated Lucas 34-27.
Fort Loramie beat LCC 35-34 last season.
Toledo Start (5-4, 5-0 TCL) at Lima Senior (7-2, 5-0)
Lima Senior has had banner season. After beating Toledo Scott, the Spartans will play for the Toledo City League championship. It would be Lima Senior’s first league championship since winning the Greater Miami Conference on its way to winning the 1996 Division I state title.
This is the most regular season wins for Lima Senior since the Spartans won eight in 2015.
Led by quarterback Ja’naius Hall, who threw for an incredible nine touchdowns, the offense accumulated 479 yards through the air with Zaveon Garner catching eight passes for 173 with four touchdowns.
The 62 points was the highest total the Spartans have had this season.
Defensively, the Spartans shined by holding Start to allowed 74 total yards in the second half to break open the game.
Toledo Start is coming off a 50-0 blanking of Woodward.
Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
