Week 1 football preview: Sidney to start new era with tough task in Bellefontaine

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SIDNEY — The Dave Taynor era of Sidney football will begin with a tough challenge: a team coming off an 8-win season with an Ohio State-bound quarterback.

Regular season play begins this week across the state for football squads. Sidney will travel to Bellefontaine on Friday for its season opener and its first game under the direction of Taynor, who was hired in December to replace former coach Adam Doenges.

The squad has new installed new offensive and defensive schemes, and Taynor said players have made much progress in offseason and preseason preparation.

“There’s two complete new systems they’ve had to learn, so they’ve invested a lot of time mentally in that part of the preparation,” Taynor, who previously coached at Urbana University and Graham High School, said. “I also think that we are focusing on trying to augment and build a culture that supports competing at an elite level. They’re getting used to those expectations. They’ve made a lot of progress, but still have a long way to go.”

Sidney lost 14 seniors to graduation off last year’s 4-7 squad but has several key returnees, including senior quarterback Tucker Herron, who threw for 1,820 yards and 17 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his first year as a starter.

Other key returnees at skill positions are junior running back/receiver Julius Spradling, junior running back Isaiah Foster and junior receiver Perry “Tank” Fleming.

Senior tight end Mitchell Davis and junior tight end Ethan New also look to have passes thrown their way this year; both had big catches in a 39-26 win in a scrimmage at Chaminade-Julienne on Friday.

Taynor said he’s proud of how Davis, New and the entire offensive line have worked in preseason.

“Our offensive line has made a lot of progress and I think will continue to do so,” Taynor said. “In that group up front, (senior) Eli Biddle has made quite a few plays, (junior) Luke Carter has made quite a few plays. Sam New (a senior) has just transitioned to center, and we moved Eli out to guard. I think that transition has went pretty well.

“The tight end position being an offensive threat in the passing game is something that’s a little bit different to the guys, but I think Ethan New did a really good job in the past scrimmage and Mitchell Davis did the past week (in a scrimmage against Northmont).”

Fleming also plays at defensive back. Senior Brice Hughes is the team’s leading returning tackler; he had 38 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery last season.

“We have a lot of guys I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to coach,” Taynor said. “… We have a lot of guys that are expected to contribute on both sides of the ball. …We’ll have to continue to work on our stamina. I’m happy with our progress, but we have to continue to work to get where we need to be.”

Bellefontaine beat Sidney 43-13 last year and finished with its best record since 2017. Junior quarterback Tavien St. Clair threw for 2,453 yards and 25 touchdowns with four interceptions; he gave a verbal commitment to Ohio State in June.

He isn’t the only key offensive returnee back for the Chieftains. Senior running back Chris Fogan ran for 1,185 yards and 15 TDs last year and senior receiver CJ Wilson led the team with 948 receiving yards and nine TDs.

“They’re a talented ball club,” Taynor said. “Obviously everybody is going to talk about their quarterback. He’s a talented young man who can spin the ball and move athletically. They have a running back who I think is a dynamic kid and they have a receiver who has some definite speed qualities and can change the game with his legs.”

Anna hopes scrimmage a positive sign

The Rockets finished 4-7 last year and haven’t finished above .500 since 2019, but they’re hoping for improved results this year with an extensive returning cast.

Among the returnees is junior quarterback Alex Shappie, who threw for 1,599 yards and 13 touchdowns in regular season last year with 13 TDs and 10 interceptions.

Receivers Trey Heitkamp, Noah Aufderharr and Collin Elliott are also back, as is running back Zach Osborn. Aufderhaar, a junior, caught 27 passes for 420 yards with one TD last year. Osborn, a junior, ran for 587 yards and eight TDs.

Heitkamp is the team’s top returning tackler; he had 62 tackles.

Anna’s varsity players amassed 270 yards of offense in a scrimmage against Tippecanoe last Friday, which the squad won by double digits. Shappie threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Nick Marino’s ninth year at the helm will begin when the squad hosts Indian Lake this Friday. The Rockets beat the Lakers 34-19 last season.

New faces to debut in big roles for Loramie

Fort Loramie lost 12 players to graduation from last year’s 11-3 squad, including the program’s all-time leading passer and receiver.

But the team is optimistic for another strong season in Spencer Wells’ sixth year at the helm.

Among the key returnees are running back Will Holland and tight end/defensive end Damian Bruns. Holland, a senior, ran for 956 yards and 12 touchdowns last year; Bruns, a senior, had 50 tackles.

Max Maurer will take over at quarterback for his older brother Caleb, who graduated.

The Redskins will open the season by traveling to neighboring rival Minster, which has a strong returning cast. Among the Wildcats’ returnees is junior quarterback Brogan Stephey, who threw for 2,576 yards with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 1,144 yards and 19 TDs.

The Redskins beat Minster 39-27 in a regular-season opener last year and 35-19 in a regional semifinal.

Lehman Catholic to start new era

Longtime Lehman assistant Dwane Rowley took over as the program’s head coach in the spring and will try to lead an improved effort as the squad starts its third year in the Three Rivers Conference.

He replaces Chris Kash, who was hired as athletic director and football coach in 2021 to replace longtime coach Dick Roll; Kash is no longer the school’s AD, as baseball coach Mark Brunswick has taken over that position.

Rowley was a longtime assistant under Roll and was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator last year.

Lehman hasn’t had a winning season since 2018, but the squad has several key players back this year to work toward that goal.

Among the returnees is senior quarterback Donovan O’Leary, who enters his third year as starter. He threw for 929 yards and six touchdowns with seven interceptions last year and ran for 454 yards and six TDs.

Also back is senior receiver/defensive back Seth Knapke, senior lineman/linebacker Ethan Stiver, senior lineman Will Ford, senior lineman Seth Kennedy, senior lineman JD Barhorst, sophomore receiver/DB Turner Lachey and junior kicker Daniel Carlisle, among others.

The Cavaliers, which have 27 players on their roster, will start the year with former Northwest Central Conference rival Lima Perry. Lehman beat Perry 26-6 last year.

Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.

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Bryant Billing has been at the Sidney Daily News since 2017. He took over as editor in April of 2024 after working as sports editor for the previous 6.5 years. He worked as a reporter and later as an editor for a weekly newspaper in Springfield from 2007 to 2012, managed a Springfield-based website called TopBillingSports.com from 2012 to 2016 and then worked as a freelancer for Cox Media Group Ohio newspapers (including the Dayton Daily News) from 2016 to 2017 before joining the SDN.

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