Lehman Catholic coach Dwane Rowley yells instructions to players during a nonconference game against South Charleston Southeastern on Saturday at Sidney Memorial Stadium. Rowley has taken over as head coach after over 10 years as an assistant.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — After four seasons of records at or below .500, Lehman Catholic is working toward getting back to the level of success the program has historically enjoyed.
The Cavaliers (1-1) have an experienced quarterback and offensive to lead the pursuit of the goal, as well a favorable schedule coming up.
“All in all, we’re much improved from last year,” first-year coach Dwane Rowley said. “We’ve got to stay healthy. Overall, we’ve just got to build on our positives and get back to the basics, do what we should be doing.”
Senior quarterback Donovan O’Leary is in his third season as the team’s starter and has been the team’s biggest playmaker so far.
O’Leary, who is 6-foot-5, has thrown for 356 yards and four touchdowns in the squad’s first two games and has rushed for 207 yards and five TDs.
“He possesses a lot of talents,” Rowley said. “Great size, very versatile athlete. Very key in our run game, and a good passer as well. We’re still working on making better decisions in our passing game, but all in all, a great athlete.”
Junior running back Da’Ron Pride and his his twin brother Devin Pride have rejoined the team after not playing last year. Da’Ron Pride is the squad’s starting running back and has rushed for 222 yards and two TDs; Devin Pride is a key receiver.
“Taken that year off kind of slowed them down a little bit, but now they’re starting to see the game come to them a lot easier,” Rowley said. “Devin is a great asset at wide receiver. Good hands, good routes, just overall a good athlete. Da’Ron in the backfield really gives us that key that fits into our offense.”
Sophomore Turner Lachey leads the squad in receptions (13) and receiving yards (161). Seth Knapke (a senior), Dillon Schmiesing (junior) and Evan O’Leary (sophomore) have also caught passes. Will Ford (a senior) plays some at RB.
The squad has three-year starters on the offensive line in Seth Kennedy, JD Barhorst and Ethan Stiver. Jace Olding is in his second year as a starter on the line, and newcomer Ryan Ford is starting at right tackle.
Almost all of those players start or play some on defense. Schmiesing, Knapke, Stiver and Ford all have over 11 tackles; Schmiesing and Stiver have each intercepted a pass, and Schmiesing has forced one fumble.
Lehman started the season with a 76-6 victory over a struggling Lima Perry (which lost 62-28 to Ridgemont last week). The Cavaliers faced a tough opponent in Week 2 in Southeastern, which returned most of its players from a 7-5 campaign a year ago.
The Trojans scored the first two touchdowns on Saturday at Sidney Memorial Stadium, but Lehman played with them the rest of the way and twice cut the gap to two points in the second half of a 30-21 loss.
“We haven’t handled adversity well,” Rowley said. “… We got behind, and we had to fight. It was tough with a lot of kids playing both ways. They don’t get a lot of breathers. It’s hard to coach them when they’re on the field.
“… We have to start fast. If we start slow like Saturday and get behind, we’re just playing catch up. We’re not a catch-up team.”
The Cavaliers were a combined 4-10 in their first two years in the revived Three Rivers Conference but are hoping to be more competitive this year. They look to have an opportunity, as many of the league’s teams look to be in rebuilding mode.
All eight of the league’s teams have already lost a game, and four (including defending TRC champion Milton-Union) have lost by running-clock margins.
Before beginning TRC play by hosting the Bulldogs on Sept. 7, the squad will wrap up nonleague play by traveling to Benjamin Logan (0-2) this Friday. The Raiders lost by 42-7 scores to Bluffton and West Liberty-Salem to open the season.
While the schedule looks favorable, Rowley said the Cavaliers will need to continue to improve and fix its issues.
“A big thing is to stay healthy,” Rowley said. “This week, we’re taking some time off to deal with any injuries we have, any bumps or bruises. …We can’t overlook anyone, including Ben Logan. They have over 100 kids on their team. Good size up front.
“I don’t think they’re going to be overly physical, so we want to dominate the line of scrimmage and allow our offense to run and excel, and then just keep moving forward, get the momentum going.”
Rowley was named head coach last spring and replaced Chris Kash. He had been an assistant since 2009 and was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator last year.
Rowley brought back longtime assistant coach Bill Zimmerman, who is the squad’s offensive coordinator. Nate Bollheimer, an Anna grad who has been at Lehman for eight years, is the squad’s defensive coordinator.
“I’m liking it,” Rowley said. “I’m surrounding myself with a lot of key people we had from years past, bringing them back on the staff. …We work well together. When we meet, we all have ideas and thoughts on how we want to move forward and bring Lehman back to what it was.”
Sidney at Xenia
Sidney (1-1) will travel to the newly renovated Doug Adams Stadium on Friday to face the defending Miami Valley League champions.
The Buccaneers went 10-0 in regular-season play last year before losing 27-24 in a first-round playoff game. They beat Sidney 34-0 in Week 10 to cap off regular-season play.
Xenia is off to a 2-0 start after beating Beavercreek 36-0 in a season opener and West Carrollton 37-7. The squad’s defense was strong in both games; Beavercreek had less than 150 yards of offense and the Pirates had less than 100. The team has forced seven turnovers in its first two games.
The Buccaneers amassed 341 yards against West Carrollton, 241 of which was on the ground. Senior running back Elijah Johnson ran for 141 yards and one TD; he ran for 543 yards last year. Junior kicker Sean Leonard made 3-of-4 field goal attempts, including a 40-yard kick in the fourth quarter.
Sidney, which beat Stebbins 28-14 in Week 2, won’t be without starting receiver/defensive back Julius Spradling. He was ejected for targeting against the Indians and per OHSAA rules could have faced a suspension, but the association reviewed film of the play over the weekend and is not imposing further punishment.
The old grandstands, press box and lighting fixtures at Doug Adams Stadium were demolished in the spring, and replacements were installed in the summer. The new home side seats 4,000 fans and the visitor’s side seats 2,000.
Bring your sunglasses, Sidney fans. Xenia flipped the locations of the home and visitor’s sides with the renovations, and the visitor’s side now faces directly west.
The new stands were the first of two phases of the renovation, which cost about $3 million. Locker rooms were demolished along with the old home grandstands; temporary facilities are being used this year. Permanent locker rooms are expected to be constructed before the start of the 2024 season.
Anna at St. Henry
The Rockets (1-1) are scheduled to start Midwest Athletic Conference play on Friday at St. Henry.
The Redskins (1-1) started the season with a 14-0 win against St. Marys but lost 30-0 at Archbold last week. They managed 88 yards of offense. The Bluestreaks intercepted five passes.
Anna battled at Brookville last week. The squads were tied 14-14 at halftime; the Blue Devils scored two TDs in the fourth quarter to earn a 28-21 win.
Junior quarterback Alex Shappie has had an effective start for the Rockets; he has thrown for 222 yards and two TDs with one interception. Zach Osborn and Aaron Shappie have split the carries in the backfield.
Fort Loramie has chance to rebound
The Redskins (0-2) struggled to get their new run-first offense going last week but will have an opportunity this week when they host a Covington program that is continuing to struggle.
The Buccaneers (0-2) have won three games since 2021 and have had a slow start to this season. They lost 56-0 in their home opener against Ansonia last week and managed 82 yards of offense. The Tigers amassed nearly 400 yards, 324 of which came on the ground. They led 50-0 by halftime.
The squads were scheduled to play last year, but the game was dropped due to low numbers on Covington’s roster. Fort Loramie added Spencerville as a replacement opponent and won 35-7.
The Redskins gained 152 yards against Versailles (2-0) last week, most of which came in the second half. The Tigers scored all their points in the first half in a 35-0 win.
Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.
