MADISON TOWNSHIP — Scott Valentine wasn’t interested in discussing moral victories after last week’s 10-7 loss at Shelby. But Madison’s first-year coach couldn’t help but be encouraged by what he just witnessed.
The Rams had a chance to win right up until Shelby’s Casey Lantz booted a game-winning 21-yard field goal as time expired.
Considering the rivalry’s recent history, a three-point walk-off loss doesn’t look so bad. Madison’s last win in the series came in 2014. Shelby has won six straight since then.
“Our kids came out and played hard throughout the whole game,” Valentine said. “We’ve told ourselves we’ve got to get better every day we’re out there and I think our kids have accepted that.
“I’ve told them the biggest jump is from Week 1 to Week 2.”
The Rams will try to snap another losing streak Friday when they host River Valley. The Vikings, who opened with a 31-20 win over Upper Sandusky, have won three straight over Madison. The Rams’ last win in the series was in 2016.
Here is a capsule look at Richland County matchups in Week Two:
River Valley (1-0) at Madison (0-1): River Valley quarterback Cayden Shidone had a big night in the opener. The senior completed 21-of-37 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards and a score on 22 carries. Shidone’s younger brother, Keyan, caught eight passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Grant Butler had six receptions for 103 yards and two TDs.
The Rams surrendered 342 yards but forced three turnovers in the loss at Shelby. Linebacker Hunter Hutcheson had 13 tackles and forced a fumble, while Owen Wigton had a pair of interceptions. Offensively, quarterback Cameron Kuhn completed 8-of-25 passes for 85 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Will Kepple. Kepple had two catches for 26 yards, while Peyten Myers had three catches for 23 yards.
North Canton Hoover (1-0) at Mansfield Senior (1-0): The Vikings will be looking for revenge after the Tygers traveled to North Canton last fall and came away with a 21-17 win. Hoover opened with a 35-21 win over Akron Buchtel. Mason Ashby hauled in a pair of touchdown passes and returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards for a score. Quarterback Carson Dyrlund threw three touchdown passes.
There were plenty of offensive stars for the Tygers in last week’s 41-19 win over Norwalk. Quarterback Duke Reese completed 6-of-11 passes for 106 yards, including touchdown passes of 24 and 52 yards to Amarr Davis. Davis had three catches for 84 yards and picked off a pair of passes. Running back Ricky Mills rumbled for 83 yards and four TDs on nine carries while Zyion Brown added 91 yards on 11 carries. Aaron Thornton had 13 tackles, while Mekhi Bradley made 11 tackles, including three for loss. Isaiah Darson had 10 tackles.
Shelby (1-0) at Lexington (0-1): The Whippets may have found their quarterback of the future in freshman Brayden DeVito. DeVito completed 9-of-17 passes for 140 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown to Casey Lantz. DeVito also rushed for 109 yards on 19 carries, while Skyler Winters added 98 yards on 23 carries. Mason Vent led the defense with nine tackles, while Issaiah Ramsey intercepted a pass.
The Minutemen limited Ontario’s Chase Studer, the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference’s leading rusher last year, to 52 yards in last week’s 21-17 loss at Ontario. Carter Newman broke Lexington’s record for longest run from scrimmage when he got loose for a 97-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Quarterback A.J. Young threw a 23-yard scoring pass to freshman receiver Brayden Fogle in the fourth quarter.
Crestview (1-0) at East Knox (1-0): The Cougars looked impressive in last week’s 49-14 win over Loudonville. Quarterback Hayden Kuhn completed 14-of-19 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Adison Reymer, a converted receiver, rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Fullback Wade Bolin added 34 yards and a pair of scores on 10 carries. Tyson Ringler and Shawn Bailey each caught a touchdown pass, while Caden Cunningham had four grabs for 65 yards.
The Bulldogs opened with a 26-13 win at Northridge, racing out to a 20-7 first-quarter lead. First-year starting quarterback Bracen Davis completed 14-of-21 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Cole Delaughder torched Northridge for 150 yards and a touchdown on seven carries while catching three passes for 38 yards and a score. Carson Steinmetz caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Hillsdale (1-0) at Lucas (0-1), Saturday: The Falcons had their way with Black River in the opener, rolling to a 34-6 win. Dual-threat quarterback Jake Hoverstock completed 7-of-10 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 17 yards and two TDs on 10 carries. Braylen Jarvis rushed for 74 yards and returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown. Bo Moody had seven tackles while Jarvis and Presley Lewis were each in on six stops.
The Cubs surrendered what proved to be the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter in a 21-20 loss to Clear Fork last week. Lucas had 250 yards in total offense, including 155 on the ground. Corbin Toms rushed for 52 yards on eight carries, caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Smollen in the first quarter and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a score. Smollen completed 7-of-14 passers for 95 yards, while Graysen Jackson caught three passes for 56 yards.
