ONTARIO — If the first three weeks were any indication, Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference fans better buckle up.
The chase for the MOAC title promises to be a wild ride.
All eight members of the MOAC combined for a 16-8 record during non-conference play. Three teams — Ontario, Shelby and Galion — are undefeated and two others are 2-1. Every MOAC team has at least one non-conference win.
MOAC play begins Friday with three intriguing matchups involving four area teams. Here’s a closer look at them:
Ontario (3-0) at River Valley (2-1)
The Warriors tuned up for MOAC play with a 34-14 win at Madison. Running back Mason Vantilburg leads the MOAC with 428 rushing yards and seven TDs on 46 carries, averaging a conference-best 9.3 yards per attempt. Quarterback Bodpegn Miller has rushed for 226 yards on 43 carries while completing 28-of-46 passes for 434 yards and seven TDs. Landon Foltz has a team-best seven catches for 113 yards, while Noah Poole has five receptions for 104 yards and two TDs. Senior linebacker Landon Sowards ranks second in the MOAC with 40 tackles. Sowards and Rayvon Skelton each have four sacks, while linebacker Alan O’Blisk has 22 stops and six tackles for loss.
River Valley won its second straight game behind All-Ohio quarterback Chase Ebert. The senior has completed 72-of-137 passes for 769 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 281 yards and three TDs on 45 carries. Eli Snyder leads the way with 23 receptions for 230 yards and a touchdown while Carter Park has 22 catches for 168 yards and a score. Senior linebacker Tyson Waddle leads the MOAC with 45 tackles, while Eli Snyder has 39 stops.
Marion Harding (1-2) at Shelby (3-0)
The Presidents haven’t had any problems scoring points this season. Harding averages 28 points a game behind quarterback Connor Pennington, who has completed 58-of-86 passes for 741 yards and seven touchdowns. Parker Davis leads the MOAC in receptions (26) and receiving yards (357) and ranks second in the conference with four touchdown catches. Running back RayJ Scott-Harbolt has rushed for 252 yards and four TDs on a conference-leading 57 carries. Lucas Keller leads the Harding defense with 33 tackles. Kolten Sibrel and Landon Adams each have four sacks, while Jaden Griffith and Kartel Stinson share the MOAC lead with two interceptions.
Shelby could be without a couple of key pieces in the secondary as seniors Nic Eyster and Mav Noel both sustained injuries in last week’s win over Bellevue. Their status is unknown. Linebacker Dennis LaFon leads the way defensively with 31 tackles. Defensive lineman Brayden Schartiger has seven tackles for loss, while defensive end Karsen Homan has two sacks among his five TFLs. Offensively, quarterback Brayden DeVito is the MOAC’s leading passer with 828 yards. The junior has completed 43-of-64 attempts with six TDs while rushing for 315 yards and five TDs on 49 carries. Brady Bowman has emerged as DeVito’s primary receiver. The sophomore has a team-high 15 catches for 289 yards and two TDs. Junior running back Marcus Gumbert has rushed for 200 yards and two TDs on 41 carries.
Galion (3-0) at Clear Fork (1-2)
The Tigers thumped Upper Sandusky 42-0 last week and have allowed just 21 points through three games. The opportunistic defense leads the MOAC with nine takeaways. Freshman defensive back Kurt Hay is tied for the conference lead with two interceptions while linebacker Trevor Shifley has recovered a pair of fumbles. Junior Jacob Chambers is one of the area’s most productive receivers. He has 18 catches for 274 yards and five TDs. Quarterback Braxton Prosser has completed 36-of-63 passes for 508 yards and seven TDs and rushed for 127 yards and two TDs on 27 carries.
Clear Fork scored 28 unanswered points in last week’s 28-3 win over Lexington. Jay Jackson hauled in a 62 yard touchdown pass from Marcus Hoeflich, while Mason Sansom and Nick Appleman had second-half TD runs. The special teams got into the act as well as Blake Schlosser returned a blocked punt 23 yards for a score. Hoeflich has completed 20-of-38 passes for 181 yards. Jackson has 11 catches for 130 yards, while Appleman has rushed for 132 yards on 35 carries. Schlosser has a team-high 32 tackles.