LEXINGTON — The Minutemen flipped the switch.
After opening the season with three straight losses to Richland County rivals Ontario, Shelby and Clear Fork, Lexington has pieced together a four-game winning streak — its longest since reeling off six straight during the 2018 season.
What’s more, Lexington is tied with Ashland atop the Ohio Cardinal Conference standings at 3-0 after handing West Holmes its first OCC loss last week.
So what’s been the difference?
“Our mentality changed,” quarterback Joe Caudill said after last week’s 19-13 win over the Knights. “We came together as a team. We looked ourselves in the mirror and said we are all we got. We’ve just got to fight. We gotta keep fighting.”
Lex will face another stern test Friday at New Philadelphia. The Quakers have won two in a row after last week’s 35-21 victory over vastly-improved Madison. Here’s a look at the area’s top Week 8 games:
Lexington (4-3, 3-0) at New Philadelphia (4-3, 2-2)
Quarterback Joe Caudill orchestrated an eight-play, 44-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to seal last week’s 19-13 win over West Holmes. The 6-foot-4 junior capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run with 55 seconds remaining. Caudill completed 10-of-18 passes for 159 yards, including TD tosses of 25 and 52 yards to Seven Allen. For the season Caudill has completed 90-of-159 passes for 1,111 yards and 12 TDs. Allen has a team-high five TD receptions, while Brayden Fogle has a team-high 33 catches for 382 yards and thee scores. Lexington’s improving defense is led by a secondary that has recorded seven interceptions. Alex Hubbard leads the way with a pair of picks, while five other players each have one. Camden Boozer continues tops the Minutemen with 70 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss. Cole Eichorn has 61.5 stops and 8.5 TFLs.
New Philadelphia wide receiver and defensive back Carson Long tormented Madison last week, catching a pair of TD passes and returning an interception for a score. Quarterback Keaton Fausel tossed three touchdown passes and ran for a score.
Shelby (7-0, 4-0) at Clear Fork (2-5, 1-3)
The Whippets had their biggest offensive outburst of the season in last week’s 55-21 win over River Valley. Quarterback Brayden DeVito rushed for 116 yards and five touchdowns on 12 carries and completed 18-of-22 passes for 279 yards and two TDs. For the season, DeVito has completed 94-of-147 passes for a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference-high 1,754 yards and 14 touchdowns. The junior ranks second in the MOAC with 829 rushing yards on 13 carries and a MOAC-best 16 rushing TDs. Running back Marcus Gumbert ranks fourth in the MOAC with 611 yards on 102 carries. Receiver Brady Bowman leads the MOAC with 592 receiving yards on just 29 catches, averaging 20.4 yards per reception. Bowman is tied for the MOAC lead with six TD catches, while Nic Eyster has four TD grabs among his 27 receptions. Defensively, Karsen Homan ranks among MOAC leaders with eight sacks. Dennis LaFon has a team-high 67 tackles, while Sam Gwirtz has 56 stops.
The Colts picked up their first MOAC win last week, dispatching Marion Harding 14-13. Clear Fork boasts a balanced rushing attack as Porter Schmidt, Nick Appleman and Mason Sansom leading the charge. Schmidt has gained 238 yards and three touchdowns on 75 carries, while Appleman has 237 yards on 71 attempts. Sanson has a team-high six rushing TDs and 225 yards on 57 carries. Senior receiver Jay Jackson has a team-high 22 catches for 244 yards. Quarterback Marcus Hoeflich has completed 35-of-70 passes for 412 yards and two TDs. Defensively, linebacker Devyn Oswalt paces the squad with 66 tackles. Sansom has a team-high 10 tackles for loss, while defensive end Ben Campbell leads the Colts with five sacks.
Crestview (3-4, 3-1) at St. Paul (3-4, 3-1), Saturday
The Cougars have won three straight by a combined score of 148-6 after last week’s 34-0 win at Plymouth. The run-heavy offensive attack is led by Ayden Reymer, who has compiled 415 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries. Bransen Hider has gained 321 yards and three TDs on 53 attempts and Gavin Barker has 301 yards and a team-high seven TDs on 36 carries. Quarterback Liam Kuhn has completed 52-of-95 passes for 713 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for four TDs. Tyson Ringler leads the receiving corps with 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Karter Goon has 11 receptions for 190 yards and two TDs, while Barker has 10 catches for 148 yards. Ringler paces the defense with 54 tackles. Barker has two sacks, seven tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions.
St. Paul has won three of its past four games after dropping thee straight to start the season. Landon Fries rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns on six carries and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Grant Kuhnle in last week’s 55-0 win over New London. Kuhnle completed 4-of-7 passes for 55 yards.