LEXINGTON — The Minutemen believed, even when nobody else did.
Lexington will play for an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship Friday at Ashland’s Community Stadium. A win over the unbeaten Arrows would lift the Minutemen into a tie for the conference crown, its first since 2016.
Not many people outside of Lexington expected the Minutemen to be in conference contention after three straight losses to open the season. Lex has won five of six since then.
“We’ve been through so much adversity as a team this year,” junior running back Markale Martin said after scoring the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds of last week’s 14-7 win over Madison. “It’s kind of always been Lex vs. the world.
“We put in so much work over the summer. I have full confidence in these guys.”
A win over the Arrows would also guarantee Lex of a spot in the Division III, Region 10 playoffs. The Minutemen are 12th in this week’s regional ratings.
“It’s going to be a big one,” Lex coach Andrew Saris said after last week’s win. “Let’s rally the troops and have a great week of practice. We’re going to go into Community Stadium next week with a chance to get an OCC championship.”
Lexington isn’t the only area team playing for its postseason life. Clear Fork needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. Here’s a look at the marquee matchups for Week 10:
Lexington (5-4, 4-1) at Ashland (9-0, 5-0)
Junior quarterback Joe Caudill had another strong showing in last week’s come-from-behind win over Madison. He completed 19-of-35 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 67 yards on 18 carries. For the season, Caudill has completed 122-of-222 passes for 1,503 yards and 13 touchdowns. Brayden Fogle leads a talented receiving corps with 39 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns. Seven Allen has 34 receptions for 465 yards and five TDs and Gage Powell has 22 grabs for 247 yards and three TDs. Camden Boozer leads the defense with 85 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss. Markale Martin has 78.5 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions.
The Arrows took another step toward their first unbeaten regular season since 2006 with a 24-14 win at Wooster. Quarterback Nathan Bernhard threw for 156 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 160 yards and a score. The All-Ohio candidate has completed 125-of-212 passes for 2,013 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 900 yards and 17 TDs on 138 carries. Bernhard’s favorite target is Gabe Baith, who has 41 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns. Killian O’Brien has 23 receptions for 551 yards and six TDs and Dakota Kruty has 16 catches for 302 yards and four TDs. Gunner Lacey leads the defense with 95 tackles and 25 tackles for loss. Gavin Hoffman leads the team with nine sacks. Josh Ingani has three of Ashland’s 10 interceptions.
River Valley (5-4, 3-3) at Clear Fork (3-6, 2-4)
The Vikings already have clinched a playoff berth in Division IV, Region 14 thanks in no small part to the play of All-Ohio quarterback Chase Ebert. The senior signal-caller leads the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 23 touchdown passes and has completed 202-of-406 passes for 2,474 yards. He’s also rushed for 533 yards and five TDs on 110 carries. Wideout Eli Snyder leads the MOAC with 64 receptions for 742 yards and six TDs. Luke Axline and Carter Park each have 35 catches. Axline and Kolton Lang each have six TD receptions. Defensively, Tyson Waddle ranks first in the MOAC with 128 tackles and Lang is tied for the MOAC lead with four interceptions. River Valley has given up a conference-high 1,922 rushing yards, allowing 213.6 yards a game.
Clear Fork needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Colts are 15th in Region 14 of Division IV and would likely sneak into the postseason with a victory. Ball security has been an issue for Clear Fork all season. The Colts have turned the ball over 17 times and rank last in the MOAC in turnover ratio at minus-nine. Quarterback Marcus Hoeflich had a breakout game in last week’s 41-7 win over Highland, completing 11-of-13 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Devyn Oswalt had four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Jay Jackson had four grabs for 78 yards and a score. Jackson has 33 catches for 468 yards and four TDs on the year. Porter Schmidt leads Clear Fork’s ground attack with 313 yards and three TDs on 92 carries. Mason Sansom has eight rushing touchdowns. Linebacker Devyn Oswalt leads Clear Fork with 76 tackles. Sansom has a team-high 11 tackles for loss, while defensive end Ben Campbell has a team-best five sacks.