ONTARIO — Galion’s defense flexed its grit Friday night.
One week after giving up 45 points to Shelby, the Tigers (4-1, 1-1 MOAC) spoiled Ontario’s Homecoming game by pitching a 7-0 shutout in Week 5.
But Galion coach Matt Dick said there is still room for improvement.
“There’s a lot of things that just weren’t good, both coaches and some assignments,” he said. “But when you play great defense it always keeps you in the game.
“We’re lucky we played great defense.”
The game’s lone score came 30 seconds into the second quarter as Galion’s Sam Evans rushed into the end zone from five yards. Both the Tigers and Ontario (2-3, 0-2 MOAC) had opportunities inside the in the second half, but penalties and turnovers largely halted those drives.
Now halfway through the regular season, Dick said some of the wear and tear from the past four weeks has crept in a bit.
The Tigers battled St. Marys Memorial, Carey, Norwalk and Shelby entering Friday’s matchup with Ontario.
“It’s just a lot of big teams (to play),” he said. “Maybe we were feeling it a little bit on Monday and licking our wounds a little bit and I think that carries over through the week.
“But I will say hats off to our kids. I felt like Monday wasn’t great. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday we did have good practices. We just didn’t execute on offense (tonight).
“We’ll go back, watch the film and put our kids in better positions.”
Below are photos from Friday night’s game. The story continues below.
Tigers taking season week-by-week
While not dismissing that a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title is a goal for Galion this season, Dick said his program is focused on going 1-0 every week.
“Any team in the MOAC can beat you on any given night,” he said. “I really believe that. I’ve seen that many years, where we’ve had huge upsets.”
After five weeks, Shelby and Clear Fork sit atop the conference — both 2-0 in MOAC play.
Then it gets interesting. Galion, River Valley, Highland and Marion Harding each have .500 records in conference games this season.
The Tigers will host Highland next week, seeking to avoid a second conference loss. Ontario will have an opportunity to earn its first MOAC win of the season when the Warriors host Marion Pleasant next Friday.
While every remaining game this season will impact how Galion fares in the conference title chase, Dick said his team is keeping its focus on the immediate opponent in front of them.
“They’re (Tigers) a really tight-knit unit and they’re going to fight until the end,” he said.
Below are photos of Ontario High School’s 2025 Homecoming Court.
Below are photos of the halftime performances from the Galion High School and Ontario High School marching bands.
