ONTARIO — Ontario coach Aaron Eckert has an embarrassment of riches in his quarterback room.

With Gavin Miller sitting out for precautionary reasons and Sean Tanner on the sidelines after a hard hit, Eckert turned to junior Trey Remy during the second half of Friday’s 27-12 win over Marion Harding.

The 6-foot-5 Remy, who threw for 724 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore, tossed a game-clinching 26-yard touchdown pass to Cardae Brown in the fourth quarter as the Warriors remained unbeaten.

Remy had a 39-yard reception from his tight end spot earlier in the game and rushed for about 20 yards on QB keepers after relieving Tanner. 

“I was kind of all over,” Remy said. “Most of it wasn’t expected but you’ve got to step up when your name is called.”

In addition to his offensive contributions, Remy made several tackles from his defensive end spot and on special teams.

“It’s a luxury. We’ve got a kid in Trey Remy who played quarterback for us all year last year,” Eckert said. “He’s probably a next-level tight end and we’re trying to do him justice by giving him looks at tight end and defensive end.

“The kid’s a stud.”

Ground and Pound

The Warriors (7-0, 4-0 Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference) relied heavily on the ground game Friday night.

Junior running back Max Ciroli did most of the heavy lifting, rushing for 151 yards on 23 carries. Zane Curry ran for an 11-yard score while Tanner had a pair of first-half rushing TDs.

“Our goal coming into the game was to be able to run the ball, then take shots when we needed to,” Eckert said. “Shout-out to Max Ciroli and the offensive line and Zane Curry. They did a heck of a job tonight.”

Tanner’s 4 yard keeper gave Ontario a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter, before Curry’s 11-yarder made it 14-6 midway through the second. Tanner’s second rushing TD, this one from 9 yards out, gave the Warriors a 20-6 halftime lead.

Rugged Defense

Marion Harding (4-3, 2-2) came in averaging 331.2 yards a game, but had a hard time sustaining drives against Ontario’s stout defense.

“That team has got a lot of talent,” Eckert said. “I know they’re young, but they’re going to win some more ball games this year.”

Brown picked off his MOAC-leading fifth pass late in the game.

“That team has got some talented receivers and we stayed with them and locked them down,” Eckert said. “I liked the way our defensive backs played today for sure.”

Game of the Year

The Warriors will visit Shelby next week in the de facto MOAC championship game. The Whippets (7-0, 4-0) beat Clear Fork 28-21 on Friday night.

“It’s one of those things where … you’ve got to get there to make it mean something,” Eckert said. “Our guys have done a pretty good job of staying focused and competing against the team they’re playing that week.

“For us it’s about doing our job, competing and playing the team we’re playing and not looking down the road.”