COLUMBUS (AP) — Vanlue needed every one of A.J. Reed’s 59 rushes to pull off a memorable 30-26 victory against rival Arcadia on Friday.
Reed, a 5-feet-9, 165-pound senior, scored on a third-and-goal from the 1 for a 28-26 lead with 18 seconds left then ran in his third two-point conversion of the game. He had 296 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats (2-3) ended a 51-game losing streak in the Blanchard Valley Conference.
“This is the best feeling ever. I just wanted to do it for my team,” Reed told The (Findlay) Courier.
According to National Federation of State High School Association records, Reed’s 59 carries are the ninth-most in history. However, the Ohio High School Athletic Association website lists Cameron Campeau of Kettering Fairmont as having a state-record 63 rushes vs. Springfield South on Oct. 8, 2004. Campeau’s mark, which would tie for No. 2 all-time nationally, is not noted by NFHS.org.
Nonetheless, Reed’s night was impressive, especially since he rushed 24 times in the fourth quarter.
“I didn’t know how much we gave it to him. All I know is we were gaining yards when we did give it to him,” said Vanlue coach Jeremy Kloepfer. “We weren’t going to go away from that.”
Vanlue, in the Northwest District, has only 44 boys in grades 9-12 and started the season with 18 players on the team before injuries reduced the roster to 16.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Van Buren’s Tyler Saltzman, after fielding a bad snap on an extra point try, completed a 2-point conversion pass to Justin Parker to give the Black Knights a 42-40 overtime win over Bascom Hopewell-Loudon. . Leipsic’s Dylan Schroeder passed 5 yards to Grant Schroeder with 33 seconds left as the Vikings beat Pandora-Gilboa 21-17. . Findlay Liberty-Benton got a game-winning field goal from Heaster Eli in the final minutes to earn a 34-32 win over Mt. Blanchard Riverdale.
Troy (4-1) suffered its first loss when Miamisburg (4-1) sophomore QB Tate Vongsy connected with Tyler Johnson on a game-winning 19-yard TD toss with eight seconds left. . Spencerville’s Damon Blair hit a 25-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Bearcats a 44-41 win over Convoy Crestview. . Ryan Harter’s two fourth-quarter touchdowns helped Celina to a 28-20 win over Defiance. It’s the third time this season the Bulldogs won a game in the fourth quarter or overtime.
FAST STARTS
Defiance Ayersville scored 41 points in the first quarter of a 68-13 win over Antwerp. The period featured defensive touchdowns by Ethan Schlachter (31-yard interception return) and Dakota Schweitzer (17-yard fumble return). . Hicksville scored 12 points before Edgerton ran an offensive play, and the Aces handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 27-24.
NOTABLE
Dylan Thobe rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown and passed for another as Coldwater defeated St. Henry for the 21st straight time in the annual Backyard Battle. The Redskins last beat the Cavaliers in 1996. . Franklin improved to 5-0 behind junior quarterback/running back Ryan Montgomery. He finished with 361 yards of offense, including 262 on the ground, while running for four touchdowns and throwing a TD pass in a 41-8 victory over previously unbeaten Germantown Valley View. . Defiance Tinora senior kicker Marcus Reeves made his second 50-yard field goal of the season in a 38-7 victory over Holgate. . Thanks to the exploits of quarterback Demetrius Brown, Columbus West is 5-0 for the first time in history. Brown rushed for 392 yards on 37 carries with five touchdowns and completed 5 of 6 passes for 203 yards and a pair of scores in a 53-44 victory over Columbus Walnut Ridge. . Alonzo Booth rushed for 320 yards on 20 carries with five touchdowns for undefeated and top-ranked (Division III) Columbus DeSales in a 49-17 win over Kentucky power Covington Catholic.
Senior running back Michael Warren carried 35 times for 270 yards and five touchdowns to lead Toledo Central Catholic to a 49-28 victory over Toledo Whitmer. Warren, a Toledo commit, scored on runs of 17, 4, 5, 14 and 3 yards as the Fighting Irish (5-0), ranked second in Division III, built a 42-14 halftime lead. At his current pace, Warren would finish the regular season with 6,689 career yards, which would rank him 12th in Ohio history, and 100 TDs, which would put him ninth. . Jefferson and Girard combined for 1,027 yards in Friday’s 50-40 victory for Jefferson. Jeremiah Knight had 369 yards rushing on 28 carries and five touchdowns for Jefferson. Girard’s Mark Waid accounted for 472 yards — 321 through the air and 151 on the ground with six touchdowns (four rushing, two passing).
RAM TOUGH
Trotwood-Madison (4-1) played its second straight game without injured standout junior running back Raveion Hargrove (thigh bruise). In his place freshman William McDaniel rushed for 100-plus yards for the third straight week in a 44-0 blanking of Greenville. Last year, Hargrove posted Ohio’s No. 8 all-time best single-season performance with 3,039 yards rushing (in 13 games) and 41 touchdowns.
LIKE OLD TIMES
Following the 2013 season, Bill Inselmann stepped down as the Hamler Patrick Henry coach after a 23-year career that included a Division V state championship in 2005 and a 200-64 record. He came out retirement when the job opened up this season and he’s guided the Patriots, third in the Division VI poll, to a 5-0 start that includes wins over No. 8 Liberty Center (4-1) and Spencerville (4-1).
