Harvest Prep, West Jefferson, Newark Catholic aim for finals
Three central Ohio teams play in the high school state football semifinals on Saturday. Here are the previews:
Division V: Prep (10-2) vs. Versailles (13-1), 7 p.m. Saturday at London Bowlus Field
With a spot in a state semifinal on the line, second-seeded Harvest Prep overcame a 14-point deficit and offensive inconsistencies to get past fifthseeded Wheelersburg 20-17 last week.
The Pirates brought a large and loud fan base to the game, creating an atmosphere similar to what Warriors coach Milan Smith believes his team might face when it plays Versailles.
Versailles was the fifth seed in Region 20 and beat third-seeded Camden Preble Shawnee 28-0.
“Our guys have got to get comfortable playing in these environments,” Smith said. “It’s not going to get any easier. The environment is going to get even tougher.”
Versailles has won six state titles, with the last coming in 2003. Harvest Prep won Division VII regional titles in 2016 and ’19 but lost in the state semifinals both seasons.
One of the biggest reasons the Warriors have gotten this far is the play of senior running back Jaylen Jennings, who was a key contributor in 2019 as a running back, quarterback and defensive back before missing a 15-12 loss to Lucas in last year’s state semifinal because of injury.
He missed four regular-season games this fall but had one of his best games against Wheelersburg, rushing for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.
Versailles held Shawnee running back Hunter Crockett, the Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year, to 48 yards on 14 carries and quarterback Brayden Doran to 63 yards on 21 carries. It also forced two first-half turnovers to set the tone.
— Jarrod Ulrey
Division Vi:west Jefferson (13-1) vs Coldwater (12-2), 7 p.m. Saturday at Piqua Alexander Stadium
West Jefferson and Coldwater are nearly two hours away from each other, but the familiarity they have makes the distance between them not seem as far.
In West Jefferson’s first appearance in a state semifinal under coach Shawn Buescher in 2013, when both teams were in Division V, Coldwater won 35-10 and then beat Hartley 24-7 to capture its fourth state championship.
Coldwater has won three more state titles since, including last season. During the Cavaliers’ run a year ago, they beat West Jefferson 42-7.
“They’re one of the elite programs in the state of Ohio,” Buescher said. “We know we have a huge challenge in front of us. They’ve got a great coach who
does a great job with his kids, and we’re excited to have a chance to compete against them.”
In his 20th season, Buescher hopes to lead his program to a state final for the first time since 1982, when the Roughriders won the Division IV title. Their other championship was in Class A in 1976.
— Jarrod Ulrey
Division Vii:newark Catholic (13-1) vs. Warren John F Kennedy (10-2), 7 p.m. Saturday at Marlington Stadium, Alliance
Newark Catholic had to dig deep, outscoring Shadyside 21-0 in the second half last week to earn a 35-20 victory and repeat as Division VII, Region 27 champion.
“We’re a second-half team,” said junior running back Mason Hackett. “We knew we did not play our best football in the first half. But we came out with confidence in the second half.”
Warren JFK rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit to shock Dalton 20-13 in overtime last week.
That sets up a rematch with Newark Catholic looking for revenge after falling 20-13 to Warren JFK at this point a year ago.
“I’ve been looking forward to playing them all year,” senior linebacker Elijah Wallace said. “And now that we are, I know that we are going to come out ready to play and hustle every play.”
— Kurt Snyder