It will be last football game Friday for many Licking County all-stars
HEBRON ― John Poulnott did not get to coach his son Stewart one last time at Lakewood. The senior lineman had to miss the season-ending home win against Utica with injury.
As fate would have it, however, Licking County's annual all-star grudge match with Muskingum Valley came calling, and the Lancers' head coach answered. Father and son will get that final opportunity together after all when the 41st game in the series is played at 7 p.m. Friday at Heath's Swank Field.
"It was the main reason I agreed to coach in this game, because I wanted that opportunity," Poulnott said. "Just to have that whistle in my hand the last time he's on the field. It was a little disheartening, that the win happened on Senior Night without him, so now he gets another chance to go out with a win. We do not want to go down another game in this series."
The locals had a chance to square things at 20-20 last year, but Muskingum rallied for 10 points in the final three minutes for a stunning 24-23 victory at Tri-Valley and a 21-19 series edge.
The younger Poulnott will attend Ohio State-Newark, majoring in cyber security, with hopes of eventually transferring to the University of Cincinnati. So this game also means a lot more to him.
"I did not get to experience that win like everyone else did," Stewart said. "He (his dad) was a very good offensive lineman, and he knows the position very well. This is all about coming together and wanting to do it. It's been about adapting to new people and getting over the boundaries we had during the season."
Some of the rivalry remains.
"We've been preparing well. I'll probably be rotating in at center with (Licking Valley's) Evan Fee, but it's been a fight," Stewart said.
Another center, Newark Catholic's Tanner Wert, will likely be in his last game as well, and it will be on the defensive side of the ball. It's another chance for him and Green Wave teammate Kyle Langenbrunner to get back on the field, after they both missed chunks of NC's Final Four run, Wert with mononucleosis and Langenbrunner with injuries.
"I was hesitant about it (playing again) at first, as far as how well we would all get along," said Wert, who will attend University of Alabama-Birmingham and major in mechanical engineering. "But it's been really fun, and I'm definitely glad I did. Coach (Ryan) Aiello told me how special this game is, and he was right. I haven't gotten that much opportunity on the defensive line, since freshman and sophomore year, but I love defense and I'm excited about it."
Langenbrunner, who will continue his career at Baldwin-Wallace, is healthy and ready to show what he can do at wide receiver and in the secondary.
"It feels great to be out here, and I know so many of these guys," he said. "It's exciting to be a part of this team. Obviously, we want to win. We've always had pride in the LCL and in this county. Some people didn't come out, but we still have a lot of talent across the board."
Dual-threat quarterbacks Deuce Caldwell of Licking Heights and Lane Hess of Northridge will trigger an offense that includes Granville twins Matt and Mikey Chaykowski at running back and wideout, respectively, along with Blue Aces' teammate Miles Eckenrode, Valley's Ayden Stalnaker and Langenbrunner. Licking has excellent size in the trenches.
"We'll try to get them all involved, and play to their strengths," coach Poulnott said. "Deuce and Hess both have a lot of athleticism and can run the ball. The chemistry with our kids has been good, and that's always important."
Newark's trio of Trey Robinson (secondary) and linebackers Max Durbin and Calvin Untied will be key players on the Licking defense, which goes up against a Muskingum offense featuring New Lexington's trio of quarterback Lukas Ratliff, running back Hunter Rose and wideout Tatem Toth. New Lex's coaching staff is in charge of Muskingum. West Muskingum's Ty Shawger is an outstanding two-way player, at running back and linebacker.
Tickets for the game must be purchased online at https://lclathletics.hometownticketing.com/embed/all, and parking at Heath will cost $3.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: It will be last football game Friday for many Licking County all-stars
