Week 7 Roundup: River Valley shakes up MOAC with upset of Shelby

rob mccurdy, marion star

Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 3:38 AM·5 min read

CALEDONIA — River Valley shook up the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Friday night during homecoming.

The Vikings (3-4, 2-2) upset Shelby 28-24 in the final seconds of the football game, giving the Whippets their first loss in the league and knocking them out of a first-place tie with Ontario.

River Valley quarterback Chase Ebert found Eli Snyder for an 18-yard pass play with 10 seconds left to lift the squad the come-from-behind victory.

RV scored first on a 33-yard touchdown gallop by Treyton Mercer, and Ebert's 10-yard score right before halftime, put the Vikes up 14-7. Shelby (5-2, 3-1) tied it with a touchdown and then took the lead with a 30-yard field goal in the third period.

Mercer scored a second touchdown from 20 yards for a 21-17 lead, but with 2:55 left in the game, the Whippets took a 24-21 lead, setting up the dramatic final moments.

Mercer finished with 104 rushing yards on 16 carries, while Ebert was 18-for-37 passing for 144 yards. Keyan Shidone was the top RV receiver with six receptions for 49 yards.

Marion Harding 35, Clear Fork 7

The Presidents (3-4, 2-2) won their second straight game for the first time this season, taking the road encounter at Clear Fork (1-6, 0-4) in the MOAC.

Harding's Marquis Long returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown, while Raymond Scott-Harbolt had six receptions for 88 yards and three scores, and Daylen Boler ran nine times for 81 yards and a TD. Alex Stokes was 13 of 22, throwing for 168 yards and the three TDs, while Keonte Scott had three catches for 67 yards. The Prexies limited the Colts to 140 total yards.

More: GALLERY: Marion Harding at Clear Fork Football

Galion 23, Highland 21

Galion (5-2, 2-2) scored 20 points in the second quarter and added a 28-yard field goal when trailing 21-20 in the second half to pull off the MOAC win over Highland (4-3, 1-3).

Kolton Stover paced the Scots' attack by completing 20 of 38 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Kadyn Reichenbach made six receptions for 156 yards and a 54-yard score, while Ladon Hayes caught the other TD pass from 27 yards. Dane Nauman ran 19 times for 96 yards and a 38-yard touchdown for Highland, while Hayden Kline picked off a pass, and Kane Stover led with six tackles.

Look here: Gallery: Ridgedale handles North Baltimore in NWCC football

Ontario 45, Pleasant 14

Ontario (7-0, 4-0) led 21-0 at halftime, but Pleasant (4-3, 2-2) tried to rally in the third period, cutting it to 28-14 on a pair of Owen Lowry to Alex Columber TD passes from 31 and 42 yards away. Ontario responded with 17 unanswered points to finish the MOAC game.

North Union 39, Northwestern 6

The North Union (2-5, 1-1) defense limited Northwestern (2-5, 0-2) to 184 yards in the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division game.

Nolan Draper picked off two passes for the Wildcats, while Tyler Krebehenne had an interception and a fumble recovery, and Henry Hayward made eight tackles. On offense, Carter Skaggs was 11-for-14 passing for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Griffin Osborne caught five balls for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Caden Potts caught three for 86 yards and two TDs.

Marion Harding's Connor Pennington celebrates Raymond Scott-Harbolt's touchdown catch against Clear Fork Friday night.

Northmor 27, East Knox 6

Northmor's Caleb Schnuerer kicked field goals of 32 and 40 yards, and Jax Wenger produced three touchdowns out of seven receptions for 106 yards in the key Knox Morrow Athletic Conference victory over East Knox (4-3, 3-1).

For the Golden Knights (5-2, 3-1), A.J. Bower was 18 of 28 passing for 255 yards and the three TDs, and Bo Landin had three catches for 83 yards. The defense held the Bulldogs to 184 yards and 10 first downs.

Centerburg 28, Mount Gilead 11

Mount Gilead (2-5, 0-4) cut the lead to 7-3 at halftime on a Jacapo Magistri field goal, but the Trojans (4-3, 3-1) pulled away in the second half of the KMAC game.

Cole Fricke ran 24 times for 92 yards and threw 11 times for five completions and 80 yards for the Indians, while Eliot Jones rushed for 65 yards on 15 carries and the team's lone touchdown. Logan High caught three for 60 yards.

Danville 61, Cardington 21

The Blue Devils (7-0, 4-0) remain atop the KMAC after the win over Cardington (1-6, 0-4).

Journey Williamson hit Kalin Briggs for touchdown passes of 29 and 38 yards, and Wyatt Denney scored on a 59-yard run for the Pirates.

rmccurdy@gannett.com

419-610-0998

X, formerly Twitter, @McMotorsport

Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star

VOTE: Marion Star Football Player of Week 7

Ridgedale's Nathan Thiel finished with 146 yards rushing and 91 yards receiving with three touchdowns scored in a win over North Baltimore.
North Union's Carter Skaggs completed 11 of 14 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Northwestern.
River Valley's Eli Snyder caught an 18-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to lift his team to a win over Shelby.
Highland's Kolton Stover was 20 of 38 passing for 314 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Galion.
Marion Harding's Marquis Long returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in a win over Clear Fork.
Northmor's Jax Wenger made seven catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns in a win over East Knox.
Voting continues at MarionStar.com and its app through early Tuesday morning.
In last week's poll, River Valley's Treyton Mercer, who scored two touchdowns in a loss to Marion Harding, earned 867 of 2,614 votes to win it (33 percent). Other nominees were Marion Harding's Keonte Scott, Elgin's Quentin Harrison, Northmor's Paul Cramer and North Union's Nolan Draper.