Licking County League-Cardinal
Heath (D-IV)
2020 Record: 7-2 (5-0)
Offense: 33.0 PPG (12th in area)
Defense: 17.6 PPG Allowed (33rd in area)
Key Players: Ar'Moni McCrae, RB; Keylan Williams, TE/DE/WR; Reece Huber, WR/DB; Brayden Bayles, QB; Mitch McClain, WR/DB; Huntyr Butler, DE; Gavin Postelwaite, DT; Ashton Snedeker, DT
Game to Watch: Week 5 vs. Zanesville
The Bulldogs of Heath High School enjoyed impressive success last year going undefeated in conference play winning the conference title in the process.
Coach Tim Ward said that his team’s focus in the offseason has been to simplify his schemes and allow his players to play quicker and with more conviction.
“The big focus of this summer has been simplifying the system and creating a more uniform verbiage within our program,” Ward said. “We feel this will allow our guys to play faster and with more confidence.”
One crucial game for the Bulldogs will be their Week 5 game versus Zainesville as this will give them a chance to defeat a competitive non-conference opponent that they were shutout by last year.
Ward said he is just happy that his team will be back on the field come Week 1 and is looking forward to the excitement high school football will bringin 2021.
“I am just glad that we did not have to bring our players in pods over the summer,” Ward said. “There is an excitement in the air this year that was missing last year.”
Johnstown (D-V)
2020 Record: 6-5 (3-1)
Offense: 26.1 PPG (41st in area)
Defense: 22.7 PPG Allowed (55th in area)
Key Players: Garrett Grinstead, DE; Nathan Sheets, RB; Justin Larochelle, TE; Joe Sahr, QB; Cayden Rigio, G
Game to Watch:Week 10 @ Heath
The Johnnies of Johnstown-Monroe produced a winning season in 2020 going 6-5 overall with a 3-1 record in the LCC-Cardinal.
They averaged 26.1 points per game which was second in the division behind Heath whose average was 33 points.
The Johnnies also finished one spot behind Heath in the LCC-Cardinal standings by just one game.
That one game ended up being Johnstown Monroe’s Week 4 loss against Heath.
This season the Johnnies will look to repeat their winning record but extend it to include a win against Heath to possibly ensure the top spot in the conference.
Newark Catholic (D-VII)
2020 Record: 8-4 (3-2)
Offense: 28.6 PPG (29th in area)
Defense: 11.7 PPG Allowed (8th in area)
Key Players: Brandon Buchanan, WR; Cole Canter, QB; Chance Brooks, MLB; Elijah Wallace, OLB
Game to Watch: Week 7 vs. Johnstown-Monroe
The Green Wave of Newark Catholic enjoyed a decent 3-3 regular season last year before making an impressive run all the way to the state semifinals where they were finally defeated by the top-seeded John F. Kennedy Catholic High School.
Building off of that momentum Coach Ryan Aiello said that his team is filled with skilled upperclassmen that will help the team possibly reach even further into the postseason.
“We have another tremendous group of seniors who will all be playing important roles this year,” Aiello said. “We have a great junior class that will fill in some key areas.”
Week 7 against Johnston-Monroe will be crucial for the Green Wave as they fell to the Johnnies by just three points in an overtime game last season.
Newark Catholic will look for revenge and also to show just how much they have grown by winning in this late-season game.
Aiello said that he is looking forward to the regular season being normal yet again and is glad with how his team is playing heading into Week 1.
“It's exciting to have a normal routine again,” Aiello said. “I am happy with our progress to this point but we know we have to take advantage of each day to get better.”
Lakewood (D-IV)
2020 Record: 3-7 (2-2)
Offense: 18.4 PPG (73rd in area)
Defense: 35.9 PPG Allowed (103rd in area)
Key Players: Kaleb Hunt, TE; Nate Lee, TE; Kyle Letki, K; Brandon Allen, WR; Josh Hicks, RB; Mark Waters, T
Game to Watch: Week 5 vs. Ontario
The Lakewood Lancers struggled in 2020 on many fronts but especially their defense that ranked below 100th in the area.
This resulted in a 3-7 record and three shutout losses to three separate teams.
The 2021 version of this team has been working all offseason to improve on both defense and offense hoping that both might improve this year.
A game that will test this progress is in Week 5 against Ontario.
Ontario had an offense that ranked 15th in the area averaging 30.7 points per game last year.
This game will be a way to test how well the Lancers’ defense has improved since the 2020 season and if it can be placed next to the impressive defenses of fellow LCC-Cardinal members Heath and Johnstown Monroe.
Northridge (D-VI)
2020 Record: 2-8 (1-4)
Offense: 16.1 PPG (79th in area)
Defense: 37.1 PPG Allowed (104th in area)
Key Players: James Kalas, DE; J.D. Miller, RB; Brody Booher, FB; Lane Hess, WR; Isaiah Hartman, TE
Game to Watch: Week 3 vs. Grandview Heights
Northridge began last season with fair success going 1-2 in its first three games.
However things quickly went down hill for the Vikings as they would lose all but one of their remaining games.
A crucial factor with this was the lack of home games Northridge had on their schedule.
Having to travel to most of their games, the Vikings hardly got to settle down for a home stint for more than a game.
The two home games they did have were losses to Heath and Johnstown-Monroe, the first and second best teams in the LCC-Cardinal.
So this year the Vikings will look to regroup with five home games this year starting in Week 3 against Grandview Heights.
Utica (D-V)
2020 Record: 0-10 (0-5)
Offense: 14.0 PPG (93rd in area)
Defense: 45.5 PPG Allowed (111th in area)
Key Players: Tyler Collura, RB; Dylan Cooperider, T; Hayden Shaver, T; Justin Giffin, WR
Game to Watch: Week 2 vs. Fredericktown
Utica had a rough 2020 like many Central Ohio teams and ended the year without winning a game.
Yet with a new season on the horizon, the Redskins can only go up from here in terms of that record.
Utica’s Week 2 game against Fredericktown will be an opportunity to show the progress they were able to make during the offseason.
A win so early on in the season would prove to both players and fans that this is a new Utica team that will redeem the flaws of last year’s winless season.
Licking County League-Buckeye
Licking Valley (D-IV)
2020 Record: 7-2 (4-0)
Offense: 28.6 PPG (30th in area)
Defense: 12.6 PPG Allowed (12th in area)
Key Players: Konner Compton, MLB; Brennen Antonsanti, DT; Colby Stough, TE;
Hayden Rodgers, QB
Game to Watch: Week 2 @ London
Licking Valley won the LCC-Buckeye title in 2020 behind a defense that allowed an average of less than 13 points per game.
The Panthers went on a six-game winning streak last season before losing in the third round of the playoffs to Bloom Carroll who also had a formidable defense that averaged less than 10 points per game.
This season Licking Valley will look to improve on offense and stay the course on defense on its way to retaining the conference title.
At the same time the Panthers will want to perform better out of the conference in the Division IV playoffs.
This is why their Week 2 game on the road versus London will be intriguing as the Red Raiders also fielded a defense that allowed less than 13 points per game last season.
This game will give Licking Valley important experience outside both their conference and division and show how they will fare among competitive teams in Ohio.
Granville (D-III)
2020 Record: 5-3 (3-1)
Offense: 29.3 PPG (23rd in area)
Defense: 20.3 PPG Allowed (43rd in area)
Key Players: Colin Sheehan, DE; Keith Claypool, C; Sean Sheehan, MLB; Carsyn Crouch, QB; Conner Buerkel, RB; Kam Wright, T
Game to Watch: Week 9 vs. Licking Valley
Granville’s 2020 started off slow with a 1-2 record in its first three games.
The Blue Aces then Caught fire winning the rest of the games in the regular season and postseason before losing to St. Francis Desales in the second round.
The Blue Aces proved effective on offenses scoring an average of 29.3 points per game which is good for 23rd in the area.
Granville will look to repeat that offensive output while trying to raise their ranking in the LCC-Buckeye.
The Blue Aces’ Week 9 matchup against the conference’s winner in 2020 Licking Valley will be important, especially considering Granville only lost this game by two points last year.
A Granville victory in this game would show immense offseason growth and the team’s determination to perform better.
Zanesville (D-III)
2020 Record: 4-6 (1-3)
Offense: 17.8 PPG (75th in area)
Defense: 19.1 PPG Allowed (40th in area)
Key Players: Jordan Martin, RB; Julian Jackson, C; Kanye Evans, DE; Conner Wade, OLB; Taysean Simpson, WR; Trey Whiteman, FB
Game to Watch: Week 3 vs. Tri-Valley
Zanesville’s 2020 season was moderately successful overall with a final record of 4-6.
This comes even though the Blue Devils only averaged about 18 points per game which is the lowest of anyone in the LCC-Buckeye.
Zanesville will look to improve on offense this season while staying steady with a defense that only allowed 19.1 points per game in 2020.
The team’s Week 3 matchup against Tri-Valley is a game to watch as it defeated Zanesville 31-13 in its final game last season.
The Blue Devils will look for redemption in this early-season game and, if redeemed with this win, will have an immense morale booster that will help them later in the year.
Watkins Memorial (D-II)
2020 Record: 4-4 (1-3)
Offense: 27.3 PPG (38th in area)
Defense: 27.3 PPG Allowed (80th in area)
Key Players: Jaleel Sales, RB/CB; Nate Younker, WR/FS; Liston Shroyer, QB; Brent Casterline, WR; Dominic Solomon, RB/DE; Anthony Knoblauch, G; Jacob Joyce, C
Game to Watch: Week 10 vs. Granville
The Warriors ended last season with an even record which is reflected in the team’s even margin of points per game and points allowed.
Coach Darren Waters hopes to break this equilibrium in his first season at Watkins Memorial.
Week 10 against Granville will be an important test for Waters and his team as the Warriors try to overcome a team that beat them by two possessions last year and won second place in the conference.
Waters said he is excited for the season to begin and for all of the games and chances that will come along with it.
“We are looking forward to the upcoming season and all of the opportunities and challenges ahead of us this year,” Water said.
Licking Heights (D-II)
2020 Record: 5-5 (1-3)
Offense: 19.8 PPG (68th in area)
Defense: 27.7 PPG Allowed (82nd in area)
Key Players: Deuce Caldwell, QB; Jacob Climer, WR; Chase Howard, OL; Sir Ford, LB; Jonah Hane, DB; Peary Shilot, DL
Game to Watch: Week 12 @ Licking Valley
The Hornets enjoyed moderate success last season against non-conference teams, yet they struggled in-conference only winning one game.
Coach Kevin Waaland said that he is optimistic about this season as his team looks to improve their record especially within their conference.
“We have had a great off season in the weightroom and should be a much stronger team this season,” Waaland said.
Waaland said that his team has been working heavily on the basics like blocking and tackling during the offseason.
The team has continued its spread offense scheme and especially focuses on creating mismatches in formation and personnel.
On the defensive side, Waaland said the Hornets will run a 4-2-5 formation with mixed man and zone coverages.
The Hornets’ last regular season game against Licking Valley will be especially crucial as the team first looks to take down their in-city rival while also showing that they can take down the best team in the conference last year.
All in all, Waaland said he is looking forward to the start of the regular season and seeing his team play.
“This close to the season I am of course feeling excited,” said Waaland. “I feel like this team is one full of competition and that should bring out the best in all of them.”