LANCASTER — Heading into Week 3 of the high school football season, teams should be starting to find their identity, as far as what they do best on both sides of the ball.
Five teams picked up wins in Week 1, but only two teams — Fisher Catholic and Fairfield Christian Academy — won last week. The Irish are the lone area team with a 2-0 mark. Lancaster, Bloom-Carroll, FCA, Liberty Union, and Berne Union stand at 1-1, while Amanda-Clearcreek, Fairfield Union, and Millersport are still searching for their first win of the season.
Here is a closer look at last week and ahead to Week 3.
Irish are flying high thanks to outstanding defense
Fisher Catholic’s defense has played at a different level in the first two games of the season. The Irish have forced nine turnovers, including six interceptions, with three of them being returned for touchdowns. Sam Tencza returned one for 53 yards in the Irish’s first game of the season in a 47-12 win over Belpre, and last week they had three fumble recoveries.
In a 35-6 win against Tuscarawas Central Catholic in Week 2, Austin Brown returned an interception 59 yards for a score, and Leo Hampshire had a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown. Joey Ellis also had an interception. Fisher Catholic’s offense is averaging 41 points per game.
The Irish’s win in Week 1 marked their first opening-season win since 2019. They will look to make it three in a row when they host Portsmouth Notre Dame on Saturday at Fulton Field.
Golden Gales look to right the ship
A week after winning by a point, 21-20 at Hilliard Darby in Week 1, the Gales suffered a heartbreaking 41-40 loss at home against Dublin Scioto. Lancaster had a chance to seal the deal in the final two minutes, but was unable to, which allowed the Irish to drive for the winning score with only 37 seconds remaining.
Lancaster’s new-look offense has been solid in the first two weeks by putting a combined 62 points on the scoreboard. Leading the way a week ago was junior running back Jahmeir Gordon, who finished with 170 yards rushing on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Brody Burke has proven to be a dual threat as he passed for 124 yards and rushed for 64 more on 15 carries.
Senior Drew Whitlach is a weapon and probably needs to get more touches because good things happen when the ball is in his hands. He caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.
Lancaster has a golden opportunity to get back on track before entering league play in two weeks. The Gales will host Marysville on Friday, Teays Valley on Sept. 12, before traveling to Groveport on Sept. 19 to begin Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division play.
Bulldogs looking to find their groove
After opening the season with a 20-7 win over Chillicothe, the Bulldogs traveled to Teays Valley in Week 2 and lost 14-0. It marked Bloom-Carroll’s first shutout loss since Oct. 16, 2015 — a loss at Hamilton Township and a streak of 116 games.
This week’s games
Friday
Marysville (1-1) at Lancaster (1-1)
Bloom-Carroll (1-1) at Jonathan Alder (2-0
Amanda-Clearcreek (0-2) at Zane Trace (2-0)
Fairfield Union (0-2) at Fairland (1-1)
Meigs (0-2) at Liberty Union (1-1)
Lakewood (0-2) at Berne Union (1-1)
Millersport (0-2) at Federal Hocking (1-1)
Fairfield Christian Academy (1-1) at East Clinton (0-2)
Saturday
Portsmouth Notre Dame (2-0) at Fisher Catholic (2-0)
Last week’s results
Dublin Scioto 41, Lancaster 40
Teays Valley 14, Bloom-Carroll 0
Colonel Crawford 28, Fairfield Union 14
Licking Valley 28, Amanda-Clearcreek 14
Fisher Catholic 35, Tuscarawas Central Catholic 8
North Union 44, Liberty Union 14
Fairfield Christian Academy 27, Oak Hill 14
Trimble 34, Berne Union 0
Conotton Valley 46, Millersport 8
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: H.S. Football Notebook: Fisher Catholic’s defense has sparked the Irish to a 2-0 start
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
