09/18/2026
Woo hoo, it’s finally Friday…
We head into week five of the Ohio high school football season, which seems crazy that after tonight, we are at the midpoint of the regular season.
The Whippets overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Galion 31-14. There are many verbs I could use to describe what the Buckeyes did in Texas last Saturday but since this is a family-oriented page, I’ll just say they blew a 20 point 4th quarter lead and lost 24-23. Everyone wants to blame Ryan Day, well, I’ll say this, catch a pass, hit a wide open guy across the seam, make a field goal….
The Browns, well, that was so bad they made mowing the grass while listening to Kid Rock seem more enjoyable than watching that clown show…I did mow the grass, but I’d never listen to that turd, Kid Rock. No worries, 16-1 and the path to the Super Bowl is still….nevermind. This year is hopeless, yet I’ll still be in front of the TV for at least the first half of every game. It’s like getting kicked in testicles every Sunday, then asking for another the following week. Let’s be real, Baker Mayfield would love nothing more than to drop 50 on the Brownies this Sunday. Buckle up, this could be 2017 all over again.
I read the Swift’s house near Cleveland had to put out warning speakers to deter unwanted guests (I swear it wasn’t me) from stalking the home.
The Tribe (as I write this) is a half game up on the White Sox for first place in the absolutely brutal AL Central. A three game above .500 team is in first place, yuck. The Tribe, who is in first place, does not have a hitter batting .300. My Braves are in first place with a much better record has no one batting .300. I’ll show my age, but it wasn’t that long ago the .400 was the goal.
A quick Whippets weekly recap. The volleyball team lost in straight sets to Pleasant on Tuesday. To add, Pleasant is a projected D5 final four team. The golf team had a little bit of a down day at a tough Deer Ridge course for MOAC #4 tournament. Those guys are hard workers and will get things straightened out before Thursday’s sectional. The tennis team dropped a close match to Ashland on Monday before sweeping Clear Fork on Tuesday then dropped a 5-0 decision at Ontario. The soccer lost to Clear Fork on Tuesday and will host Upper on Satruday (1:30PM). Cross Country ran in the ultra-competitive Tiffin Carnival last Saturday and heads to Galion tomorrow.
MOAC games (plus Leipsic) started last week and I went 3-2. How about Pleasant boat racing RV 48-13..I might’ve gotten the pick wrong, but anytime I can say a team boat raced RV, it’s a good day. My other incorrect pick was doubting the Warriors, who slowed down CF for a 17-7 win. Harding scored with 12 seconds to go to beat Highland or I would’ve been below .500. For the second week in a row, Leipsic was up 40 in the second quarter, clocking Arlington 55-0.
This week we’re going outside of Shelby for our guest picker. Are you ready for this…we have high school baseball coaching legend, Donnie Kline as our guest picker this week. Coach Kline is Highland’s varsity baseball coach and the caretaker of the most well-manicured grass baseball field in the area. Donnie has established himself as one of the finest and most respected baseball coaches in the state and was gracious enough to send in his pick. In true Coach Kline style (he’s never at a loss for words), Donnie sent in a dissertation that will outdo anything I’ve ever written. But we’ll save the best for last.
Now onto the picks….
I preface this by I know I have a few Fighting Scot faithful reading this morning so to explain, I pick the Leipsic game because my daughter in law, who is actually my favorite child according to the shirt she bought me, is from Leipsic, so I pick the Viking’s game each week as well as the MOAC games . So we’re going to start off with Leipsic hosting cross county rival Pandora-Gilboa…yes, the town that has the majestic Gilboa Bull. The Vikings head into week 5 with an undefeated record while PG is 2-2 and coming off 28-13 loss at Van Buren. The two schools are a mere 15 minutes apart. The only thing separating the two villages are corn fields and the Putnam County Airport, which I’m assuming is only there for crop-dusters and radio-controlled planes. While Ally keeps saying this one will be close, I disagree. Leipsic is really good with skill guys all over the field and defense that seems to be playing with a chip on their shoulders. I’ve got the Leipsicers winning 42-6.
Now we’ll head to River Valley and the ten-point home field advantage, and chicken and noodles. RV hosts Harding and while I think Harding wins, I have to believe it’s going to be close. RV is running out of winnable games with Shelby, Galion, CF snd Ontario still on their schedule and Harding always seems to lose a game they should win. That being said, I’m going with over on penalties called and the Prexies in a close one, 21-20.
Pleasant rolls into the Corral a week after running all over RV(yes, I love it when RV loses). The Colts will be plenty mad after dropping their game at Ontario. Sounds like the Colts are dealing with a few injuries, but aren’t most teams this time of the season. Pleasant has been on a roll since week two, but I think they get corralled in Clear Fork, I’m going with CF 35-14. Shoutout to Colt’s graduate, AJ Blubaugh who is making a name for himself in the MLB, throwing 88 innings for the Astros, ranking first among relievers. Blubaugh was featured in a NY Times article a week ago and has “saved us this year’ according to teammate Steven Okert.
Ontario heads to Galion in an intriguing matchup. The Tigers gave Shelby all they could handle in the first half then the Whippets defense took over. Ontario shut down the Colts offense in their battle of unbeatens and have speed all over the field. Kane Hay is an elusive QB for Galion but I think the Warriors are just too good across the board. I’ve got Ontario winning 28-7
Now we move to Highland hosting the Whippets and Mr. Kline, the floor is yours.
Quite the honor - my first pick -em prediction piece!
Week 5 will feature the undefeated Shelby Whippets (4-0) travelling to their southernmost league mate in the Highland Fighting Scots (1-3.) Since this trek is the longest in the league, a little information for those making the trip may be appropriate at this time.
Where are you going? Well, the Highland School District is located in southern Morrow County and has served the villages of Marengo, Sparta, and Chesterville since 1960. Morrow County has an agricultural identity and the FFA ties run deep here (neighboring rival Fredericktown claims the iconic blue jacket design,) and the school calendar reflects this as Highland has only been in session for a week since the county fair has priority over the attention spans of our youth. Morrow County is the birthplace of 29th president Warren G. Harding and former MLB pitcher Tim Belcher is one of our most famous sons.
Food-wise, Highland’s rural geography will leave you limited but with quality options available. Both interstate exits will provide the hungry football fan with the typical franchise options, but ‘8 Sisters Bakery’ on SR 95 will provide homemade fare until 6 PM. Ten miles to the south, ‘OH Pizza and Prime’ has late night food staples for pre or post game options. ‘New York style pizza’, chicken wings (‘Sweaty Neck’ is the move for the heat lovers) and cajun chicken alfredo are popular. There are two local breweries in the area - Hoof Hearted in Marengo and Henmick’s in Kilbourne. Both will have food trucks in addition to good times.
The hidden gem for the Whippet faithful will be the Athletic Boosters Concession located on the home side of the football stadium. Worth the walk, this concession stand will sell typical Friday munchies such as pretzels, cheeseburgers and all beef hot dogs, but also fan favorites chicken noodles & mashed potatoes and loaded nachos (taco meat or pulled pork.) Add in Round Hill ice cream, frozen coffee and slushies and multiple trips may become necessary.
So how about the game itself? Well the Scots will have their hands full with the fully functioning Death Star known as the Shelby Whippets football team. On a positive note - the Scots have played solid defense allowing only 59 points in 4 games with only one team scoring more than 20 points. The defense is led by All-Ohio linebacker Kane Stover who is in the top 3 in tackles in the league with 44. The senior will play for Army next Fall at West Point. The Scots have not been challenged by an offense as explosive as the Whippets this season and the scoreboard operator may have a busy night if the Highland defense does not play their best game of the season.
On offense, the Fighting Scots will look to move the chains via the ground attack led by junior quarterback Robby Schmidt (348 yards, 5 TDS,) and sophomore running back Nick Hinkle (274 yards, 1 TD.) Highland will face a stiff defense that has allowed only one opponent to reach double digits this season, and that could be a problem for a team that has struggled to consistently finish drives. Coach Jon ‘Stonewall’ Amicone will certainly have his defense ready to give the home team fits and punish any mistakes made by the offense.
So how does this one shake out Friday evening? The easy play is to pick the heavily favored Whippet team to handle their business with Coach Rob Mahaney’s well oiled machine rolling through Marengo en route to another special season. In that scenario, Brady ‘Puka Nakua’ Bowman and the Whippets score often and early in the game with a final score of 55-12 or something. But this is high school football in Ohio, and there is often magic in the air during the fall evenings of small school athletics. As Micheal Scott taught us in ‘The Office,’ you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so this guest picker is going to shoot his shot and predict the improbable. If you combine a scrappy home team with a potential bad bounce, interesting spot, or bad call the makings for a crazy upset are there. My shot - 22-21 the Highland Fighting Scots with the upset in a wild one that does not derail another regional run for the Shelby Whippets.
How in the world can I follow that. Thanks, Donnie, that was impressive to say the least. Fun facts, dining options nicknames and a homer pick, what more could we ask for….Really not much else I can say other than that’s the first time anyone picked against the Whippets and I do appreciate you taking ‘your shot’ and taking the Fighting Scots. But let’s take a quote from former ESPN College Game Day analyst, Lee Corso…Not so fast my friend. The Whippets are loaded on both sides of the ball with the top ranked offense and defense in the conference. I think the Whippets just have too much firepower and it sounds like the Whippets will be playing at full strength after dealing with a few injuries for a couple weeks. Shelby takes care of business in Marengo/Sparta/Highland. I’m going 41-7, Shelby.
Folks, if that ain’t entertainment, I don’t know what is.
As always, Go Whippets and remember, my picks are for entertainment purposes only.
