H.S. Football Notebook | Area football teams prepare for Week 2 matchups

LANCASTER – Week one of the high school football season was a mixed bag for area teams.

Four teams picked up wins in Week 1, including Bloom-Carroll, Fisher Catholic, Berne Union and Millersport. The teams that won will have a chance to make it two in a row, while those that struggled will look to get back on track and redeem themselves Friday.

Here is a closer look at last week and ahead of Week 2.

The Golden Gales didn’t start the season the way they wanted but showed a lot of promise in Jeremy McKinney’s first game as head coach. Lancaster led Hilliard Darby 9-0 at halftime, but the Gales' inability to convert third downs kept their defense on the field too long, and the Panthers scored 20 unanswered points in a 20-15 loss.

Even though it was a tough loss, McKinney said no one inside the program is panicking as Lancaster hits the road for the first of three consecutive away games, beginning with Friday’s game at Delaware Hayes. Lancaster won’t play its next game at Fulton Field until Sept. 18 against Groveport.

“We did a lot of good things, but we have to be able to convert on third down and keep drives alive, and on defense, we need to get off the field,” McKinney said. “We are getting there. We just need to trust things. Defensively, we had a lot of hats to the ball, and the plays that didn’t go our way were basic things that we can fix.”

After the Gales fell behind 20-9, McKinney liked the fight in his team as they responded with a touchdown with just under three minutes remaining to cut it to a one-score game.

He said the Gales are in a great place, mentally, heading into Friday’s game.

“Our guys believe in us and what we are doing, and we believe in them,” McKinney said.

The Rockets convincingly won their season opener, cruising to a 40-6 win over River Valley. It marked the first of four consecutive road games to start the season. Berne Union will not play its first home game until they host Millersport on Sept. 18.

In their season opener, the Rockets scored 27 points in the second quarter to blow the game open, and they were led by junior quarterback Carson Kiger, who accounted for five touchdowns, four passing and one rushing.

Fisher Catholic made the long trip to Belpre in its season opener and came away with a win. After going 8-3 a year ago, including earning a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Irish won for the ninth time in their last 12 games. Senior Sam Tencza led the charge on both sides of the ball and spearheaded a defense that limited Belpre to only 50 yards rushing.

Steve Daulton, Lancaster’s offensive coordinator for the previous three seasons before taking head coaching duties at Bloom-Carroll, led the team to a huge road win over River Valley. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime before the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half. The Bulldogs piled up 427 total yards, including 296 yards on the ground.

Kyson Cline, Bloom-Carroll running back: Cline, a senior running back, rushed for a career-high 237 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns on runs of 67 and 71 yards in a win over River Valley.

Carson Kiger, Berne Union quarterback: The junior quarterback accounted for five touchdowns in the Rockets’ 40-6 win over Belpre after completed 14 of 18 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns, and he also rushed for a touchdown.

Jackson Reynolds, Lancaster linebacker: Reynolds, a senior linebacker, led the Gales with 14 total tackles, including eight solos and three quarterback hurries in Lancaster’s loss against Hilliard Darby.

Sam Tencza, Fisher Catholic running back/linebacker: Tencza got the job done on both sides of the ball in helping lead the Irish to a road win over Belpre. He rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass. On defense, he finished with 10 tackles, three for loss and two sacks.

Dean Clark, Fairfield Union quarterback: The senior quarterback was efficient, completing 7 of 11 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a loss against New Lexington.

Geno Capretta, Lancaster linebacker: Capretta, a senior linebacker, had 12 total tackles in the Gales’ loss against Hilliard Darby.

Keaton Webb, Fairfield Union linebacker: Webb led the Falcons with 11 tackles, including one for loss in Fairfield Union’s loss against New Lexington.

Chase Allen, Bloom-Carroll receiver: He finished with three catches for 72 yards.

Kohen Arnett, Fairfield Union linebacker: He had 10 total tackles in a loss against New Lexington.

Lancaster (0-1) at Delaware Hayes (1-0)

Teays Valley (0-1) at Bloom-Carroll (1-0)

Colonel Crawford (1-0) at Fairfield Union (0-1)

Valley (1-0) at Liberty Union (0-1)

Licking Valley (1-0) at Amanda-Clearcreek (0-1)

Berne Union (1-0) at Huntington (0-1)

Trimble (0-1) at Fairfield Christian Academy (0-1)

Tuscarawas Central Catholic (0-1) at Fisher Catholic (1-0)

Millersport (1-0) at Montessori (1-0) (Saturday, Aug. 28)

Hilliard Darby 20, Lancaster 15; Bloom-Carroll 21, River Valley 9; New Lexington 33, Fairfield Union 14; Monroe Central 22, Liberty Union 12; West Jefferson 29, Amanda-Clearcreek 12; Fisher Catholic 28, Belpre 19; Southeastern 28, Fairfield Christian Academy 0; Berne Union 40, Belpre 6; Millersport 14, Winham 0.

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 Twitter) at @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: H.S. Football Notebook | Area football teams prepare for Week 2 matchups