High School Football Week 5 Preview: Kenton Ridge hosts Northwestern in battle of Clark County rivals

The Kenton Ridge High School football team beat Shawnee 42-14 on Friday, Sept. 12 in Springfield. MICHAEL COOPER / STAFF

The Kenton Ridge High School football team beat Shawnee 42-14 on Friday, Sept. 12 in Springfield. MICHAEL COOPER / STAFF

Week 5 is here and with it brings the final week of crossover division action in the Central Buckeye Conference and Ohio Heritage Conference. They’ll begin division play next week.

Here is a full set of preview capsules for each contest in the Springfield News-Sun coverage area:

Benjamin Logan at Tecumseh

Benjamin Logan is 2-2 for the first time since 2021. They’re led by sophomore quarterback Wyatt Predmore, who leads the Raiders in both passing yards (524) and rushing yards (273). Tecumseh (2-2) hasn’t lost to the Raiders since 2017. They’ll look to bounce back after a 42-20 setback against Northwestern.

West Jefferson at Catholic Central

The Irish (3-1) dropped their first game of the season last week against West Liberty-Salem. West Jefferson (4-0) features senior quarterback Austin Buescher, who threw for 435 yards and seven TDs in last week’s 62-26 win over Cedarville. The Irish won the last matchup 34-28 in 2022.

Centerville at Springfield

The Wildcats (0-4) are 10-9 against the Elks since 2002. They’ve won six of the last seven matchups, including a 17-3 decision in Centerville last season. Springfield (1-3) beat Miamisburg 37-0 last week to earn its first victory.

Graham at London

The Falcons travel to London for a battle of 4-0 squads. Graham beat rival Urbana last week as Falcons junior Danny Hoke and sophomore Jakob Hoke combined for 408 yards rushing and five TDs. London has outscored its opponents 152-42 over the past three weeks.

Greeneview at Mechanicsburg

Two perennial Ohio Heritage Conference powers will meet for the first time since 2022. After back-to-back shutout losses to Waynesville and Northeastern, the Rams (2-2) bounced back with a 41-7 win against Fairbanks last week. The Indians (3-1) lost to Urbana 47-43 in Week 2, but have outscored their opponents 112-13 over the last two weeks.

West Liberty-Salem at Greenon

The Knights (2-2) beat Triad 34-0 last week after back-to-back losses to Northwestern and West Jefferson. The Tigers improved to 2-2 with a 31-7 victory over Catholic Central. WLS beat the Knights 22-21 in their last meeting in 2022.

Shawnee at Jonathan Alder

The former CBC Kenton Trail division rivals haven’t played since 2022. The Braves (0-4) won that matchup 49-21. Pioneers senior quarterback Brock Hughes has thrown for 918 yards and 11 TDs for Jonathan Alder (4-0).

Northwestern at Kenton Ridge

The Cougars (3-1) have won three straight against the Warriors (3-1), including a 27-21 overtime victory at Richard L. Phillips Field last season. KR junior Brody Runkle has rushed for 402 yards and six TDs in victories over Batavia and Shawnee the last two weeks.

Northeastern High School senior Diezel Taylor runs the ball during their 32-0 victory over Greeneview on Friday, Sept. 5 at Conover Field in Springfield. MICHAEL COOPER/STAFF

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Madison Plains at Northeastern

The Jets have won three straight against the Eagles since they joined the OHC in 2018, outscoring them 161-23. Northeastern won the last meeting 75-0 in 2022. The Jets defensive unit has allowed 10 points in their last three victories over Riverside, Greeneview and Southeastern.

North Union at Urbana

Hillclimbers junior quarterback Grady Lantz leads the CBC with 1,479 passing yards and Colton Teepe leads the league with 628 receiving yards. Urbana (1-3) has won three straight against the Wildcats (2-2).

Southeastern at Fairbanks

The Trojans (0-4) won the last matchup 20-13 in 2022. Junior Carson Shope ranks second in the OHC with 359 rushing yards for Fairbanks (1-3).

Triad at Cedarville

The Indians (2-2) will look to bounce back after falling to West Jefferson last week. Triad (0-4) has lost 12 straight dating back to Week 2 of last season.

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