Football Notebook | Week 4 brings new excitement with league play starting
· Yahoo Sports
LANCASTER — The first three weeks are in the books, and regardless of how teams fared, they all have new life because league play starts this week for all nine area teams.
Lancaster, still searching for its first win, starts play in the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division and the rest of the area teams begin play in the Mid-State League-Buckeye and Cardinal Divisions.
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Fairfield Christian Academy picked up its first victory of the season last week. Amanda-Clearcreek and Liberty Union are the only teams in the area that are still winless.
Here is a closer look at last week and ahead of Week 4.
Is this the week Lancaster turns things around?
Even though the Golden Gales are 0-3, they easily could be 3-0. In their first game against Hilliard Darby, they led 9-0 at halftime before eventually falling 20-15. They seemed to be one play away from changing the outcome. In week 2, with nine minutes remaining in the game, the Gales gave up an 82-yard touchdown pass on a slant pattern and would eventually fall 20-15.
Last week against Marysville, Lancaster took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field but fumbled at the Monarchs’ 5-yard line. Had the Gales scored, the outcome more than likely would have been different. Even though the Gales led 10-9 with nine minutes remaining, they couldn’t hold on as Marysville scored the winning touchdown on an 82-yard slant pass play.
Defensively, Lancaster has played well, but its downfall has been giving up chunk plays. Offensively, the Gales have struggled to stay on the field on third down to sustain drives.
This week, Lancaster will complete its three-game road trip by traveling to Teays Valley to open OCC play. While an 0-3 start has not been ideal, all is not lost.
First-year coach Jeremy McKinney has 100 percent changed the culture, but there is a fine line between winning and losing, and this group needs to learn how to win and finish out games. Will this be the week Lancaster finally puts it all together? We shall see. In 2018, the last time the Gales had a winning season, they lost their first three games before rattling off six consecutive victories to gain a share of the OCC championship.
This team has the talent and is certainly capable of doing that, but to do that, they have to take more of an attack-mode mentality. They can’t sit back on their heels and react to what teams are doing to them. Instead, they have to be aggressive from start to finish and dictate the flow of the game.
For the players and coaches, they need a solid plan and purpose in everything they do, and if that happens on Friday against the Vikings, things could start heading in the right direction for the Gales.
Falcons are finding their groove
After suffering a blowout loss in Week 1, Fairfield Union has bounced back nicely with back-to-back wins. In Week 2, the Falcons picked up a huge win over Colonel Crawford and last week cruised past Lakewood.
In the win against the Lancers, Fairfield Union jumped out to a 33-0 first-quarter lead. Running back Lane Burkhardt led the Falcons, carrying the ball only six times for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Dean Clark completed both passes he threw for 67 yards and two touchdowns, including a 56-yarder to Boston McKoyer and an 11-yarder to Kohen Arnett.
Defensively, the Falcons limited Lakewood to only 84 total yards and forced three fumbles. Burkhardt and Clark have complemented each other well. This season, Burkhardt has rushed for 236 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries, while Clark has completed 18 of 27 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
The Falcons could take a huge step toward a league title with a road game this week at Logan Elm and a home game next week against Bloom-Carroll.
This Week’s Games
Lancaster (0-3) at Teays Valley (1-2)
Fairfield Union (2-1) at Logan Elm (1-2)
Bloom-Carroll (1-2) at Liberty Union (0-3)
Circleville (2-1) at Amanda-Clearcreek (0-3)
Fairfield Christian Academy (1-2) at Fisher Catholic (2-1)
Berne Union (1-2) at Miller (0-3)
Millersport (2-1) at Tuscarawas Central Catholic (Sat, Sept. 12)
Last Week’s Results
Marysville 15, Lancaster 10; Fairfield Union 47, Lakewood 13; Zane Trace 21, Amanda-Clearcreek 14; Jonathan Alder 35, Bloom-Carroll 14; Fairfield Christian Academy 25, East Clinton 16; Meigs 39, Liberty Union 7; Millersport 44, Federal Hocking 14; Portsmouth Notre Dame 7, Fisher Catholic 0; Symmes Valley 56, Berne Union 7.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Football Notebook | Week 4 brings new excitement with league play starting