Around Ohio \ Prep football news and notes

Big win: It was the biggest win in over a decade for Lima Central Catholic but it had to be a little bittersweet for coach Jerry Cooper. Cooper's team did it against the team he led to a state title just two years ago. Now in his first year at LCC, Cooper guided the Thunderbirds to a stunning 20-7 victory over Columbus Grove Friday night. Cooper had led Columbus Grove to the 2003 Division VI state championship. Columbus Grove lost two fumbles inside its own 20-yard line and LCC capitalized by turning them into touchdowns on both occasions. LCC, which was 2-8 a year ago, has already exceeded that win total. The Thunderbirds are 3-1, their best start since going 4-0 in 1989.
Yard sales: In a 43-22 win over Toledo Bowsher, Toledo Woodward's Makonnen Rice rushed for TDs of 12, 6, 41, 8 and 1 yards and for what is believed to be a Toledo City League record 359 yards; Dan Herron of Warren Harding gained 325 yards on 26 carries in a 36-19 loss to Mooney; Madison's Dave Hobson ran for 286 yards and two TDs on 39 carries in a 28-0 win over Painesville Harvey; Cincinnati Sycamore QB Mitch Allen rushed for 271 yards and three TDs in a 35-14 win over Middletown; Travis Cook ran for 271 yards on 24 carries and scored four TDs, helping New Lexington knock off previously undefeated McConnelsville Morgan 34-14; Warren Howland's Lance Smith -- already committed to Wisconsin -- rushed for 246 yards on 39 carries in a 21-14 win over Parma Padua; and Barnesville's Bud Hines collected 215 yards and scored three TDs in a 35-0 win over Lore City Buckeye Trail.
Notify Guinness: After going winless in 2002 and 2003 and turning in a 3-7 mark last season, Byesville Meadowbrook (4-0) is off to its best start in school history; Versailles totaled 543 yards of offense and scored 48 points -- in the first half -- of a 62-0 rout of Fort Recovery; West Salem Northwestern is 4-0 for only the second time ever and the first time since 1967; and for the second week in a row Dover QB Perci Garner broke the school record for passing yards in a game, hitting 21-of-32 passes for 445 yards and four TDs in a 54-0 win over Warsaw River View.
Doing it all: Jonny Salyer, a New Matamoras Frontier RB, accounted for all of his team's points in a 36-35 overtime win over Hannibal River, rushing for five scores and three two-point conversions; unbeaten New Concord John Glenn hadn't beaten Thornville Sheridan since 1989, but rode quarterback-kicker-punter Aaron Bates' school-record 48-yard field goal to a 10-7 win; Lisbon's Josh Grafton scored six touchdowns in a 47-14 victory over Southern, rushing for four and catching two TD passes; and "Touchdown" Tyrone Bolden of Cleveland John F. Kennedy scored six TDs and accounted for 316 all-purpose yards in a 44-27 over Collinwood -- grabbing four TD catches, rushing for a score and adding an 80-yard punt return.
Streaky: Warren Harding is 1-3 for the first time since 1985 after a 36-19 loss to top-ranked Mooney, which trailed 19-0 at one point; Lakewood St. Edward beat Cincinnati Elder 34-17 in "The Pit" -- ending Elder's string of 25 straight non-league home wins; Smithville beat Rittman 35-21 in a battle of state-ranked teams, the Smithies' 14th consecutive win in the series; and Cincinnati Colerain beat Lakota East 42-3 for its 38th straight Greater Miami Conference win since 1999.
Notable: Shelby's defense held Norwalk to 14 total yards, including minus-70 rushing, in a 37-0 win; Bloomdale Elmwood's Al Tyson completed 27-of-35 passes for 318 yards and 5 TDs and rushed for 127 yards in a 42-41 win over Milbury Lake; Arlington had two successful PATs attempts negated by penalty and the third try go wide in a 21-20 loss to Liberty-Benton; and Sebring played its first Inter-County League game Friday after playing in the Tri-County League the past 73 years.
Associated Press