H.S. Football Notebook | Area teams begin fight for playoff spots

LANCASTER – After reaching the halfway point of the high school football season, a lot has been answered about where teams stand, but with five more games remaining in the regular season, there is still a lot to play for.

League races will start to heat up, as well as positioning for playoff spots. The top 12 teams in each region qualify for the postseason, which makes each game from here on out crucial.

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It has been a rough year so far for the nine teams in the Eagle-Gazette coverage area, with only four teams finishing the first half of the season with winning records, and two of them are still searching for their first victories.

Fisher Catholic leads the way with a 4-1 record, followed by Bloom-Carroll (3-2), Fairfield Union (3-2), Berne Union (3-2), Millersport (2-3), Lancaster (1-4), Fairfield Christian Academy (1-4), Amanda-Clearcreek (0-5), and Liberty Union (0-5).

More: Light at the end of the tunnel | Behind-the-scenes with Lancaster football

If the playoffs began today, only Fisher Catholic would qualify. The Irish are No. 8 in their regional. Fairfield Union and Berne Union are ranked No. 15, and Bloom-Carroll is No. 16. Even with winning records, it's obvious those three teams have a lot of work to do to move up in the rankings. However, if they keep winning, they should move up quickly.

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Fisher Catholic, which surprised a lot of people a year ago by finishing with an 8-2 regular-season record and earning a first-round bye in the playoffs, has carried that momentum into this season. The Irish have played solid in all three phases of the game and are certainly trending in the right direction.

Bloom-Carroll, which has won eight consecutive Mid-State League-Buckeye Division championships, has relied on the legs of senior running back Kyson Cline, who rushed for 246 yards on 37 carries in a huge road win at Fairfield Union last week.

Berne Union is another team trending in the right direction. They are led by junior quarterback Carson Kiger, who has 12 touchdown passes and is less than 200 yards from eclipsing 1,000 passing yards this season.

STAT LEADERS

Thanks to Eagle-Gazette contributor Eric Singer, who has compiled season stats, here is a list of the area's leaders.

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Passing yards: Carson Kiger, Berne Union – 854 yards; Caiden Schooley, Bloom-Carroll, 634 yards; Dean Clark, Fairfield Union, 598 yards.

Passing touchdowns: Kiger, 12; Clark, 8; Schooley, 3.

Pass receptions: Dillan Cornell, Berne Union, 16; Jack Pompey, Lancaster, 13; Chase Allen, Bloom-Carroll, 12; Camden Maynard, Fairfield Union, 12.

Receiving yards: Cornell, 301; Allen, 249; Kohen Arnett, Fairfield Union, 228.

Receiving touchdowns: Cornell, 6; James Hocking, Berne Union, 5; Arnett, 4.

Rushing yards: Kyson Cline, Bloom-Carroll, 940; Sam Tencza, Fisher Catholic, 394; Lane Burkhardt, 381.

Rushing touchdowns: Cline, 9; Burkhardt, 7; Tencza, 4.

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Tackles: Jackson Reynolds, Lancaster, 67; Cameron Routte, Amanda-Clearcreek, 54; Ethan O'Rielley, Fisher Catholic, 52.

Sacks: Isaac Boyden, Lancaster, 4; Tencza, 3; Jude Clum, Fisher Catholic, 2.

Interceptions: Damian Neal, Fisher Catholic, 3; Jackson Little, Berne Union, 2; James Hocking, Berne Union, 2.

This Week's Games

Pickerington Central (3-2) at Lancaster (1-4)

Logan Elm (2-3) at Bloom-Carroll (3-2)

Fairfield Union (3-2) at Liberty Union (0-5)

Amanda-Clearcreek (0-5) at Marietta (0-5)

Worthington Christian (3-2) at Berne Union (3-2)

Zanesville Rosecrans (0-5) at Fairfield Christian Academy (1-4)

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Grove City Christian (2-3) at Millersport (2-3)

Miller (0-5) at Fisher Catholic (4-1), Saturday, Sept. 26.

Last Week's Results

Groveport 27, Lancaster 14; Bloom-Carroll 30, Fairfield Union 13; Logan Elm 33, Liberty Union 14; Hamilton Township 26, Amanda-Clearcreek 6; Fisher Catholic 45, Zanesville Rosecrans 13; Symmes Valley 48, Fairfield Christian Academy 7; Berne Union 55, Millersport 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 known as Twitter, @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: H.S. Football Notebook | area teams begin fight for playoff spots