Knights facing pass-first offense in regional semifinal
WHO: West Holmes (12-0) vs. Van Wert (11-1)
WHAT: Div. IV playoff football semifinal
WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. Saturday, Harding Stadium, 538 Presidential Dr., Marion
LAST WEEK: West Holmes 56, St. Marys Memorial 21; Van Wert 29, Perkins 22
THE MATCHUP: Van Wert has made the playoffs three consecutive years and seven times overall, winning the Division IV state championship in 2020 and finishing runner-up in Div. III in 2000. The Cougars are 15-5 all-time in postseason games. … Leading 23-22 with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game, Van Wert blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt that would have given Perkins a two-point lead. Brylen Parker scooped up the blocked kick and returned it for a touchdown as time expired to extend the Cougars’ winning margin to seven points. … They’ll present West Holmes with a much different challenge than it faced against St. Marys Memorial, a run-first offense. … Van Wert runs a fast-paced spread offense and tries to snap the ball 10 seconds after its previous play ends. With quarterback Aidan Pratt leading the way, the Cougars have scored at least 29 points in all but one game this season — a 20-19 loss to 11-1 Wapakoneta — and are averaging 44.5 points. … Pratt, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound second-team All-Ohioan in 2021, has passed for over 3,000 yards and 37 TDs while rushing for roughly 700 yards and 11 scores. … Senior wideouts Maddix Crutchfield (12 TD receptions) and Garett Gunter (five) both have caught over 50 passes, while Conner Campbell (10) and Nate Phillips (six) both have eclipsed 30 catches. … Parker leads the rushing attack with roughly 800 yards and 17 TDs. … Van Wert’s defense has held its past seven opponents to 22 points or less. The unit allowed a season-high 41 points to St. Marys Memorial in a 29-point victory on Sept. 16. … The Cougars defense will face its toughest challenge of the season against West Holmes, which has scored at least 37 points in all 12 of its games, including 48-plus in its past eight, and is averaging 51.2 points. … RB Sam Williams-Dixon has rushed for over 1,500 yards and 30 TDs. The junior has also caught 20 passes for roughly 350 yards and a score. … QB Mason Wolfe has thrown for nearly 2,900 yards and 39 TDs. Kyle Maltarich leads a talented receiving group with 53 catches for nearly 1,150 yards and 19 TDs. Logan Zollars (eight TD receptions), Nate Fair (six) and Zevin Proper (four) all have caught at least 25 passes. … Defensively, the Knights have only allowed two opponents to score more than 14 points this season. … LB Elisha Baldridge leads the unit with over 200 tackles. Owen Jeffries, Jack Marmet, Elijah Williams-Dixon and Gus Warner have all recorded at least 70 tackles. … Elijah Williams-Dixon paces the group in sacks and tackles for loss, while Maltarich has a team-high seven interceptions. … The winner of this game will advance to play either Glenville or Elyria Catholic in the Div. IV, Region 14 championship game on Nov. 19.
—Chris Snow