High school coaches say lots of things to writers that we sometimes shrug off because we hear them so frequently. They often talk about “overcoming adversity” and the need “to take things one game at a time.”

Don’t get me wrong. The local football coaches are all great guys and there is truth in those statements.

Sports clichés can get a bit stale. However, this one doesn’t: “We are relying on our senior leadership.”

Look no further than the two schools playing in regional semifinals this Friday night. Mohawk and Northmor both have gotten to this point thanks largely to legacy-quality senior classes.

Having spoken to both Golden Knights head coach Scott Armrose and Warriors head coach Eric Daniel several times this season, it’s more than a motto or coach speak.

Both squads are blessed with robust and talent-laden senior classes, featuring both quantity and quality. Northmor boasts 15 seniors and Mohawk has 11.

The fourth seed Warriors are 10-2 and face No. 1 seed Columbus Grove at 7 p.m. in a Division VII, Region 26 game at Fostoria Memorial Stadium.

The second-ranked Golden Knights (12-0) take on No. 3 Ridgewood (11-1) in a Division VI, Region 23 contest at White Field in Newark.

Start with the QBs

Both have exceptional — no, make that all-Ohio — quarterbacks. Ben Bogner leads Mohawk and A.J. Bower pilots Northmor.

Both are excellent leaders, unselfish, team-first guys, and first-class young men off the field.

And both have compiled some eye-popping statistics: Bogner has thrown for 2,173 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has rushed for 1,263 yards and 10 more scores.

Both Armrose and Daniel have sung the praises of these quarterbacks and with good reason. As they have gone, so have the fortunes of their respective teams.

Mohawk offensive coordinator Zach Hawkins put it this way after the win over McComb last Friday night.

“We’ve done it multiple games in a row, where we’re trying to close out a game and we put the ball in Ben’s hands. He seems to get it done.”

Armrose has watched Bower develop over the past three seasons.

In his pre-season comments Armrose said, “Our strengths this season will be depth at skill positions, experience and balance offensively.”

Boy, he wasn’t kidding. At times the Northmor offense has resembled a video game, averaging 355 yards per game.

More weapons

Senior wideouts Jax Wenger and Bo Landin, along with running back Cowin Becker, have given Bower a plethora of weapons.

The pass catching duo has combined for 1,512 yards and 20 touchdowns. Becker has gone a bit under the radar but has rushed for over 900 yards and found the end zone 14 times.

Over at Sycamore, it’s a similar story.

Start with Kaleb Bish and his 1,104 yards from scrimmage. Bish has eight touchdowns through the air and an equal number rushing.

Mix in a little Kahne Hayman, who missed two games with an injury, leads the Northern 10 Athletic Conference in receiving with 1,047 yards, and you’ve got a very potent offense.

Last week Bogner and Hayman connected on a 68-yard TD pass to open the scoring. That was his 11th touchdown.

All told, that’s 359 yards per game average and 34.8 points for Mohawk’s offense.

Unsung heroes

Apologies as I might overlook a few because there are so many, but here goes.

Northmor has tight end/defensive end Cameron Goldbach, who is a wrecking machine on defense. Goldbach had four sacks and Ryan Lowry two in the win over Centerburg.

Nicholas Armrose, Lowry, Ashton Clark, Alex Toth and Vance Johnson on the front walls have been significant contributors and earned all Knox Morrow Athletic Conference spots.

Likewise, Mohawk has Garrett Rinehart, Elias Magallanes, Andrew Woodland, Braxton Rathburn, Collin Smith, and Hayden Parker on both sides of the ball.

Rinehart has made 65 tackles (24 solo) and 12.5 tackles for loss from his linebacker spot.

Next up

  • The road narrows as both schools face stiff challenges in this round against teams that can run the football effectively.

The Warriors take on top-seed Columbus Grove, with its 12-0 record. They beat Lima Central Catholic handily, 38-6. That’s impressive since the Thunderbirds came in at 8-3.

The Bulldogs have given up an average of 8.2 points per game over the past month, while scoring nearly 40 points per contest.

The Mohawk defense must contend with stellar running back Trenton Barraza, who last week ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing the 200-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season. He totals 2,136 yards and 30 touchdowns through Week 12.

Barraza (6-1, 190) is just 283 yards shy of passing Blaine Maag for the most career rushing yards in school history.

  • A tough foe also awaits Northmor in the form of Ridgewood, from Coshocton County. The Generals’ only loss came to Division IV Indian Valley, 41-27, in Week 8.

Last week Ridgewood topped Newcomerstown, 34-14, to advance.

A strong ground game was the key. Their potent 1-2 senior punch of quarterback Grant Lahmers and tailback Aiden Sparger combined for 300 yards on 33 carries.

At this point in the journey, both area teams will need to be at their best. Without a doubt, the Golden Knights and the Warriors will lean heavily on those senior leaders in the days leading up to their games and once the ball is kicked off.

Trust me, that isn’t coach speak. That’s reality.

Anthony Conchel has covered high school sports since 1980 in more than a dozen newspaper and website markets.