SYCAMORE (Crawford County Now) — Kaden Bish was surrounded by area media members after last Friday’s decisive 52-20 win at North Baltimore.

“It feels great. Last year we lost in Week 2 (of the playoffs),” he said.

That defeat was at the hands of this week’s opponent Leipsic, 36-7, in the 2025 Division VII, Region 26 quarterfinals.

“We get to play in Week 3 and getting the school high for wins in a season. I couldn’t be happier and we’re going to get it done,” Bish said.

Kickoff for the regional semifinal is 7 p.m. Friday at Leipsic’s John Edwards Memorial Stadium.

Second-half burst

The 200-pound senior ran almost at will against North Baltimore gaining 221 yards on 19 carries, with 135 of those coming in the second half. He scored 4 touchdowns on runs of 47, 1, 3 and 85 yards.

“We started pretty slow. Defense, we had some mishaps, but we fixed it up at halftime. The whole team played great in the second half,” he said.

On the long TD run Bish pointed to his teammates.

“My receivers had some huge blocks for me. They did great all game, and I saw a lot of green grass in front of me.”

Preparing for undefeated Leipsic (11-0), ranked No. 2 in the final D-VII state poll, is no easy chore.

“We’ve got to have a good week of practice starting Monday and heal some bumps and bruises. Get after it in practice then give Leipsic our best shot,” Bish said.

Mixing and matching

Mohawk (11-1) head coach Eric Daniel credited Bish’s and Andon Clouse’s sizable running numbers to the big guys up front.

“Our offensive line. This is probably the eighth mixture of O-line guys we’ve had this year. I give our kids a lot of credit and our O-line coaches Paul (Dunn) and Bo (Trusty) a heck of a lot of credit. They’ve been doing a great job.”

Bish has run for 1,258 yards and Clouse 826 yards, with the duo totaling 32 touchdowns. The Warriors offense is generating 40 points and 410 yards per game.

“It doesn’t seem to matter what mixture we put in; those guys are producing. If you give Kaden a seam he’s either going to run through you or around you,” Daniel quipped.

Through the air Clouse is 120-of 192 passing for 2,328 yards and 29 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions.

Levi Tiell led his team and the Northern 10 Athletic Conference with 18 TD catches and 1,116 yards. The junior wideout also has 1 kickoff return for a touchdown.

Jagger Ekleberry has 744 receiving yards and 7 TDs.

Daniel said his players have done everything asked of them while working in unison.

“They’re coachable. They’re malleable. They just want each other to have success, which ultimately is what football is all about,” he said. “It’s the biggest team sport in the world and if you can work together, it’s pretty special.”

Versatility has been a key to Mohawk’s success. Daniel moved Clouse from linebacker to free safety last week and shuffled other players around when junior linebacker Aden Patrizi went out with an injury.

“He’s (Clouse) a heck of a weapon. We can bounce in and out of fronts and coverages with him. We didn’t play him much early, but the pace of play and where the game was headed we had to. He’s that good. He didn’t blink. He went right in; he stepped up in a big way.”

Defensively, Mohawk has been stingy allowing just 193.6 yards and 11.4 points per game. Aden Patrizi’s 82 tackles (47 solo) and 13.5 tackles for loss lead the unit.

Junior center Wyatt King joined Clouse, Bish, Tiell and Patrizi on the N10’s first team offense. Nose tackle Connor Eader made the first team defense along with Patrizi, Bish and Tiell.

Big challenge awaits

Daniel knows his team faces a major hurdle in the regional semifinal.

“The top end of the BVC is tough. It’s right up there with one of the best small school conferences in Ohio, right up there with ours. Obviously, the MAC is unbelievable,” Daniel said.

Leipsic went 8-0 in the Blanchard Valley Conference, capturing its first outright title since 2011.

“They’re the last of the Mohicans that we haven’t taken down in the BVC. We nipped Pandora-Gilboa a couple years ago and we got McComb a couple years ago. It’s a game our kids look forward to, and they’ve had our number the last couple of years. They’re a great program.”

After a slow start that found them trailing 17-16 at halftime, the Vikings rolled to a 60-30 win over Pandora-Gilboa.

Junior quarterback Marcus Kirkendall completed 15-of-25 passes for 275 yards and six touchdowns last week. He added 95 yards and a touchdown rushing.

The Putnam County school has recorded 6 shutouts. They beat McComb (10-1) by 26-7 in Week 2. Their defense has been stout with the 10 points given up versus Ada the most they’ve allowed this regular season.

Talented opponent

Prior to the win last week Leipsic had only given up 26 points in 10 games. Their offense has scored 39 or more points in 8 of those wins.

Head coach Joe Kirkendall leads an established program.

Leipsic claimed several of the league’s top honors, with quarterback Marc Kirkendall named Offensive Player of the Year, Aaron Hazelton the Defensive Player of the Year, Nolyn Lammers the Offensive Lineman of the Year and Kirkendall Coach of the Year.

Kirkendall led the BVC in all major passing categories, including passing yards (2,303), completion percentage (73.3%) passing touchdowns (32), all while throwing just two interceptions.

Senior running back Marquis Williams is a major weapon who can strike from anywhere on the field.

He’s rushed for 1,029 yards and has 645 receiving yards with 22 total touchdowns, two on kick returns.

“He is a true offensive weapon. That should be his position. He’s not a natural at any one spot but he’s incredibly physical, he’s becoming a better route runner all the time and his vision’s improving,” Kirkendall told The Lima News.

“Marquis is probably the kid who scares every other team the most because we can move him around and find ways to get him the ball.”

PLAYOFF PAIRINGS

Division VII Semifinals

Region 25

No. 4 New Middletown Springfield (8-3) at No. 1 McDonald (10-1)

No. 3 Mogadore (9-2) at No. 2 Cuyahoga Heights (10-1)

Region 26

No. 5 Sycamore Mohawk (11-1) at No. 1 Leipsic (11-0)

No. 3 McComb (10-1) at No. 2 Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (11-0)

Region 27

No. 5 Shadyside (10-2) at No. 1 Willow Wood Symmes Valley (11-0)

No. 3 Toronto (10-1) at No. 2 Danville (11-0)

Region 28

No. 4 Minster (8-3) at No. 1 Maria Stein Marion Local (11-0)

No. 7 New Bremen (7-5) at No. 3 DeGraff Riverside (9-2)

Tickets for all playoff games will be available on Tuesdays starting at 10 a.m. at www.ohsaa.org/tickets. Adults $12, students $5.

Format: The regional playoffs follow bracket format, with the better seeded team serving as the host through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Neutral sites will be used beginning in the Regional Finals on Friday, Nov. 20. Rebracketing will occur for the state semifinals on Nov. 27.

More information: https://www.ohsaa.org/sports/football