“I think when you do it right, the preparation should not vary a whole lot based on week to week,” Bellbrook coach Jeff Jenkins said. “I think there’s one way to do it, that’s the right way.”
That includes scouting the opponent, preparing a game plan and drilling it in practice.
“I think that just builds the right habits and routines within our program, and that’s just what we follow week to week,” Jenkins said. “So hopefully we can transfer to practice to the game. There really is not a big difference by any means.”
Whatever Jenkins and his staff have been doing has been working.
BHS has won 11 in a row since dropping the opener 28-7 at Tippecanoe, who was undefeated until losing to St. Mary’s Memorial last week.
The Golden Eagles soundly beat Bellefontaine and future Ohio State quarterback Tavien St. Clair 35-14 in Week 2 then took down rival Valley View 16-3 in Week 3 and haven’t looked back.
They have posted four shutouts and rely on a tried-and-true formula for winning: Run the ball and play stout defense.
Junior running back Vincent Epifano leads the team with 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing this season while senior Tanner Stewart has 793 yards and 10 more scores on the ground.
Junior quarterback Aiden Caswell runs the attack and has thrown for 713 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.
“The guy who is the glue to everything is Aiden Caswell, who’s been playing very well last few weeks,” Jenkins said “He’s not gonna put up the gaudy numbers, but he will definitely make the big play when we need it. Our two running backs, Tanner Stewart and Vincent Epifano are a very good one-two punch, and then we’ve had some receivers make some big plays in the end zone. Our tight end Jude Omiatek got going last week, so we were fairly balanced.”
Omiatek has caught 10 passes for 138 yards and also plays defense, where he has been credited with 55 tackles, including eight for loss.
Senior Preston Pettit leads the unit with 126 tackles, including 13 for loss, while fellow linebacker Gavin Thobe has 100 tackles and three interceptions.
Next up is perhaps No. 3 seed Bellbrook’s biggest challenge yet at Memorial Stadium in Troy: No. 2 seed Wapakoneta is 12-0 with only one game decided by less than two touchdowns. That was a 21-17 win over Celina in Week 10.
The Redskins outscored Franklin and Wilmington 96-19 combined in their first two playoff games, and they boast a balanced offense that averaged 34.8 points per game in the regular season and a defense that allowed 13.0 points, best in the Western Buckeye League.
Quarterback Caleb Moyer headlines the WHS attack. He completed 78.9 percent of his passes in the regular season and threw 17 touchdown passes with no interceptions.
Wayne claims rematch from Fairmont to advance in Division I playoffs https://t.co/sUg9Pp5lzc
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) November 9, 2024
Kaden Page is a 1,000-yard receiver for the Redskins, and Jarrett Mullen was second in the WBL in all-purpose yards with 656 rushing and 412 receiving.
Jenkins said Moyer is a dual-threat who will challenge his team’s 3-5-3 defense, but he believes his unit is built to take on any style of offense.
“There’s a reason they’re ranked No. 4 in the state,” Jenkins said of Wapakoneta. “They’re a very well-balanced football team, very well-coached. Their players were tough. Got a really good quarterback. He was putting up exceptional numbers running and passing. He’s not making a whole lot of mistakes, so obviously he’ll be a focus of ours going into the game. But they’ve got some big-time players over there and the nucleus is a very solid group of kids.”
Bellbrook, which lost in the second round the past two seasons (including to Wapakoneta in 2022) is looking to make its first regional final since 2021.
The winner in Troy will play No. 4 London or No. 8 St. Mary’s Memorial next week at a neutral site.
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