North Baltimore hopes to follow up on big 2025

NORTH BALTIMORE– Following an undefeated season a year ago, North Baltimore head coach Greg Bishop isn't satisfied. Despite going 10-0, the Tigers lost a high-scoring first-round playoff matchup to Pandora-Gilboa, 63-42. Luckily for the Tigers, they return the Northwest Central Conference Offensive Player of the Year in senior quarterback Luke Long. Long scored 43 touchdowns last season, tossing 35 and running in eight more. He threw for 3,117 yards, ran for 540, and completed 70% of his passes. Long's ability to knife through an opposing team's defense through the air and on the ground gives North Baltimore one of the most dynamic offenses in the area. Long should also have plenty of protection in front of him, as North Baltimore returns four All-Conference selections on the offensive line. The Tigers have two first-team All-NWCC selections in seniors Leland Rader (center) and Eli Mockensturm (guard), along with second-team junior guard Gavyn South and honorable mention junior Jayce South. Gavyn and Jayce were each specifically mentioned by Bishop as players expected to make a leap this season. "In the back of your mind, especially as a quarterback, you know you can rely on those guys up front," Bishop said. "They've got the honors to prove it. You kind of have more of a team chemistry with that, they were protecting him last year and some of them a couple of years now. They've got an idea of what to expect. Luke can rely on them, and they can rely on Luke."The rest of North Baltimore's offense includes a handful of returners, but will also be missing a good deal of its attack from last season. All-NWCC first-teamers Cooper Clark and Brody Walter graduated after having standout years. Clark put up 1,584 receiving yards, 219 rushing yards, and 25 total touchdowns, while Walter ran for 1,337 yards, had 239 receiving yards, and 23 total scores.In the wide receiver room, two players remain with 200-plus yards through the air: seniors Zander South and Isaiah Hyden. South was named to the All-NWCC second team, where he accumulated eight touchdowns, with 614 receiving yards and 175 rushing yards. Hyden added 16 receptions for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Joining South and Hyden will be senior Ian Ramirez (52 receiving yards), and sophomore Gavin Sesok. In the backfield, senior Trevor Walter will be stepping into his younger brother's spot, while also getting some burn at receiver. Senior Emmitt Heldberg and sophomore Logan Trout will both rotate in at running back as well. On the defensive side of things, Heldberg will play a big role once again at linebacker, where he was named to the All-NWCC first-team as a junior. He's joined by Mockenstrum, Gavyn and Jayce South, and linebacker Quintin Contreras as All-NWC selections. "Coming off of a 10-0 regular season, the biggest emphasis is still playing with that chip on your shoulder," Bishop said. "I don't know if kids know about "Rocky III" anymore, but I always try and compare it to that. Everyone's gonna take their best shot at you, everybody's gonna talk about how good we were last year. The biggest thing we've been focusing on is having that chip on your shoulder and not letting last year's success affect this year's."The Tigers will try to replicate last year's season starting with a road game against Bucyrus on August 21. 2025 Results Bucyrus (W) 36-28Hardin Northern (W) 48-8Elgin (W) 47-6Cory-Rawson (W) 64-7Waynesfield-Goshen (W) 45-13Lima Perry (W) 54-6Ridgedale (W) 42-12Ridgemont (W) 49-21Crestline (W) 63-20Upper Scioto Valley (W) 49-8 PLAYOFFSPandora-Gilboa (L) 42-63 10-Year 2025 10-12024 4-72023 3-72022 2-82021 3-62020 2-62019 3-72018 1-92017 6-42016 5-5 Schedule 2026 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Home/AwayAug. 21 Bucyrus A 28 Hardin Northern* HSept. 4 Ridgedale* H 11 Lima Perry* A 18 Marion Elgin* A 25 Ridgemont* AOct. 2 Waynesfield-Goshen* H 9 Cory-Rawson* A 16 Crestline H 23 Upper Scioto Valley* A*Northwest Central Conference games NORTH BALTIMORE TIGERS 2026 ROSTER0 Trevor Walter RB/LB 6-0 185 121 Logan Trout RB/LB 5-9 150 102 Luke Long QB 6-1 205 123 Brody Clark WR/QB/DB 6-1 180 94 Gavin Sesok WR/DB 5-10 165 105 Zech Boyd WR/DB 6-1 205 106 Isaiah Hyden WR/DB 5-9 150 127 Brody Plumb WR/DB 5-10 155 98 Jon Brim WR/DB 5-11 150 99 Carter Duncan WR/DB 5-9 165 1210 Zander South WR/DB 6-0 180 1212 Ian Ramirez WR/DB 5-10 170 1213 Konnor Mills RB/LB 5-9 175 1015 Linkin Ramos RB/LB 5-6 215 921 James Zeigler Jr. WR/DB 5-9 155 1024 Wyatt Pelton WR/DB 5-6 125 925 Quintin Contreras RB/LB 5-4 180 1133 Emmitt Heldberg RB/LB 5-7 185 1235 Landon Roberts WR/LB 5-5 130 950 Conner Dick OL/DL 5-10 185 1052 Grady Francisco OL/DL 6-3 235 1153 Gavyn South OL/DL 5-10 250 1155 Jayce South OL/DL 6-2 225 1156 Johnie Eaken OL/DL 5-8 205 1057 Leland Rader OL/DL 6-0 240 1258 Jason Spence OL/DL 5-9 240 1160 Gavyn Bretz OL/DL 6-0 210 965 Aiden Tietje OL/DL 5-9 250 968 Trevor Delacerda 5-8 230 1169 Eli Mockensturm 6-1 270 1274 James Decker OL/DL 5-6 185 1177 Aaron Keeran OL/DL 5-11 280 10