Columbus Grove beats Leipsic in the trenches

Columbus Grove beats Leipsic in the trenches LEIPSIC — To beat Columbus Grove, first one must get past Kylan Mayes and Kyle Lathrop. Leipsic couldn't do so, and the result was a 28-14 homecoming spoiler at John Edwards Memorial Field. Offensively and especially defensively, the men up front made the difference for Columbus Grove (5-2, 4-0) in a matchup of unbeaten Northwest Conference foes. "We had 100 percent confidence going in this week," said Lathrop, who scored the dagger with a 20-yard scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter. "We wanted to send them out with a goodbye. Business is business. Next week is Crestview, though." To hand the Vikings (6-1, 3-1) their first loss in 2023, the Bulldogs stuck to their identity. A steady dose of running back Trenton Barraza and quarterback Landon Best built a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Defensively Columbus Grove had Leipsic spinning its wheels. Explosive playmaker Quin Schroeder was limited to just one big run, a 43-yard dash that cut the lead to 14-7 just before halftime. Schroeder finished with nine carries for 65 yards, and caught only four passes for six yards. Barraza and Best combined for all but nine of Columbus Grove's 242 offensive yards, 186 of which came on the ground. Barraza had 23 carries for 144 yards. "We felt like we were going to be the better team as long as we played physical football and I think our defense definitely did," Bulldogs coach Andy Schafer said. "Our offensive line, from where we were Week 1 to now, we are on the ball and that's the key." Meanwhile, the Vikings had 227 total yards with three costly turnovers. Starting with the final drive of the first half, Leipsic either turned the ball over on downs or fumbled on four straight possessions. "We didn't get any big plays except one," Leipsic coach Joe Kirkendall said. "To get a drive together, we can't have breakdowns. You've got to have that discipline to keep executing to keep executing and keep grinding. … All of those things just added up. "That's what they do. They make you march the field to beat them, and we couldn't do it enough tonight." Both teams must regroup quickly for pivotal games in the NWC race next week, as Leipsic heads to unbeaten Bluffton and Columbus Grove hosts the Pirates' most recent victim, one-loss Convoy Crestview. Columbus Grove&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;7&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;7&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;7&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;7 -- 28 Leipsic 0&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp; 7&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;0&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;7 -- 14 First Quarter CG — Landon Best 1 run (Evan Verhoff kick) Second Quarter CG — Best 7 run (Verhoff kick) Leipsic — Quin Schroeder 43 run (Schroeder kick) Third Quarter CG — Best 2 run (Verhoff kick) Fourth Quarter CG — Kyle Lathrop 20 fumble return (Verhoff kick) Leipsic Trent Siefker 16 pass from Tyler Lammers (Schroeder kick)