Trojans prep for Heintschel, Clay

If Oregon Clay quarterback Mason Heintschel disappeared under a pile of players and suddenly reappeared 30 yards downfield, Findlay High football coach Stefan Adams wouldn't be surprised. Game film doesn't lie. "He has a little bit of Houdini in him. Now you see him, now you don't," Adams said. Findlay has tickets for the Matt Heintschel magic show on Friday when the Trojans (1-2) visit Clay (2-1) in a Northern Lakes League cross-over game. A 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior who had several Division I college offers – he chose Pitt – Heintschel is one of a number of elite quarterbacks – Anthony Wayne's Grant Kinnee (Colgate commit) and Toledo Whitmer's Brady Ford (BG, Central Michigan interest), among others – who will test Findlay's defense this season. A three-year starter who threw for 2,385 yards, rushed for 692 and accounted for 33 touchdowns last season, Heintschel is again putting up dual-threat numbers. Through Clay's first three games, he has thrown for 679 yards and 12 TDs, and run for 216 yards and two scores. "He's a senior, he's confident, poised and has that moxie about him," Adams said. "He's done it before and now he's just having fun. And while he's having fun, he's creating headaches for everybody that has to prepare for him." Heintschel's ability to extend plays and create opportunities may be his greatest asset. "Any of the off-the-platform stuff he's really good at," Adams said. "We've seen where guys have him and are pulling him down and he's flicking the ball up in the air and somebody's getting it and going 20, 30 yards or for a touchdown. "It's not backyard football. It's organized, but when things aren't going as planned, when he's getting flushed out of the pocket or has to step up or twist out, he can make a lot of plays. And his receivers adjust well, too. You can tell that group has played together a long time." Heintschel completed 22-of-35 passes for 293 yards and four TDs and had 119 yards rushing in Clay's 38-21 win over Sandusky. He was 18-of-29 passing and rushed for 84 yards against Whitmer, but got the Eagles into the end zone just twice in that game, a 45-14 loss. Completely stopping Heintschel may be impossible. Containing him is the goal. "It's going to be a challenge for our defense," Adams said. "You can do everything right and he can still make the play. That makes it tough. We have to be super fundamentally sound on how we corral him. It comes down to who is going to make that tackle, who is going to bring him down. "If you get to him, you have to make sure you get him down to the ground." Heintschel's top two targets from a year ago – honorable mention all-Ohio ends Troy Hazuda and Hudson Byers – also returned for eighth-year Clay coach John Galyas. All told, nine offensive starters and 30 seniors are back for the Eagles. Following losses to Division III No. 1-ranked Toledo Central Catholic (54-21) and Lima Senior (35-31), Findlay enters Friday's game revitalized after a 35-20 win over Sylvania Southview. "Everything's better after a win," Adams said. "Even after a win, though, there are so many things you can look back on and improve upon. Perfection is hard to attain, but you want to chase it every time." After churning out 298 rushing yards against Lima Senior, Findlay managed 108 yards on the ground against Southview. But an ability to create and capitalize on mistakes – two interceptions, two fumble recoveries – allowed the Trojans to start three of their five scoring drive on Southview's side of the 50. Shawn Hines II, with an 83-yard touchdown burst on his resume, has rushed for 235 yards and three TDs. Griffin Lane has 98 yards and freshman quarterback Landon Echelberry, who split time with Riley Korkos in Game 2 and started and finished against Southview, has 91 yards and two scores. Echelberry has also completed 20-of-30 passes for 188 yards and a score. Korkos is 23-of-37 for 300 yards and three TDs. "Game one was about adapting and adjusting," said Adams, who lost Georgia commit Ryan Montgomery to an injury on the first drive of Findlay's opener with Toledo Central Catholic. "Game two was trying to find ourselves a little bit. "Game three was like, 'Okay, we have a better idea of who we are.' "I'm not saying we re-invented anything. It was about finding our strengths." Three of Findlay's touchdowns against Southview were short-yardage runs, two by Echelberry and another by Hines. Findlay has shown big-play potential, though, with seven scores covering 20 or more yards. Two of those TDs came on kickoff returns by Hines (85 yards) and Israel Moore (79 yards). Griffin Lane had a 59-yard TD reception, while Jacob Ragland, the team's leading receiver with 14 catches for 209 yards, has TD catches covering 69 and 22 yards. "I'm happy we've been able to show that explosiveness," Adams said. "We like those methodical drives, too. We knew we had to rely on the offensive line for that, and those guys went hard and did a great job." Findlay hosts Fremont Ross next week to complete the first half of the 2024 regular season, then begins defense of its NLL Buckeye Division co-championship with road games at Springfield (Sept. 27) and Anthony Wayne (Oct. 24).