A look the first week of prep football in 2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Week 1 of the 2025 high school football season is in the books.Football players from all over Ohio put up some amazing performances on opening night of the season. Here, the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association compiles the best of the best with the OPSMA High School Football Notebook.Let's take a look.-Leipsic's Marquise Williams had a quite an opening night in the Vikings 56-35 win over Milbury Lake. The junior running back returned the opening kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown, added an 83-kickoff return for a score late in the first period and had 14 carries for 167 yards and four more TDs on runs of 2, 4, 42 and 57 yards-The Elchert twins had big contributions in Liberty-Benton's 35-0 win over Ottawa-Glandorf. Seth Elchert, a 6-3, 195-pound flanker headed to Toledo on a football scholarship, caught eight passes for 141 yards, including TD receptions of 36 and 57 yards. Zach Elchert, a 6-3, 205-pound H-back/linebacker who is the reigning Blanchard Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, had three rushing TDs of 1, 5 and 13 yards.-Van Buren's Brody Scoles rushed for 200 yards and three TDs in the Black Knights 37-6 win over Fostoria-Hopewell-Loudon junior Brody Brickman caught four TD passes – 13, 21, 25, 27 yards – and forced a fumble in the Chieftains 30-7 win over Carey.-In a 46-20 win over McComb, Monroeville junior quarterback Colt Clark ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns and senior running back Connor Bores totaled 192 yards and two TDs.-Bucyrus freshman Isaac Makeever had one heck of a debut a 36-24 loss to North Baltimore on Friday, completing 24-of-29 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, along with rushing for two scores to account for all of the team's touchdowns.-Shelby's Brayden DeVito was at it again completing 12-of-20 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns while running for 77 yards on eight carries with a TD in the Whippets' 56-14 Week 1 win over Madison.-Clear Fork's Nash Evans was the hero of Week 1 as he booted a 28-yard field goal as time expired to help the Colts beat 2024 Division IV state runner-up Sandusky Perkins 17-14.-Lexington's Joe Caudill ran for 82 yards and two TDs and completed 10-of-18 passes for 208 yards and a TD in the Minutemen's 36-16 win over Ontario. Lexington picked off four Ontario passes, with Avery Crawford swiping interceptions.-Seneca East hosted and beat Ashland Crestview by the unusually low score, 2-0 on Friday. Crestview had a negative-2 yards rushing in the contest, which was won by Seneca East when Hunter Rathburn and Landyn Hicks were credited with the safety when they caught Cougar QB Liam Kuhn in the end zone.-Marion County has three new head football coaches this season, and all three opened up with victories. Marion Harding beat Mount Vernon 21-14 in C.J. Westler's debut at his alma mater, while Russell Norton helped Pleasant defeat North Union 16-13, and Ridgedale Asch Tilley saw the Rockets beat Hilltop 28-14. Ridgedale's Kinston McGary picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown in the win over Hilltop.-Convoy Crestview's Braxton Leeth set two school records on Friday night: 419 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns on 30 carries in a 62-41 victory over Parkway. Leeth, a 6-0, 185 pound senior speedster, had scoring runs of 23, 19, 18, 49, 22, 22 and 5 yards. In the same game, Parkway's Luke Booher had 22 carries for a school record 279 yards and three touchdowns. Booher, a 5-11, 190 pound junior running back, also had an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. -In his first varsity start at quarterback, Van Wert's Zach Crummey completed 12-of-17 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 42-7 win over Bryan. The 6-6, 243 pound sophomore also had 11 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns.-It as like déjà vu all over again for Defiance and Napoleon on Friday. A year ago, Napoleon came out on top, 35-34 in overtime, when Defiance missed a go-ahead PAT try late in regulation. In Friday's game, the 103rd meeting between the two Maumee River rivals, Defiance won 20-19 when the Bulldogs stopped a two-point conversion try by the Wildcats. Defiance senior Kelten Gibbs rushed for 61 yards and completed a 12-yard halfback pass, tied for the team lead with seven tackles with a sack and fumble recovery and blocked a punt that set up a touchdown.