Arlington, North Baltimore looking for 4-0 starts in games to see

When it comes to high school sports, northwest Ohio has some of the strongest, staunchest fan support in the state.The local team obviously draws the most interest in this rural-rich, small-town area of the state. But there are also some games every week that coaches counting Harbin points and fans lining the fences and packing the stands will want to check the morning paper just to see "Who Won?"Here's a look at a few of them…Van Buren (1-2, 0-1) at Arlington (3-0, 1-0) Last year's matchup between Arlington and Van Buren was a litmus test of sorts for both programs and it could be again this year. Arlington entered that 2024 contest with a 3-0 record and quickly jumped ahead of the Black Knights 14-0. Van Buren, 1-2 at the time, rallied to win the game, though, 21-14. Arlington would lose its next two games as well, and five of its last seven. Van Buren won two in a row and three of its next four. Both team finished the regular season with 5-5 records. A BVC-leading defense has been Arlington's forte. The Red Devils shut out their first two opponents, Hardin Northern (41-0) and Riverdale (35-0), and held Ada to half its scoring average in a 34-14 win over the Bulldogs. Sophomore linebacker Dawson Weihrauch leads Arlington with 26 tackles. Senior running back/linebacker Ayden Cavinee leads a balanced ground game (202 ypg) that includes quarterback Trenton Heacock, who has also throw for 402 yards and eight touchdowns. Van Buren averages 311.7 yards a game, with two-thirds of that total coming via the run. Senior running back Brody Scoles leads the BVC with 395 yards rushing and has scored four TDs. Senior quarterback Brady Lance, like Heacock, is a dual threat with 220 yards rushing and another 352 yards and four TDs through the air. Friday's matchup is the third of four straight home games for Arlington, and the third of four straight road games for Van Buren. Carey (0-3) at Upper Sandusky (1-2) You can throw the records out the window, especially this season, when the Blue Devils and the Rams square off in this backyard Wyandot County rivalry. Carey is winless in three games, with all three losses coming to unbeaten teams: Hopewell-Loudon, 30-7; Galion, 41-14; and Lima Central Catholic, 6-0. Carey also entered last year's matchup with an 0-3 record, but beat the Rams 40-3, went 4-2 the rest of the regular season and advanced to the second round of the Division VI, Region 22 playoffs. A year ago, Upper Sandusky rebounded from that loss, also went 4-2 over the final six regular season games and qualified for the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs. Upper Sandusky (128 yards, 11.3 points) and Carey (124.3 yards, 7.0 points) rank seventh and eighth, respectively, among Northern 10 Conference teams in total offense. Carey's running game, always a team strength of the Blue Devils, took a hit when all-Ohio back Eli Steen was injured in the opening loss to Hopewell-Loudon. Mace Puckett has picked up the slack, rushing for 274 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Upper Sandusky, which has had some outstanding quarterbacks in recent seasons, generates most of its yardage through the air, with quarterback Keegan Dunn throwing for 230 yards and Josh Heilman (9 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD) his top target. Cory-Rawson (0-3, 0-2 NWCC) at North Baltimore (3-0, 2-0 NWCC) It's been 20 years since North Baltimore started a season 3-0. Friday, the Tigers can achieve something they haven't done in 30 years: start out 4-0. It's been a successful return for Greg Bishop, who coached at North Baltimore in 2013, 3014 and 2015 before moving on to Elmwood. Bishop's teams have been noted for offensive firepower and that trend continues. With solid wins over Bucyrus (36-28), Hardin Northern (48-8) and Elgin (47-6) the Tigers, behind junior quarterback Luke Long and senior running backs Brody Walter and Cooper Clark, are averaging 43.7 points a game heading into Friday's Northwest Central Conference game with Cory-Rawson. Cory-Rawson enters the game still looking for its first win, but is coming off its best defensive effort of the season following an 8-0 loss to Hardin Northern in last week's NWCC matchup. The Hornets dropped their first two games to a pair of 2-1 teams, falling 52-14 to Arcadia and 40-0 to Upper Scioto Valley.