For the 5th straight year, NE8 rivals East Noble and Leo will meet in sectionals as the winner of this game will play for a sectional championship one week from tonight.
Both teams are 8-2 who won a share of the NE8 in the regular season. Leo defeated East Noble 14-7 in their first meeting that helped Leo claim that share of the title. Since that game, East Noble has went on a tear holding teams to less than 15 points per game since that game including 2 shutouts. The run game has also seen improvements since that game as they’ve consistent ran for 277 or more yards in 4 of their last 5 games averaging over 7 yards per carry. East Noble is coming off a 43-0 win over New Haven last week.
For Leo, they’ve went on a torrent pace averaging over 40 points per game on offense since that game as the Lions look to win their first sectional since reaching Semistate in 2011. Leo is coming up a 42-0 win over South Side in the first round of sectionals. Head Coach Jason Doerffler knows that this game with EN will be a tough test that should be well played.
“We played well against South Side and were able to rest some guys in the 2nd half of that game,” said Doerffler on their last game. “It was a good way to kick off sectionals, but we have a huge test this Friday against a very aggressive and physical East Noble team.”
East Noble looks to win their first sectional since 2020.
In the season series, Leo leads 8-6.
Keys to win
1. Stop the Run
When we discuss what are the keys to winning a classic EN-Leo game, I will always say whichever defense can stop the run the best wins this game.
Both teams have excellent quarterbacks in Zander Brazel for East Noble and Kylar Decker for Leo. But both teams are better when they’re able to run the ball to mix up the schemes.
In their first meeting, Leo ran for 142 yards despite the fact Kylar Decker had a tough performance as he completing less than 39% of his passes.
One player they will not have to help Leo in this game is Brett Fuller who has missed the last 4 games due to an injury. As unfortunate as that is, it’s a next-man-up mindset for the Lions.
Last week against South Side, the always versatile Kamden Zeisloft ran for 64 yards on 4 carries (16 yards per carry), and Dearious Carter ran for 49 yards on 5 carries. Aidan Monds did not play in that South game. Kaden Hurst has shown to run the ball on several occasions as he averages 11.2 yards per carry on the season.
But the key in that regular season game was how Leo was able to contain East Noble’s 3-headed monster in that backfield as the Knights running game was held to just 126 yards rushing. On the season, EN averages 6.1 yards per carry on the season. East Noble is 11-0 since last season when they rush for 239 or more yards.
Leo will be relying on big time playmakers such as Brock Schott, Jaxon Keller, Aiden Furnish, Lucas Sheron, and Jared Jasper to contribute uniformly to stop the powerful East Noble run attack where it’ll force them to play disciplined and focused football.
For East Noble, Dylan Krehl, Logan Hatton, Pace Agee, Jacob Ramey, and Connor Leins to contain a powerful and talented Leo offense.
2. Field Positioning is Crucial
When we look at this matchup, one thing we have to discuss is the positioning of each drive. Which team is able to sustain drives the best, and which one can control the ability to put pressure on their opponent? East Noble has only punted 13 times on the season, while Leo has 24 punts. That could potentially be a factor if the Knights are able to get that run game going, which helps Zander establish the passing game in that Shotgun Wing-T.
During the regular season, both teams combined for 12 punts as it was the defense that stole the story in that game. Special teams are crucial in a game like this. Kaden Hurst, who’s committed to Ohio University, has 4 combined touchdowns off of returns (3 kickoff returns). That is something that you gotta be careful when the ball goes to Hurst’s hands.
On the other hand, East Noble’s Alex Sprague is arguably the best kicker in the NE8 with his ability to showcase a strong boot, a clutch FG kicker, and has the ability to use the onside kick when needed. He’s 51-52 in PAT’s and Field Goals.
3. Turnovers, Turnovers, and TURNOVERS
I don’t have to lecture you to tell you that turnovers are amplified in the playoffs. Which team can take better care of the football will be in excellent position to win this game. East Noble has 8 total turnovers on the season, but have only allowed 2 since that loss to Leo.
For Leo, it has happened 9 times (5 on lost fumbles), but Leo has committed zero turnovers over the last 2 games. But let’s look at this further with this series.
Dating back to 2020, 5 of the last 6 meetings have been decided by the team that commits the least amount of turnovers. That’s a staggering number when you add postseason games into the fold.
For example, Senior Zander Brazel is having his best season of his high school career throwing for 1,548 yards on 56.8% completion and only 5 INT’s. 2 of those INT’s came against Leo in that loss in Week 5. In his career, Leo has done a great job containing him as they’ve limited him to less than 150 yards passing in 5 of the 6 meetings with 5 TD passes and 5 INT’s.
Only 2 games in his career that he’s been picked off twice, but he’s 9-1 when Brazel has recorded 2 or more TD passes.
For Leo, I fully expect Schott and Zeisloft to be all over Brazel in this game to try to get him off his game. Same goes for Connor Leins of EN as he will be challenging Leo QB Kylar Decker. Leins has 8 sacks, 11 TFL’s, and a fumble recovery.
Zeisloft I believe has around 8 INT’s in his career as a safety, and so I look for him to be a huge part of that pass coverage.
Players to Watch
East Noble
Dylan Krehl Junior Running Back/Middle Linebacker
Name a player that has immense value without always showing crazy stats? Dylan Krehl would be one of many excellent answers. Where would East Noble be on both sides of the field without his versatility and his ability to play that many positions on the field. He’s their explosive running back, he’s an option in the passing game, and he’s a beast in the trenches.
This season, he’s rushing for 584 yards averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 11 TD’s. He has 13 catches for 137 yards with 2 TD’s. Defensively, he has 82 total tackles, 65 solo, 11 TFL’s, and a sack. Jeff Mahoney is convincing me that he’s the NE8 player of the year. He’s making it hard for me to find finalists for my end of season fan vote.
But there’s no question he is one of many MVP’s at EN.
Leo
Brock Schott Junior Tight End/Middle Linebacker
We talk about the Brock Gronk as a force as a tight end, but frankly he’s becoming maybe the best middle linebacker I’ve ever covered. Like seriously, you watch Schott play, you thought he was playing college football. This kid has crazy insane talent on that side of the ball.
As a tight end, he has 23 catches for 452 yards (19.7 yards per catch), and 3 TD’s. On the other side of the ball, Schott has 42 tackles, 18 TFL’s, an INT, and a whopping 12 sacks!! A dozen sacks!
Brock Schott has been a beast, and he seems to be at his best in the biggest of stages. Can this great East Noble line contain the high caliber talent that is Brock Schott, who will soon become a high caliber D1 prospect.
One thing’s for certain, it’s about to be a war!
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