“It was one we definitely wanted,” said Indians second-year coach Brian Bogenschutz. “It felt good. It’s one of those wins where if you get it, you can start trying to lay out what you want to do for the rest of the season.”
The Indians went 5-5 in the regular season last year before falling to eventual state champion New Bremen in a Division VII playoff game. Cedarville hadn’t won five regular season games since 2014.
The Indians are ranked sixth in this week’s D-VII state poll. Stability has been key to the program’s success, Bogenschutz said.
“I don’t think it’s anything that I’m doing,” he said. “All the success goes to them. I think what’s helped them is a little bit of stability. They’d had four playbooks in three years. This is the first time especially for that senior group that they’ve been able to build off of one season into the next and fine tune things here and there instead of starting from scratch. That’s something they were excited for.”
The Indians are led by a group of 14 seniors, including four players who earned Division VII All-Ohio honors last year.
“I have a great group of seniors,” Bogenschutz said. “They’re going hard every day. They’re providing a lot of leadership for the younger guys and that’s what every program wants that top-down leadership.”
Senior quarterback Jackson Pyles, a D-VII honorable mention selection last season, has thrown for 529 yards and eight TDs directing the Indians’ spread offense.
“He’s reading the defense really well,” Bogenschutz said. “He’s making all the right choices. I put a lot on his shoulders and give him the freedom to make the right play. So far he’s making all the right choices.”
Indians junior Colt Coffey has rushed for 434 yards and seven TDs, including two against Mechanicsburg.
“He worked really hard in the weight room grinding every single day,” Bogenschutz said. “He put on a lot of strength, a lot of muscle.”
A lot of the credit goes to the offensive line, Bogenschutz said, which features seniors Chase Baldwin, Liam Harris and Brody Adkins and sophomores Declan Pollock and Cameron Lloyd.
“They were working their tails off, too,” Bogenschutz said. “(Coffey) can’t get those yards without them.”
Five different senior receivers have caught passes from Pyles this season — All-Ohio third teamer Jackson Howdyshell, All-Ohio honorable mention Josh Flora, Jackson Miller, Jake Winter and newcomer Tyler Cross.
“We have a lot of good receivers on the outside who all want to get the ball,” he said. “They cheer on their teammates when they touch the ball instead of the receiver that doesn’t. It’s a fantastic group.”
Miller (36 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions) and Winter (30 tackles, 1,5 sacks, 5.5 TFL) lead the Indians defensive unit that’s caused 14 turnovers in four games and allowed a league-low 26 points. Cross leads the team with four interceptions.
The Indians are seeking their first conference championship since winning the Kenton Trace Conference in 1998. Cedarville hasn’t won an OHC title since joining the conference in 2001.
“It’s definitely something that’s a goal of theirs, but the immediate goal is Week 5,” Bogenschutz said. “If we can take care of business this week and have a good record against the North, we can go into South play and start thinking about potential title aspirations.”
With a win Friday night at Northeastern (3-1), the Indians will sweep the OHC North portion of the schedule and start 5-0 for the first time since 1998.
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