Richland 25: No. 18 Lexington, No. 19 Shelby expected to compete for league football titles

MANSFIELD — Summer just started, but football season is right around the corner.

The No. 18 and 19 teams in the Richland 25 will both be on display this fall and should have solid years on the gridiron.

Let's meet the next two teams in our countdown.

Nos. 24-25 Richland 25: Kicking off the countdown of the Top 25 teams returning in Richland County for 2024-25

Nos. 22 and 23: Richland 25: Nos. 22 and 23 withstood young seasons, looking for championships in 2024-25

Nos. 20 and 21: Richland 25: Traditional soccer powers Clear Fork and Madison come in at Nos. 20 and 21

18. Lexington Football

Last year, Lexington ended the regular season at 5-5 earning the No. 13 seed in the playoffs before being bounced by Mansfield Senior in the first round to finish 5-6. So, why are the Minutemen No. 18 in the Richland 25? Because they are going to be absolutely loaded in 2024.

Let's start with the leading rusher and passer, junior quarterback Joe Caudill. Last season, Caudill had a slow start to the season as a sophomore, but blossomed into one of the best QBs in the Ohio Cardinal Conference by the end of the year. He completed 107-of-219 pass attempts piling up 1,571 yards with nine touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 651 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 carries. After earning his first Division I offer from Miami University and spending all spring and summer working on his game, Caudill is going to be a breakout player in 2024.

Then, you have junior sensation Brayden Fogle who earned All-Ohio honors last season when he caught 39 passes for 663 yards and four touchdowns while also recording 4.5 sacks on defense. He has standing offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Syracuse. He also took visits to Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State. With his recruitment really ramping up in football, Fogle is about to prove himself as one of the best football players in Richland County and beyond.

There are two names that are about to become household during the 2024 season. The first in Markale Martin who ran for 540 yards and seven touchdowns last season as a running back. With a season full of health, Martin could be the best running back in Richland County this year. Then, you have junior Seven Allen who may be the most athletic player on the field every single night. He caught 28 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns last year and was a weapon in the return game with seven kickoff returns for 259 yards and a 95-yard touchdown. The kid is lightning in a bottle and whenever he touches the ball, special things happen.

Other names to keep an eye on are Camden Boozer who was the leading tackler on defense, Will Perkins in the kicking game, Dantrell Hughes who will be a very, very good No. 3 receiver and Cole Eichorn who will be a bruising runner and/or blocker. And those are just a few.

Things are looking extremely bright for the Minutemen and they should be considered premium contenders for the Ohio Cardinal Conference championship.

19. Shelby Football

The Whippets had a magical 2023 season going 10-3 with a pair of playoff victories and a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship trophy in the case. It was their first 10-plus win season since the historic 2017 season when they played in the state semifinals.

Let's not sugar coat it, the Whippets lost a lot from last year's team. The greatest receiver in program history, Issaiah Ramsey, will be at Ashland University in the Fall, 1,000-yard rusher Skyler Winters graduated, team-leader Tanner Hartz heads to Heidelburg, Issiah Beck departs, Casey Lantz will also be at Eagle with Ramsey, but will play basketball, veteran Miles Swisher moves on, and nearly the entire offensive line (Eli Schwemley, Mason Vent, Amareon Russell and Kasper Marten) graduated.

That is a lot to overcome, but the Whippets still have plenty to work with and should be considered an MOAC title contender. It will all start with quarterback Brayden DeVito who was absolutely incredible last year earning first team All-Ohio honors in Division IV. He threw for 3,556 yards and 30 touchdowns on just 191 completions. He also ran for a team-high 1,194 yards and 17 touchdowns. Oh, and he caught three passes for 111 yards and two scores. You do the math. DeVito is a special, special talent and will be the heart and soul of the Whippets this season.

Nic Eyster will be a senior leader for Shelby. He is listed as a wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back on the roster so he literally does it all and will be asked to take on a leadership role in 2024. Maverick Noel will be in a similar situation.

There are going to be plenty of players who step up and make a name for themselves, but there may not be two more exciting prospects than incoming sophomores Brady Bowman and Michael Shephard. Bowman showed his stuff when he caught a 55-yard touchdown pass in a crucial win over Ontario to earn a share of the MOAC championship. He has the talent to reset the receiving record books at Shelby.

Shephard didn't get a ton of action last year, but this kid is going to be something special in 2024. Just wait and see.

The Whippets have plenty of spots to fill but they have guys who have been waiting in the wings to get their shot and if they can slide in and keep things rolling, it should be another big year in Shelby.

On the Cusp

Shelby Volleyball

There is a lot to like about this year's Shelby volleyball team. It went 16-8 last year and won a sectional championship. It was the first winning record since 2017 and the first sectional championship since 2012 for the Whippets.

And it was just the beginning.

The Whippets lose two seniors from last year's team in Jaleeza Zehner and Maggie Bogner. Zehner had 66 kills last year while Bogner was a defensive specialist so they will be missed especially their leadership.

But nearly all of the Whippets' offense will be back in 2024 including junior Madison Henkel. She had a team-high 291 kills last season while senior Eve Schwemley had 209 and senior Lexi Mohn added 208. Senior Adey Cornette also had 116 kills so the Whippets will have plenty of offensive weapons for senior Baylie Hoffbauer to feed. Hoffbauer had 783 assists last season so the Whippets have one of the top setters in Richland County.

They also have one heck of a defensive specialist in senior Kendra Walp who recorded a team-high 516 digs. One of the most underrated players in Richland County is senior Ava Bowman who had 225 digs and 237 serve receptions and will be a weapon for the Whippets this year.

Shelby plays in a super tough Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference against traditional powers like Highland and Galion so a league championship will be hard to come by, but a nice little tournament run should be in the cards especially after the expansion to seven divisions.

Clear Fork Girls Basketball

Clear Fork was one of two girls basketball teams in Richland County to win a sectional championship last season joining Lexington. And they should be considered an MOAC championship contender in 2024-25. They will have to find a way to replace the greatest shooter in program history in All-Ohioan Annika Labaki and arguably the best defensive player in Richland County in Kylie Belcher. She also lose instant energy off of the bench in Avary Wine and Allison Montgomery so they have some work to do this summer to get some things figured out, but with what they have coming back, it is hard to think they will have a down year.

All-Ohioan Mel Blubaugh returns for her senior year and if everything lines up correctly, it wouldn't be a shock to see her earn All-Ohio honors in three sports. She had a big summer in hoops and is going to be considered for preseason player of the year heading into the season.

Lillian Weikle will be back in the paint as one of the best post players in Richland County. Ashtyn Wine will bring a defensive intensity that could help replace Belcher while Brinley Barnett will run the point again after having a great year as a sophomore at her new position. Sophomore Hailly Thursh saw plenty of playing time as a freshman last year and will see her role grow even more. The Colts will be without senior Katrina Rogers who suffered an ACL injury this summer so that will hurt depth a little bit.

The Colts had a solid junior varsity team. Juniors Bailee Riddle, Briana McGinty, Lilah Henry, Elaina Pelkey, Mattie Colegrove and Rozy Stover are expected to make the jump to varsity. Stover could be a breakout player in 2024-25. Sophomores Addie Schlosser, Jada Brokaw, Asia Bechtel and Ava Campbell could give the Colts a ton of depth and talent.

Watch out for this team. It might be one of the sleeping giants in Richland County.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

X: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland 25: No. 18 Lexington, No. 19 Shelby expected to compete for league football titles