St. Paul, Mohawk play to tie in final scrimmage

SYCAMORE — A step forward. After scoring three times and allowing two touchdowns in a controlled practice scrimmage against Keystone on Aug. 8, the St. Paul football team took another right step Thursday night. The Flyers traveled to Mohawk for a live one-half scrimmage under normal game rules. Trailing 7-0 with under a minute left in the half, St. Paul got an 8-yard touchdown pass from Grant Kuhnle to Isaac Kalizewski. The extra point with 45 seconds left made it a 7-7 tie when it was over. "We wanted to see improvement, obviously, because that's what these scrimmages are for," St. Paul head coach Chris Doughty said. "We still put together a game plan for the scrimmage, but it's not quite the same as getting ready for a game. "The thing we saw was steady improvement across the board. Obviously we each scored once, and it was a very even matchup, but we left there pretty pleased as a whole." In 2024, Keystone went 10-2 and fell in the second round of the Division V state playoffs. Mohawk went 10-3 and reached the third round of the Div. VII playoffs as Northern 10 champions. Meanwhile, St. Paul is coming off a 6-5 season that saw a co-Firelands Conference title and a first-round home loss in the state playoffs. "Their strength going into the year is their interior lines with a lot of guys back from last year, especially on defense," Doughty said of the Warriors. "They graduated some key skilled guys. Our strength was their weakness and vice versa. "Our line is still figuring some things out, but I did see some improvement overall up front, especially from the Keystone scrimmage. Again, very pleased with the effort." Doughty came away most pleased with the development of some of St. Paul's younger players in the defensive backfield. "We have a couple of sophomores back there in our rotation with Wyatt (Houser) and Hunter (Springer)," he said. "I think they've developed real nicely, and they stepped up and made some plays. "Isaac also stepped in for a player who was unable to play, and he had some solid blocking all night and then had the touchdown catch to tie it up late. You look to see how those things will translate to a game setting, and we passed that test." The second-year head coach said pass protection on offense also took a step forward, but in general, the intricacies of the offensive line will continue to be a main focus heading into the regular season. The Flyers host Port Clinton on Aug. 23 at Contractors Stadium in Week 1. Among key players, the Redskins bring back quarterback Wyatt Yarbrough, who threw for 1,425 yards with 16 TDs and 13 interceptions last season, and running back Malakii Pinkleton (574 yards, 7 TDs). Yarbrough also ran for 433 yards and 6 TDs last season. Port Clinton is coming off a 3-7, but Doughty cautioned it was a misleading season. Port Clinton lost by seven to Ottawa Hills (10-2), by three to Huron (7-5), by nine to Vermilion (36-27), and by nine to Sandusky (7-5). "They have a talented team and a good number of players back," he said. "They were very competitive and have some incredibly talented skilled position kids, starting with Pinkleton and Yarbrough. "The other thing that stands out is their line play and how they move their feet on both sides of the ball. It will come down to how well the lines match up and, really, a matter of using proper technique and continuing to improve. The preseason is over, and now it's time to focus all our thoughts on Port Clinton."