Experienced Western eyes strong finish

COLLINS — Run it back. After a sixth straight winning season and playoff appearance in 2024, the Western Reserve football team returns a wealth of talent. The Roughriders had just one senior on a team that finished 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the Firelands Conference. Western lost to Seneca East at home in the first round of the Division VI playoffs. Production-wise, Western loses just 29 catches for 413 yards and six touchdowns at the receiver position, and 387 yards and eight TDs from the backfield on offense. It lost 70 tackles and two interceptions from the defense. But after starting 5-1, the 'Riders scuffled to a 2-3 mark over their final five games. All four losses last season were by double digits. "Having that many guys back definitely gives you a jump in the summer," eighth-year Western head coach Ty Stevenson said. "They know what to expect and how things should work on Friday nights. But that doesn't mean success will just happen again. We still have to work, hold each other accountable and lift really hard. "I think we've done a good job with that, and they are excited and have a lot of energy. They want to go out and win a bunch of football games, and that's our goal and what will happen this year." Stevenson noted that Western's defeats last year showed the team they needed to be stronger. "The games we lost all had a couple things in common," he said. "We turned it over and lost the battle in the trenches. We have to fix those things this year to reach our ultimate goal. "It's been a good couple weeks of camp. But really, I think a lot of it is going to come down to how tough we are." Offense There is little question where it starts and ends on offense for Western. Quarterback Hayden Keith (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) is back as the senior starting quarterback for a third year. Keith ran 128 times for 853 yards and 14 TDs and threw for 2,071 yards with 17 TDs and 11 interceptions on 135-of-209 passing. A three-sport athlete, Keith is also a two-time state placer in the shot put in track and field. "Anytime you have a three-year starter at quarterback, it makes a big difference," Stevenson said. "Especially with a talented athlete like Hayden." Junior Landyn Wiegel (5-9, 195) returns at running back after rushing for 501 yards and 7 TDs on 73 attempts. He will be joined by classmate Cooper Roe (5-9, 145), who added 165 yards and 2 TDs on 23 attempts in 2024. Keith has back several key targets at receiver, starting with senior Brexton Fraelich (6-1, 170). He caught 36 catches for 664 yards and 4 TDs last season. Senior Hayden Dobias (6-0, 150) caught 36 passes as well, totaling 449 yards and 3 TDs. Wiegel caught passes for 268 yards with 3 TD out of the backfield. Senior Tyler Wood (5-11, 165) had 10 catches for 166 yards, and senior Dom Edwards (5-11, 155) added six catches for 103 yards. "Landyn back for another year we hope also makes a big difference," Stevenson said. "And along with all our receivers back, skill-wise, we think we match up pretty well." Western also brings back its entire offensive line. Senior Braylon Witherspoon (5-10, 200) and senior Will Taylor (6-2, 215) are the left tackle and guard. Senior Blake Welch (6-0, 205) returns at center, while senior Travis French (6-0, 255) is the right guard and junior Austin Kolb (5-10, 165) is the right tackle. Junior Tyler Cooper (6-4, 215) is the tight end for a Western offense that scored 385 points in 11 games, good for 35 points per game. Señor Caleb Carpenter (5-10, 200), sophomore Austin Wolfe (6-2, 190), and sophomore Tristian Maxwell (5-8, 200) are also expected to contribute on the line. "We're breaking in some new guys here and there to make sure we get everyone in the best position we can be," Stevenson said. "We hope to score points, but we need to be more consistent up front with the way we execute things and take care of the football. "Turnovers were a problem in our losses. I think we had 16 or 17 in the four losses, so obviously that's something we cannot do against quality teams." Defense Defensively, the 'Riders allowed 236 points (21.5) per game last season. Those numbers were especially inflated with losses to Monroeville (48-0) and Seneca East (56-20). Western's three-man front that is back includes French (51 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 FR), Welch (49 tackles, 2 sacks), and Witherspoon (47 tackles, 8 TFLs). French earned All-FC first team in 2024. Carpenter (34 tackles, 8 TFL, 2 sacks) is another who will see time on the line. At linebacker, another talented trio returns in Keith (60 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF), Wiegel (73 tackles), Taylor (90 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks), and Kolb (64 tackles, 3 sacks). Taylor was All-FC second team last season. In the secondary, Edwards (86 tackles) also returns as an All-FC second team player. He is joined by Fraelich (35 tackles, 2 INTs), Wood (41 tackles, 1 INT), Dobias (21 tackles), and Roe (13 tackles). "Another thing that stood out in some of those big games was that we got beat in the pass game a little bit too much," Stevenson said. "We have worked to shore that up and make sure we got guys where we need them to be so we can stop the pass a little better than we did last year." Special teams Cooper will be the punter for the Roughriders. However, the kicker position is wide open. "We may have an open tryout similar to Michigan between now and the first game," Stevenson joked. Dobias, sophomore Jaxson Davidson (5-5, 145), and junior Kohler Graves (5-9, 160) are among the names vying to kick. Though his team returns the most from a numbers standpoint, Stevenson knows the FC is up for grabs. Crestview and defending co-champions Monroeville and St. Paul are all viable contenders. "Everyone thinks Monroeville lost a lot, and they did lose some really great players, but when you look at their lineup, it's clear they are going to be formidable once again," Stevenson said. "St. Paul is St. Paul, and they really didn't lose much either from a good team that we played in a vulnerable spot. "Crestview will probably always have the biggest kids and the most athletes," he added. "I'd like to think we will compete well with those teams on any given night. But we have to play well and not turn the football over. Hopefully we have a shot to win those games in what should be a good, competitive race." 2025 schedule Aug. 22: at Wellington, 7 p.m. Aug. 29: at Margaretta, 7 p.m. Sept. 5: Wynford, 7 p.m. Sept. 12: Ashland Mapleton, 7 p.m. Sept. 19: at St. Paul, 7 p.m. Sept. 26: Monroeville, 7 p.m. Oct. 3: at South Central, 7 p.m. Oct. 10: Ashland Crestview, 7 p.m. Oct. 17: at Plymouth, 7 p.m. Oct. 24: New London, 7 p.m. 2024 results (7-4) Western Reserve 34, Wellington 23 Western Reserve 42, Margaretta 14 Wynford 33, Western Reserve 22 Western Reserve 35, Plymouth 0 Western Reserve 60, Ashland Mapleton 20 Western Reserve 28, St. Paul 7 Monroeville 48, Western Reserve 0 Western Reserve 41, South Central 15 Ashland Crestview 28, Western Reserve 8 Western Reserve 44, New London 0 Playoffs Seneca East 56, Western Reserve 20 2025 roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 0 Parker Lewis TE/LB 5-11 200 11 1 Lucas Summerfield WR/DB 5-7 130 11 2 Colton Meagrow QB/DB 5-11 130 11 3 Dom Edwards WR/LB 5-11 155 12 4 Cooper Roe RB/DB 5-9 145 11 5 Gavin Trzil QB/DB 5-9 145 9 6 Landen Oates WR/DB 5-8 140 10 7 Tyler Wood WR/DB 5-11 165 12 8 Kohler Graves WR/DB 5-9 160 11 9 Brexton Fraelich WR/DB 6-1 170 12 10 Hayden Dobias WR/DB 6-0 150 12 11 Tyler Cooper TE/LB 6-4 215 11 12 Aiden Ewell RB/OLB 5-9 150 10 14 Hayden Keith QB/LB 5-11 210 12 16 Weston Tite WR/DB 5-5 115 9 18 Andrew Gardner WR/LB 5-8 150 9 20 Gage Wurm WR/DB 5-9 120 9 22 Kenny Evans TE/LB 5-11 165 9 23 Mikey Bores WR/DB 5-5 120 10 24 Peyton Kerby RB/LB 5-6 145 9 25 James Weisenberger WR/DB 5-11 140 10 26 Hunter Myers WR/DB 5-6 125 9 30 Xzavion Meagrow WR/DL 5-8 160 12 31 Jaxson Davidson RB/LB 5-5 145 10 40 Landyn Wiegel RB/LB 5-9 195 11 50 Kaden Kinney OL/LB 5-10 155 11 51 Braylon Witherspoon OL/DL 5-10 200 12 52 Austin Kolb OL/LB 5-10 165 11 54 Blake Welch OL/DL 6-0 205 12 55 Keegan Case OL/DL 5-10 270 9 58 Tristian Maxwell OL/DL 5-10 200 10 59 Luke Currence OL/DL 5-6 295 11 60 Dorrian Baldwin OL/DL 6-0 270 10 65 Jakoby Auerhamer OL/DL 5-11 205 9 66 James Pierson OL/DL 5-11 205 10 70 Cam Partington OL/DL 5-8 220 10 71 Travis French OL/DL 6-0 255 12 72 Will Taylor OL/LB 6-2 215 12 74 Austin Wolfe OL/DL 6-2 190 10 75 CJ Bailey OL/DL 5-7 180 10 77 Caleb Carpenter OL/DL 5-10 200 12 79 Gabe Mulder OL/DL 5-10 185 11 89 Mason Jarrett TE/DL 5-10 200 11