Western heads to Bluffton for big challenge

Maybe it was a stroke of bad luck. From the outside looking in, the typical reward maybe wasn't there. The Western Reserve football team went 8-2 this season and 6-1 in the Firelands Conference. The Roughriders lost only to Margaretta (9-1) and Monroeville (8-2) — a pair of teams with first-round byes and league championships. But that wasn't enough to earn a share of the FC title. And in a deep Region 22 in Division VI, an 8-2 mark was also only good for a No. 10 seed in the 12-team field. Entering the regular season finale on Oct. 24, it appeared if all things stayed the course, the Roughriders had likely played their way into a first-round home game. Instead, Seneca East stunned Sycamore Mohawk and vaulted the 'Riders — and took Carey with them because the Blue Devils beat the Tigers — in the computer ratings. The defending Region 22 champions, Bluffton (8-2), then lost to Columbus Grove in the final game of the regular season. The Pirates fell to the No. 7 seed, and that's where Western is headed at 7 p.m. Friday in the first round of the state playoffs. "Like I told them last week before we knew if we'd be home or away, I'd go to the moon to play football if I had to," Western Reserve head coach Ty Stevenson said. "This senior group has played a lot of football, and we're glad their last game is going to be against some quality opponents. "So we don't really care where we're going; we're just excited to get a chance to play again with this team. We're excited to see a team that won a regional championship last year and see where we are." The Roughriders opened the season with high expectations that they have met. Western replaced just two players off a 7-4 team from 2024. Western suffered a 21-0 loss at Margaretta in Week 2. The Polar Bears are the top seed in the region. But the 'Riders rebounded with three straight wins by a combined 135-16 margin over Bucyrus Wynford, Mapleton, and St. Paul. Then came a tough 27-20 home loss to Monroeville, which then won four more FC games in a row to claim the conference title outright. But Western also never missed a beat. The Roughriders closed the season with four consecutive shutouts. They beat South Central (39-0), Crestview (34-0), Plymouth (40-0), and New London, outscoring the FC opponents 160-0. The Roughriders also overcame a big injury to be in their current position. Quarterback Hayden Keith was an All-Ohio second team selection in 2024 after throwing for 2,071 yards and 17 touchdowns while also rushing for 854 yards and 14 TDs. But Keith went down with an injury in the first quarter of the first game of the season at Wellington. He did not return until the win over Crestview in Week 8, where he promptly threw for 5 TDs in the rout. Keith is 34-of-49 passing for 659 yards with 9 TDs and one interception in three-plus games. He ran for 180 yards and 2 TDs on 25 attempts. In his place, Colton Meagrow was 100-of-134, passing for 1,098 yards with 9 TDs. He added 373 yards and a TD on the ground over 49 attempts. Landyn Wiegel paces the Western rushing attack with 1,067 yards and 24 TDs on just 158 attempts (6.8 average). Brexton Fraelich leads a balanced receiving group with 38 catches for 722 yards and 9 TDs. He is followed by Hayden Dobias with 27 catches for 326 yards and a TD and Dom Edwards with 13 catches for 222 yards and a TD. Cooper Roe has 12 catches for 166 yards and 3 TDs, while Tyler Wood (12 catches, 149 yards) also has a TD catch. Will Taylor paces a defense with five shutouts at linebacker with 63 tackles (10 for loss) and an interception. Blake Welch has 54 tackles (16 for loss) with three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. Caleb Carpenter adds 54 tackles (19 for loss) and five sacks, while Braylon Witherspoon has 38 tackles (12 for loss) and four sacks, and Keith has four sacks. "We're playing some pretty good football right now," Stevenson said. "We're hoping we can continue to do that and make sure we're playing our best game. That's your goal as a coach. Play your best game when it really counts." The 'Riders will have to play their best to beat the Pirates and quarterback Tayte Giesige. He is 112-of-162 passing for 2,263 yards with 32 TDs to just 5 INTs. He also leads the team in rushing with 646 yards and 8 TDs on 74 attempts. "You start there," Stevenson said of Giesige. "He is a junior and already a MAC recruit for college. He can throw it a mile and can run. He's very slippery and hard to tackle. So it starts there, and he's just as good playing safety on defense." Parker Lovell has 636 yards and 11 TDs on 116 rush attempts for Bluffton. Top receivers include Kain Wright with 23 catches for 674 yards and 9 TDs and Blayne Hill with 21 catches for 479 yards and 7 TDs. Lleyton Miller has 19 catches for 397 yards and 7 TDs. "They have some big kids in front of Giesige who can move, and all four guys playing receiver do a great job," Stevenson said. "They have good pieces all over the place, and it should be a great challenge." On defense, Stevenson said the Pirates play a lot of the same kids. "They run a 3-4 defense with some two-high stuff," he said. "But we have to make sure we take care of ourselves and play our best game. If we do that, we hope it's enough to play again next week." Western Reserve is in the state playoffs for a 10th time. The Riders' have a 3-9 record with a regional championship in 1984. Bluffton is in the playoffs for a 13th time with a 12-12 record and two regional championships in 1991 and last season.