LIBERTY CENTER, Ohio — Through the first six weeks of the Ohio high school football season, the No. 1 statistical defense in the state has been the Liberty Center Tigers of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League.
Coach Casey Mohler's team, which is ranked No. 2 in the latest Division V state poll after finishing at 15-1 as state runner-up last season, has recorded four shutouts, yielded only 14 total points, and allowed just 140 total yards per game (60 rushing).
This comes on the heels of Liberty Center's topping foes 677-127 in 2023, meaning the Tigers have given up just 141 points in their past 22 games (6.4 per game).
So far in 2024, only one other team in Ohio has allowed fewer than 20 points, with West Lafayette Ridgewood (6-0, ranked No. 7 in Division VI) surrendering 16.
Meanwhile, the Tigers (6-0, 3-0 NWOAL) have scored 269 points in upping their regular-season winning streak to 31 straight games. Through their six 2024 wins, they are outscoring opponents by an average of 44.8 to 2.3 per game while outgaining them 407-140 offensively.
“I think we've got really good players,” said Mohler, who is 82-15 overall in his eighth season. “They're guys that have worked really hard and they buy into the system. It probably doesn't matter what [scheme] we run defensively. It's going to work when you have really good players.”
Matt Bryan, a McComb graduate who has been the Tigers' defensive coordinator since Mohler gave up that role upon succeeding Ohio hall-of-fame coach Rex Lingruen (253-104 receord, 1985-2016) in 2017, is in agreement.
“We've got good players,” Bryan said of the stingy defense. “Guys who care and buy into the system. We're pretty aggressive. We kind of have a mindset with our seniors that they're going to go get the football. That helps a lot. That's probably the biggest factor, the kids.”
THE BLADE/STEVE JUNGA
The defense is manned by its 11 starters and seven others who regularly rotate in throughout games at the three levels of the Tigers' 3-3 scheme.
Up front are seniors Zander Zeiter and Kyelar Kern, as well as junior Hunter Spangler.
“It's a unit,” Zeiter said of the defensive mindset. “The defensive line could be really good, the linebackers could be really good, and the DBs could be really good. But, ultimately, it's a unit.
“There's 11 guys on the field, and I think we do a really good job of playing as one unit. That's what makes us good. It's kind of like a brotherhood.
“The coaches do a really good job of preparing us each week. The big thing coach Mohler says is that, 'No matter who the opponent is, we always practice to beat the best team in the state.' We always keep the goal on the next team we face.”
The 6-2, 240-pound Zeiter has 20 tackles, 10 for losses, and two sacks.
The linebacking core includes senior Waylon Rentz in the middle, flanked by classmate Stephen Brogan and sophomore Garrison Kruse.
“We always just try to play as fast as we can and try to be as physical as we can,” said the 5-11, 205-pound Rentz, who has a team-high 32 tackles. He also leads LC with 510 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on offense. “We all get to the ball really quick, and when we get to the ball, we try to hit the ball carrier as hard as we can.
“[Last year's playoff run] created a lot of momentum for us, and we're all really hungry to get back to that spot. We all want to bring it home this year. Everybody just does their job and, basically, that's all it takes.”
In the secondary are senior cornerbacks Grady Miller and Cam Kahle, senior safeties Blake Garber and Jackson Bartels, and junior rover Thomas Mohler (Casey's son).
“Every week our defensive coach, coach Bryan, sets a goal for us,” Miller said, “and our scout team does a great job [in practice], giving us good looks on what to do, and we all really trust each other and know that we're going to get the job done.
“We've got some athletes, I guess, but we're not all crazy athletic. Coach Bryan does a good job scheming up and knows where to put people and who can make plays.”
GETTING DEFENSIVEHere is a look at the top five points allowed per game average in Ohio (all divisions) this season as of Thursday afternoon, according to MartinRPI.
2.3 — Liberty Center (Division V)
2.7 — Ridgewood (Division VI)
3.7 — Marion Local (Division VI)
4.0 — Bluffton (Division VI)
4.2 — Lutheran East (Division IV)
The 6-4, 205-pound Miller is also the Tigers' quarterback, so far completing 15 of 25 passes for 446 yards and eight TDs, and adding 157 rushing yards and a TD.
“Us seniors, we all want it really bad this year,” Miller said. Last year, after we lost [the state final], it was sad, but we were all back in the weight room within a week or two. We want to get back bad, and show what we can do.”
Rotating in up front are seniors Brady Giesige and Tyler Ley, as well as sophomore Kellen Wymer. Alternating in at linebacker are junior Max Walker and sophomore Jaxton Lawniczak, and backing up the secondary are juniors Kaden Sonnenberg and Mason Smith.
This group of 18 players is an example of the luxury coach Mohler has with the development of the program as a bona fide state power that sports a 73-player roster, huge for a school with Liberty Center's enrollment.
The depth the Tigers have created has allowed them to fill a graduation void that included first team All-Ohioans Landon Bockelman (offensive line) and Colton Kruse (RB), second team All-Ohioan Trenton Kruse (LB), and third team All-Ohioan Landen Kruse (DB).
“The standard that these guys play at has risen each year over the last couple years,” coach Mohler said. “They know how important it is, what it takes, and what previous classes have done. They want to uphold that standard, and I think our depth this year helps.
“We've had some running clocks this year. In the the past, when we've had running clocks and put our backups in, they'd give up a touchdown. This year, our backups are a lot of juniors and some really good sophomores. When they get in, we haven't given up a lot of points.”
The only touchdown the first-team defense has allowed this season came on an 85-yard pass in the second quarter of the Tigers' 31-7 win over Napoleon in Week 2, a play coach Mohler said came on a blown coverage.
The other TD came against Liberty's backups in a 37-7 win at Otsego in Week 3.
“I think our guys want to be as good as they can possibly be,” coach Mohler said. “We've had a lot of success the last couple years. They've tasted that and want to continue that. They know that defense the last 2-3 years had been our strong suit.
“When we put up offensive numbers, a lot of times it's been because our defense has set our offense up on a short field or scored defensive touchdowns. They just take a lot of pride in playing defense, being physical, and not giving up points.”
This season is a carryover of the Tigers' remarkable 69-12 run over the past six years, a stretch in which the road to the state championship has gone through Liberty Center four times.
In 2018, Mohler's team finished 12-2 with a loss to eventual champion Orrville in the D-V state semifinals. The Tigers finished 10-2 with a second-round playoff loss in 2019, and reached the third round in a pandemic-abbreviated 7-3 2020 season.
In 2021, LC ended 11-3 with a regional-final loss to eventual D-VI state champion Carey (15-1). In 2022, the Tigers finished 14-1 with a state-semifinal loss to eventual D-V state champion Canfield South Range (16-0), and last year's 15-1 season closed with a narrow 21-14 loss to top-ranked Perry (16-0) in the D-V title game in Canton.
“There's a lot of carryover from last year,” Mohler said of the 2024 success. “Those guys got to the big stage. They know what it's like, and they know what it takes to get there. They got a little taste of it and they want a little bit more.
“That's a tribute to last year's senior class, and it goes back before that, when these guys were freshmen. Each year we just got a little bit hungrier, and we found out a little bit more of what it took to get there. Hopefully, this group can continue on that rise.”
Retaining their current position as Ohio's stingiest defense will be a serious challenge for the Tigers on Friday, when they travel to Hamler to face Henry County rival Patrick Henry (5-1, 3-0) in an NWOAL first-place showdown.
Veteran coach Bill Inselmann's Patriots come in ranked No. 9 in Division VI. Their lone loss came in Week 3 by a 27-13 score at Columbus Grove (6-0), Ohio's No. 2-ranked team in Division VII.
Although Liberty Center blanked the visiting Patriots 62-0 last season, this matchup promises to be much more competitive. Patrick Henry advanced to Ohio's D-VII state semifinals last season and feature a new look in this rivalry series.
“This game's going to look a little different than it has in the past,” coach Mohler said. “Patrick Henry is extremely physical, and they're going to run the ball. We're going to try to run the ball. There's going to be a lot of smash-mouth football. They're big and strong and have a lot of really good athletes.
“Lincoln Creager [senior QB/DB] and Grant Smith [junior DL/RB] are exceptional athletes, and Bill [Inselmann] does a great job every year with the passing game. We're going to have to be on our toes defensively, and really cover the whole field.”
Smith was a first team D-VII All-Ohioan at DL in 2023, and Creager was named to the second team at DB. Inselmann (32nd season, 265-101 record) is northwest Ohio’s winningest active head football coach.
Liberty Center has won the past five meetings with Patrick Henry in the series, which began in 1970, but the Patriots lead 36-24 all-time in the rivalry. The Tigers are seeking their third league title in a row and their fourth overall under Mohler.
First Published October 3, 2024, 2:58 p.m.
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