Patriots open season Friday at Norwell

Jay County Patriots

Portland, 0-0

Coach: Tim Millspaugh, eighth year

Conference: Allen County Athletic

Last season: Jay County had a rough beginning to the season as it started with eight straight defeats and was shut out in each of the first two games of the season. Jay County got on the win column in the final contest of the regular season but lost its sectional opener for the fifth time in the last six years.

Returning leaders: Passing — Sam Dunlavy – 18-of-53 for 271 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. Rushing — Bailey Cox – 157 carries for 827 yards and seven touchdowns. Receiving — Sheldon Eley – six catches for 69 yards. Defense — Kess McBride – 60 tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception.



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Norwell Knights

Ossian, 0-0

Coach: Josh Gerber, fifth year

Conference: Northeast 8

Last season: Norwell started its season with back-to-back wins, but went 3-6 the rest of the way, including three straight losses, to finish 5-6. The Knights reached the sectional semifinal for the second consecutive season but lost to eventual sectional champ Concordia. The Knights return their top stars on offense and their leading tackler.

Season leaders: Passing — Eli Riley – 67-of-149 for 1,033 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Rushing — Max Ringger – 189 carries for 918 yards and 10 touchdowns. Receiving — Isaiah Brege – 11 catches for 235 yards and three touchdowns. Defense — Joel Rinkenberger v 60 tackles, six tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.



Last season: After a relatively promising opening drive, Jay County struggled mightily to move the football and gave up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a 47-0 loss to Norwell. The Patriots, who managed just 43 yards on the ground, only ran six plays in the second half because of the new running clock mercy rule. Norwell’s Max Ringger rushed for 107 yards with a touchdown, and Eli Riley (80 yards) scored on both of his carries and also threw for a touchdown as the Knights led 35-0 at halftime.

Game notes: This is the third time Jay County and Norwell have played one another and the first with the Knights as the home team. Norwell won both previous meetings by a combined margin of 87-12 ... Jay County is still without a week-three opponent after Southern Wells announced it would not play a varsity schedule this year ... Norwell is looking to go 1-0 in back-to-back years for the first time since it won the season opener three straight times from 2005 to 2007, including the Knights’ state runner-up season in 2006 ... This is the first of four scheduled road games for Jay County, which also travels to Adams Central (Sept. 11), Bluffton (Sept. 18) and Heritage (Oct. 16).