So ... Findlay lost 9-6. Bad offense on both sides of the ball for the most part, though there were some really good defensive efforts making things tough.
Ryan Montgomery is just so, so much bigger and better than he was a year ago. His development from then to now is really remarkable but he's still got a ways to go to be a consistent high-level D1 prospect IMO but every tool is there and obvious. It's just about putting it together. I don't believe the Findlay offense really plays to his strength and that's going to be an issue as the year progresses. I'd be throwing the ball down the field more than they do and creating space because they're young at WR but have a few talented pass catchers to grow with Ryan, especially 2025 WR/TE Reece Little. That's a kid to know moving forward in Ohio, FWIW. Ryan's best drive of the game was the final one and he was an inch or so away from throwing a game-winning touchdown pass with about 30 seconds left on the clock. He made a great throw into the front corner of the endzone and WR made a spectacular catch but was ruled out of bounds -- I am not convinced he was OOB but it's HS football and there is no way to get something overturned.
Luke Montgomery played at left tackle and took a lot of snaps at defensive tackle as well for the Trojans. Like Ryan, Luke has really done some incredible work on transforming his body since last season. He's dedicated himself to becoming an offensive lineman physically and is getting closer to being a true offensive lineman mentally. I was somewhat surprised by the lack of interest in running the ball behind him for Findlay, as they seemed to be almost always run away from Luke, a lot of times on counter/misdirection stuff. Sometimes I think you've got to just line up and let the biggest kid on the field get physical. Findlay's opening drive was stopped on the goalline on three-straight plays and that ultimately was the deciding factor in the game. Luke is much more comfortable in pass protection than he looked last summer and was regularly getting to the second level in the running game looking for "next" blocks. Overall, I like the growth from Luke but the offensive line is the hardest position to truly excel at -- still the development track is there.
Outside of the Montgomerys and Reece Little, the player who caught my eye the most was Anthony Wayne quarterback Grant Kinnee. Another 2025 prospect, Kinnee hasn't earned the recruiting buzz that Montgomery or Bellefontaine's Tavien St. Clair has been but he's got a great frame (almost 6-4, 190) and showed some athleticism that was impressive. He was almost the entire offensive game plan for the Generals in the second half and made some big-time runs when they needed to extend drives at key times. He's a baseball player too and from talking to those around the stadium that may be the sport he prefers but Grant Kinnee is just one more pretty good sophomore QB in Northwest Ohio.
Ryan Montgomery is just so, so much bigger and better than he was a year ago. His development from then to now is really remarkable but he's still got a ways to go to be a consistent high-level D1 prospect IMO but every tool is there and obvious. It's just about putting it together. I don't believe the Findlay offense really plays to his strength and that's going to be an issue as the year progresses. I'd be throwing the ball down the field more than they do and creating space because they're young at WR but have a few talented pass catchers to grow with Ryan, especially 2025 WR/TE Reece Little. That's a kid to know moving forward in Ohio, FWIW. Ryan's best drive of the game was the final one and he was an inch or so away from throwing a game-winning touchdown pass with about 30 seconds left on the clock. He made a great throw into the front corner of the endzone and WR made a spectacular catch but was ruled out of bounds -- I am not convinced he was OOB but it's HS football and there is no way to get something overturned.
Luke Montgomery played at left tackle and took a lot of snaps at defensive tackle as well for the Trojans. Like Ryan, Luke has really done some incredible work on transforming his body since last season. He's dedicated himself to becoming an offensive lineman physically and is getting closer to being a true offensive lineman mentally. I was somewhat surprised by the lack of interest in running the ball behind him for Findlay, as they seemed to be almost always run away from Luke, a lot of times on counter/misdirection stuff. Sometimes I think you've got to just line up and let the biggest kid on the field get physical. Findlay's opening drive was stopped on the goalline on three-straight plays and that ultimately was the deciding factor in the game. Luke is much more comfortable in pass protection than he looked last summer and was regularly getting to the second level in the running game looking for "next" blocks. Overall, I like the growth from Luke but the offensive line is the hardest position to truly excel at -- still the development track is there.
Outside of the Montgomerys and Reece Little, the player who caught my eye the most was Anthony Wayne quarterback Grant Kinnee. Another 2025 prospect, Kinnee hasn't earned the recruiting buzz that Montgomery or Bellefontaine's Tavien St. Clair has been but he's got a great frame (almost 6-4, 190) and showed some athleticism that was impressive. He was almost the entire offensive game plan for the Generals in the second half and made some big-time runs when they needed to extend drives at key times. He's a baseball player too and from talking to those around the stadium that may be the sport he prefers but Grant Kinnee is just one more pretty good sophomore QB in Northwest Ohio.
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