The Great Lakes East division is on the line Sunday as the Ohio State Club Football program travels to the Glass Bowl to take on a Toledo team looking for its first divisional crown.
Both teams have already secured a spot in the Great Lakes Conference playoffs, but the winner will receive a semifinal home game against the Oakland Grizzlies while the loser will travel to Michigan State for a rematch with the Spartans.
The Rockets sit at 4-2 on the season with losses to Michigan State – by a single point – and Ohio Valley Christian Community College by a pair of scores. They have collected wins over Cincinnati United Prep, Oakland, Pittsburgh and Wright State. On the season, the Rockets have outscored their opponents by a margin of 234-80 and have scored 70 or more in each of their last two contests against Pittsburgh and Wright State.
Toledo is led by quarterback Darnell Thomas, a former quarterback at Bluffton University. A veteran of college football, Thomas spent two seasons with the Beavers and is now in his second season with the Rockets Club Football program. Thomas joined the Toledo starting lineup Week 2 against Oakland and has proven to be one of the most electric starting QBs in the NCFA. His favorite target is Blake Kamelesky, who accounted for nearly 100 receiving yards against Wright State last week and also serves as Thomas’ backup.
On the defensive side of the ball, the interior defensive line of William Kerr and Didi Lakatos has given opponents fits all season. Just like Ohio State, the Rockets have posted back-to-back shutouts, thanks in large part to Kerr and Lakatos stopping the run and getting after the quarterback. Both recorded a sack against the Buckeyes a season ago.
For Ohio State, consistency is what has driven their 18-game winning streak. Since surrendering a touchdown in the second quarter to Wilmington (JV) on Oct. 11, the Buckeyes have rattled off 197 unanswered points and have outscored opponents 349-42 on the season. Ohio State has not committed a turnover since a second-quarter interception against the Quakers and has punted just three times in the last two games.
Quarterback Corbyn Aleshire leads the NCFA in total touchdowns accounted for, having thrown for 17 and rushed for five. He is second in the NCFA in completions (72), third in passing yards (1,048) and first in touchdown passes. His touchdown-to-interception rate (+15) is also best in the league. Five different receivers have caught touchdown passes from Aleshire this year, including Ricardo Washington, who is second in the NCFA in almost all major receiving categories. His 81-yard touchdown catch last week against Cincinnati United was the longest recorded reception in the NCFA this season and put him over 1,000 career receiving yards at Ohio State. Fellow wide receivers Desean Bonte and Jake Thompson have also hauled in multiple touchdown catches as have tight ends Tommy Delaney and Aidan Donovan.
In the run game, Milan Jackson has paced the Buckeyes this year, rushing for 452 yards and eight touchdowns on just 45 carries. He is second in the NCFA in yards per carry (10.27) and is tied for the league lead in rushing scores. He is also just one of two players this season to record a kick return touchdown, housing the opening kickoff against Wright State for a score. Running mate Ethan Young has proven to be a menace in short yardage situations this season and is tied for second in the NCFA in rushing scores with seven, including two in the win over Cincinnati United.
Defensively, the Buckeyes lead the NCFA in interceptions with a whopping 22 in just six games. Ohio State has pulled in 12 interceptions in its last two wins over Wright State and Cincinnati United alone, however the Rocket offense should prove to be a much stiffer test. Safety Vann Riordan and cornerback Stosh Niezgoda are tied for the team and NCFA lead in interceptions with four apiece while safeties Reagan Little and Anthony Tulli each have three on the year.
Up front, the Buckeyes are led by a stellar front seven that includes veteran Matt Humphreys. Humphreys is coming off of a 3.0 sack performance against Cincinnati United, giving him 20 sacks for his career. He is just 5.0 behind all-time leader Trey Jones, who earned the top spot just a season ago. Not to be outdone, Elijah Lowden leads the team in sacks this season with 6.0 and is tied for fifth all-time on the team leaderboard.
At linebacker, Evan Riggs and Dane Barcalow lead the way. Barcalow leads the team in tackles with 38 on the year to go along with 2.0 sacks. Riggs is not far off the pace, posting 33 total stops and also a pair of sacks to go along with multiple blocked kicks on special teams and a defensive touchdown. The Buckeyes have not allowed an offensive touchdown to the Rockets since the 2023 season, following a shutout in 2024 and a 58-8 win last season where Toledo’s lone touchdown came via a pick-6.
Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the Toledo Glass Bowl. Admission is $7. A livestream for this game will not be available.
