Three games are in the books for the 2023 Ohio high school football season, two for Michigan teams, and with the league portion of the schedule to begin this week in many leagues, here is a glimpse at what was learned from the Week-3 results.

MONTGOMERY MILESTONE: Despite his status as a four-star quarterback recruit, Findlay junior Ryan Montgomery still has many potential comparisons in front of him in Trojans football lore.

It was 24 years ago when Findlay QB extraordinaire Ben Roethlisberger basically set the standard for all Trojans before of since, and who remains northwest Ohio's greatest talent at the position as a surefire future NFL Hall-of-Famer following his remarkable 18-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In his one season as Findlay's starting QB in 1999, Roethlisberger passed for 4,041 yards and 54 touchdowns in just 12 games for the Trojans. That season Roethlisberger included an eight-TD game in a Great Lakes League win over Fremont Ross. Those three outputs remain as school records.

But, in Friday's 49-14 win at Southview, Montgomery put his name into the Findlay record book by topping one of Roethlisberger's Trojan marks.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, who has narrowed his list of potential college choices to five schools — including two-time defending national champion Georgia and two-time defending Big Ten champion Michigan — was 32 of 37 passing for a Findlay-record 491 yards and six touchdowns. Roethlisberger’s prior record was 468 yards.

In the first half alone, while Findlay (2-1) was building a 42-7 lead, Montgomery was 23 of 28 for 426 yards and five of the scores. The first four of his TD strikes went to the Trojans' superb 6-3 senior wideout Javonte Hill (26, 29, 5, and 57 yards).

Considering Southview (2-1) is a solid team and favored to win the Northern Lakes League's Cardinal Division title, these numbers were a reasonable measure of Montgomery's talents. And, with nearly two seasons of games still remaining in his prep career, he is likely to chase more records.

“Friday night was a prime example of what it looks like when a quarterback never gets bored taking a profit,” Findlay coach Stefan Adams said. “Ryan took what the defense gave him. He has full trust of the people surrounding him — players and coaches — which led to a very clean and efficient record-breaking performance.

“He wasn't trying to do anything extraordinary. He wasn't trying to go above and beyond. It was playing within the scheme and making the right reads. He was just sharp all night long getting the ball where it was supposed to go.”

Through three games, Montgomery is 75 of 107 (70 percent) passing for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions.

NERVOUS MOMENTS: Although Central Catholic ran its winning streak to 18 games on Friday by beating visiting Detroit Catholic Central 42-21 in the first game for the Irish in the Michigan-based Catholic High School League, there was plenty of concern for the home fans upon exiting Gallagher Stadium.

With 5:44 left in the first half, after junior running back Tyler Morgan's 1-yard touchdown plunge that put Central ahead 20-0, all eyes were on Irish senior left tackle Marc Nave as he was helped off the field with an apparent left leg injury.

The 6-4, 315-pound Ohio State University commit did not return. Nor did Irish senior quarterback Terry Collins, when he was helped of the field with an apparent ankle injury. That happened near the same goal line with 10:39 remaining in the game after losing a fumble.. Collins also did not return.

Collins (9 of 9 passing, 156 yards) said after the game that the ankle was fine and that he could have returned. Central coach Greg Dempsey said the same of Nave, and shared that the star lineman was kept out just as a precaution.

Through three games, Collins is 37 of 49 passing (76 percent) for 433 yards and three touchdowns.

GENOA COMEBACK: As the final seconds of the first half ticked away at Huron on Friday, not much had gone well for the visiting Genoa Comets, who trailed 20-0 just before the break.

But, the resilient Comets got a pivotal touchdown just two seconds before halftime on a 13-yard pass from senior quarterback Aiden Brunkhorst to Alex Spencer to pull within 20-7.

In the third quarter, Brunkhorst scored on a 1-yard sneak, and in the fourth senior back Aidan Antry scored on a 2-yard run to tie the game, and junior Camron Agler's extra-point kick capped Genoa' rally to a 21-20 victory to lift the Comets to 2-1 overall heading into the start of Northern Buckeye Conference play this week.

NWOAL STANDS STRONG: Entering the start of league play in most leagues this weekend, the Northwest Ohio Athletic League has posted the best performance versus its nonleague competition.

With three 3-0 teams – Archbold, Liberty Center, and Patrick Henry – leading the way, the eight-team NWOAL posted a combined 17-7 record in nonleague games. 

By comparison, the worst nonleague output came from the seven-team City League, which was a combined 2-19 with its teams being outscored by an average of 41-11 per game.

In between, the NLL's six Buckeye Division teams were 11-7, its five Cardinal Division teams were 7-8, the NBC's eight teams were 12-12, and the five Toledo Area Athletic Conference teams went 7-8.

The NWOAL's title might ultimately be determined right out of the gate in this Friday's league opener that has defending champion Liberty Center playing at Archbold. The host Tigers have outscored its three foes 127-20 thus far, and the Blue Streaks have topped opponents 101-21.

In 2021, Archbold, Ohio's top-ranked Division VI team that year, pounded the visiting Tigers 41-7 in league play, only to lose to Liberty Center 38-35 in the third round of the playoffs on a last-second field goal.

Last season, LC (14-1) blanked the league runner-up Streaks 16-0 in NWOAL play, eventually advancing to the Division V state semifinals.

Since 2017, the Archbold-Liberty Center matchup has arguably become northwest Ohio's best and most competitive high-profile rivalry, with each team winning four times.

In 2020, Archbold won 42-35. In 2019, the Tigers won 39-36 in league play but lost to the Blue Streaks 31-30 in the playoffs. In 2018, Liberty won 35-20, and in 2017 Archbold prevailed 21-12.

The other key NWOAL matchups will be Patrick Henry at Liberty Center on Sept. 29, and PH at Archbold on Oct. 13. PH's Patriots, the league's smallest school in terms of enrollment as a Division VII team, have topped their opposition 113-40 in three games.

Bryan, Delta, Evergreen, and Wauseon all went 2-1 in nonleague play.

PASSING FANCY: In addition to Montgomery's school-record passing effort for Findlay, there were other productive and efficient aerial performances on Friday.

In Patrick Henry's 40-28 win over Columbus Grove, Patriots senior QB Nash Meyer was 16 of 19 for 373 yards and three TDS.

In Whitmer's 49-21 victory over Clay, Panthers junior quarterback Brady Ford was 15 of 19 for 277 yards and three scores.

And, in Oak Harbor's 42-7 triumph over former Sandusky Bay Conference rival Port Clinton, Rockets junior QB Michael Lalonde was 16 of 21 from 250 yards and three touchdowns.

BOUNCE-BACK GAME: After being thumped 46-8 in its season-opener at Perrysburg and then falling 38-37 to Scott in Week-2, St. Francis de Sales bounced back impressively in its CHSL opener last Thursday.

Delivering their first win for new head coach Charles Woolridge, the inexperienced Knights, who were picked in the preseason to finish last in the CHSL's seven-team Central Division, regrouped to triumph 28-19 at Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice.

St. Francis plays host to Detroit Catholic Central Friday at the Glass Bowl, where the Knights face in-town rival St. John's Jesuit (0-3) the following week.

First Published September 4, 2023, 4:42 a.m.