by Gregg Meadows
There were two big things at stake on Friday, Oct. 23, when Tri-Valley traveled to John Glenn for a crucial ‘Week 10’ gridiron matchup with the host Muskies in the regular season finale – a share of the 2026 Muskingum Valley League Big school title, and an equally valued spot in the OHSAA post season playoffs.
And you can now put a checkmark in both of those boxes, after the Scottie’s hard-fought 34-28 win over the Muskies.
However, first-year Tri-Valley football coach Austin Jones and his team have little time to celebrate after those two big accomplishments, as a first-ever, post season clash with fierce football rival Sheridan looms dead ahead, on Friday, Oct. 30 on the Generals home field at Paul Culver Jr. Stadium.
In the John Glenn win, the Scotties and host Muskies gave their fans their money’s worth, in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minute.
Visiting Tri-Valley struck first, with Scottie junior All-Ohioan Leevi Wade capping a long drive with a five-yard scoring run at 5:18 of the first quarter, with a Cooper Matz PAT giving TV a 7-0 lead.
John Glenn’s Jensen Parry scored from one-yard out with just 46 seconds left in the first quarter for a 7-7 tie.
The Scotties scored twice in the second quarter, getting a 37-yard touchdown run on a reverse from Lucca Gargasz, and a Stone Spiker to Logan Clapper 54-yard hook up that saw the visiting Scotties jog to their halftime lockerroom with a 21-7 advantage.
John Glenn made a game of it in the second half, tying the contest at 21-21 after a pair of third quarter scoring runs from Jensen Parry, but a late Spiker to Gargasz connection from 69 yards out saw the black and gold take a slim 28-21 lead to the fourth quarter.
The Scotties got some breathing room after a 36-yard dash to paydirt from Leevi Wade with just 2:11 left for a 34-21 lead, but the Muskies weren’t done, as a Carter Merry to Colton Gress pass, catch and score saw the hosts inch to within 34-28 with just nine seconds remaining.
Scottie junior standout Logan Clapper recovered the Muskie’s onside kick attempt, sending Tri-Valley back to Dresden with not only a share of the Muskingum Valley League Big School title (with Sheridan and Philo), but just as importantly, landing the Dawgs a post season spot in the OHSAA State Playoffs.
By the Numbers, from Coach Davis Keel:
Total yards: Tri-Valley 374 (227 rushing, 147 passing)
John Glenn 363 (258 rushing, 105 passing)
Leevi Wade: 19 carries, 110 yards, two TDs
Stone Spiker: 11/15 passing for 227 yards, two TDs
Lucca Gargasz: four catches for 104 yards and a score
Logan Clapper: five catches for 86 yards and a score
Koen Moore: two catches for 37 yards
Defensively for the Scotties:
Chris Reid – 18 tackles
Koen Moore – seven tackles and an interception
Kaden Brock – six tackles
Jackson Conley, Madden Povlinko – five tackles each
Cooper Matz – 4/5 on PATs
The Scotties finished the final 2026 regular season OHSAA Division III, Region 11 rankings in the 11th spot, with the top 12 teams in each Region qualifying for the playoffs.
The top four teams in each region across the state receive a first round bye, with teams that finished in the 5-8 spot awarded a home game, and post season qualifying teams 9-12 hitting the road for their first playoff game.
In Region 11, Steubenville, Licking Valley, Columbus East, and Athens claimed the top four spots, with Dover, Sheridan, Granville, and Linden McKinley earning home playoff contests at 5-8, and Jackson, Jonathan Alder, Tri-Valley, and Columbus South rounding out the remaining four post-season playoff qualifying spots.
The Scotties own a regular season Week 9, 38-21 win over Sheridan, back on Oct. 16 in Dresden at Jack Anderson Stadium. But that victory came at a cost, with senior captain and two-way standout team leader Lane Taylor, and freshman standout Copen Barker suffering season-ending injuries.
Kick-off for the big Tri-Valley vs Sheridan, Week 11, first-ever post-season meeting between the two big conference rivals is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30 in Thornville, on the General’s home Paul Culver Jr. Stadium turf.
Congratulations to the football Scotties (below) on their 2026 MVL Big School title, and Good Luck in post season playoff action!
