The Bombers are coming off a season-opening 17-13 loss at Lakota West while Centerville is 1-0 after beating Lakota East 31-21.
Centerville coach Brent Ullery said his team “did some things well” but wants to see improvement across the board, in particular when it comes to the passing game on both sides of the ball.
The Elks ran for 162 yards, including 105 by junior Parker Johnson, while junior quarterback Shane Cole ran for 46 yards and completed 6 of 12 passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns.
“We have to be able to throw the ball a little bit better on offense, and then we’ve got to play better pass defense. It’s that simple,” Ullery said. “We’ve got to know our coverages better. We’ve gotta recognize things faster. We can’t give up 300 yards of passing offense again.”
After seeing Jamison Kitna, a UAB commit whose father, Jon, is the coach of the Thunderhawks and a former Bengals quarterback, throw for 297 yards last week, the Elks will see another quarterback with a familiar last name Friday night.
This time it is Chase Herbstreit, a senior and the youngest son of Elks legend Kirk Herbstreit, who is set to be honored prior to the game for his contributions to the Centerville community.
Entering his second full season as the Bombers’ starter, the younger Herbstreit had a rough passing line against Lakota West (12 for 28 for 73 yards), but he ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
“I’ve seen him the last couple years because we scrimmage them and all that, and the kid that I’m seeing on film last week is drastically improved,” Ullery said of Herbstreit, who completed 133 of 243 passes for 1,522 yards and 10 touchdowns last season with eight interceptions as the Bombers went 7-5 and bowed out of the playoffs in the second round. “You can tell he takes it serious and he’s been working hard at his craft. So he’s getting faster. His arm is strong as heck, and he’s impressive. I like him. I really do.”
Specht called Herbstreit “a pedal to the metal grinder” and a “gym rat” who loves football.
“Chase is the kind of person you win with,” the St. X coach said. “If you compare him as a sophomore to where he is now physically, he’s probably 15 pounds heavier. He’s grown an inch or two. He’s just matured into his body. And you know, we could talk about Chase as a passer, but I think the one area that his game has improved tremendously is his running ability. He rushed for almost 100 yards Friday night. We’re doing more with him in the run game.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
While quarterbacks always get a lot of attention, some of the top talent in this game could be in the trenches.
Centerville senior Kuol Kuol, a three-star offensive line prospect, is verbally committed to Purdue, and the Bombers have a pair of seniors who are among the top 50 prospects in Ohio for the class of 2025.
Defensive lineman Gordy Sulfsted has committed to Notre Dame, and offensive tackle Tucker Kattus is headed to Kentucky while linebacker Jacobe Clapper is an early four-star prospect in the class of 2026.
Here are some other games to watch Friday night:
Gonzaga College High School (Washington D.C.) at Springfield
The Wildcats play host to the alma mater of No. 1 NFL Draft pick Caleb Williams.
Fairmont at Trotwood-Madison
The Firebirds look to go 2-0 after opening the season with a win over rival Alter, and the Rams are hoping to bounce back from a 6-0 loss to Cleveland Heights, the alma mater of the Kelce (Travis and Jason) brothers.
Pickerington Central at Wayne
Quarterback Tyrell Lewis was injured, but the Warriors still managed to beat Fairfield 31-13. Next up is a visit from Central Ohio’s premier program.
Bellbrook at Bellefontaine
The Golden Eagles will have to take down Ohio State verbal commit Tavien St. Clair to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2014.
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