By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
First-year Edon head football coach Jamison Wisel knew he had plenty of experience coming back, and it has already paid off in a 5-0 start for the high-flying Bombers.
Edon had not won its first five games of the regular season since 2023. Wisel, who took over the head coaching reins from longtime mentor Bob Olwin in the off-season, knew the potential for a successful campaign was right there for the Bombers.
“Our seniors set goals and we’re right where we’re expected to be at this point of the year,” said Wisel. “I didn’t think a lot of people realized how much experience we had coming back. It has shown over the first five weeks.”
With victories over Edgerton (40-7), Antwerp (35-12), Hicksville (50-6), Summerfield (42-0) and Erie Mason (56-8) to reach the halfway point of the regular season, Edon now faces a challenging second-half schedule, beginning with a pivotal Great Lakes Conference road matchup at Sand Creek, Michigan (2-2, 1-1 GLC) on Friday night.
“It’s huge,” said Wisel about the Bombers’ 5-0 start. “We had a lot of experience coming back, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That’s obviously helped out a lot of the time. We knew that we’re going to lean on our defense a little bit earlier than expected.”
The other side of the Bombers’ early-season success has been the play of 6-2, 205-pound sophomore quarterback Jaron Grove.
Grove, who saw limited time as a freshman and had not started a varsity contest before this season, has been the biggest surprise for the Bombers.
Through five games, Grove has completed 96 of 141 passes for 1,343 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 63 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries.
“He (Grove) has done a great job for us leading our offense,” said the Edon coach. “He also worked very hard this summer.”
Wisel admitted he had a quarterback battle in preseason camp between Grove and senior Corbin Chrisman, who started two games a year ago when former Edon standout Briggs Gallahue was injured.
“He (Chrisman) did very well for us last year, and I think he threw for seven touchdowns last year and led to two wins, the games when Briggs (Gallahue) was out,” said the Edon coach.
Following a preseason scrimmage with Wayne Trace, the decision was made for Grove to take over at quarterback.
Wisel’s decision also gave the Bombers a huge additional weapon in a talented receiving group. Chrisman has already caught 15 passes for 250 yards and five touchdowns, an average of 16.7 yards per catch.
“He (Chrisman) fits our receiving position very well and got our season off and running when he was the one who scored our first touchdown for us against Edgerton,” said Wisel.
Also taking flight in the Bombers’ receiving corps are senior Landen Reitzel with 27 grabs for 367 yards and three touchdowns, senior Kadin Stantz with 17 catches for 306 yards and six touchdowns, junior Lincoln Kiess with 15 catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Parker Moyer with 16 grabs for 139 yards and three scores.
Moyer has also rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
Much of the success of the Bombers’ offense, which is averaging 44.6 points per game, is credited to the offensive line: senior left tackle Aricin Rodriguez (5-10, 255), senior left guard Trent Buck (5-10, 170), sophomore center TJ Wehrle (5-8, 170), junior right guard Micah Kessler (6-0, 250) and junior right tackle Gabe Trausch (5-11, 195). Junior Brady Trent (6-0, 220) has returned from an injury and has gotten playing time the past two weeks.
“It all starts up front,” said the Edon coach. “They have given Jaron (Grove) time to throw and when we have run the ball, we have been effective.”
Defensively, the Bombers’ top three tacklers are linebackers: senior Braedyn Wehrle (5-8, 175) with 45 stops, followed by All-Ohioan junior Korbin Olds (5-6, 140) with 30 tackles and Reitzel with 27 stops. The Bombers give up 6.6 points per game.
“What it’s telling me is those three guys (Wehrle, Olds, Reitzel) who are leading our team in tackles, our defensive line is doing their job,” said Wisel.
Though the Bombers are 5-0 at the halfway point, neither Wisel nor the team is satisfied, especially with the second-half schedule ahead of them.
“This week, we know that our physicality is going to be tested because Sand Creek likes to run the football,” said Wisel. “We’re not taking that game for granted, but we’re trying to take it one week at a time and not trying to look ahead.
“All of our goals are still in front of us since the beginning of the year. We’re worried about Sand Creek right now and again we’re trying to be 1-0 this week. Our kids know it’s going to be a good test for us on Friday night.”