- GAME TIME: Friday, October 23 @ 7:00PM EST
- LOCATION: Defiance Stadium - Defiance, OH
- LIVESTREAM: BFNL YouTube
- RADIO: WCSM — Lake 100.3 FM / 1350 AM | Mix 98.1 Defiance
After its first loss, Celina heads into Friday’s matchup with an opportunity to finish 9–111.
Celina’s unbeaten run ended last week. Now the Bulldogs have a chance to finish the regular season with a road victory when they visit Defiance on Friday, October 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Celina enters at 8–1 overall and 7–1 in the Western Buckeye League, sitting second behind unbeaten Ottawa-Glandorf. Defiance is 1–8 overall and seeking its first conference victory after an 0–8 start in WBL play. Both teams are coming off losses: Celina fell 22–20 to Ottawa-Glandorf, while Defiance dropped a 37–13 decision to Bath.
The statistical matchup points toward Celina, particularly when the visitors have the football. Through nine games, Celina averages 34.2 points, compared with Defiance’s 14.6. Defiance allows 35.3 points and 237.1 rushing yards per game, making Celina’s ground attack a matchup to watch.
Noah Talmadge has recorded 827 rushing yards and eight touchdowns for Celina. Jett Warner adds another dimension, with 626 rushing yards and eight scores alongside 1,169 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes and just two interceptions, according to the league’s Week 9 report. Those numbers suggest Defiance will need to account for multiple rushing threats without leaving opportunities through the air.
Defensively, Celina allows 108.6 rushing yards per game, second-lowest in the WBL. Adam Jacob leads the league’s published tackle list with 104, while Matt Eicher has 73. Defiance’s Reid Rowlison, with three interceptions, is a player Celina will need to recognize in the secondary.
Celina’s recent results show what it can produce: a 49–14 victory over Kenton, a 45–21 win over Elida and a 42–0 shutout of Bath preceded last week’s two-point defeat.
On paper, Celina has the advantage. The central question Friday is how it responds to its first setback. An efficient start would put pressure on Defiance to keep pace; an early takeaway or stalled Celina possession could give the home Bulldogs an opening to make the finale more competitive than the records suggest.