09/07/2026
For a young Plymouth football team still adjusting to the eight-man game, Saturday’s trip to Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic provided a clear picture of where the Big Red want to get.
SMCC capitalized on Plymouth’s mistakes and used several big plays to pull away for a 42-6 Northern 8 victory at Strobel Field.
Plymouth slipped to 1-2 on the season, but head coach John Gillum viewed the night as another important step in the development of a roster featuring only four seniors and a large number of freshmen and sophomores.
“We grew up a little bit, I think, on Saturday night,” Gillum said. “There were a couple guys, first-year starters, and it was the first time they kind of got to go against maybe a junior or a senior matched up on them all night.”
SMCC, the defending Northern 8 champion, jumped ahead early and led 28-0 at halftime.
Noah Michel helped set up the Panthers’ opening score with a 38-yard run before Josh Will finished the possession with a 1-yard touchdown. Will added an 11-yard scoring run later in the first quarter.
Plymouth was able to move the ball at times, but small mistakes proved costly against an experienced opponent.
The Big Red crossed midfield twice in the first half but were unable to turn either opportunity into points.
“There were definitely plays that we did not execute, and it caused drives to end,” Gillum said. “When you’re playing a quality team, you have one bad play where you don’t block it correctly or you screw something up in an exchange, and they absolutely squash you for it.”
SMCC stretched the lead in the second quarter when Will turned a screen pass into a 62-yard touchdown. The Panthers later converted an interception into another score, with Jace Lane finishing a 50-yard drive on a 1-yard run.
Plymouth again moved into SMCC territory late in the half before another interception ended the threat.
The Panthers continued to take advantage of opportunities after halftime, recovering a pooch kick before Cullen Dillard connected with Trace Smith for a 45-yard touchdown.
Sam Jones added a 13-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Gillum felt Plymouth’s effort remained strong despite the deficit. He said the difference came when SMCC took advantage whenever the Big Red were slightly out of position.
“They really, every time we were a step off, they absolutely took advantage of it,” Gillum said. “I wasn’t mad about the way the effort was. I thought we fought hard all night.”
Plymouth continued competing through the final whistle and was rewarded on the last play of the game when Weston Kamann connected with Isaiah Miller for a 5-yard touchdown.
Kamann completed 8 of 10 passes for 55 yards and a score. He also rushed nine times for 13 yards.
Plymouth finished with 131 yards of total offense, including 75 rushing and 55 passing, while collecting nine first downs.
For Gillum, the bigger value of the night was showing his young team what is required to compete with one of the league’s established programs.
“It was a really good experience for our kids to kind of see where you need to get to,” Gillum said. “That’s like a measuring-stick game. We do not measure up with them right now, but it kind of gives you that — what is our goal? Where do we need to get to?”
The Big Red spent Monday breaking down film and looking for lessons they can carry forward.
“You always hear the phrase, ‘Don’t waste a good butt kicking,’” Gillum said. “You better learn from it. We watched a ton of film on it. I think we have a lot that we can learn from St. Mary’s.”
Plymouth will have another opportunity to measure its growth Saturday when it travels to Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic.
Gillum said the focus this week will be on how his young team responds.
“We want to learn from Saturday night and get better,” he said. “We got beat up. How do we bounce back from that? Are they ready to get back to work this week at practice?”
Thank you, Diane Bail-Bemiller for action photos.
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