High school football playoffs: Matthew Flesher, North Ridgeville taking on Anthony Wayne

It was only a matter of time before Matthew Flesher got his opportunity with North Ridgeville. The Rangers probably hoped it would happen under better circumstances, but when they lost senior running back Zack Barnhart for the season to a torn ACL, there was a hole that needed filling. The Rangers turned to Flesher, and he was ready to give the team an added spark on the ground. "Matthew is the third Flesher who has come through North Ridgeville's football program," North Ridgeville coach Bryan Morgan said. "His brother, Andrew, holds the record for career starts with our football program. We knew with the Fleshers, they're hard working, good kids. Matthew, last year, played quarterback on the freshman team and was electric every time he had the ball in his hands. We knew he was going to be special this year. We're glad he was patient and waited his turn. After Zack went down, we had a big need for a running back and he stepped up and became a threat on Friday nights." Flesher, and the Rangers, hope to continue the success when their postseason begins tonight when they host No. 5 seeded Anthony Wayne (7-4) in the Division II, Region 6 quarterfinals. No. 4 North Ridgeville (9-1) earned a first-round bye. The Rangers are competing in the regional quarterfinals for the third straight season, but seeking their first win at this level of the tournament. They last played the Generals in the 2022 opening round, losing 21-16. "If we win this game, this will be the furthest Ridgeville has ever gone in the playoffs," Flesher said. "Anthony Wayne is going to be tough, but we have a lot of special players and a lot of young talent." Barnhart will go down as one of the best players to come through North Ridgeville, even with his senior year cut short to a torn ACL during the team's Week 6 win against Midview. He was on his way to another standout season with 450 yards and seven touchdowns after running for 1,291 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. He finishes his career as a four-year starter with 3,224 yards and 46 touchdowns. Quarterback Cole Miller along with receivers Dylan DeShazo and Cole Allison continue to be the primary drivers of the North Ridgeville offense. Since Barnhart's injury, Miller has run for at least 103 yards — including a 209-yard game against Berea-Midpark — and led the team in rushing three out of those four games. But Flesher has helped take pressure off of his quarterback, averaging about 15 touches a game since Barnhart's injury. He's rushed for 258 yards and a touchdown while also adding 40 yards on four catches as the team's primary running back. "When you add in a fourth threat with Matthew in our running game, all of a sudden it's really tough for teams to decide who to take away," Morgan said. "Now we have someone who can hit it for 7 or 8 yards or more if he gets that seam. You have to make a different decision on who you want to zero in on running the ball." Morgan said Flesher played mostly on special teams prior to Barnhart's injury, but now he's grown into such a big role that he's been taken off some of the special teams packages. Flesher got his first significant reps with the offense against Berea-Midpark. He broke off some big runs and the team rewarded him with more carries. He finished with 69 yards on 17 attempts. The only game Miller didn't lead the team in rushing was Week 9 against Amherst as Flesher had a breakout performance with a 132 yards, his first time over 100 yards on varsity, and his first varsity touchdown, a 32-yard run that iced the win in the final minutes. "I've been playing with these guys my whole life," Flesher said. "We know each other very well, very good chemistry. Having Cole make great reads and stuff on all the read options, it's great to play with him. Being a sophomore on varsity is very hard, but my coaches help me every time, everywhere, anywhere. And my teammates are great." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.