IMA SPORTS

Every snap of a football game, two players are guaranteed to have the ball in their hands: the quarterback and center.

For Maumee, having Ben Kubicz back for his third year as the starting quarterback is one of the biggest reasons hopes are running high for the 2025 season.

Kubicz has started 18 straight games since taking over in the third game of his sophomore year for an injured Chase Maulucci. For many programs, turning to a sophomore quarterback might spell disaster. For the Panthers, it revealed their future — and present — leader.

Kubicz threw for 1,249 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore, including 384 yards and six scores in a 50-42 overtime win against Rossford. He improved last season with 2,051 yards and 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions, completing 62% of his passes (103-of-167). With Eastwood’s Drew Luidhardt sidelined by an offseason injury, Kubicz enters 2025 as the Northern Buckeye Conference’s leading returning passer.

The Panthers were recently picked to finish second in the conference in a coaches poll released by The Blade, behind only defending champion Oak Harbor. Coach Evan Karchner said his team will go as far as the senior quarterback can take them, with Kubicz working himself into conversations for NBC Back of the Year and All-Ohio honors.

“I think he has a little swagger about him,” Karchner said. “He’s one of the engines that makes our boat move. We have a lot of good players on our team, but if we’re going to reach our goals, we’re going to need Ben to show up in big games.”

Elsewhere, Maumee has some big shoes to fill. Karchner said it may take some time for this year’s Panthers to find their identity.

“This group is different,” Karchner said. “We’re still trying to figure out who we are. I really don’t think you figure that out until you get about halfway through the season. The first couple games you’re figuring out: What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? What gets our guys fired up? What gets them out of rhythm? Finding that recipe to get them to play hard on Friday nights — that’s what it all revolves around.”

Up front, Maumee returns two senior starters on the offensive line — Jackson Schneider (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and Ryan Patterson (6-4, 260). Both have already received multiple college roster offers. Garrett Anderson, a senior with extensive experience in Karchner’s program, will step in at center. Juniors Jackson Nino and Jackson Siebold will also start.

At receiver, Maumee brings back senior Will Kubicz and junior Eli Dodson. Kubicz finished with 467 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 15 catches last year, while Dodson added 20 receptions for 423 yards and six scores.

In the backfield, the Panthers will turn to new faces. Junior Cohen Jones is expected to lead the way after rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown last year. Fellow junior Travis Garrett Jr. (42 yards on 10 carries) will also see time.

Many of those players will also play key defensive roles. Schneider and Patterson will anchor the line at defensive end, along with Anderson and Siebold at tackles, Jones returns as a second-year starter at linebacker, and Dodson and Will Kubicz will patrol the secondary.

Managing so many two-way players will be critical, Karchner said.

“You don’t want to run them into the dirt, but you also want to get them ready to play 120 plays in a game, and a little bit of that is just challenging them,” he said. “In our scrimmage (at Bowling Green), a lot of them looked at me, they’re tired, they’re bent over, and I’m like, ‘Hey, I get it, right? But if we’re going to win an NBC championship and beat Oak Harbor, beat Eastwood, we’ve got to battle through here.

“We’ve got to be tough football players, because that’s who we want to be. I’ve never seen anybody win an NBC championship where you said, ‘Hey, that wasn’t a tough team.’”

Special teams will also look different. All-Ohio kicker Blake Wagener graduated after converting 54-of-56 extra points and 4-of-4 field goals while averaging 32 yards per punt. This fall, Kubicz will handle punting duties while soccer players Jaxson Greenlese (senior), Braden Bond (junior) and David Poeppelmeier (sophomore) compete for the kicking job.

The Panthers open the season Aug. 22 at home against Springfield, travel to Napoleon on Aug. 29 and return home Sept. 5 to host Waite. NBC play begins Sept. 12 against Lake.

Maumee will also face Genoa and Rossford on the road, host Fostoria in Week 7, then close the year with a tough stretch: at Otsego, at Oak Harbor and at home against Eastwood.

Photo courtesy of Pride of the Panthers
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