Szabo-Rice combination goes nuclear as Kilbourne beats Canal Winchester 56-35
Friday, September 4, 2026
By Steve Blackledge
sblackledge@cbussports.com
Worthington Kilbourne junior quarterback Jackson Szabo threw for 414 yards and seven touchdowns in the Wolves’ 56-35 win at Canal Winchester Friday. Photo: John Hulkenberg
CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio – Smiling broadly, Shawn Rice said he often has dreamed about nights like these. Seriously? Jerry Rice maybe. But the Worthington Kilbourne junior receiver had totaled just three catches for 80 yards in the Wolves’ first two games.
So how does one even begin to explain Rice’s jaw-dropping performance in Kilbourne’s 56-35 rout of Canal Winchester Friday night? The final tally showed that Rice made 12 receptions for 254 yards and — count ‘em — five touchdowns in the statement victory over an Indians team that won 10 games a year ago.
“Rice is special. We’ve known it all along,” Kilbourne coach Michael Edwards said.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder transferred from Columbus East to Kilbourne prior to week two of the 2025 opener, making him ineligible for the remainder of the season. He did, however, bide his time toiling on the scout team where he developed a rapport with standout quarterback Jackson Szabo.
“We would work out together at 5 a.m. in the offseason and that’s where we built the chemistry we have,” Szabo said.
So where was Rice the first two games when Kilbourne was walloping Watkins Memorial 49-7 and Thomas Worthington 52-20?
“We have a lot of talent at the receiver position and Jackson has a lot of mouths to feed,” Edwards said. “A lot has to do with coverages and matchups we see. I’ll say this: They all showed up tonight. Everything clicked.”
Kilbourne, which has opened 3-0 for the first time since 2016 when it started 4-0 en route to a 5-5 record, went three-and-out on the game’s opening series, but things quickly went sideways for the Indians (1-2), who won last year’s nonleague matchup 48-28.
Junior receiver Shawn Rice caught 12 passes for 254 yards and five touchdowns in the Kilbourne win at Canal Winchester Friday. Photo: John Hulkenberg
On Canal’s first play, the shotgun snap soared over the head of quarterback Kian McGhee. He recovered it but was belted in the process, losing the ball. Linebacker Brendan Rhoads recovered for a touchdown.
Indians star running back Jamari Snow fumbled away the ensuing kickoff and the Wolves pounced on the opportunity like it was fresh meat.
Kilbourne scored touchdowns on its next six possessions and took a 49-14 lead to halftime. Much of the second half was played under a running clock.
“Our offense going out there and not executing the first series provided even more motivation for us,” said Szabo, whose father, Michael, is a scout for the Buffalo Bills.
Szabo hit Rice on TD strikes of 15, 6, 75 and 8 yards in the first half and they clicked on a 44-yarder on the first series of the second half. The first was a beautiful back shoulder toss that Rice caught above his head. The two longest ones were slants over the middle. The five receiving TDs by Rice ties him for eighth place in the Ohio High School Athletic Association record book.
“I was just taking what they gave me,” said Szabo, who completed 22 of 34 passes for 414 yards and seven TDs (also an OHSAA record-book qualifier) on the night. Of that total, 332 yards and six TDs came before halftime. “We noticed that they were playing a lot of cover-three and thought the high safety was exposed.”
Tight end Grady Wanner (four receptions for 58 yards) and slot Garrett Wilkinson caught the other TDs while Alex Meek, who scored four TDs in the first two games, chipped in 73 yards on three grabs.
Through three games, Szabo has completed 45 of 67 passes for 856 yards with 13 TDs and just one interception. He also has rushed for five scores. The 5-11, 190-pounder made second-team All-Ohio as a sophomore and is a two-time All-Ohioan in lacrosse.
Kilbourne junior kicker Erkan Erciyas (46) kicks it over Canal Winchester’s Isaiah Kemper (22) for an extra point Friday. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“I think Szabo is the best quarterback in Ohio,” Wanner said, drawing nods of approval from Rice and Meek.
Edwards said Szabo should at least be in the conversation for Ohio’s Mr. Football Award.
“He has started since his freshman year and we’ve given him more and more and more to digest … everything he can handle,” he said. “He’s also our best runner, but we didn’t need him much in that area tonight. He’s got a great bunch of skill players around him and an offensive line we rely on heavily.”
Only three seasons removed from going 0-10, Kilbourne is hoping to improve on 2025’s 7-4 record – which represented its winningest campaign since 2015 (11-2). For the first time since 2010, the Wolves were reclassified to Division I, Region 3. Escaping the meatgrinder that is Division II, Region 7, including the likes of two-time defending state champion Watterson, Massillon Washington and Big Walnut to name a few, might be a blessing in disguise as the big-school landscape seems wide open.
Youthful Canal Winchester, which went 66-26 over the previous eight seasons, had its moments on Friday.
Snow, who is listed at 5-11, 190 but looks significantly larger and conjures comparisons to Derrick Henry, finished with 239 yards on 26 carries with TDs of 5, 7 and 50 yards. He amassed nearly 1,500 yards with 12 TDs as a junior but is not blessed with the same level of supporting cast.
Jason Harsch (29-yard TD reception) and Basil Henderson (6-yard run) also scored for Canal.
Canal Winchester senior Jamari Snow ran for 239 yards and three touchdowns Friday against the visiting Kilbourne Wolves. Photo: John Hulkenberg