LEXINGTON — Joe Caudill looked defeated as he left the field, his shoulders slumped and his gaze aimed downward.
Lexington had just let an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship slip through its fingers in a 30-21 Week 10 loss at Ashland and Caudill, Lex’s junior quarterback, felt responsible. He had thrown two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, the second one midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the final nail in Lexington’s coffin.
“It was a rough night. We had such high expectations for ourselves, to at least get a share of the conference,” Caudill said Monday afternoon. “I didn’t play my best and I was beating myself up over it.”
The Minutemen were 5-5 after the loss at Ashland. Their postseason fortunes were very much up in the air.
“At the time, we didn’t know for sure if we would even make the playoffs,” Caudill said. “It was the feeling of the unknown that was scary. We didn’t know if we were in and if we made it, we didn’t know where we were going to go or who we were going to play.
“We didn’t know how things would play out.”
Things couldn’t have played out better for Lex.
The Minutemen slotted in as the No. 12 seed and knocked off No. 5 Maumee 28-14 in the opening round of the Division III, Region 10 playoffs.
That win sent Lex (7-5) into the second round for the first time since 2018 and set up a regional quarterfinal showdown against No. 4 Rocky River. The Minutemen roughed up the Pirates 49-29 as Caudill exorcised the demons of the Week 10 loss with a performance for the ages.
The physical, 6-foot-4, 215-pounder accounted for 380 yards of total offense and all seven touchdowns. He completed 14-of-19 passes for 191 yards and two scores and rushed for 189 yards on16 carries with five TDs.
“I’ve had six touchdowns in a game this year, but nothing like that, — in that environment, with so much on the line,” Caudill said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
At least not as a player. When he was still in grade school, Caudill experienced the postseason ride of a lifetime as older brother Clay starred on the 2019 Mansfield Senior team that finished as state runner-up.
“I remember my brother having a lot of fun and doing it with his best friends, just like I’m doing now,” Caudill said. “I remember him having practice on Thanksgiving that year. That’s something we’re trying to do.
“There were a lot of fun memories for him and for me watching.”
Also a standout linebacker for the Minutemen, Joe plays with the physicality of Clay. He also draws from older brother Sid, who quarterbacked the Tygers into the playoffs in 2017.
“I think I’m a mix of both of them,” Joe said. “I play quarterback like Sid and I play physical like Clay. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Have his older brothers offered any advice during Lexington’s postseason run?
“They told me to keep it week-by-week. Don’t look back and don’t look ahead,” Joe said. “They tell me to stay grounded and stay humble.”
A lack of humility has never been an issue for Caudill, Lex coach Andrew Saris said.
“The thing about Joe is he always reflects and tries to find things he can improve on,” Saris said. “We know what we’re going to get with Joe on both sides of the ball. We love having him under center and he’s just so physical on defense.
“He doesn’t shy away from contact, which can be a little scary. But the more I have coached him, the more I realize you have to let him be himself because that is when he’s at his best.”
Caudill is part of a wildly-talented junior class at Lexington. His top two receivers, Brayden Fogle and Seven Allen, are both juniors as is running back Markale Martin.
“Those guys are my brothers. We’ve been playing with each other and against each other for a long time,” Caudill said. “Even if things aren’t going our way, we know we will be there for each other. It’s special.
“I’ve got playmakers all around me. It’s a good feeling when you have guys like that surrounding you.”
Lexington will face its biggest challenge to date Friday in the regional semifinals at Tiffin’s Frost-Kalnow Stadium. Two-time defending state champ and top-seed Toledo Central Catholic (11-1) stands between Lex and its first regional final appearance since 2016.
“They’re a great team. They are exactly what everyone thinks of them,” Caudill said. “They are athletic and they are physical, but I trust my group of guys.
“We’re playing in Week 13 for a reason, too.”
Not many people outside Lexington’s locker room gave them a chance to reach the postseason after opening the season with three straight losses to Richland County rivals Ontario, Shelby and Clear Fork. Since then, Lex is 7-2.
“We say we have three seasons: non-conference, conference and postseason,” Caudill said. “We were 0-3 in the non-conference and we had a team meeting and kind of came together as a team.
“We only get so many games and we had to seize the opportunity and make the most of it.”
The Minutemen found their footing after that closed-door meeting.
“We brought everyone in and we worked on ourselves,” Saris said. “We blocked out all the noise and we embraced our family.
“It’s a true testament to the kids and to the coaches, the way we all came together and realized we all needed to do something different to make it work.
“You’re seeing the by-product of that now.”