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September 2009
Northmont missing 33 players from practice
CLAYTON — The Northmont High School football team had 33 players absent from practice on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with flu-like symptoms, which made things a little quieter for coach Lance Schneider.
“I felt like I was coaching a Division V school,” Schneider said Wednesday morning.
On Friday, Northmont will travel to Wayne in the first matchup of the season between the area’s football “Big 3.” Both 3-2, Northmont and Wayne are hurting for more wins, which makes the potential illness situation worrisome for Schneider.
“It’s getting heightened by the day,” Schneider said of his level of concern. “Tomorrow I’ll be real concerned, and Friday I’ll be hanging out in the attendance office.”
Somewhat ironically, Northmont was perhaps as healthy as it had been all season on Friday in a big win against Fairborn. Then the flu big hit.
The missing players include Northmont’s first two quarterbacks, Robert Sakosky and Tyler Kerlin. Freshman Cameron Belton, brother of former Northmont quarterbacks Clay and Chase, ran first-string at practice Tuesday.
“He’s a smart kid and has picked up the offense really well,” Schneider said of Cameron Belton. “He throws like Clay and runs like Chase, so it’s the best of both worlds. He’s a freshman, so he has a lot to learn, but he’s cognizant of what’s happening on the field.”
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TweetWhat’s next for Dusty Isaacs? 600 yards?
In the season opener, Lebanon High School quarterback Dusty Isaacs completed 6-of-12 passes for 138 yards in a respectable debut that also included 142 yards rushing.
Since, Isaacs has continued to improve his passing statistics, throwing for more yards each week. Last Friday against Piqua, Isaacs went 19-of-25 for 396 yards and four touchdowns.
Now, what can he do to top that?
For the season, Isaacs has completed 55-of-92 passes (59.8 percent) for 1,110 yards and 14 touchdowns (against just 1 interception). That makes him the top passer in the Greater Western Ohio Conference and a strong offensive force for a player who won’t even be moving on to college football (he’ll pitch for Georgia Tech).
Here are the GWOC’s Top 10 passers, listed by total yards:
Dusty Isaacs, Lebanon, 1110
Marcus Graham, Trotwood-Madison, 755
Ryan Cook, Fairborn, 690
Nick Bower, Fairmont, 567
Jason Stinebaugh, Springboro, 536
Braxton Miller, Wayne, 518
Jake Sears, Miamisburg, 484
Tyler Martin, Piqua, 482
George Walker, Springfield, 475
Zak Bertram, Centerville, 462
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TweetNorthmont-Wayne: What’s at stake
Things looked more promising for both Northmont and Wayne midway through their Week 2 games.
At that time, Northmont was 1-0 and was leading Cleveland St. Ignatius. Wayne, meanwhile, was on its way to a victory against Canton McKinley.
But things haven’t totally gone as planned. Northmont lost that St. Ignatius game 27-20 and, in the process, lost starting quarterback Robert Sakosky to a concussion. The next week, the Thunderbolts dropped a 17-7 decision to Westerville South to drop to 1-2.
Wayne came home from that victory against Canton McKinley at 2-0 and with plenty of optimism. Then Cleveland Glenville came to town and dropped the Warriors 57-28.
They eked out a win against a tough Trotwood-Madison team in Week 4 before losing a stunner against Troy 14-12 without star junior quarterback Braxton Miller, who was suffering from a thigh bruise.
So here we are, in Week 6 and with Northmont and Wayne both 3-2 heading into their matchup Friday night in Huber Heights.
Both, though, are standing firm in the computer points, with Wayne at No. 11 and Northmont tied with Lebanon at No. 9. Their schedules line up for plenty of second-level points if they win, as well. Northmont’s remaining opponents have a combined 17-8 record, and Wayne will also play teams with a combined 17-8 record.
It’s almost unfair that one of these two will be 3-3 after Friday. Both did what you like as competitors, scheduling difficult opponents in the non-conference part of the schedule to build their players up for the conference run.
But has it cost them too much?
The winner, of course, will get extra confidence heading into a tough second-half schedule. And that winner will likely be determined heavily by quarterback play.
Sakosky returned for Northmont last week and helped the Thunderbolts to a decisive 44-14 victory against Fairborn, which entered the game 3-1 and playing impressive defense. Backup Tyler Kerlin also aided that Fairborn effort and led Northmont to its victory against Xenia, but coach Lance Schneider said Sakosky provides an extra dimension of throwing attack.
Wayne will rely heavily on Miller’s availability. If he’s healthy and can play, the Warriors stand a good chance against Northmont’s tough defense. If he can’t play, freshman Javon Harrison will be playing quarterback, and a freshman would face tough challenges in this emotional matchup.
Bottom line, the winner gets a big boost. The loser will be .500 after six games.
This is a major test for both.
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TweetBellbrook to honor undefeated football teams
If you played on one of Bellbrook High School’s undefeated football teams, then huddle up!
The school plans to honor the 1991 and 1999 football teams at halftime of the game on Friday, Oct. 2. Players from those teams are requested to be in attendance when Bellbrook hosts Valley View. A gathering will also be held at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Beavercreek after the game.
For more information call Charlie O’Dell at (937) 848-2141, ext. 13703, or e-mail him at charlie.odell@sugarcreek.k12.oh.us
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TweetDouglass serving four-game suspension at Trotwood
TROTWOOD — Trotwood-Madison High School football coach Maurice Douglass is serving a four-game suspension imposed by the school district in response to comments he made to the Dayton Daily News following the Rams’ 21-19 loss to Wayne on Sept. 18.
Douglass missed Trotwood’s loss to Springfield on Friday, and he’ll also miss upcoming games against Piqua, Sidney and Troy.
Trotwood schools superintendent Lowell Draffen and high school principal Gerald Cox said Cox and athletic director Jim Ladd met with Douglass Thursday, Sept. 24, to impose the suspension.
“We’re trying to make sure Trotwood-Madison stays above the radar screen in terms of our conduct,” Draffen said. “We’re expecting our people to perform well. When they don’t, there are going to be consequences associated with that.”
Assistant coach Jeff Graham is coaching the team in Douglass’ absence, Cox said.
Douglass is serving his regular duties as an in-school suspension supervisor for Trotwood-Madison, but he’s not to have contact with the football program during his suspension, Draffen said. Douglass was also required to write a letter of apology to the officials involved, Wayne coach Jay Minton and the Greater Western Ohio Conference, he said.
Douglass criticized officials following the loss to Wayne, and said, in part, “That was the worst-officiated game. They took the game out of the kids’ hands.”
“There’s no need for that,” Draffen said of the criticism.
Trotwood is 2-3 following the 20-13 overtime loss to Springfield on Friday.
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TweetDouglass misses Trotwood loss
Maurice Douglass, the Trotwood-Madison football coach who was a talking point this week after he criticized officials following last Friday’s loss to Wayne, was not on the sidelines for tonight’s Trotwood loss to Springfield.
When approached by a reporter at halftime, Jim Ladd, the Trotwood athletic director, declined comment.
Trotwood assistant coach Jeff Graham served as head coach in the Rams’ 20-13 overtime loss that dropped them to 2-3.
We discussed Douglass’ comments in a post earlier this week that drew plenty of attention.
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TweetFairborn-Northmont: The weekend’s most intriguing matchup
When we looked at the area high school football schedule entering the season, we might not have thought this week’s most interesting game would be between Fairborn and Northmont.
Several reasons why: We didn’t know Fairborn would be this good. The Skyhawks, in their first three seasons in the Greater Western Ohio Conference, had a combined 9-21 record, including 4-16 in the previous two seasons.
But they started strong and have continued winning with good defense. Only Tecumseh, one of the better Division II teams in the state, beat Fairborn, and that was by a touchdown in a game delayed from Friday night to Saturday afternoon in Week 1 by lightning. Since, Fairborn has beaten Stebbins, Troy and Beavercreek to go 3-1 heading into their trip to Clayton.
Also, we didn’t know Northmont would be this questionable. The Thunderbolts have been pushed back by injuries, and their two losses came to out-of-town teams Cleveland St. Ignatius (the state’s No. 1 I team, against which Northmont had a 20-0 lead before losing 27-20) and Westerville South (which is now 2-2).
So we find this game meaning a lot for both teams. For Fairborn, a win would be even more confirmation that the defense (allowing 12.3 points per game) is one of the area’s best. For Northmont, a win would mean they would get back above .500 and rejoin the area’s best (there will be a surprise in the Dayton Daily News ratings appearing in Friday’s paper).
Either way, the result will mean quite a bit, which makes it the area’s most intriguing game.
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TweetMiamisburg big GOW underdog, but Vikes are scrappy
MIAMISBURG — One of Miamisburg High School’s best football players, safety Joe King, gets this description from coach Zack Cline:
“He’s a little guy, but he’s always near the football,” Cline said.
Little? How little?
“He’s 5-7, 160,” Cline said. “And that’s sopping wet with the breeze blowing up.”
King’s size and determination symbolize the rest of Miamisburg’s team, which is 1-3 and a big underdog against visiting Centerville on Friday in the Dayton Daily News Game of the Week.
After winning its opening game against Bellbrook in a 13-0 shutout, Miamisburg was trounced by Fairmont 53-6 before losing close games against West Carrollton (21-19) and Sidney (21-13). Many now wonder what Friday’s game will look like with Centerville’s big-time running game coming to Harmon Field.
Cline will openly discuss Centerville’s impressive players and coaching, but he also likes the way his team plays.
“We’re not gonna be the biggest team out there on the field, but we’re scrappy,” Cline said. “We’re gonna play hard-nosed football.”
Some of that comes from leadership of King and quarterback Jake Sears, who have led the Vikings within a few plays of a better record, but they’re still 1-3. Cline and his coaches have also formed their practices to encourage the up-tempo play they want from their players.
“We very rarely do conditioning at the end of practice,” Cline said. “If we do it correctly, we don’t need extra running. We’re up-tempo, station to station, drill to drill. We maximize the time we have, and we expect our guys to play hard.”
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TweetTrotwood-Madison won’t punish Douglass for post-game comments
TROTWOOD — Football coach Maurice Douglass won’t be punished by Trotwood-Madison High School for comments made to the Dayton Daily News criticizing officials following Trotwood’s 21-19 loss to Wayne on Friday, Sept. 18, but it’s unclear if sanctions could come from the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Athletic director Jim Ladd said Monday afternoon he had spoken to Douglass about the comments and and they are “moving forward.”
“Basically, my feeling is I wish he would’ve given himself an opportunity to cool down before he talked in the article,” Ladd said.
Douglass criticized the officials after spending nearly 30 minutes following the game talking to his players.
His comments included:
“That was the worst-officiated game. They took the game out of the kids’ hands,” said Douglass, after spending nearly 30 minutes in the locker room with his players. “They made a lot of calls because the guy on the other sideline, Jay Minton, has been coaching more than me and doesn’t look like me.”
Douglass is black, and Minton is white.
“That dude right there (pointing to an official) was on Jay Minton’s side and made that call — because Jay Minton said, ‘Make the call,’ ” Douglass said.
“Every time we did anything positive, they mysteriously came up with a flag. … The guy on our sideline … works in our building. He works in our district. We didn’t get a call all night even from him.”
Greater Western Ohio Conference commissioner Eric Spahr said Monday he had talked to “all parties involved” and addressed the issue. Spahr declined to specify whether the conference had punished Douglass.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” Spahr said. “We did address it, we’ve talked to all parties involved, and the conference does not condone that type of behavior.”
In July 2008, the Ohio High School Athletic Association suspended Douglass for three weeks and placed the school’s football program on probation for two years after a seven-month investigation into recruiting and residency issues.
Ladd said Douglass has been committed to acting properly following the suspension and during the probationary period.
“He cares for his kids,” Ladd said. “His kids were hurting after the game, and he spoke what was on his heart.”
A spokesman for the OHSAA said the organization had not reviewed the comments but released a statement that said, “Any allegation by a coach of bias or favoritism from contest officials is something the OHSAA takes very seriously. The OHSAA will look into this matter further to determine if sanctions against Coach Douglass are warranted.”
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TweetOhio has produced fourth-most NFL players
Just got an e-mail from USA football, which studied the opening-weekend rosters for each NFL team and came up with some interesting facts.
First, states that produced the most NFL players.
Ohio is fourth, with 90, behind California, Texas and Florida.
The list:
California (205)
Texas (179)
Florida (176)
Ohio (90)
Georgia (80)
Louisiana (80)
Alabama (53)
South Carolina (51)
Virginia (51)
Pennsylvania (50)
Michigan (49)
North Carolina (46)
Maryland (43)
New Jersey (43)
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TweetAdreian Payne: Kentucky visit next week, more coming
Adreian Payne, the highly recruited center from Jefferson High School, is scheduled to visit Kentucky next week and has visits coming in the next few months to his other finalists: Michigan State, West Virginia, Kansas and Arizona.
Payne said during a news conference to announce the schedule for the 2010 Flyin’ to the Hoop basketball event that he didn’t know the specific dates of the other visits and that he doesn’t yet have the schools ranked.
At 6 feet 10 and 215 pounds, Payne has the long arms for shot-blocking and quickness up and down the floor that college coaches love in a big man. Art Winston, the Jefferson coach, said Payne might even be growing.
Payne said he maintains an ongoing invitation to University of Dayton open gym sessions even though he has eliminated UD from the list of schools he is considering. He said neighbors and friends will sometimes question his decision not to attend UD.
“Sometimes they say, ‘Oh, you should’ve thought about it more,’ ” Payne said. “But it’s not too bad.”
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TweetPizza buffet, line play drive Beavercreek
BEAVERCREEK — On the first Friday of the high school football season, innocently at the time, Beavercreek coach Scott Clodfelter and staff members had lunch at the Pizza Hut buffet. Then, the Beavers won, beating Stebbins.
So the next week, they did it again. And the next week.
Now, the 3-0 Beavers officially have their superstition: The Pizza Hut buffet lunch.
“Someone just stopped in a little while ago to make sure we’re going this Friday,” Clodfelter said Wednesday, Sept. 16.
But it has taken a lot more than pepperoni and sausage to get the Beavers to their second consecutive 3-0 start (they started 5-0 last season). With stout play by both the offensive and defensive lines, Beavercreek has beaten Stebbins, Carroll and Sidney to earn their undefeated record heading into the Dayton Daily News Game of the Week against Fairborn on Friday.
Fairborn, which has struggled in recent seasons, lost its opener to Tecumseh (ranked No. 8 in the state in Division II) by a touchdown in a game delayed from Friday night and finished Saturday because of inclement weather. The Skyhawks then beat Stebbins and Troy.
“How good are we?” said Fairborn coach Roy Thobe. “I’m not sure how good. “We call this game the Border Bowl, and we have a trophy for the game. But we’re also getting a really good test, and I think we’ll know more when it’s finished.”
Two players with strong offensive starts will be featured in the game. Beavercreek running back Gabe Henry has gained 418 yards and scored nine touchdowns, while Fairborn quarterback Ryan Cook ranks fourth in the Greater Western Ohio Conference with 407 passing yards and seven scores.
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TweetFairmont alumni to honor undefeated league champions
As part of the 50th class reunion for Fairmont High School, the football team from that season will recognize one of the best seasons in Fairmont history.
On Friday, members of the team are scheduled to hold a luncheon to honor the 9-0 season and coach Dave Puddington, who spent only one season coaching Fairmont before leaving for an assistant coaching position at Kent State.
Puddington later was head coach at Washington University in St. Louis and then at Kent State from 1968-70.
The 1958 team began the best four-year stretch in Fairmont football history. From 1958-61, Fairmont compiled a 34-2 record and won three Miami Valley League championships.
The 1958 Fairmont schedule:
Middletown (12-2)
Piqua (32-6)
Sidney (44-8)
Lima (13-8)
Miamisburg (13-6)
Xenia (13-6)
Fairborn (9-0)
Troy (14-0)
Greenville (37-6)
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TweetHigh school sports is 7 million strong
Quick … what high school sport has the highest participation among boys? Yeah, that’s an easy one: 11-player football. What about girls? Outdoor track and field leads the pack.
As it’s done since 1971, the National Federation of State High School Associations conducted a survey of the 50 state high school athletic/activity associations (including District of Columbia).
Here are the highlights from the survey for the 2008-09 school year:
Participation set an all-time high of 7,536,753.
Boys and girls participation figures reached all-time highs: 3,114,091 for girls and 4,422,662 for boys participating in 2008-09. Girls increased by 56,825, while the boys increased by 50,547.
55.2 percent of students enrolled in high schools participate in athletics, up from 54.8.
Swimming and diving gained the most combined participants with an increase of 29,967. Outdoor track and field (19,396) and cross country (18,193) were next.
Up-and-coming lacrosse had an additional 9,579 participants.
Texas remained the state with the most participants with a combined total of 781,000. California (771,465), New York (380,870), Illinois (341,763), Ohio (330,056), Pennsylvania (321,324), Michigan (311,277), New Jersey (257,798), Florida (242,356) and Minnesota (242,220) completed the top 10.
You can find the complete survey at www.nfhs.org.
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TweetWest Carrollton, with now-winning football team, applies for CBC
WEST CARROLLTON — We’re planning to address the West Carrollton football team’s 3-0 start for Friday’s paper, which brings up an obvious question about the school: Where does it stand with possible league affiliation?
Rob Dement, the West Carrollton athletic director, said the school has officially applied to become a member of the Central Buckeye Conference and should hear something next month.
Aside from that, Dement said the school is “aggressively and actively pursuing league affiliation as well as the possible formation of a new league.”
The lack of a league affiliation has caused certain struggles for West Carrollton. For instance, football coach Rob Berger said, players aren’t eligible for any all-league honors. And, in the previous few seasons, there wasn’t the possibility of a league title for motivation following a poor non-conference start.
This season, though, that’s not a problem. After winning just one of the team’s previous 25 games through an 0-5 start last season, West Carrollton has won seven straight for a 3-0 start to this season heading into a game against Greenville on Friday.
Berger, who was the school’s defensive coordinator before taking over for the retired Bob Brigati after last season, said he brings a straightforward view of the game.
“I’m a very basic football guy, blocking, tackling, defense wins games,” Berger said. “Every week I tell our guys, ‘Defensive line, you’re the key.’ Then the second key is the offensive line. That’s our style.”
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TweetAnna football celebrates decade of excellence
The 2009 season marks 10 years of Anna Rockets varsity football. For the Rockets and their followers it’s been a … well … blast.
The high school will hold a celebration before the home game with Parkway on Friday, Sept. 18. Former players are invited back to be recognized.
And there is much to celebrate. Including three wins this year, Anna — led by coach Bryan Rioch — is 72-21 in varsity football and have never finished worse than 6-4. Perhaps most impressive is this: The Rockets qualified for the OHSAA playoffs their first six seasons.
Got a good or favorite Anna football story? Feel free to leave it here. Having covered some of Anna’s games, the one that sticks out the most is watching Anna snap Covington’s 45-game, regular-season winning streak back in 2004.
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TweetMarshall: A surprise of the state rankings
Earl White wasn’t on the edge of his seat waiting for the first Associated Press state football rankings to come out on Monday, Sept. 14.
In fact, he didn’t know about his team’s No. 5 ranking in Division IV until I called him to talk about it Tuesday morning.
But it’s there. Alter, deservedly, is No. 1 in D-IV, followed by Ironton, Coshocton and Amanda-Clearcreek. Then, at No. 5, is one of the more surprising additions to the rankings, especially because Marshall finished with two wins last season.
Now 3-0, Marshall has beaten Greenon (44-13), Chaminade Julienne (20-7) and Jefferson (62-14).
A few things helped Marshall. The school dropped from D-II to D-IV this season, although there are great teams in the state at any division. Plus, White and his program added a few transfers from Dunbar who have added significant talent to the roster.
For White, a state ranking has a different use than for some other coaches. Coaching in the city, where teams deal with a number of outside issues that suburban coaches don’t even have to consider, such a ranking provides an extra reason for player commitment.
“We’ll definitely be using that as a motivational factor,” White said. “We’ll be dangling that carrot.”
Coaching in the city is not impossible, but it provides some unique challenges. I mentioned a few that White and I had discussed in the past: Transportation to practice, family issues at home, player discipline.
“Take those things you said and multiply them by five and that’s what we deal with on a daily basis,” White said. “And I do mean on a daily basis.”
Two of Marshall’s better performers so far have been senior Tavion Wright, whose 591 rushing yards in three games give him a per-carry average of better than 20 yards, and junior linebacker Desmond Dixon, a major leader on defense.
As far as the difference from a year ago, aside from the new players, White said the biggest success has been limiting distractions. He hopes it can continue.
“Sometimes you’re able to stabilize and take care of a lot of those things,” White said. “I think we can continue doing that, but we’re taking it day to day.”
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TweetOut of respect for the fullback …
Just a few words on the fullback.
Despite how much play the position received on HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s a mostly underappreciated spot. Unless you saw what happened at Centerville Stadium on Friday, Sept. 11.
At Centerville, the fullback’s name is Nick Miller, and he is every bit of his listed 5 feet 7 and 235 pounds. Against Moeller, in what would become the Elks’ 21-19 loss, Miller ran 26 times for 116 yards, almost exclusively into the guts of the beefy Moeller defense.
On one drive in particular, Miller showed his toughness. In the fourth quarter, Centerville took possession with 9:51 left on its own 35-yard line while trailing 21-13. On the drive, which would lead to a Centerville touchdown but a missed two-point conversion try, Miller ran eight times for 28 yards to help set up quarterback Zak Bertram’s 1-yard score.
With 5:14 to go in the game, in fact, Miller had to leave the field following a run by another player with an apparent injury. But, just three plays later, Miller got the call on fourth-and-1 from the Moeller 29 and converted with a 6-yard run.
On most teams, if they use a fullback at all, the player doesn’t get much attention and even less praise.
But, sometimes, they can be really fun to watch.
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TweetFootball scheduling: Is statewide the best way?
Through the first three weeks of the high school football season, we’ve had relatively few compelling games involving area schools against area schools.
I don’t mean the local vs. local games that have occurred have been duds or that their fans haven’t been passionate or supportive. I mean, for the big-picture football fans, those who don’t follow one particular school, there haven’t been many local vs. local games to really raise the eyebrows.
In Week 1, the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown games at Welcome Stadium were the major highlights, especially the Wayne and Northmont games against Princeton and Lakota West.
Last weekend, Wayne and Northmont traveled to northeast Ohio to play Canton McKinley and Cleveland St. Ignatius. Tonight, we have Cleveland Glenville visiting Wayne and Moeller visiting Centerville.
As far as games of that caliber of broad interest, they’ve come in the first three weeks from local schools scheduling opponents from outside the area or participating in an event that does so.
Now, the question: Is that the best way to go?
The point, in fairness, should be made that scheduling is not the easiest thing in the world, as we addressed in this morning’s paper. Coaches and athletic directors don’t enter scheduling with the ability to do whatever they want.
When I was talking with Ron Ullery, the Centerville football coach and athletic director, about the scheduling topic last week, I mentioned that the staff was putting together a list of our “dream” matchups, the games we would truly like to see.
He smiled.
“I bet one was us and Alter,” Ullery said.
Quite frankly, it was. With both programs in power positions, who wouldn’t want to see them play, particularly given that many of the students know each other and their games in other sports draw a lot of passion?
“I don’t think it’s out of the realm of thinking, I could see it happening, whether I’m still here or not,” Ullery said about a game with Alter. “But so many things have to happen for both schools to be able to schedule a game.”
Exactly.
As an observer of the local teams, I suppose I do enjoy seeing them play these out-of-area programs, even if it means the best local vs. local games don’t come until later in the season.
But maybe I’m in the minority. Perhaps the local fans want to the see the best local, out-of-conference programs play one another in these previous few non-conference slots.
I’m assigned to Centerville-Moeller tonight, and I’m anxious to see the outcome. But I would be just as anxious if the game were Centerville-Alter or Marshall-Coldwater.
I’m not sure which way is best, but regardless, it has been a very interesting few weeks for local high school football.
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TweetNike RV part of Wayne’s power Friday matchup
HUBER HEIGHTS — Nike has parked an RV in front of Wayne High School all week to recognize the importance of the Warriors’ game Friday, Sept. 11, against Cleveland Glenville. Plus, it gives the students an excuse to play video games during the week.
The RV is part of Nike’s promotion “5 Days To Friday,” during which Nike chooses a game in each of four regions in the country to visit.
Wayne football coach and athletic director Jay Minton hasn’t been able to visit the RV himself, but he’s been hearing its praises all week.
“It got here Monday,” Minton said. “They only pick 40 games per year in the country, and we’re lucky enough to be part of one of them.”
Nike also visited Centerville before the Elks’ game against Troy last year.
As part of the promotion, Nike hands out 500 T-shirts to Wayne students, allows video game-playing on the RV, places new Nike nameplates on players’ lockers, holds cornhole games, displays new products and holds a shoe-designing contest. For that contest, students can submit shoe designs, and the winner has their shoes produced for him or her, Minton said.
Nike will also hold a tailgaiting event before Friday’s game.
On the game itself, Wayne enters 2-0 after wins against Princeton and Canton McKinley. Minton said the difficult early schedule is meant to give the players a taste of a playoff-like atmosphere.
“We’ve even scaled back our practices a little bit like we do in the playoffs,” Minton said. “We’re not tackling all the way, we’re giving our guys some time to rest. Our confidence level is high right now.”
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TweetYou try playing with seven missing starters
KETTERING — Brian Blevins wants the discussion to be fair. I mean, sure, his Fairmont High School football team lost another season opener to Alter this season 47-21.
But there’s more to it than that. Blevins, the Fairmont coach, explains:
“There were seven starters out for injuries and other reasons,” Belvins said. “But we were still right there. It was 14-7 (Fairmont lead) for awhile, then we were driving and we fumbled and it was 14-14. Then we’re on the 16 (yard line) going in and we threw an interception in the end zone.
“We had five starters out on defense, so we basically had half a JV team out there against Alter, which is not something you want to do.”
Fairmont responded with a 53-6 win against Miamisburg with all of those starters back and left many around the area and in the Greater Western Ohio Conference wondering which is the real Fairmont.
We’ll find out Friday. Fairmont is set to host Lakota West, considered to have some of the state’s best big-school talent. Lakota West lost to Northmont in the opener 7-6 (would’ve been 14-6, but an interception return for a touchdown as time expired was negated by a penalty).
Blevins understands this week is a major test for Fairmont, and we’ll have a better picture of what kind of team Fairmont has as it continues to battle for the top tier of the GWOC.
“This Friday,” Blevins said, “will tell the tale.”
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TweetValley View hits the road. Hard.
GERMANTOWN — I called Jay Niswonger on Wednesday afternoon to talk about the issues surrounding high school football scheduling. I meant non-conference, which is the subject of a story I’m writing for Friday’s paper.
But Niswonger, the Valley View High School football coach, didn’t mind bringing up his team’s Southwestern Buckeye League schedule.
“How would you like to play four games on the road?” Niswonger said. “That’s where we’re at.”
Valley View, indeed, is in an unfortunate situation, especially for an uncertain season that started with promise. After wins against Dunbar and Indian Hill, Valley View will play its next four games on the road against Monroe, Oakwood, Milton-Union and Bellbrook.
Not the best of situations for a team breaking in a bevy of new starters. Niswonger, in fact, was faced before the season with replacing 20 of his 22 offensive and defensive starters from last season.
But they’re doing it well. After opening with a victory against Dunbar (which, unfortunaley, took the spot that Marshall used to hold on the Spartans’ schedule that made the matchup one of the early season’s most compelling games), Valley View battled for a win against Indian Hill. Now, things go on the road.
In large part, Valley View will depend on the maturity of its junior quarterback, Kyle Pohl, who was moved from wide receiver before the season. Although his numbers aren’t great, Niswonger said the stats aren’t all Pohl’s doing.
“We’ve thrown a lot, we just haven’t always caught a lot,” Niswonger said. “He’s 18-of-50 for 278 yards and three touchdowns. But he hasn’t thrown a bad ball, we’ve had like 14 drops.”
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TweetCenterville-Moeller to be broadcast statewide
ONN announced today, Sept. 9, that the Moeller football team’s visit to Centerville on Friday will be broadcast statewide on tape delay.
The broadcast is part of the network’s “Ohio’s Big Game” series that “features the best of the best in the state,” according to a news release.
Friday’s broadcast will begin at 9:30 p.m. with High School Sport Site, a program hosted by Beau Bishop, Jerry Rudzinski and JJ, the founder of JJ Huddle.com. The game broadcast will begin at 10 p.m.
The game will then be rebroadcast at 12:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Neil Sika and former Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey will serve as game commentators, and Katie Witham will report from the sidelines, ONN said.
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TweetThe best, and worst, of GWOC offense
Some of these numbers are not surprising. Through two games, Centerville leads the Greater Western Ohio Conference in offense, averaging 491.5 yards per game, including 353 rushing yards per game.
Surprising, perhaps: Beavercreek is the conference’s top rushing team, at 362.5 yards per game.
Even more surprising: Northmont ranks 14th out of 16 teams in yards per game, at 206.5, only ahead of Miamisburg (180) and Xenia (161.5).
Here’s the GWOC offensive list, with team, yards per game, and points per game:
Centerville, 491.5, 29
Beavercreek, 425.5, 51
Lebanon, 381, 36.5
Trotwood-Madison, 365, 31
Troy, 359, 49
Fairmont, 350.5, 37
Piqua, 303, 44.5
Sidney, 288.5, 17
Vandalia Butler, 245, 14
Wayne, 241, 24
Springfield, 227, 35
Fairborn, 219.5, 27
Springboro, 207, 15
Northmont, 206.5, 13.5
Miamisburg, 180, 9.5
Xenia, 161.5, 6.5
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TweetState championship tickets on sale
Already confident in your favorite area high school football team? Championship tickets are available.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association has tickets for the six football title games on sale at www.ohsaafbfinals.com. The six-game ticket book costs $48.
Here’s the schedule:
Friday, December 4
Division III - 11:00 a.m. - Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon
Division V - 3:00 p.m. - Fawcett Stadium, Canton
Division II - 7:00 p.m. - Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon
Saturday, December 5
Division IV - 11:00 a.m. - Fawcett Stadium, Canton
Division VI - 3:00 p.m. - Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon
Division I - 7:00 p.m. - Fawcett Stadium, Canton
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TweetUh oh … Trotwood has a kicker
TROTWOOD — Maurice Douglass, the Trotwood-Madison High School football coach, walked through some mingling players to the Rams’ locker room at Welcome Stadium on Saturday night after drubbing Dunbar.
He moved past a slimmer player removing his shoulder pads and pointed at him.
“There’s the all-star,” Douglass said. “The kicker.”
Indeed, Mouhamadou Seck, the junior kicker for Trotwood listed at 6 feet 1 and 145 pounds, gives the Rams a dimension they have lacked in recent seasons with otherwise powerful teams. That is, a special teams threat.
There were times in recent games when Trotwood would attempt a two-point conversion on almost every score because it didn’t have a reliable kicker. Seck seems to have changed that.
On Saturday, in Trotwood’s 45-0 victory that evened its season at 1-1, Seck converted on six extra-point attempts and added a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
That explains why Douglass was attempting to point out his newest offensive weapon, which could prove important for the Rams in close games this season.
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TweetPonitz Tech, the new team in town, has some game
Some questions immediately arise when discussing the David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center.
Is it a converted Dayton Public Schools facility? No, it’s a brand new school, not a renamed one.
Yes, it has a football team as part of the Dayton city league. And yes, it lost its first-ever football game 80-14 to Piqua.
But Ponitz rallied on Saturday, Sept. 5, to prove it certainly has some offensive firepower in a 52-47 loss to Jefferson at Welcome Stadium. Folks attending that night’s Trotwood-Madison vs. Dunbar game, also at Welcome Stadium, were still buzzing about the excitement hours later.
“If you were a football fan, you were treated to a great football game,” Ponitz’ coach, John Wortham, said Tuesday afternoon. “And if you like offense, you were probably more excited.”
In all, there were 1,041 yards of offense, and Ponitz even had a shot at the end zone as time expired, but a drop pass ended it.
Ponitz’ offensive star was quarterback Craig Wallace, who completed 14-of-26 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns while also serving as the punter and kicker.
“Guys were making some incredible plays, on both sides,” Wortham said. “When you watch the tape as a coach, you look at some mistakes your team made. But about the fifth time I watched it, I really appreciated what kind of game it was.”
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TweetMight want to think about 2010 Centerville reserve tickets
CENTERVILLE — Was talking today with Centerville High School football coach and athletic director Ron Ullery, and here’s an interesting note that came from the conversation.
Next season, Centerville’s home schedule, with Week 4 still to fill that could possibly be another home game, is Mason, Cleveland St. Ignatius, Springboro (playing Centerville for the first time), Northmont and Wayne.
That’s quite a home slate for Centerville, which has another major home game coming Friday, Sept. 11, against Moeller.
I stopped by the school to talk with Ullery about Moeller, in fact, and the interesting history between the teams for a story to print next week. Then we got talking about scheduling, and Ullery brought up the background in setting up the St. Ignatius series last spring.
With some holes to fill, Ullery sat down and made a list of 30 programs throughout the state he would like to play. He e-mailed each school laying out Centerville’s open dates and requesting a game.
He got one response, from St. Ignatius, and it turned into a home-and-home series.
Granted, the other teams might not have been available on those dates or just not interested, but the e-mail campaign underlines the difficulty that can come with creating a football schedule.
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TweetGWOC’s best Week 1 running backs
According to the Greater Western Ohio Conference Web site, seven players from the conference rushed for at least 100 yards in Week 1. They are:
Devontre Burks, Vandalia Butler, 24 carries, 189 yards
Cody Hamblin, Miamisburg, 28 carries, 160 yards
Antwan Gilbert, Trotwood-Madison, 27 carries, 160 yards
Dusty Isaacs, Lebanon, 13 carries, 140 yards
Jack Foy, Sidney, 12 carries, 128 yards
Tristin Boykin, Centerville, 15 carries, 112 yards
Taylor Franz, Springboro, 9 carries, 101 yards
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TweetAfter 60-0 win, Beavercreek prepares for Game of the Week
BEAVERCREEK — A 60-0 win against Stebbins on Friday, Aug. 28, isn’t casuing any furhter celebration in the Beavercreek High School football locker room the week after.
“Even if we lost 60-0, which we have in the past, we move on to the next game immediately,” Beavercreek coach Scott Clodfelter said Wednesday morning. “After a win, you move to the next game. In football, you don’t have time to think about it.”
The next game, in this case, is the Dayton Daily News Game of the Week against Carroll on the road Friday.
The Beavers are hoping to match a strong start they had to last season, and they began with a steady push against Stebbins. Junior Gabe Henry, Creek’s main back, scored five touchdowns and ran 12 times for 130 yards. Clodfelter was also pleased with his linebacker play, especially that of sophomores Brandon Smith and Joe Desjardins.
Fundamentals are key against Carroll, which won its opener against Xenia 20-7 with a new crew of juniors maintaining the same mindset of coach Steve Barlett’s program: Run well, tackle well.
“They’re well-coached, they execute, they have big linemen, the defense is always sound,” Clodfelter said. “They beat you with execution, nothing has changed there. That’s their same formula.”
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TweetPrep soccer poll released
The Miami Valley Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association released its first poll on Monday, Aug. 31.
Topping the poll in boys soccer is Beavercreek (Division I), Carroll (D-II) and Springfield Catholic Central (D-III). Claiming the top spots in the girls poll are Centerville (D-I) and Middletown Fenwick (D-II).
Miami Valley Coaches Poll - 8/31/2009
BOYS DI 1. Beavercreek, 2. Centerville, 3. Northmont, 4. Wayne, 5. Fairmont, 6. Lebanon, 7. Miamisburg, 8. Sidney, 9. Springboro, 10. Butler.
BOYS DII 1. Carroll, 2. Alter, 3. Chaminade Julienne, 4. Tippecanoe, 5. Bellbrook, 6. Oakwood, 7. Lemon Monroe, 8. Bellefontaine, 9. Greenon. 10. Shawnee
BOYS DIII 1. Catholic Central, 2. Bethel, 3. Dayton Christian, 4. Lehman Catholic, 5. Miami Valley 6. Brookville, 7. Yellow Springs, 8. Botkins, 9. (tie) Franklin Monroe, Greeneview, West Liberty-Salem
GIRLS DI 1. Centerville, 2. Beavercreek, 3. Wayne, 4. Troy, 5. Lebanon, 6. Carroll, 7. (tie) Springboro, Tippecanoe, 9. Butler, 10. Chaminade Julienne
GIRLS DII 1. Fenwick, 2. Alter, 3. Waynesville, 4. Greeneview, 5. Valley View, 6. Greenon, 7. Monroe, 8. (tie) Madison, Oakwood, 10. Bethel
For more information check out: www.ossca.org/home.asp?area=mv
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