Alter seniors gun to end No. 1

Class wants to leave its own mark by grabbing Division IV state championship.

Alter High stalwarts share more than winning record

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 11:08 PM Friday, November 27, 2009

KETTTERING — Before becoming the Big Ten Conference’s freshman of the year for the University of Wisconsin football team, linebacker Chris Borland had a good-natured idea for his former Alter High School teammates last summer.

“He told us we should get shirts made that say, ‘You should’ve seen us last year,’ ” said Alter senior running back Cody Taulbee.

The Knights, after all, had just finished 13-2 (with two forfeits) and won the school’s first state championship. That left some lofty expectations for this season’s team, and especially for the senior class that aided in the title run and was faced with the prospect of trying to repeat without some key departures.

In response, the seniors have helped Alter to a 13-0 record, the state’s No. 1 ranking and a spot in a Division IV state semifinal against Coshocton at 7 p.m. today, Nov. 28, at Hamilton Twp. High School.

With a win, this season’s seniors will tie for the best win total by a class in three years of varsity with 40 victories (Alter coach Ed Domsitz counts two wins that were later forfeited last season).

Even more, if the Knights can repeat as state champions, the class would leave with a record 41 wins in three seasons and two titles.

“If they win these next two games,” Domsitz said, “they’ll be the best class in the history of Alter.”

Some wondered if that was possible when last year’s seniors departed. The Knights opened with a 47-21 defeat of Fairmont and a 27-0 blanking of Bellbrook on their way to an undefeated record during which the closest win has come by 15 points.

“There was pressure in the beginning, we were anxious for the season to start and show that it wasn’t all about the senior class last year,” said senior linebacker Cody Conley. “We want to be one of the best teams that came to Alter.”

They aren’t far from doing that. This season’s playoff run, though, has been different than last season’s. The previous class helped Alter win its first title after undergoing pressure all season to do so, while this Knights team faces a different kind of strain.

“Last year, there was a lot of focus on Coldwater and on state,” said senior safety Cody Byers. “This year, we’ve been through that, and we want to be our own team.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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