Fifty years and counting for Alter-Fairmont football

Fairmont hosts Alter to kick off the high school football season at 7 p.m. today at Roush Stadium. It’s the 50th meeting between the neighboring rivals, which are three miles apart in Kettering.

A win would kick-start Fairmont's new direction under Miller, who left Covington to succeed Andy Aracri as the Firebirds' coach. In contrast, longtime Alter coach Ed Domsitz surpassed 300 career wins last season. Miller was a youthful assistant to Domsitz in the mid-1990s.

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Alter, 10-2 last season, defeated Fairmont 42-21 but was beaten twice by Fenwick. With a robust senior class of 30-plus players, the Knights are geared up to make another long run, starting at Fairmont.

“They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten and they’re good at doing what they do,” Miller said. “We know we have a tough task, but our kids are ready for the challenge.”

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• First-year Vandalia-Butler coach Nathan Hyatt has a monumental task in today’s debut at Massillon Perry, the D-II state runner-up last season.

“We’re going to the mecca of high school football in Ohio,” said Hyatt, previously the coach at Bradford and a Vandalia-Butler City Schools teacher for 16 years. “You schedule games to challenge yourself and what a great challenge. We’re going to find out who we are in Week 1.”

Butler is at Tecumseh in Week 2 and hosts Wilmington in its first home game in Week 3.

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• Oakwood administrators surprised 1944 graduate Richard Irwin Miller with his diploma during last Friday’s final preseason football scrimmage against Meadowdale at Mack Hummon Stadium. A resident at 10 Wilmington Place, Miller was accompanied by family, who knew ahead of time about the red, white and blue themed night.

Like many teens in his era, Miller was drafted into the Navy in March 1944. His mother picked up his diploma during a graduation ceremony on June 3 that year. Three days later Allied Forces landed at Normandy, France, which marked the beginning of the end of World War II.

Veterans and all military personnel were honored at the scrimmage, which kicked off with three skydivers who landed at midfield. One brought a game ball and another had a large U.S. flag attached to the chute.

That patriotic salute resulted in a collected donation of $1,950 that was presented at halftime. The proceeds are targeted for the Fisher House at the Dayton VA Medical Center campus, a guest home for patients and their families that is scheduled to open next fall.

Oakwood opens the season by hosting Mariemont today.

• The Ohio High School Athletic Association is now among 30 similar organizations in 24 states that endorses the USA Football Heads Up program. The OHSAA encourages all high school programs to enroll. Among the subjects addressed are coaching techniques, blocking and tackling fundamentals, concussion awareness and related on-field emergency protocol.

“The education gained through (the) program will improve the overall quality and safety of play while keeping the same fun, competitive atmosphere for which Ohio high school football is known,” OHSAA assistant commissioner Beau Rugg said in a statement. “We are excited to begin.”

Heads Up already is popular in peewee football and is gaining momentum at higher levels. Both the Bengals and Browns support the OHSAA’s decision to endorse the program.

• Sidney Memorial Stadium has taken a salute to distinguished opposing coaches to the next level. Two names have been added to a signature plaque next to the visitor’s locker room: Steve Nolan of Troy (1984-2011) and Troy Christian (2013-15) and Bill Nees, currently in his 25th season as Piqua’s head coach.

Other coaches honored on the plaque are Al Hetrick of Versailles (1968-2005); Chuck Asher of Piqua (1964-77), Bellefontaine (1982-87) and Lehman Catholic (1991-2000); Skip Baughman of St. Marys (1958-93); Bellefontaine’s Harold Dodd (1928-48); and Piqua’s Bucky Wertz (1925-50).

• Media covering Coldwater’s game at Kenton today better plan for a late deadline. Kenton coach Brent Fackler has vowed to pass every offensive play by the Wildcats. Coldwater graduated 19 of 22 starters from last year’s 15-0 team, which won its fourth straight D-V state title. Coldwater beat Kenton 42-0 to open last season.

The Cavalier Pride Athletic Complex is completed. It’s a new facility that features locker rooms, coaches offices and a training room. It’ll also serve as an indoor practice facility for wrestling, baseball and track. The stadium addition was funded entirely by community donations.