Alter is in the postseason for the 25th consecutive season. The Knights have won 11 regional titles, including two state titles (2008, 2009) and four runner-up finishes, during that stretch.
“It speaks to our tradition,” Alter head coach Ed Domsitz said. “No team wants to be the team that stops the streak, and eventually it will happen, but it’s always a motivator for us.”
Bellbrook has qualified for the seventh time in eight years. The Golden Eagles have won at least one playoff game in five straight seasons. Twice the program has reached the regional final, including a 13-0 loss to London last year, but have yet to break through to the state’s final four.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” Bellbrook head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “Alter is an elite program, one of the top programs in the state. ... We know where they stand in the state with their program, what their legacy is, and that’s kind of where we’re striving to get to.”
Alter defeated Bellbrook 21-3 when the two teams played in Week 5 at Miamisburg’s Holland Field. The Knights held a four-point lead into the fourth quarter and scored on a pair of goal-line touchdown runs to pull away.
Knights senior Noah Jones and junior Drew Cripps combined to rush for 196 yards in the win. Bellbrook played with limited availability from its leading rusher, senior Vincent Epifano, who only caught a single pass for two yards. Without him, Bellbrook as a team only ran for 50 yards on 22 carries.
The Knights finished the season 7-3 overall and earned a six-seed in the postseason. Alter shut out three of its final four regular season opponents. Domsitz has been surprised with just how well his defense has played and suggested it may be a historic group.
“I’ll tell you the truth. They’ve exceeded what we thought was possible,” he said. “It’s one of those years where they’re starting to maybe become one of the top four or five defenses in the history of Alter. That’s tough to measure, but certainly they have played extremely well all season long.”
Bellbrook won four of its final five games to finish 6-4 and get an 11-seed. The Golden Eagles allowed 13 combined points during its final three games.
Jenkins said he was happy to see some of his young players - only having nine seniors on the roster - begin growing from the experience gained early in the season to begin putting it together on the field.
“We feel like we can play with anybody,” he said. “That’s our mentality. These are scrappy kids and that’s what we get here at Bellbrook.”
Domsitz said he never feels comfortable having to play an opponent for a second time no matter how the result went in the first meeting.
“Bellbrook is a solid program. They played us right down to the wire in Week 5,” he said. “We’re always concerned, no matter who you’re playing in the playoffs. But if you had your choice, at least I would not want to go and play someone who we already played during the regular season.”
Badin (9-1) will host the winner of Friday’s game in the regional quarterfinals on Nov. 7. Badin, the No. 3 seed, earned a first-round bye as one of the top-four seeds in Region 12.
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