Friday’s game
What: Middletown (1-2) at Sycamore (3-0)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bud Acus Alumni Field, 5757 Cooper Road, Cincinnati
Last meeting: Middletown won 21-3 in 2011
The clean slate is being welcomed by Middletown High School’s football team.
The Middies will begin Greater Miami Conference play Friday night at Sycamore, eager to move on after a 1-2 start and an ugly 39-14 loss last week at Pickerington Central.
“When you schedule Elder and Pickerington Central, you know there’s a possibility of being 1-2,” Middletown coach Troy Everhart said. “You’ve got to be strong enough as a leader to get your kids through it, and you’ve got to hope that all the things you’ve done during the offseason start to pay off.
“I think our kids can be stronger. We’ve just got to keep challenging them to be stronger.”
An angry Everhart said last Friday that changes would be made after the effort issues that plagued his squad against PC. Some changes have been made, though he declined to be specific.
“The changes will be noteworthy to those who are looking for them, but other than the quarterback position, nobody really pays attention,” said Everhart, who’s sticking with sophomore QB Allante Simmons for now. “We’re going to make some changes that make us more effective up front.
“Kids have got to effort to play football. You’ve got to love to play football, and you’ve just got to ignore all the noise that you hear all the time. There’s just noise everywhere. It’s controlling that part of it that’s the real essence of coaching anymore.”
Sycamore is 3-0 with wins over Walnut Hills (41-7), Ryle (28-0) and Springfield (33-14), led by senior quarterback Greg Simpson, one of the GMC’s Athletes of the Year in 2012.
Simpson has completed 11 of 29 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns — he’s also the top rusher with 334 yards and six TDs on 57 carries — in an offense that Aviators coach Scott Dattilo described as “very multiple, but we’re a run-first team.”
Defensively, Sycamore is a 3-4 unit. Senior linebacker Tinashe Bere is a four-year starter and Duke University commit.
“I think our defense and special teams have played really well. We’ve forced a lot of turnovers,” Dattilo said. “Offensively, we’re a little mistake-prone right now. It’s a little frustrating. I don’t think fine’s good enough for the talent we have.”
Dattilo said he’s concerned about the Middies’ offensive ability. The Aviators haven’t faced the triple option since their first scrimmage.
“This will be the fastest team and by far the biggest team we’ve seen to this point,” Dattilo said. “The key is how quick we can get used to the change in play. Middletown has played a really tough schedule. Playing us is going to be just another game for them.”
About the Author