Wow, who could have predicted this season's Bengals. The story of the team is the offensive line. I had thought that Palmer would be spending time on his back, but the patchwork O-line has gelled and exceeded expectations. What a slugfest with Pittsburgh. The defense is performing as expected, and the offense just needs to score enough to get the W.

Ohio State had better not overlook Michigan. On paper the game is anti-climatic, but this is the one chance for Michigan to redeem themselves for a lackluster season.

Great play off game between MAC teams Coldwater and St. Henry. 4 OT's to decide a winner! What a game to be a part of, it will become a part of local lore for years to come.

My sports coverage this winter will be sporadic. I am coaching Junior High basketball this winter. So there simply will not be enough time to cover the games(hey I like being married, so I have to spend some time at home!), my daughters, Chelsea and Vanessa, may be covering some games on my behalf so watch for them.

About the team - interesting group with a wide range of talent. Some first year players mixed in with some who have done youth league. So getting everyone on the same page could be a challenge.

CCC Football Ends for This Season.

As has happened so frequently, Covington was the last team standing. They played a close playoff game with Marion Local only to lose 21-17 in the last quarter. If anyone can beat a MAC team in the playoffs, it would have been Dave Miller. He has come close, but will now have to wait for another chance. Congrats to the Buccs for finishing strong - that playoff win against Ansonia, a team that manhandled them in the regular season, was a remarkable turnaround.

My Panthers. Both Panthers teams didn't perform as well as I would have liked this season. South had some good seniors coming back on both the line and the skill positions. North has decent size on the line, a decent running back, and QB that can throw when given the time. I had thought that both teams would have winning seasons, but not this year. Both schools return classes that were in the junior high championship several years ago. Will any of that success carry over next year?

Trail got a win to end their winless streak. When I saw them play the team did not give up, they kept coming back - so that is a positive. Need some more kids out, their sideline looked pretty thin.

Bethel - Had a better season than I thought they would, so congrats to them.

Miami East - Wow, one loss and no playoffs. With several CCC schools shrinking to D6, it is really tough to make the playoffs for a D5 school. Does the CCC look for some bigger schools to join the conference and go with two divisions - a d5 and d6 division. Or schedule one more nonleague game?

Ansonia - undefeated in the regular season and then Covington upsets them in the first round. A great season for a good coach that I respect and the Tigers will come back hungry for next year.

Arcanum - Hard Hitting Team, but mistakes and turnovers contributed to their losses. Another season of maturity for a young team should make them improved.

Mississenewa Valley - An improved team that started strong and faded. Can they reload for next season?

Basketball local teams:

South loses Nisius(sp) to Dixie. The senior moved to that school district. Dixie has some good young talent, but they only won a handful of games last year. His points should help the Greyhounds, but I don't know that it will be enough for a title. South again has a good crop of seniors, and some younger players that should contribute. They will be competitive, but I don't know that they have enough horses to compete for league.

North will be scrappy and will have good play from their guards. The MacAdams brothers will be a formidable duo. But they need a supporting cast.

CCC Website - No Forums. The CCC website took down their forums. Too bad, because this was a great way for CCC fans to keep on all the chatter around the league. I know that it probably takes a lot of effort to keep up with it, for the little financial reward. But otherwise the CCC gets swallowed up in the Yappi and JJ huddle forums. I hope they reconsider, but I can understand if they do not bring them back.

South Survives Trail Scare
J. Chris Tilton

Twin Valley South has not had many easy wins this season. Last Friday was another game where South needed some late game heroics to pull out a victory. It was senior night and several seniors would step up to make big plays against the Blazers. Two players would reach the thousand yard mark during the course of the game. Running back Skylar Reckers broke a thousand yards carrying the ball and Miles McCollum would break a thousand yards for passing the ball. And South would need every yard against the Blazers. During the pregame the seniors honored the memory of Joe Kasserman by placing his jersey at the bench before the end of the season.

There was a strong South wind blowing at the start of the game. And maybe it was just coincidence, but South was likewise strong in the early going. Tyler Leach went 68 yards on the second play of the game for South’s first score. Then South utilized Skyler Reckers from the wildcat formation and he raced 40 yards for another score. Finally a third touchdown was scored by Steve Balthis. Seemingly, South could do no wrong.

And as good as South was playing, Trail just couldn’t get on track – particularly on special teams. One kickoff return went thru the receivers hands and he was tackled at the 7 yard line. A snap went over the punters head and resulted in a safety. Later in the game the punter would ‘whiff’ on a punt and give South good position again. The net result was that by early in the second quarter South was up 23-0 and it was beginning to look like the rout was on. I was thinking that perhaps we could see some clean jerseys playing in the second half.

But Trail under coach Graher is a more resilient team. On their first possession of the second quarter, they drove the length of field thanks in part to a TVS facemask penalty. They capped their drive with an old fashioned hook and ladder play where Danny Dillon would score from about 29 yards out. It was about this time that a familiar nemesis paid a visit. Yep once again the rain came down. South would fumble the ball away, but Balthis would intercept a Blazer pass to end that drive. But late in the quarter Trail would score again. This time aided by a South pass interference call. And at the half the South lead had shrunk, it was 23-12.

The third quarter was all defense as both teams dug in their heels and were stubborn at giving up yardage. South had the best opportunity of the quarter when the Trail punter missed the ball on a kick and South got the ball at the Trail 22 yard line. A Reckers TD run was called back by a penalty and on the next play a Miles McCollum pass was picked off by a Blazer to end the threat.

But after that interception the Blazers drove the length of the field and Day scored from one yard out. Now the South lead had shrunk to just three points. South needed to regain some lost momentum. Seniors Miles McCollum and Skylar Reckers provided that spark on a 62 yard pass play that re-extended the South lead. The South defense likewise responded and ended the next Trail drive, denying a 4th and 4 try. After getting the ball back on downs, it was Reckers who scored again. This time on a 23 yard carry. South had a two score lead – 36 to 20.

But the Blazers were angling for a late game comeback. Danny Dillon caught a pass to get the ball inside the twenty. A hold put them into long yardage where Caleb Wesler caught a pass from Taylor Neal for a touchdown. But the all important two point extra point try was denied. Trail did an onsides kick, but the South hands team recovered the ball. And when South needed one more first down to keep the ball away from the Blazers in the final minute, Tyler Leach delivered with a 7 yard carry to move the chains one last time. So South survived a close one 36-26.

Dixie – Madison in Thriller
J. C. Tilton

Dixie and Madison squared off in a thrilling game this past Friday night. A game with twists and turns as momentum went back and forth as each team struggled to get an edge over the other. Each coach gambled and in some cases there was a payoff, other times the results were game changing. The play was exciting as both teams spread out their offenses and featured the passing game. And as in all good thrillers, the outcome was in doubt until the very end.

As has been the case so often this season, if it’s Friday – its raining. So it was a soggy field, although the rain did let up before game time. But that did not stop either team from passing. There were some turnovers, but I think that the players have adapted to the conditions this season and neither squad had an abnormally high number of turnovers for the game. The sidelines were abysmal – I regretted leaving my boots in the car back in the parking lot.

Dixie dominated for the first 18 minutes of the game. A stiff defense and a clock eating offense kept the Mohawks on their heels. Dixie was able to make 2 trips the redzone. Both times they started with great field position. Their first trip was marred when a holding penalty moved the ball back and they then had to try a 35 yard field goal which was short. Their second trip was set up by a Jordan Wilson fumble recovery on the Mohawk 41. Again their drive stalled against a stiff Mohawk defense. They called on Garret Moore’s toe and this time he delivered a 25 yard field goal to put Dixie on the board and into the lead.

Now it was time for a gamble. Dixie tried to surprise the Mohawks with an onsides kick with 4:41 remaining in the half. But they were able to pounce on the ball and get their best field position up to that time. And that seemed to ignite a spark in Madison and their offense began to shred the Dixie defense. In about 5 quick plays they put the ball in the end zone as Mason Conley capped the drive with an 18 yard run. When Dixie got the ball back, they went right back to work and went into gunslinging mode as Luke Bowling connected with Tony Prater for a 34 yard catch. But the next play Mason Conley intercepted the ball. Again Dixie’s defense couldn’t contain Madison and they got a quick score as Tyler Dietz connected with Mark Maloney for the touchdown.

But Conley wasn’t done yet. Dixie had a good return to midfield and hoped to make a score before halftime. Again it was Conley who made a pick and gave Madison the ball back with about a minute and half left in the quarter. But Michael Hall sacked the Madison quarterback and ended their hopes of scoring three touchdowns in 5 minutes. Still Madison went into the locker room feeling confident with a 12-3 lead.

But the Hounds were not done yet. Whatever was said at halftime had an immediate effect. Out of the shotgun, Dixie went to the air and after two long passes to get to the 35 of Madison, Bowling connected with Prater for a touchdown. The two teams exchanged possessions, then Madison caught a gear after Dixie failed to convert on a 4th and 8 on the Madison 25. A couple of deep passes later and Madison was able to re-extend their lead as Maloney was able to catch another pass from Dietz. At this point it was Madison 18 and Dixie 9

Doggedly Dixie stayed on their heels. Michael Hall burst thru the Madison return team on the kickoff for about 55 yards. This gave Dixie excellent field position. John Isaacs caught a Bowling pass and was brought down on the one yard line. Bowling then called his own number and ran the ball in for the touchdown. Dixie was now down by two late in the third quarter 18-16.

Nothing went right for Madison on their next possession. They started on their own 25 yard line after the kickoff. Then had back to back penalties on the next two plays. Facing a third and long deep in their territory, the Madison coach gambled and elected to do a quick kick to surprise Dixie and put the ball back to midfield. The tactic misfired when the kick was blocked and Isaacs landed on the ball in the endzone for the Dixie go ahead touchdown.

But there was still a quarter left to play, so Dixie could not relax. And it looked like Madison would bounce right back when they returned to the Dixie 37. But that series the Dixie defense stepped up and made a big play on 4th and 6 when they sacked the Madison quarterback.

With about 7 minutes left in the game, Madison got the ball back on downs from Dixie at about their own 23 yard line. They methodically moved the ball down the field and into Dixie territory. At one point it looked like the drive would be stopped, but Dixie’s Doogie Hauser was flagged for pass interference. There was no time to mope and Dixie needed someone to step up and make a big play. Now at the 9 yard line, Madison looked to pass again. Who could it be but Hauser who stepped in front of the Madison receiver and made a clean interception. Just as the team bounced back time after time Friday night, Hauser was able to step up and make a play when called upon.

But don’t grab your car keys and leave just yet. There was only 1:03 left, but Madison still had time outs. Which meant that Dixie couldn’t just use the victory formation to run out the clock. If they turned over the ball on downs, Madison could still have time for at least one hail mary pass play. On third and eight, Michael Hall made one last big play for the Hounds. He burst thru the line of scrimmage and rambled all way to the Madison 30 yard line where he was dragged down. Finally the coaches could take off their headsets, relax, and watch as Dixie took a knee with 20 seconds on the clock to preserve their 22-18 victory. This makes Dixie’s record 5-4; next Friday they visit Carlisle.

And I will add a little editorial comment here. I was a little jaded going into the game. Had a long day at work and was talking to my wife on the way to the game. I was complaining that it was another soggy night and that none of the teams that I cover are going to the playoffs. Just wasn't feeling the fire, it was just another game.

But to these players and coaches it was the game as far as they were concerned. No chance at playoffs for either team. But for four quarters they fought and gave it all they had. And seeing the emotion and the spirit of these two teams rekindled that fire. It was worth the trip for me.

...and speaking of fire - what got into the Bengals today??? I want to find out what they had for lunch. I could use some of that.

North Bounces Back Against Trail
J. C. Tilton

Last week against South, the North football team had a rough time of it – seemingly nothing could right for the team on either offense or defense. This past Friday they hosted the National Trail Blazers for their homecoming game. Again the weather was not cooperative, it was a steady drizzle for most of the game. Last week they fumbled about 10 times under damp conditions and their offense could not get on track on the ground or in the air. The defense could not adjust either and did not stop the ground attack. So how would they fare under identical conditions, only on their home turf?

On the opening kickoff, North was able to force a Trail fumble and recover it. So it looked as though their fortunes were reversed. But a few plays later North coughed up the ball and gave it right back to the Blazers. This got a lot of fans wondering if this was going to a preview of the nights action. Would it be deju vu? But actually both teams would end up being balanced on turnovers. Later in the game, North would capitalize their opportunities, while Trail had a tough time turning turnovers into points, only turning one fumble into a touchdown.

Another part of the game that North had in their favor, was field position. A combination of poor punting by Trail and a lack of offense had North starting a lot of their scoring drives at midfield. Using the pass and run, they kept Trails defense off balance and took advantage of the short field several times.

You could see that North was fired up and after the early setback in the first quarter, they went to work the next series. After forcing a Trail punt, North started at midfield. Kyle Booth ripped a run to the one yard line where Dalton Overholtz punched it in. Again Trail was held to three plays and punt. This one was shanked and North took over at their own 39. Josh McAdams caught an Overholtz pass for the next score. Finally Cody Broughton caught another TD pass to put North up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Trail was able to manage a touchdown late in the first half when Rexrode caught a Bolinger pass. This was set up a by a North fumble and a 4th down conversion in North territory. So this kept the game close (20-6) and it looked like momentum might have turned to the Blazers side with that score right before halftime.

It really began to look like the Blazers would catch fire when they held North to three plays and punt on their first possession of the half. Using an unbalanced line they were grinding out yardage and worked the ball to midfield. But Trail fumbled there and North was ready to capitalize on this gift at the 50. After Booth moved the ball to the 15, Overholtz found Brandon McAdams in the endzone for another score. Now Trail had a huge mountain to climb, but their offense was not geared for a quick score.

In the fourth quarter, Dakota Gulling kept the momentum going and scored on a long rambling run to end the scoring for North. Trail may have actually had the ball for a longer time than North in the second half. North did their scoring quickly while Trail’s attack was mostly ground based which consumed a lot of clock. Trail did manage a couple of TD’s late in the game, but it was too little to late and North won their homecoming - bouncing back 34-20.

North – South Mud Bowl


The elements have not been kind to Twin Valley South home games in the last half of the season. And the homecoming game against Tri-County North was played on a soggy field already chewed up from the previous home game that was also played in the rain. A constant rain kept the field saturated and the ball boys busy ushering in a fresh ball every down. By the end of the game about the only way to tell the two teams apart was by the color of their helmets. In the pregame, the homecoming king and queen were selected. Skylar Reckers and Jessica Hick were crowned under an umbrella.

South fared better under the adverse conditions than did North. They would dominate nearly every facet of the game. Ball control was the first thing that I noticed. South had long clock consuming drives that kept a weary North defense on the field as they pounded the ball from their wishbone formation. On defense, South was able to control the line of scrimmage and make big plays. This season the defense has taken heat for giving up a lot of points. But against North they excelled – shutting out their offense. Keeping North on their half of the field most of the night. They were only able to go past the 50 twice during the game.

South’s first drive set the pattern for the rest of night. After grinding out yardage and moving the ball to midfield, the drive stalled. It was fourth and four. South took a time out to set up their play. What ever was said worked to perfection as Tyler Leach powered thru the line and went about 40 yards for a score. That drive alone used up about half of the first quarter. And judicious use of time outs to plan during 4th downs allowed South to convert on 4th down on 4 out of 5 chances in the first half. This kept drives alive and as important - kept the ball out of North’ hands.

North’s first penetration into South territory was set up by a Kyle Booth return to about the 50. And with the wind at his back, Overholtz was able to pass some against South. But after getting to the 29, North could not convert a 4th and 7 situation and turned over the ball to South. Another long drive ensued and again South converted on 3 4th downs to drive the ball to the one where Miles McCollum called his own number to score for South. North tried to answer, but were passing into the wind this time and Steve Balthis intercepted an Overholtz throw to end the last North drive of the half.

Fumbles were a problem for North all night long. I don’t think that they lost a fumble all night, but each time the ball slipped away they had to fall on the ball and that resulted in lost yardage. I counted six up to the third quarter and there may have close to 10 by the time the game was over. North switched quarterbacks at the half and put Kyle Booth behind center. But things got off to a slow start when the first two center/quarterback exchanges were fumbled to start the second half.

The change in signal callers did not change North’s fortunes as they were only ably to penetrate into South territory one more time late in the game where they turned the ball over on downs. South’s last touchdown was set up by another long yardage Tyler Leach carry and McCollum finished the drive with a one yard carry. Roy Wysong ended another North drive when he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter. The final was 18-0 in favor of South. South travels to Miami East next week, while North plays National Trail.

Panthers in Three Over Arrows


Neighboring Preble Shawnee paid a visit to the home court of Twin Valley South this last week of September. Shawnee has a mixture of players with several sophomores and freshmen on the court this season. There are some seniors on the court, but at times the lack of experience showed. The Panthers seemed to more poised and rallied under pressure. This season, South has a winning record to be sure, but will need to finish strong to equal the records of teams past. This game was a step in that direction. In her post game comments coach Roberts noted that the team is coming together for the last half of the season.

Early in the first match it was TVS that was playing sloppy. And allowed Shawnee a 4 point lead - 14 to 10. Despite a couple of net serves and a lift. South was able to battle back and get the lead 19-17 at which point Shawnee took a time out to stop their momentum. Shawnee responded and were able to tie the game at 24 all. But South was able to pull ahead and finally won 27-25 when the Arrows allowed the ball to drop untouched for the final Panther point.

In the second match, it was Shawnee who got to a slow start. They had a rough time of it due to the strong play of South and some more mental mistakes of their own. They were down 13-6 when the team finally found a gear and started to churn out some points of their own. They outscored South 8-4 and closed the gap. And they would continue to rally and close to 2 points. But in the stretch, the Panthers were able to hold off the Shawnee challenge and win by a comfortable margin 25-21. An injury forced a Shawnee starter to go to the bench, further impeding their cause.

For the first part of the third set the teams played well. Both seemed to be in a groove for this last set. But Shawnee could not get any breaks. There were several good volleys, but when the ball went to the floor – it always seemed to be on the Shawnee side. South got a three point lead and Shawnee took a time out to set things right. However, it just wasn’t Shawnee’s night. South continued to pull away and their blockers, Laura Ingram and Taylor Baker, did a great job of throwing back Shawnee spikes thru out the game, but particularly in this last set. In the last part of the set, Shawnee could not stop the South onslaught allowing South to win 25-13.

“We were pleased to come away with a 3 set win,” stated Coach Roberts after the game, “We were fortunate to win over Shawnee with their much improved defense and they were attacking the ball strong. I would say that tonight we were lead by Laura Ingram and Taylor Baker over the middle. Followed by nice play on the outside by Emily Burge and Katherine Leach. Grace Cottingim had most of the assists and did a nice job of distributing the ball. We are 8-5, but we’ve had an injury - had to regroup and find new chemistry. But from here on we are looking good for the future.”

South-Bethel: Battle in the Trenches


It was trench warfare in West Alexandria this past Friday night as the Bees and Panthers slogged it out on a soggy field. Although the rain had pretty much stopped by game time, the past few days of rain had thoroughly soaked the field. Whoever does laundry for these two teams would have to put in some overtime to get the uniforms clean again. Both teams featured their running games in the first half and were able to successfully grind out yardage. However, Bethel was able to mix the pass with some success during the course of the game. And the wet conditions did lead to some turnovers – one of which would decide the outcome of the game late in the fourth quarter.

It was definitely a night for straight ahead running as I saw runners for both teams lose traction when they tried to make a cut. South started with a good run by fullback Tyler Leach that got the ball deep into Bethel territory, but on the next play the ball was bobbled and a Bethel defender pounced on the ball. But the Panthers were able to redeem themselves when Leach burst thru the line for a 41 yard TD on their next possession. Bethel answered with a TD run of their own on 4th and 1 on the Panther 11. This set the tone for night as neither team was able to get a decisive lead and battled back and forth thru out the night.

South’s next score was set up by going for it on 4th and 1 at their 42 yard line. Tyler Leach burst thru the line and scrampered about 40 yards for a go ahead score. Bethel decided to air it out on their next scoring drive. Completing a pass to their tight end to get a first down in Panther territory and finally scoring just before halftime with another pass to even up the score again at 14 all.

In the third quarter, Bethel was able to score a go ahead touchdown. South tried again to go for it on 4th and one in their own territory but a dropped ball resulted in a broken play and Bethel getting good field position around the Panther 40 yard line. With the short field they were able to take advantage and punch the ball in with an eight yard plunge by Rowley.

But Bethel would have a turn over of their own to set up the next Panther score. They had some success mixing in the pass and tried again on a long yardage situation in their own territory. The Bethel quarterback scrambled to avoid a vigorous Panther rush and threw an off balance pass. Roy Wysong made the pick and returned all the way to the one yard line where Skylar Reckers scored to even up the ball game at 21 all. Bethel did have another turnover when Panther Michael Burke fell on a loose ball on a kick, but South was not able to capitalize.

Late in the fourth quarter the Panthers again had a drive stall out at midfield and this time elected to punt. It was starting to look like the game could be headed to overtime. But again the turnover bug bit the Panthers. A high snap could not be pulled down and Bethel was able to gain possession on downs deep in South territory. They would score the go ahead TD, but left the door open for South by missing the extra point.

So a score and extra point could win the game for the Panthers. After a decent kickoff return they were able to start with good field position. But the passing game was not kind to the Panthers on this night. The team had passed a handful of times the whole night without much success and the trend continued on this last effort. They just couldn’t connect and on fourth down they were forced to give up the ball. Only seconds were left in the game and Bethel took a knee to end the game, winning 27-21. A tough loss for the Panthers who face Covington next week.

South Scores 34 Points…

…but still lost against the Mississinawa Valley Black Hawks. In a night of lopsided scores in the Cross County Conference, this game was not an exception as the Black Hawks scored 55 points of their own to win by 3 scores. A 55 – 34 final is more like a basketball game and the scoring was fast and furious in the first half. Giving up big running plays was once again the bane of the Panther defense as 5 touchdowns came from runs of 40 yards or more.

The first drive of the night ended in paydirt for the Panthers. They started in their wishbone offense and made it look easy as they methodically marched down the field. Roy Wysong capped off the drive with a long run and the Panthers were up. After holding the Blackhawks to 3 plays and punt. It was looking like it may be the Panthers night. But this would be their only lead of the game. The ensuing Panther series ended with a fumble as midfield and that set the tone for the rest of the night. Mississinawa’s Gary Peace rambled 56 yards for a score on their series. They would score again in the first quarter to go up 12-7.

In the second quarter, the Black Hawks could do no wrong when the trickle became a torrent as they scored at will. 29 points were amassed and the Panthers could only score a single TD as Grant Kreitzer pulled in a Miles McCollum pass late in the quarter. At the half, it was 41-14.

The Panthers gamely tried to get some momentum in the second half. Skylar Reckers and Miles McCollum both scored. And when an onsides kick worked to the Panthers advantage, the Panther sideline woke up and made the most noise that I have heard all season. But just when it looked like there was going to be a momentum change, the Black Hawk defense stepped up and made a big play – forcing a fumble at midfield. This crushed the Panthers drive and hopes for a comeback. With a three score deficit, they just could not afford any mistakes. Roy Wysong capped the night for the Panthers with a 21 yard TD carry.

The Panthers were down several players going into the game. Notably, 2 of 3 running backs were unable to start due to injury and illness. At one point, the remaining starting running back was out with a stinger and no starters were in the backfield. However, I don’t think having all backs available would have made a difference in the outcome. Wysong, Combs, and company still managed a respectable 34 points. The team can put points on the scoreboard, they just need to find a way to keep the other team off of it. Next Friday South hosts Bethel.

Two teams with 0 and 2 records met this past Friday night. Both South and Arcanum have had a rocky start to the season. But one team would leave with a victory and a chance to get some momentum going, the other would have a 0-3 record and a tough climb to achieve a winning record. So both teams entered the games with high hopes and determination.

But it was a night of big plays. I think both teams may have scored a TD each from a long drive. But the other scores were from long passes, or long runs - which made for an exciting night. Just when you thought one side or the other had some breathing room, someone would slip a tackle or two and beat feet into the endzone. Despite the big plays, defenses were a factor. Arcanum had a pair of interceptions. And South had a bend but do not break mentality as they allowed the Trojans to churn out yardage in their Woody Hayes grind it out attack. But once they got to the twenty, the Panther defense would stiffen and ended up stopping 4 drives during the night – one of them ending at the one foot line where South denied the Trojans on a critical 4th down play.

A case in point was Arcanum’s first drive which ended on a 4th and 4 on the 7 yard line where Grant Kreitzer made a tackle for loss. But South had to punt after 3 plays and in a play from scrimmage, Trojan Brad Rothwell peeled of a 63 yard for the first score of the night. South’s Skylar Reckers then scored on a 48 yard carry. So the tone was set for the evening.

South was up at halftime 14-7 thanks to a Reckers touchdown carry. Other highlights of the second quarter were another Kreitzer tackle for loss to end another Arcanum drive on 4th down and a Roy Wysong catch for about 40 yards.

In the third quarter after Skylar Reckers ended an Arcanum drive, Steve Balthis caught a Miles McCollum pass and went about 70yards for a score. South was now up 20-7. But Brad Rothwell had other ideas as he took the kickoff 85 yards for an answering TD. Now it was 20-13 as the teams battled into the fourth quarter.

After an Arcanum interception, the Trojan offense marched the ball down the field. Advancing all the way to the one foot line. This is where the South defense made a stand when it counted most. After peeling the players off of a rugby style scrum by the goal line, the referee gave his signal – first down for TVS. They had held off the Trojans. This set up the next score. After a gain of about 3 yards. The ball was handed off to Skylar Reckers who slipped thru the line and barreled into the open where he raced 96 yards for a touchdown.

A Roy Wysong sack stopped an Arcanum drive and helped to set up the next Panther score, with Balthis scoring again for South. Arcanum scored easily on their next drive which had to make Panthers nervous again. But they were just about out of clock as only 1:50 was left in the game. After an onsides kick was covered by South, the Panthers ran out the clock to preserve the victory TVS 32 – Arcanum 19.

You hope that the Buckeyes were looking past Navy to USC, or were just over confident. Or maybe Tressel was holding back not to show too much to USC (roll of eyes here).

But holy moly they were three yards away from a tie ball game with Navy. If they did not intercept the two point try, then things could have ended differently. The defense looked very suspect. Navy was getting a good line surge and moved the ball very well. The offense played well enough to win I guess. Saine showed some ability to slip tackles this year. It seems like he can get thru the first one or two tacklers. Herron had a few good touches. But the pass blocking did not impress. It's a good thing that Pryor can tuck and run as well as he can.

I hope that the team did not hold its head high after that win. USC will be licking their chops after seeing this game film.

Dixie volleyball netted a win over visiting Northridge. But the young team kept it interesting, allowing the Polar Bears to hang around and last longer than they should have. The Greyhounds struggled in the first set, with several miscues and mental mistakes but still managed to win it.

In the second set, the team showed confidence coming from that first set win. After staying even with Northridge, they went up 8-7 and peeled off 6 points in a row to take a commanding lead. Their serves were strong and contributed to a 25-16 win in the second set. With two sets under their belt, I was looking forward to an early ride out of the gym as I expected the home team to keep the momentum and run away in three straight sets.

But an over confident Dixie team and a gritty Northridge put an end to any thoughts about a short night. Northridge scored the first point of the third set and did not look back. Dixie was very sloppy. Serves going out of bounds, allowing the ball to drop between players, and the like. Northridge rallied from the Dixie mistakes and put the pedal down. They were up 13-3 when coach Honeywell had seen enough and called a timeout to refocus the players. He took another time out a few minutes later. The team adjusted and chipped away at the lead. Actually finishing strong, but too many points had been spotted and Northridge won 25-20.

Which Dixie team would take the floor in the next stanza? The confident, playmaking team in the second set, or the fumbling team in the third set. A determined Dixie team took the court and went to work. They quickly built a 9-2 lead before Northridge took a time out. This did not slow down the Greyhounds as they methodically outplayed the Polar bears on route to a 25-11 win of the final set to end the night with a victory.

“Overall I thought we played fairly well,” stated Coach Honeywell, but we still have a lot of work to do” he admitted. “We are a young team this year and we are concentrating on our fundamentals. And I thought we communicated really well tonight.”

On the third set, “I think our youth showed; we thought we had it won at that point. We thought we could win that third set without trying and in varsity volleyball that is almost never the case. As we gain in experience I see that happening less and less this season.”

Stats for Dixie: Ciara Bates had 9 aces, Danielle Foster had 30 assists, and both Haleigh White and Breean Cole had 6 kills.

Dixie volleyball netted a win over visiting Northridge. But the young team kept it interesting, allowing the Polar Bears to hang around and last longer than they should have. The young team struggled in the first set, with several miscues and mental mistakes but still managed to win it.

In the second set, the team showed confidence from that first set win. After staying even with Northridge, they went up 8-7 and peeled off 6 points in a row to take a commanding lead. Their serves were strong and contributed to a 25-16 win in the second set. With two sets under their belt, I was looking forward to an early ride out of the gym as I expected the home team to keep the momentum and run away in three straight sets.

But an over confident Dixie team and a gritty Northridge put an end to any thoughts about a short night. Northridge scored the first point of the third set and did not look back. Dixie was very sloppy. Serves going out of bounds, allowing the ball to drop between players, and the like. Northridge rallied from the Dixie mistakes and put the pedal down. They were up 13-3 when coach Honeywell had seen enough and called a timeout to refocus the players. He took another time out a few minutes later. The team adjusted and chipped away at the lead. Actually finishing strong, but too many points had been spotted and Northridge won 25-20.

Which Dixie team would take the floor in the next stanza? The confident, playmaking team in the second set, or the fumbling team in the third set. A determined Dixie team took the court and went to work. They quickly built a 9-2 lead before Northridge took a time out. This did not slow down the Greyhounds as they methodically outplayed the Polar bears on route to a 25-11 win of the final set to end the night with a victory.

“Overall I thought we played fairly well,” stated Coach Honeywell, "but we still have a lot of work to do” he admitted. “We are a young team this year and we are concentrating on our fundamentals. And I thought we communicated really well tonight.”

On the third set, “I think our youth showed; we thought we had it won at that point. We thought we could win that third set without trying and in varsity volleyball that is almost never the case. As we gain in experience I see that happening less and less this season.”

Stats for Dixie: Ciara Bates had 9 aces, Danielle Foster had 30 assists, and both Haleigh White and Breean Cole had 6 kills.

Hey Ohio State starts their season this Saturday at noon. At least one professional team in Ohio will have a winning record this season (insert rim shot here...). They have a patty cake opponent though - Navy. Do hope that the Buckeyes do better against USC this season than they did last year.

And I guess that professional can also loosely be applied to the Bengals. The Bengals have had a great track record with first round draft choices. With Smith breaking a bone in his foot during a drill, memories of blown draft pics gone by start to echo. Heard this quote on a sports talk show and it bears repeating. "At least Kijuana Carter made it into a game." Too early to throw in the towel on Smith of course, but his rookie season is starting to look like a bust. Late to camp, out for several weeks with a broken foot. When he does come back, it is going to take some additional time to get into game shape. So he will see the field what - maybe in October sometime. And now no scrimmages to make mistakes. When (if?) he does get to play, he gets to make his mistakes in a game.

I like the Bengals D, but worry about the offensive line and a fragile Palmer. If the linemen are playing Ole' - Palmer isn't mobile enough to dodge rampaging 300 pound linemen. When he gets pounded into the turf 5-6 times a game, look for another shortened season for Palmer.

CCC didn't do quite as well as I predicted on opening day. But 4 wins are better than the one that we had a year ago. Two of the losses were close and so could have slid the conference over to the plus side if they had gone the other way. The poll predicts Ansonia to take the CCC crown. And I have to lean towards them as well. I still can't wrap my brain around the Tigers passing for 5 TD's against Fort Recovery. History has them playing smashmouth football and you could generally count the number of passes they threw in a game on one hand. It might be worth the trip up there just to watch the air show.

Injuries are a factor for South. I was really looking forward to watching this years team. Lots of talent in the junior and senior classes. But in small school football, when you lose a starter - they generally are playing both ways. And so it may take two people to replace them, one on offense and one on defense. And there just isn't the depth once you get past the starters. So I still think that they will be formidable, but you hope that the kids heal fast and get back into the lineup. Being a D5 team, you just can't afford many losses with all the D6 schools in the conference. Two losses will make it extremely difficult to make the playoffs.
An interesting aside, I am wondering if the South coaches saw how well the Fort moved the ball with their spread against the Tigers and will change their game plan accordingly???

Bradford won big over Yellow Springs. Yeah the Bulldogs aren't known for their football, but on the other hand 64 points shows a dominant team. Are the Railroaders for real and can they make the race for the CCC crown interesting? Program has been down for awhile, they are due for some success.

Covington - high expectations and a disappointing loss to start the season. A winnable game for the Buccs. But look for them to be worked into a froth this week. Should be hitting on all cylinders come Friday.

Third quarter the Difference in Dixie Victory
J. C. Tilton

Dixie and TVS were evenly matched thru out the night, but the third quarter ended up being the difference on a wet Friday night. There was rain thru the first quarter and so the field was damp the entire night. Both teams had their share of penalties and turnovers. The coaching staffs had to begin to wonder if their teams could go thru a series without at least one yellow hanky being thrown.

South’s strategy seemed to be to establish a ball control running offense and to use the pass sparingly. While Dixie mixed things up, sometimes using their spread, sometimes using an I formation. And mixing in the pass more often. South did spread things out in the fourth quarter when they were trying to close the gap with Dixie.

South scored first on a Miles McCollum TD run from the two yard line that he had set up with a 41 yard carry. But Dixie answered quick as Gray connected with Prater for a 70 yard TD pass. South had another first quarter opportunity when Cody Bryant snagged a Grey pass to give South the ball at the Dixie 26. But Luke Bowling pounced on a South fumble to put an end to that threat.

Likewise Dixie had a chance with good field position in the 2nd quarter when a shanked punt gave them possession on the South 34. But a Tyler Leach sack put Dixie into a situation where they had to punt. And towards the end of the half Dixie did a fake punt where Hall managed a first down at midfield. But another penalty helped to put an end to that drive where they had to turn the ball over to South at the 40 with seconds left.

Dixie wasted no time scoring in the second half as Doogie Hauser carried for 60 yards to the TVS 8 and then scampered the remaining 8 yards for a TD on the next play. South did answer as Balthis rambled 35 yards for a TD. Michael Hall carried the load for the Greyhounds on the next possession ending the drive by going 22 yards for the next Dixie score.

And in the 4th quart Hauser found the endzone again and so the Panthers were down by two scores 28-14. After an inadvertent whistle caused a redo of a South punt. An alert Nick Youngerman was able to scoop up a Dixie fumble of this punt to give South new hope. But a stout Dixie defense forced South to 3 downs and punt. Later on the Nick grabbed an errant Dixie pass and this time South capitalized. Skylar Reckers closed the gap to a single touchdown with a touchdown run. But there was only 1:24 left in the game. Dixie covered the onside kick from South and ran out the clock.

Coach Schondelmyer was contacted for comment after the game, “Despite the loss, we are showing signs of improvement from last year. But on Friday night we just had too many mental mistakes in crucial situations. We didn’t see this in the preseason – very few turnovers and few penalties. That was the difference maker, we can’t beat Dixie with the amount of mental mistakes we had. We did miss some critical tackles in the second half and that’s just something we have to get better at.“

Positives from the game, “Tyler Leach had a good game going and we lost him in the second half. Losing your fullback takes away from your option offense. Skylar Reckers played well on both sides of the ball. Steve Balthis had a good night as well. But really despite the disappointment, I feel our guys are playing harder and are in better shape than last year. They seem to be committed to playing winning football.”
Comments: chrisaukcam@gmail.com

Well football season opens this Friday. Lets look at some local match ups.

North hosts Brookville. On paper you have a championship team that was undefeated last season and made the playoffs going against a sub .500 team. But Brookville graduated a lot of talent. I am not sure that they are in a reload mode. They have struggled in at least one of their scrimmages. North returns a lot of players and has some big linemen. The Panther quarterback can air it out and if he can get time to pass, that could be a key to the game. I see momentum as being key. If North can score early and get confidence they will have a good chance.

Eaton vs. Talawanda. Eaton is loaded this year. Plenty of talent in the skill positions (Fudge is back) and a big, big line. All indications are that the Eagles will be the team to be in SWBL big school division this fall. Plus Eaton has home field advantage. Talawanda will have their hands full.

Valley View at Dunbar. The Spartans have a new quarterback in Pohl. Word is that he has a good arm, but this will be his first varsity season at this position. They return some decent lineman and some skill position players. Dunbar are no slouches, this should be a good game.

Shawnee at Trail. Shawnee graduated some good players, but they have a lot coming back. They have decent sized squad. They need to watch the penalties from what I saw at their last scrimmage. Trail has a new coach in Graher – he turned around the Mississinawa program from being a 1 or 2 win program to a respectable team. Even with a home field advantage it could be a tough night for the Blazers.

Dixie at North. The game of the week. Dixie has an experienced line and new faces at the quarterback and receiver positions. Can they establish a running game to give their new quarterback time to get comfortable at the position. Or will they throw their wild card early – go to the spread and air it out. South has almost everyone back, so they have experience and the home field advantage. Their offense has been sporadic at times. But the defense has been respectable. Still I like the overall team speed of Dixie, one missed tackle or one missed pass assignment and you have a Greyhound in the end zone. Should be a good game for the fans.

North – Getting Stronger
J. C. Tilton

Last season the team seemed to be young and the big players lacked stamina. This season the team returns experience and seemed to be in fair condition – although they did have some big bodies on the sidelines with injuries in the scrimmage that I watched. Two of their big linemen had to sit out due to illness and injury. But North was able to score first in their first scrimmage which was against Dixie. And they initially held Dixie to a single score. Although they did allow Dixie to come back late in their scrimmage.

With the big line, you can see that North will be trying to move the ball inside the tackles. But with Overholtz at quarterback, his arm will be able to stretch the field. Two of the North scores were from deep passes. And Booth scampered about 60 yards to score on the ground. I can see that the North strategy will be in part to establish the run inside and then when the defense focuses on stopping that, they will do a play action fake and go long. In the last part of the scrimmage, I thought that Dixie’s spread offense was being effective against North. They had an overall advantage in team speed and were able to beat North to the point of attack on several plays. So getting to the ball faster and better open field tackling will need to improve before next Friday.

Second year coach Jason Hart was asked to discuss the scrimmage, “A definite positive was our passing game, we haven’t had that the past couple of years. The quarterback threw well, the receivers were catching the ball, and we had decent pass protection from the line. We do need to work on our running game, up front we need to get better – we need to control the line of scrimmage. And defense we just need to tackle better. We are in position, but we are just not making tackles. Also I would like to see the team be more physical on defense.

On Dalton Overholtz, “We still have our underneath stuff, but with his arm we can go downfield. He has improved in the off season.” The team returns a lot of players in the skill positions, “All of our backs and receivers have 2 and 3 years experience. And our line returns several players who have been playing varsity level football. We expect a lot out of these guys this year. We have a new defensive end that we are expecting big things from.”

On the CCC competition, “Covington is tough to beat and they will be at the top of the league until someone knocks them off. And Ansonsia – they are bringing everyone back from last years playoff team. But you have to be on top of your game every week, because this is a year where anybody can beat any one. The league is much more balanced than it has been in the past. Even the bottom teams are pushing to get up in the middle.” North will open this Friday night against a tough Brookville team that was undefeated in the regular season and went to the playoffs.

South – Defense Improved
J. C. Tilton

In his comments after the scrimmage coach Shondlemeyer stated that defense was a focus for this season. “Last season we scored a lot of points, but we gave up a lots points too.” After holding Fort Loramie scoreless on Saturday, it was clear that the team was getting the message. They gave up a few plays, but kept Loramie out of the redzone the entire time. The defense also collected some turnovers, grabbing an interception and a couple of fumbles. But the offense returned the favor and gave up an interception and a fumble. Something that needs to be corrected before the season starts.

South had a couple of scores against a stingy Fort Loramie defense. Tyler Leach set up the first one with a 60 yard carry and the other score was from a nice balanced drive where South mixed the pass and run to get into the endzone a second time. Defensively, they collected several sacks and I liked seeing all the Panthers around the ball. There were some starters on the sideline for the scrimmage with injuries, but word is that all but one are planning to be back before the season starts.

Coach Shondlemeyer was asked for comment afterwards, “I like what we did on defense today, last year we did not do a good job of getting to the ball and gang tackling. I saw great effort on defense and lots of red helmets at the point of attack. Offensively I didn’t think our skill guys blocked very well. Also we coughed up the ball a couple of times and good teams - championship teams do not turn the ball over. I do like the way our players stepped it up on our last scoring drive. Senior Miles McCollum escaped the rush and made a play with Steve Balthis.”

Key returning starters, “Well our offensive line is intact from last year. AJ Bantz is a senior 4 year starter. Jesse Koeller at guard, Ross Lundsford at tackle both have 3 years, Bobby Greene is a two year starter. In the backfield, Skylar Reckers is a senior, Tyler Leach is our fullback. Miles McCollum our quarterback, Steve Balthis at running back – all are back from last year. Roy Wysong and Cody Bryant at the receiver round out the offense.

When asked about the top competition in the league, coach mentioned Covington – “They always have a strong tradition up there. But Miami East has got something going, they have skill guys that are going to be a concern. And I really like Ansonia, they really came off the ball well against us last year. And in this conference the physical team wins the conference and so that’s why I like Ansonia – they are going to be a challenge.

Dixie Football – Young but Ready
J. C. Tilton

Dixie graduated a lot of their skill players last year. So they are coming in with a new quarterback, receivers, and running backs. But they do have an experienced line. In their scrimmage this past week against Tri-County North, they started off slow. North seemed to dominate the first part of the scrimmage. But Dixie regrouped, adjusted and they out scored North in last part of the scrimmage. Their final drive was the best drive by either team. Running the spread offense, they threw short possession passes and mixed in the run to make the final score of the night.

The team did mix in a traditional offense, but the spread with their team quickness was most effective. The defense did give up some big plays - two long TD passes and one long TD run, but overall seemed to handle the run fairly well. The middle linebacker, Ethan Hayes, really seemed to have a nose for the ball. But the young team will need to find a way to be more consistent and eliminate those defense breakdowns before week one.

Coach Tarpley was asked to comment after the scrimmage, “You could tell that we were young and inexperienced. But in that last quarter we did a really good job of coming back. That is something we emphasize to the team - to keep coming back. Our offensive line did a pretty good job, but we are really young at quarterback, receiver, and slots. We are really looking for big things from Michael Hall – who has the potential to be one of the better running backs in the league, Dougie Hauser, and Ryan Jordan. On defense we are impressed with Ethan Hayes, a third year starter. He was a state runner up in wrestling. Cody Johnson is another 3 year starter on the line. “

The League, “Monroe and Carlisle will be two of the tougher teams in the Buckeye division this season. Monroe has always done well in our division and Carlisle returns a lot – plus two kids from Valley View left and are now playing for them. We hope to be competitive with them.”

The Bengals are looking at the success of Pittsburgh and are focusing on a run offense. Which makes sense with a young line - run blocking is easier than pass blocking. We will see if they can pull this off. Also it's worth noting that they have yet to sign their number one pick. Getting Andre Smith into camp as soon as possible will help the cause.

OSU is preseason number 6 pick. I would not pick them so high. I think that they are still a year away.

Will be covering some high school scrimmage action this week. Looking forward to this season.