All Dixie peewee football teams are in the playoffs.  Good luck Hounds!

Dixie 46 Madison 26 final

dixie 40. Madison 14. Halftime

Congrats to the Arcanum Junior High Football team for winning the league championship! There is hope for the future for Trojan fans.

Other stories from this week (Oct 10 2012)

Vikings get past Roaders

Bethel Special Teams Key in Victory

Milton Drops Heartbreaker to Dixie

Shawnee, Monroe volleyball end season perfect

Shawnee Closes in on perfect season

podcast of Waynesville vs Northridge

North Defeats South

More Game pictures here.

Tri-County North took another step closer to the playoffs with a victory over rival Twin Valley South.   Both teams had their share of big plays and turnovers.  But it was in the first half that North did their damage.  The offense did a good job with the run, although the pass was used effectively throughout the game.  As they had done the  week prior against Miami East, North  was able to capitalize on South turnovers.  South was able to move the ball at times, but only reached the endzone once in the second half.

However, on their opening drive South looked like they were going to march the ball down to the endzone and score.   But on the 4 yard line, JJ MacPherson picked off a pass and ended the threat.  But MacPherson was not done.  North then drove the ball back down the field and it was MacPherson who ended the drive with a 1 yard plunge.  Blake Lawson ended another  South drive with a fumble recovery.  North was able to take the ball deep into South territory but a stout defensive stand forced North to try a 34 yard field goal – it was missed.  But not by much the ball had the distance, but bounced off the goal posts. But sophomore kicker Trey Summers accounted for himself by acing all 4 PAT’s for North.

In the second quarter, North had their way.  First Michael Burke, the South running back was injured early in the quarter.  He came back in the second half, but was gimpy for the rest of the game.  So this derailed the South offense – at least for the moment. After a Lawson sack, South was forced to punt on a 4^th and forever.  With the short field, North promptly moved the ball towards the goal line and Austin Hutchins connected with Billy Derringer for North’s second score.  MacPherson ended North’s scoring for the half with a 4 yard TD run.  North had another shot at the redzone late in the half when Huff recovered a South fumble on the South 29 yard line.  But a North holding penalty followed by a sack put North into a 4^th and goal from the 24 where they turned over the ball on downs.

Now the second half had a most curious start.  Before the kickoff, North was penalized for their band not leaving the field in time. A very rarely called penalty in this reporters experience.  With the favorable field position for the kickoff  – South decided to go with the onsides kick, which they then recovered.  It was their turn to work with a short field and Wes Cole muscled the ball across the goal line a few plays later for South’s score.   North’s Austin Johnson had a nice return to midfield, but South’s defense now stepped up in the second half as well and Deron Brown picked off a pass to end that possession.   So now it was South that playing take away. James Cottingin also stopped a North possession later in the third quarter with a fumble recovery.   But JJ MacPherson, who was on his game the entire night, scored his third TD – a 26 yard TD catch.  So South wasn’t able capture all the momentum.

There was no scoring in the last quarter. But South had one last deep drive late in the 4^th quarter.  Jesse Wysong made a nice catch to put the ball on the North 32.  But as time ran out a fumble ended the drive on the North 22. So after an all North first half – South played evenly with North in the second half – scoring 1 TD and giving up 1 TD. North got the victory 28-6. North was clearly the better team that night, but if South scores on that first drive of the game and again on the last drive of the game – then things get interesting.

Coach Engleka from TVS was interviewed after the game, “When you sit back and look at the numbers, we were fairly close, North had about 315 yards of offense, we were around 285.  And even when you break it down by passing and rushing – it was still fairly even.  The difference in the game was the turnovers.  North got 4 turnovers from us and turned 3 of them into scores. We got 2 turnovers from them in the second half, and could not do anything with the ball either time.   If we can convert those turnovers into scores, it’s a different game.

He continued, “To win a game a game, you can’t sit around and wait for it to happen. You have to make it make it happen. And to score a touchdown it’s the same thing, you can’t sit around and wait for it to happen.  When you get the ball in situations like that, when you can really swing the momentum around your way, you have got to make it happen. “ Wes Cole lead TVS rushers this week with the most yardage,  and James Cottingim lead the defense with 8 ½ tackles, a fumble recovery, and caused a fumble.

Coach Derringer was pleased with his team’s performance, “Both teams were really prepared well and knew what each was going to be doing. We had a bend but not break mentality that kept South out of the endzone.  They got some yardage up the middle with their spread offense, but we mostly kept them contained. We also did a good job of standing up their ball carriers and stripping the ball. We utilized JJ MacPherson quite a bit as he has good outside speed and we thought that was where South might be vulnerable. He ended up with over 120 yards on 17 carries and caught two big screen passes for us. “

Next week against Trail, “We just nudged up to the number 8 spot in our division and I know Trail can almost reach the top eight in their division. We want to make the playoffs and they want to reach the playoffs.  Both teams will have to play the best game of the season.  And that is the way we are preparing our team – to play their best game of season on Friday night.

 Miami East was also a winner on Friday night and that gave North a boatload of 2^nd level computer points and for the first time this season, North has (unofficially) cracked the top 8 for the first time this season in their district.  But their position is fragile, next week’s game is against 6 game winner National Trail - a surprising team this season, who is fighting for their first playoff slot ever in their district.  Neither one can afford another loss from here on out, so it should be a big, emotional game for both teams. 

Elsewhere, Dixie had a big upset against Milton Union - who had been in first place in the SWBL Buckeye division.  That reshuffles the deck for the league title and also keeps Dixie alive in the playoff hunt. Look for coverage of the Dixie-Madison game next week.  

TCN 28  TVS 6 final

Tcn 21 tvs 0 halftime

North Playoff Hopes Still Alive

Click here to see more game pics

With Covington steam rolling thru the Cross County Conference, it leaves everyone else fighting for second place and also for a chance at the playoffs.  That was the situation for the Miami East – Tri-County North game. Both teams have had losses, Miami East came into the game 4-2 and North was 3-3.  Neither team could afford another loss and still have a decent shot  to make the playoffs.  So it was a must win game for both teams.

The weather for the North game against Miami East was about what you would expect for football in October.   After the sun went down, temperatures rapidly dropped into the 40’s.  Then the rain came.  It was sporadic in the first quarter, then it became a steady drizzle that made conditions miserable on the field and in the stands.  The weather became a factor in the game but not quite as expected. 

A rule of thumb in football is that a muddy field favors the bigger, heavier team.  They get better traction.  And North has a small line this year.  But being a smaller team also meant that North was quicker. So as the ball got slippery and both teams fumbled as the night went on, it was North that was able to pounce on fumbles and gain an advantage in the turnover department.  Also North was able to connect on two critical passes for scores despite the slick conditions.

Miami East was on the scoreboard first, putting together a nice drive after recovering a North fumble in the last half of the first quarter.  North quickly answered at the open of the second quarter with a 25 yard carry by quarterback Austin Hutchins.  Miami East did a nice job of mixing the run and pass in their next drive to go up again by a touchdown.  North would answer again in exciting fashion.  Billy Derringer ran a deep route and the ball was slightly underthrown.  The defender was in position to catch the ball, but Derringer did not give up on the play. He adjusted and came back to the ball.  As both came down with the pass, he was able to snatch the ball from the defenders hands and run the ball in for the score to tie the game. 

Miami East scored on a field goal inside the 10 yard as time expired to get a 17-14 lead.   Conditions worsened on the field as the rain steadily poured down at halftime.  North would be the beneficiaries of not 1, not 2, but 3 fumbles that ended Miami East drives in the second half. JJ MacPherson and Austin Johnson were the ones who recovered for North.  Offensively both teams were doing Woody Hayes style football – slogging it out in the trenches with an occasional pass thrown to keep the other team off balance.

As the fourth quarter opened, North continued a drive to the endzone, urged on by a small but vocal contingent of hardy North fans.  Billy Derringer caught an Austin Hutchins pass for a 22 yard touchdown to cap the drive and give North their first lead of the night.   Now it was time for the defense to do its job.  The first Miami East drive ended with 3 plays and a punt.  North did likewise on their possession.  Time was running out for East on their last drive and they had the wind in their faces.  This last drive started at the 05:45 mark and now they went for it on 4^th downs, converting twice – including a 4^th and 9 with 01:09 left that put the ball on the 45 of North.  But Miami East had to go for it on 4^th and 11 and this third time rolled snake eyes as the receiver caught the ball but was tackled by a North defender short of the first down marker.  It was a gallant effort by both teams, but now North was able to take the victory formation with seconds left and take a knee for a hard earned 21-17 victory.  

Next Fridays game of the week will be the North - South game. 

tcn win 21 17

Tcn 14 miami east 17 halftime

TVS ‘Off the Schnide’

Yes TVS volleyball is ‘off the Schnide’ to quote coach Roberts.  After winning its first 3 games, TVS has been on a losing skid that seemed as though it would never stop – 8 straight losses.  But finally this week South got win number 4 against conference foe Bethel.  But first they would have to play Eaton.

South stayed with Eaton in all three sets, but fell 25-18, 25-17, 25-22.  Eaton is a team with a blend of youth and experience and have had some success this season.  Coach Roberts gave credit to the Eaton program, “Kudo’s to Eaton for playing a dominating match. The scores really did not indicate just how in control of the match Eaton really was. We were flat and just couldn't string enough momentum together to make an impact.  I had remembered Julia Titus from early on in the pre-season and was impressed with her height, skills and the advantages her left-handed presence makes at the net. Then in introductions, I recognized the Puckett name,I knew she would be athletic. Although their varsity time tonight was brief, I believe Brittany George and Aubrey Stevenson will fill some key roles for Eaton come post-season.

She continued, “Also impressive tonight were the two seniors, Taylor Guay and Alyson Hood. Taylor Guay from her setting/defensive position and Alyson Hood from her serving and attacking position. It is evident that the changes Jess Coach Sams is making with the girls are paying off. I was really impressed with the athletic administration at Eaton for running a very sportsmanship-centered pre-match.”

Next up for South was Bethel which they dispatched in 3 straight sets in workmanlike fashion: 25-15, 25-11, 25-15.  Never really giving Bethel a chance to take control at all.  Coach Roberts had plenty of praise for the team after this match, “In this match its more about the emotions that surround the win than anything else at this point. I'm really proud of my girls for playing much better and taking care of the ball tonight. Senior leader Danielle Kreitzer stepped up not only  offensively but defensively as well by charting four kills and six digs. Paris Gruber did a nice job at the net for us tonight. I think this will do a lot for her confidence moving forward. Taylor Kirkpatrick stepped up as well with four digs and eight assists. Taylor shared some of the setting duties tonight and did a nice job. We'll need her presence down the stretch and into the tournament.”

But South was not done yet they next had a match against Ansonia.  And again South prevailed in straight sets to get yet another solid victory:  25-16, 25-17, 25-10. Coach Roberts was asked for comment after the game, “Gentry Gates lead the way us tonight with seven digs, twelve assiss, five kills, a solo block and seven blocks kept in play. It was an outstanding performance by Gentry - I like to see many more matches like this one where she takes control. Skyler Lain had a nice night in her supportive role by charting fiveaces, 9 digs and four kills. Caitlyn Meyer tallied five digs and five kills.”

It must relief for South to get back into the win column not once but twice. And hopefully the program is peaking at the right time.  The state tournament is right around the corner and they could have a chance to surprise a team or two.  

Dixie Falls to Waynesville

click to view more game pics here

Dixie suffered their second defeat in a row against Waynesville.  As they did the prior week, Dixie raced out to an early lead, but the defending league champs ground them down.   Waynesville used both a spread offense and a two back offense to attack Dixie.  They successfully used both the pass and run to keep Dixie on the ropes.  Although Waynesville had the bigger, better team, Dixie did not help their cause as mistakes aided the Waynesville cause. 

Penalties were a factor - didn’t get the official stats, but Dixie easily had twice the penalty yardage as their opponents.  And several of these penalties came at the wrong time.  Holding penalties and offsides that put the Dixie offense into long yardage situations.  Then in the second half when Dixie was gunning – trying to get back into the game they got bit by the turnover bug, throwing two more interceptions.  When playing against a caliber of team like Waynesville you can’t afford any mistakes.

So overall Waynesville would still have won the game, but take away some of the untimely penalties and turnovers and then score would have been more respectable.  Dixie was able to move the ball in between the 20’s but a stingy Waynesville defense combined with the afore mentioned misque’s kept Dixie out of the endzone the rest of the night.  Logan Watts had a good game at receiver with several nice catches and Ryan Jordan had a decent night carrying the ball.  Dustin Bartrum on defense had an interception as did Luke Bowling.  Brody Queen had a couple of sacks.

Dixie’s score was late in the first quarter.  Waynesville had punted the ball to the Dixie 24.  Ryan Jordan had a nice carry of about 30 yards to midfield.  A few plays later and Greg Leonard caught a Luke Bowling pass for a 42 yard gain and touchdown.  But that lead was short lived as Waynesville turned around on their next drive and connected on a long pass of their own for a touchdown and connected on the extra point for a 7-6 lead.   Waynesville had the next 2 scores in the second quarter.   Dixie had a chance to score just before halftime when Luke Bowling intercepted a Waynesville pass deep in Dixie territory.  The Hounds quickly advanced to the Waynesville 19.  But at a critical time the quarterback Bowling had to come out for one play to get an open cut addressed.  A sack was taken, then another sack and suddenly it was 4^th and 23 and Dixie gave up the ball on downs.

Waynesville would score 3 more times in the second half,  one of these off of a blocked punt.  It would end up a 42 – 6 win for the Spartans.  Commented Coach Watson, “I thought we came out and played well in the first half.  And we had some tough situations in the second half.  They came to play and really wore us down. They were a bigger, stronger team and they outlasted us.  I am proud of the players, they fought to the end – they fought every down, every play and I couldn’t ask for anything more. “

He continued, ”We drove the ball down to the 20 yard line, the 30 yard line, but we just couldn’t score.  We hurt ourselves with penalties, or we dropped passes, or our pass blocking breaks down.  It’s those small detail things that you have to do to win ball games.  We have to focus on those details for next week and rebound against Northridge. “

On Northridge, “Coach Smith at Northridge has done a good job with what he has. He has done a good job of getting the numbers up there and turning that program around.  They are a tough opponent and they are going to spread the ball out.  But I like our matchups, it’s going to be a tough job, but I think we can come out on top.”

Half time Waynesville 21 Dixie 6.  Dixie scores first but Waynesville answers and then some.  Penalties costly in first half.  Probably 3 times penalty yards as Waynesville.  Dixie needs to get momentum back in second half.  They can move ball, just can't afford any more mistakes against defending league champs.

Hounds Fall to Devils

Dixie got off to a fast start against Brookville in a battle of two rivals. In the first quarter Dixie seemed unstoppable. On their opening drive as Ryan Jordan peeled off a 45 yard run to set up their first score, a 8 yard TD catch by Greg Leonard.  It had only taken about 2 minutes to get on the board.  Quarterback Luke Bowling went to the air again for the extra point, this time connecting with Matt Isaacs.  A Brookville drive to the Dixie 6 was stopped by a Matt Isaacs tackle for loss on 4^th and 6 from the Dixie 6. The momentum was all with Dixie as Ryan Jordan ran for a 40 yard gain, then Luke Bowling ran on a punt for a first down to set up another Dixie score.   Ryan Jordan hauled the ball in from the 42 yard line to put Dixie up by two touchdowns.  Greg Leonard caught a pass for the extra point.  

But a huge momentum swing began in the second quarter. Brookville’s defense adjusted and began to take away the run. And the Brookville offense hit a groove and started to move the ball effectively.  Using both the run and pass, they marched the ball down the field and in two drives they scored two touchdowns to pull within 2 points – having missed on one of their extra points. Dixie did have a chance to extend their lead late in the second quarter when a shanked punt put the ball on the Brookville 29. A Leonard catch moved the ball to the 9 yard line.  But there the drive stalled as a 4^th and 5 pass fell incomplete. 

At halftime the rain and lightning moved in, postponing the second half to Saturday. The delay gave both teams some time to make overnight adjustments.  This slowed down the pace of scoring. But Brookville got the better of Dixie marching the ball to endzone twice more – once in the 3rd quarter and once in the 4^th quarter. Dixie coughed up the ball 3 times to Brookville’s 1.  Dixie also lost the battle of field position, constantly playing with the ball on their side of the field. With a short field to work with Brookville took advantage and captured a 26-16 victory.

Coach Watson commented after the game, “Coach Hetrick and the Blue Devils had a great game plan and they executed it well.  We didn’t execute the way that we should have done.  On offense we just couldn’t get anything going and played on our half of the field the entire time.  And turnovers killed us – we had three.   We’ll correct those issues before our next game against Waynesville.”

On offense, Ryan Jordan led rushers with over 100 yards. On defense, linebackers Matt Isaacs and Justin Hudson both had solid games according to coach Watson.  Looking ahead to homecoming weekend next Friday against Waynesville, “They are a real good team and a top notch program that coach Philpot has down there.  We look forward to coming back to our place and regrouping as a unit.  We are 1-0 in league play at this moment and we want to extend that.  Our goals are still intact for the season, one loss does not affect us.  What we are saying this week is that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.  Last year these guys were the best, they went 10-0 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.  This game will gauge our program and tell us which direction we are heading.”

Game Pics

Dixie 16 brookville 14 halftime

Panther Volleyball Drops 3 matches

The Twin Valley South losing skid carried on this week as the team uncharacteristically dropped 3 games in a row this past week.  The team lost to straight sets to North.   South hung tough in their first set against their rivals to the North – at one point it was 18 all. But after that first set South just couldn’t get any momentum losing  25-20, 25-8, 25-12.

 

Coach Roberts:

“When you can’t control the ball it causes insurmountable problems, I really wish we could have been able to stay with them a little longer in the match, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I knew they  were going to be tough coming in to the match as they have two of the best seniors in Kelly Schriever & Megan Johnson and when they are healthy and in sync their very effective on the volleyball court. I was really impressed with the dynamic duo tonight. If Kelly wasn't setting up Megan then she was making a superb play herself. Megan is becoming one of the most versatile high school players in her division who I have seen in the past decade. Not sure what the future holds for Megan but with the way she varied her shot selection tonight she should enjoy playing at the next level whatever division she prefers, as she is a force to be reckoned with.”

Next match was against National Trail and although South did better and won the second set, Trail then went on to win 26-24, 17-25, 25-19, 25-18.  Commented Coach Roberts, “Although we (TVS) were able to hold our own with NT and be more competitive with them the final result was the same as Tuesday night.Tonight it was our lack of execution when it counted that really hurt us. We had too many hitting errors and that was our demise.”

She went on, “Tiffany Jordan did a nice job for NT tonight from the outside and her teammate Kate Deaton ate us alive at the net defensively. As she probably had a handful of solo blocks out of the middle, Deaton IS A TREMENDOUS BLOCKING PRESENCE [emphasis by Coach Roberts]. Trail controlled the ball much better than in years past and that was the key to their success.”

Life did not get any easier as South next played Brookville.  Again they played close and won a set, but again the team went down to defeat:  25-17, 25-27, 25-13, 25-21. Coach Roberts commented afterwards, “Brookville coach Jim Smith always does a nice job with his teams and this year is no different. Brookville has a dominate outside in Sydney Scherer, she probably had twenty plus kills in our four set match.”

There is no let up in the schedule either, next week South plays Bellbrook, defending league and state champs Miami East and also an always tough Covington team. 

Panthers Pummel Trojans

More pics here

On Friday night’s game South excelled against Arcanum in every area – except time of possession.  South scored so quickly – particularly in the first half, that their offense was not on the field very long.  It was another high scoring, big play night for South as they bested the Trojans 44 – 19.  Although the scoring was distributed amongst several players, Michael Burke had a great night with 4 touchdowns.

 Last week the South defense was porous – giving up 40 points against Ansonia.  This week the defense was on their game and requited themselves.  As the game entered the 4^th quarter TVS had a 44-6 lead.  Arcanum was able to score twice more as the game wound down and South did some spot substituting.  And big plays were made on the defensive side of the ball too. There were 3 turnovers in the first half and all 3 set up South scores.  Blake Ashley recovered a fumble on Arcanum’s very first play from scrimmage.  Keegan Holthouse fell upon another Arcanum miscue in the first quarter.  And when Arcanum threatened to score in the second quarter, Jared Rivers intercepted a pass that ended the drive.   There were several sacks in the second half- MJ Randolf, James Cottingim, Jared Kirkpatrick, Chad Eiler(2) all tackled Arcanum quarterback Dallas Johnson for big losses.   Arcanum was trying to pass their way back into the game and South was bringing the heat.

South scoring in the first half was as follows: Wes Cole scored first on a 37 yard run. Then Cole connected with Michael Burke on a 32 yard touchdown pass.  Cole hit paydirt with Burke again this time on a 62 yard pass.  The next score was set up by the Rivers interception – this gave the ball to South on the 3 yard line.  On the first play from scrimmage Burke burst thru the line and didn’t stop until he had gone 97 yards for another score.  The final score of the first half was set up by a Burke reception to the Arcanum 8, a few plays later Cole plunged in from the one to give South a 32-6 lead. 

In the second half, Dustin Mckee got his motor running.  He had several carries for about 10 yards a pop on his scoring drive and then bulled the ball in from the 11.  South’s last score happened at the end of the third quarter with a 49 yard TD pass to Burke.   South came within about 8 yards of another score late in the game when  Joe Webb had a great carry from about midfield to inside the Arcanum 10 only to have the ball punched out as he was tackled and the result was an Arcanum fumble recovery.  

One area where Arcanum did do well was in special teams.  Their kick return team was generally able to return to midfield. And they did execute both the onsides kick and a punt fake effectively against the Panthers. 

Stats for the Panthers: Michael Burke rushed 6 times for  122 yards. Wes Cole 12 rushes for 63 yards.   Dustin Mckee 8 rushes for 80 yards.  Wes Cole was 7 of 8 for 217 yards and 3 TD’s.  Burke had 6 receptions for 215 yards & 3 TD’s.  Seth Baker had one reception for an extra point.  James Cottingim lead the defense with 7 and a half tackles.

Coach Engleka was asked for comment after the game, “This is the first time that South has won back to back games in 6 years.   They rushed over 40 times but only got about 130 yards.  So we did a good job of containing their run.   We rushed 31 times for 306 yards.  That is our third game in a row with over 300 yards rushing.  Anytime you gain over 300 yards you are dominating the line of scrimmage. “

He continued, “We just tell the kids we want them to be 1 and 0 every week.   Enjoy it this week and enjoy this weekend.  We want to prepare and come back Friday night and be 1 and 0 again.”

Next week South will host a 0-4 Mississinnewa team.  There are several good games this next Friday North plays Covington in a battle that might decide who is the early front runner in the league title and our game of the week will be Dixie vs. Brookville, a battle of rivals.

Tvs 44 arcanum 19. Final

tvs 32 arcanum 6 halftime