Dixie Over North

Saturday night’s game between Dixie and Tri-County was a defensive matchup,  both teams played stubborn man to man defensive where each basket was hard earned.  Fans hoping to see a lot of string music were disappointed, but basketball purists were able to watch an evening of intense defensive pressure.  Earlier in the week Dixie had lost to Waynesville where senior post player Matt Isaac’s had broken his foot.  North was coming off a loss the previous night and so both teams wanted to end the week on an up note with a victory.   Dixie’s head coach, Mike Waggoner, had formerly coached at North, so there was that factor as well.

North came out in a 2-3 zone, but Dixie was able to knockdown a couple of early 3’s and that pulled North out into man to man defense that they would use the remainder of the game.  That defensive pressure allowed North to slowly make up ground against Dixie.  They were down 7-11 at the first quarter.  Dixie changed up tactics and began to put full court pressure on North.   North was trying to get the ball inside to their big man – Josh Heltsley.   And he had some success – scoring all his points in the first half. A couple of the matchups to watch were Dixie’s postman Greg Leonard against Josh Heltsley and North’s Austin Hutchins against Luke Bowling.  Both Bowling and Hutchins are exceptional athletes  having played quarterback for their respective schools in the fall. North got a couple of baskets right before halftime to pull within one point 14-15.

The third quarter saw the lead change several times and right before the end of the third quarter, North’s  Austin Hutchins connected on a 3 point to break  a tie and give North a 26-23 lead.  Dixie played even with North thru out most of the third quarter, but they needed a spark to boost them past the Panthers.  This was provided by Logan Watts who connected on a key 3 point shot to tie the game at the 2:57 mark.   But he was not finished – he would score 9 of his 14 points down the stretch in the 4^th quarter.  He also made some critical free throws that protected the Dixie lead. North’s Billy Derringer  drove the length of the court for a layup to pull North to within 2, 30-32.  But Dixie was in slow down mode and North had to foul.   When the final horn blew, it was 33-35 Dixie in a hard fought game.

“We pride ourselves on defense,” stated North’s coach Jackson after the game, “we knew that if we kept them under 40, that we had a chance to win the game.  It was just a defensive battle, Hutchins still lead us in scoring, but they did a good job on us defensively.  It was a defensive  battle that came down to the last few possessions.  So you tip your hat to Dixie, they got the better of us. We lost two close games this weekend – that’s tough on the kids, but we will get better.”

“I thought very early that we defended very hard.” Said Dixie’s Mike Waggoner afterwards, “But we gave them 8 easy put backs.  So although we defended well, those stick backs cost us.  We did have some opportunities to score, but we couldn’t hit our shots.  When we didn’t make shots, we began to make bad decisions.  I told the guys when we’re not making shots - control the ball game and be patient on offense, don’t rush.  They will eventually break down and we will get the shot we want. “

He continued,” It has been an emotional week for us with loss of one of our leaders [Matt Isaacs].  So last night’s game against Northridge, our first without Isaacs was an emotional game.  Tonight Logan Watt’s three in the 4^th quarter was big for us.  Then he knocked out some free throws.   He stepped up when we needed him.”

Twin Valley South’s first Tip Off Tournament was a resounding success – the games were exciting and fairly well attended.  What a way to start the season – with a tournament atmosphere and electricity in the stands.  I am sure it was intimidating for young players making their first varsity start.  The participating teams were TVS, Eaton, Dixie, and Stivers – all teams located along Route 35.  So it could also have been called the Route 35 tournament as all schools are located in close proximity to this roadway.

 

The first two teams to tee off Friday night were Dixie and Stivers.  Dixie has a new head coach this season, Mike Waggoner.  Coach Waggoner has been an assistant at Dixie for a while and area fans will remember him as being a former head coach at Tri-County North previous to this.  He decided to step back into the head coach role when the position opened up at Dixie.   And what a team to open against in Stivers – a big physical team, that is athletic, and can shoot the ball.  The Tigers also pressed the entire game, so Dixie had no moments to relax.

Both teams played aggressive man to man defense.  And in the second half when things got heated the officials called a double technical foul as players got a little too physical. In the first half, Dixie trailed Stivers and went to the locker room down 25 to 20.  Dixie chipped away at the Stivers lead and thanks to a Luke Bowling trey at the end of the third quarter, they were down by a point 38-37.  The 4^th quarter was fairly even as the teams battled back and forth, but Stivers had the advantage at the buzzer 64-60.

In the consolation game, Dixie played against Eaton.  And the team never did seem to get on track.  They trailed the entire game and weren’t able to get a rally going.  Fouls were a problem for the Greyhounds as they accumulated 23 over the course of the game.   They would lose 61 – 44.

South played Eaton on the first night.  Both teams opened with zone defenses and it was quickly apparent that part of Eaton’s strategy was to smother South center Mike Green in the paint. He was closely guarded at all times and every time he touched the ball he was double teamed.  It was a defensive battle in the first half as both teams tested the others defenses.  At the half it was 24-22 in favor of South.

South finally was able to extend their lead in the third quarter thanks in part to a Wes Cole trey that put the team up 31-24.  This made Eaton go to man to man defense to put pressure on the perimeter.   And Eaton pressed to try and get South to cough up the ball.  But South was cool under pressure and this also showed at the foul line in the 4^th quarter.  Where the team got 18 free throw chances and nailed 14 of them.  Eaton fought hard to the end but ended up losing to South 56-49. Wes Cole had 21 points, Mike Green 14, Anthony Augspurger 10.

Saturday night’s championship game was Stivers vs South.  It was a closely contested game until the final quarter when South hit the gas pedal and didn’t stop until they had the victory.  South was down at the end of the first quarter but had a slim 2 point margin at the half.  The third quarter was mostly even with Stivers having the advantage as the teams entered the final quarter.  But South broke the game open with a 15-0 run to finish out the game with a win 55-44 over Stivers. 

Stated coach Augspurger after the game, “I thought we played hard the whole game, I thought we competed very well, I thought we rebounded very well.  But we gave up 25 turnovers to their pressure - we handled like a team still early in the season.  But we were real gutty when it came time to take control of the game. 

He continued, “Wes Cole had a really good weekend, he played very well on Friday night and played even better on Saturday.  Twice Stivers ran their lead out to 4 in the 4^th quarter and twice Wes shot a three to cut it to 1.”  On the first Tip Off Tournament, “We had OK attendance, but I felt we should have gotten more fans.  This was the first year and maybe next year the word will be around that this is the place to be on opening night. But the South student body did a great job – they were out in full force. “

Wes Cole ended the night with 21 points; Mike Green had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots; Anthony Augsperger had 6 assists; Troy Innis had 5 assists.

Next week TVS will play Valley View which features Zach Denny who signed with Bowling Green.  Meanwhile Dixie will play Brookville on Saturday night.

Tvs 24 eaton 22 half

dixie 60. Stiver 64. Final

coldwater 20 covington 0 halftime

Nov. 11 sports links

Sports stories from November 11

Covington vs Coldwater in regional final

Covington - record setting season

Coldwater Ends Tigers Season

Coldwater Advances to Regional Final

Miami East volleyball - 2nd straight state title

Ready Falls to Miami East

Miami East - Heart and Soul

Miami East Box Score

Covington Runs Over Dixie

Game Pictures

Covington ran, ran, then ran some more to put an end to the Dixie Greyhounds playoff hopes.   And even when Dixie found a way to halt the Covington ground game they then took to the air.  They threw the ball only twice – both off of half back option passes.  But those two passes were good for scores.  Dixie was able to score off of the stubborn Buccaneer defense, but they were not able to keep pace with them.

One thing was apparent before the game began – the Dixie fans were in the stands in force and they were loud.  It was great to see the community support for Dixie’s first play off game.  Both teams stands were filled to capacity and the overflow was around the field.   Covington tried to kick away from scoring threat Jordan Ryan, but at first this backfired as Zach Rader had a couple of nice returns early in the game.   His first return was to the 43 and his second return was to about the 45, but Dixie couldn’t generate any offense to take advantage of the good field position.  Meanwhile Covington was ripping off good chunks of yardage with their running game and went up by 2 scores in the first quarter.

Late in the first quarter, Ryan Jordan responded with a 65 yard TD run and at the end of the first quarter it was 14-6.   Covington scored again in rapid fashion, then blocked a punt and used the short field to score again.  It was this drive where Dixie was starting to stuff the run, but Covington used the half back pass to get the score anyway.   Ryan Jordan set up the next Dixie score with a couple of catches, then caught a third pass from 30 yards out for Dixie’s second score of the night.  It was 28-12.  But Covington scored again off of a Dixie mistake when they intercepted a Dixie pass. 

The third quarter sealed the win for Covington.  They scored 3 unanswered touchdowns and held Dixie scoreless.  Luke Bowling was sacked several times and the running game couldn’t gain consistent yardage.   Dixie did manage to score one last time on a Luke Bowling to Greg Leonard touchdown pass late in the 4^th quarter.  It was a 55-18 win for Covington. 

This year’s team can look back with pride on the season.  It was the first playoff appearance for Dixie. They were in running for a league championship through the last game of the season.  Their regular season record was 7-3.   For next season the team is losing a lot at the skill positions – quarterback, running back, receivers, several linemen, linebackers, safety.  So a lot of young Greyhounds will have to step up next year to be successful.

Coach Watson, “We ran into a very good, and very prepared Covington team.  They have been in the playoffs the last 6 years.  They were able to find an answer for everything we tried to do. “  On the seniors, “We came into this season with several goals and we were successful in several of them.  We were able to get into the playoffs, we competed for the league championship.  And the senior class, they provided leadership.  Particularly our team captains.  They should be happy with what they accomplished, and I feel that when they leave school they will accomplish a lot in life.” 

North Falls to Minster

Game Pictures

It was a tough night for the Panthers in their playoff game against Minster.  It is always hard to play against a MAC (MidWest Athletic Conference) school , this small school conference has won more playoff games in recent years than any conference in the state.   They feature a spread offense with a robust passing game.   And as North would find out, their running backs can break out at any time.

North gave up 3 scores in the first quarter, they adjusted and slowed down the pace of scoring in the second quarter.  But couldn’t put any points on the board in the first half, even though they got into the red zone twice.  Once due to a JJ MacPherson kick return to the Minster 20 – which brought the North stands to their feet and again when MacPherson caught an Austin Hutchins pass and was caught from behind before he could score.  Each time the Minster defense stiffened and held North to negative yardage or forced a turnover.

Just before the half ended there was a curious sequence where each team seemed determined to give the other team the ball.  North coughed up the ball first and this gave the ball to Minster at midfield.  But JJ MacPherson snagged a Minster pass to give the ball right back to North with 32 seconds left in the half.  North tried to get tricky with a shovel pass, but an alert Minster defender picked it off and so the ball went back to Minster once again.  Minster did advance the ball to the North 14, but North kept them out of the endzone as time finally ran out for the half. 

North began the second half with a nice drive.  They used both the pass and run to set up the score.  They started at their own 30 and went backwards with an offsides. Not a good start to the drive. But Hutchins completed a pass to Colton Booth for a first down at the Minster 39.  Then a few plays later Hutchins scrambled and carried the ball to the 8. Where a late hit penalty moved the ball to the 4.  MacPherson finished the drive with 4 yard TD carry. 

But Minster throttled any thoughts of a North comeback with a crushing defense and kept up the tempo on offense.  It would be a 48-7 Minster victory. But North played to their best throughout the game – and it was a hard hitting game.  There were several game stoppages where dinged up players from both sides were taken off the field, and one Minster player had to be carted off in an ambulance.

Still this Panther squad has a lot to be proud of – first time in school history that the team has been in the state playoffs in back to back years.  Austin Hutchins has the most passing TD’s in a season(18) and in a career (49).  Billy Derringer has the most receiving TD’s in a season(10). 

Check back for coaches comments.

Other sports stories for November 4th

Minster Opens Playoffs with a Win

North Travels to Minster

Minster Hosts First Playoff Win

Minster Rolls

Dixie Season Ends

MAC 4-0 in first round of playoffs

Bradford Falls to Marion

Coldwater Bests Miami East

Dixie - Covington Final

Dixie 18  Covington 55   Covington just ran and ran and ran.  Couldn't stop 'em.

covington 35 dixie 12 halftime

North 7 minster 48

TCN vs. Minster Preview

Turnovers.  That will be the factor that decides the game.  If it is a wet and sloppy night that figures in to Norths plans.  The team has shown that it can take the ball away and put it in the endzone when their opponent makes mistakes.  North has a small line and they are playing Minster, a team that likes to run the ball.  So if it is dry, it could be a long night for the Panthers if they are getting pushed off the line of scrimmage.

On the other hand, North has shown that they can pass the ball. So if they can keep Minster off balance with a combination of the pass and run then they can be competitive.  Getting a lead, stopping the run, and forcing them to pass to catch up have got to be part of the North strategy.  Still they will have their hands full with a powerful MAC team from the strongest small school league in the state.  The game will have to played to perfection and with no mistakes for North to pull off the upset.

Dixie vs. Covington - preview

How I see the Dixie - Covington playoff game.

Scoring early figures into each teams success.  Dixie has had a tendency to spiral down if they get behind early. So if they get down by a score or two it could put them out of the game.  But if Dixie can go up a score or two early it will be interesting to see how Covington reacts. They haven't had to play from behind hardly at all this season.  Do they panic, or do they come back.

Dixie has also had a tendency to give up the big play on defense.  They will need to shutdown the run and force Covington to pass - something the Bucc's haven't had to do a lot this year.  Weather will be a factor.  A dry field opens up Dixie's passing game and makes it harder for Covington to crowd the line of scrimmage to stop the run.

Dixie has had to play bigger schools(D4) almost the whole season, so they are used to tough opponents.  Covington has not had to break a sweat in any of their CCC games. So Dixie comes in more battle tested.

Coaching - Dixie is under first year head coach Watson and is in their first playoffs, while Covington has Miller who has been in the playoffs each season. So Covington's coaches and players are used to the playoff atmosphere, while Dixie is in it for the first time.

Having said all that I am looking forward to good game on Saturday.

Miserable Night for Dixie

more game pictures here

It was a miserable night all the way around for the Dixie Greyhounds.  Pouring rain, cold temperatures, a tough Carlisle running game and turnovers combined to make for a difficult night for the Hounds.  Although both teams had their share of fumbles on another slippery Friday night, Dixie was a -2 on the give away/take away for the night. A week ago Dixie had been the benefactors of opponents fumbles on a wet field,  this week the rain had had the opposite effect.  And the fumbles, combined with penalties seemed to happen at the worst possible times.  Giving Carlisle generous field position which they took advantage of all night long.

The Dixie defense had quite a chess match with the Carlisle offense.  Carlisle runs a sophisticated offense and calls audibles from the line of scrimmage.  So Dixie would show one defensive set, wait for the audible call, then reset before the snap. So a lot of shifting and gamesmanship as the coaches tried to outwit one another.  The Dixie defense was effective at times, but when you have to defend a short field, it is tough to keep the other team out of the endzone.

At first it looked like the conditions would favor Dixie once again as Carlisle coughed up the ball on their opening drive.  An alert Justin Hudson scooped up the loose ball and ran 32 yards for a touchdown.   After exchanging fumbles and sacks, Carlisle was the next to score and tied the game in the second quarter.   Dixie muffed several kickoffs that night and working with a short field, Carlisle was able to take advantage.  So after their first TD, Carlisle quickly scored a second time after the mishandled kick.  As the half was winding down, Carlisle kicked a 22 yard field to go up 17-7 going into the locker room.

Hudson got another fumble recovery for  Dixie in the third quarter, but was not able to advance the ball this time.  So there was some brief hope for a second half surge. But the Dixie offense just couldn’t get into gear - for the night they managed just 123 yards.   And they were losing the battle of field position, not netting much yardage at all on their punts.  After another Carlisle score Dixie again muffed the kickoff and once again Carlisle started a drive inside the Dixie 30.  But Justin Bartrum was able to cover a Carlisle fumble to end this threat.  Dixie put together a nice drive in the fourth quarter but a 4^th and 11 sack ended this drive at the Carlisle 35.  Carlisle’s final score was set up by a Dixie fumble where Kaleb Larison picked up the loose ball and ran 12 yards for the touchdown.  It was a 31-7 loss.

Ironically although Carlisle won the game and a share of the Buckeye Division championship with West Milton, they did not have enough points to make the playoffs.  Meanwhile Dixie (7-3 on the season) caught a break and even with the loss, they will be playing against Covington (10-0) at Covington in the first round of the playoffs Saturday night.

“Carlisle came out and had a great game plan”, stated coach Watson,  “They just rammed it down our throats.  Our defense responded for the most part, but the rain really hurt us and the offense kept putting us in a bad spot.  Our offense is built on side to side speed and the rain and the mud along with a good Carlisle defensive game plan combined to take that away from us. “

On Covington, “They are a very good team, very disciplined. Since coach Miller has been there, they have been in the playoffs every single year.  They represent the CCC very well.  We are excited to have our first ever playoff game.  It would have been great to win the Buckeye league on Friday but unfortunately that did not happen.  We did end up with the next best thing – we got a playoff bid.  We are looking forward to making the trip next Saturday to Covington.” 

Congratulations to Tri-County North who also made the playoffs - for the second year in a row. They beat Ansonia 55-14 to cement their place in the district top 8.  The team will journey to Minster on Friday night for a 7:30 kickoff.  The CCC placed 4 teams in the playoffs this season, which I believe to be a league first.  Bradford and Miami East will also be playing in November.  Best wishes for these local teams as they prepare for week 11.  

Hounds Lose 7 -31

Dixie 7 Carlisle 31 final.   Miserable night all the way around.

Other Stories from week October 19th

Franklin gets Title With Brookville Win

Miami East soccer completes CCC run

Miami East Defeats South

Dixie Over Madison

Carlisle Defeats Shawnee

Covington Shuts Out Ansonia

Loramie Posts Big Win

Dixie Trims Mohawks

Click here for more game pics

Dixie continued with their winning ways on a soggy Friday night against Middletown Madison.  Despite the weather, Dixie passed well in their victory.  Madison has been a running team and a damp field should have played into their hands – and they did get some yardage on the ground.  But Dixie’s offense was too potent for them to contain, Dixie pretty much ran and passed at will.  And although the Greyhound defense had a couple of breakdowns where they allowed touchdowns on long running plays, they mostly kept Madison in between the 20’s.  And both interceptions by the Dixie defense were converted to Dixie scores.  So overall a good game on both sides of the ball.

It was a big play night for both teams.  Luke Bowling opening the scoring with a 55 yard TD run.  But Madison answered right back with a 60 yard TD run of their own.  Ryan Jordan then peeled off a 58 yard TD run to put Dixie back up.  In the early going fans had to wonder if it was going to be a track race.  Dixie’s Travis Wright picked off a pass to end a Madison drive and this set up Dixie’s next score.  Matt Isaacs caught a 37 yard pass on a 4^th and 9 to put the ball on the 3 yard line where Ryan Jordan plunged in for another TD. 

This seemed to switch the momentum over to  Dixie for the rest of the game, Madison just couldn’t keep up with Dixie’s scoring pace.  On offense Dixie could do wrong. The scoring onslaught continued in the second quarter:  Jordan had another long run for a score, and in another 4^th and long situation Bowling connected with Greg Leonard for an 11 yard TD pass.  Madison again got a long run from slippery running back Trey Owens who went 69 yards for a score.   But on the ensuing kickoff Matt Isaacs returned the ball to the Madison 45 and a few plays later Jordan caught an 8 yard TD pass to re-extend the Dixie lead.  The last score of the half was set up by a Greg Leonard catch on the 16 yard line where Luke Bowling raced in to give Dixie a commanding 40-14 halftime lead.

Both teams managed just one more score in the second half.  Ryan Jordan set up Dixie’s last TD with an interception, then he had a couple of nice carries to put the ball deep into Madison territory.  But Justin Funkhouser finished the drive with an 18 yard TD catch.  The last quarter both teams were substituting freely and after a Dixie fumble, Madison took advantage and got their last score.  Dixie won on Senior night with an outstanding offensive performance for a 46-20 victory.

Stats: Ryan Jordan rushed for about 130 yards,  Luke Bowling rushed for 165 yards and threw for about 160 yards.  Justin Funkhouser was the leading receiver with 85 yards and a TD.  Travis Wright is leading the team with interceptions with 6.  

With one game left in the regular season, Dixie at 7-2 finds themselves in the thick of things -both the hunt for a share of the league title and the hunt for the playoffs.  They play against the Carlisle Indians at home on Friday night.  A win would give them a shot at least a share the league title and would put them in the playoffs.  A loss and they need some help from other teams to make the playoffs.  

Coach Watson “We came out and played well, we stuck to our game plan, and our players executed it.   There were a few errors that we need to look at, but none of them bit us – so we will fix them for next week.  They had some very good runners - Trey Owens for one, very agile – we would fill the holes, but he would move around and find an opening.  But we didn’t keep our heads up when we tackled and we didn’t always back fill.  Matt Isaacs on the other hand had a solid night on defense.”

On Carlisle, “ Carlisle is a very good team and they have been the past 6-7 years since Jewell got there.  We know going in that this is a very big game - the league title is on the line. The winner will be co-champs if Milton Union defeats Northridge.  We know that if we play the way that we are capable of at home on our field that we can walk off that field as co-champs.  If that happens, it will be the first time since 1983 that Dixie has won league.  And we could position ourselves for a playoff appearance as well.  The kids are excited and are looking forward to that challenge.   It will be a good game on Friday – it’s going to be a tough game. “

So next Fridays game between Carlisle and Dixie will be featured as the game of the week.  Dixie fans be sure to wear Red and Grey and support your Hounds as this year’s team fights for a share of the league title and a playoff slot in the state tournament. 

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

Dixie 46 Madison 26 final