RC Boat Racing Schedule for 2013

Sunsite Race Dates 2013

April-14-----test & tune (sunday) 12:00-3:00

April-20-21-----test & tune  (saturday- 12:00-3:00 / sunday-12:00 -3:00)

April-28-----Race

May-11----Race (saturday)

June-2-----Race

June-16---Race

June-30---Race

July-14-----Gold Cup Race

August-11---Race

September-8----Race

October-6----Race

October-20---Race

On race day the gate will open at 9:00am. Drivers meeting at 11:15, first heat starts at 11:30. The race course will be open for testing until the drivers meeting.

Other Sports News for January 6th

Springboro defeats Franklin

Cedarville plays last game in old gym

Bellbrook gets past Oakwood

Greenville Falls by 2 to Piqua

Lady Wave Gets Win Over Rams

Versailles Over Panthers

Pats Easy Win Over TCN

Jets Shoot Down Arcanum

Lady Roaders win Basketball Tournament

Cardinals Need OT to Slip past Indians

2012 All NorthWest district football

PRO Sports

Bengals One and Done

Kelly has Browns and Eagles Waiting on Choice

Thanks!

Yes thanks for everyone who takes the time to follow our local athletes in 2012.  This blog has had over 8,400 page views since it's inception.  This has been a chance to give hardworking athletes a little extra attention via the internet.  

A lot of folks find this via google and a fair number find the blog via JJ's sports huddle and yappi.  Thanks for the regulars who check back periodically to see what's new.

Hounds Scalp Mohawks

The Dixie Greyhounds began the new year on the right foot with a victory over the Madison Mohawks.   Dixie got off to a slow start, allowing Madison 8 unanswered points to start the game – but were able to finish strong.  Dixie ended 2012 with a 54-35 victory over Newton and this extends their winning streak to 4 games.

Dixie seemed a bit lethargic in the early going.  Madison was able to spot up some outside shooters and connect from the perimeter for the lead.  Dixie played man to man defense, Madison would stay in a 2-3 zone for almost the entire night.  About midway thru the quarter, Dixie turned up the pressure to full court and started to get turnovers which then became baskets.  Holding Madison at 8, Dixie went on a run of their own and scored 20 points.  Griffen Moore and Austin Fisher scored on back to back treys to give Dixie their first lead. 

With Dixie hitting from the outside, Madison called a time out and got their players to close out on the shooters.  This slowed down the pace of Dixie scoring and Madison was able to close the gap before halftime to 7 points.    Coming out of the break Dixie went into a zone press against Madison.  They did this for the first part of the third quarter before going back into their half court man to man defense for the remainder of the game.   Madison was unable to make up any ground and were still down by 7 when they fouled Griffen Moore who was putting up a frantic last second three point shot as the quarter ended.   He calmly sank his 3 shots from the foul line to put Dixie up 39-29 as the teams entered the last quarter. 

Madison went to full court pressure in the last quarter in a last ditch effort to make a run at the Greyhounds.  But Dixie handled the pressure well and even extended their lead. Sixth man Greg Leonard gave the team some valuable minutes against the Mohawks.  He scored 8 points – 4 in the 4^th quarter and also seemed raise Dixie’s energy level on the court with his hard play – one those intangibles you don’t always see reflected in the scorebook.   He, along with Logan Watts and Griffen Moore dashed any hopes of comeback with their 4^th quarter scoring.  Dixie won handily 57-41 improving to a 6-3 record overall.   Scoring for Dixie: Fisher 7, Moore 16, Bowling 12, Benner 2, Watts 12, Leonard 8.

“I think we are good, now we are a little bit young, but we have a different mix of kids that are still finding out how to play together,” stated Coach Waggoner, “and that makes us streaky.  It seems like we are not always on the same page.  We gave them an 8 point run, then turned around and had a run of our own.  When we play together, we play well.” On Greg Leonard, “Yes, he gave us great points and great energy.  He makes things happen when he is on the court – going to the basket, getting to the ball on defense.”

Next week Dixie plays against league leading Carlisle and also Preble Shawnee.  Both games will be key games for the standings in the SWBL buckeye division. 

Other Area Sports News: January 1 2013

Other Area Sports News: January 1 2013

versailles repeats as champs

Tigers Lose to Wildcats

Patriots Win Holiday Tournament

Valley View - Madison Repeat as MUM Winners

Middies and Falcons Find Success in Florida

First Ever Bulldog classic a success

Dorn, Etter Lead Beavercreek Over St. Ursula

Centerville Pressure too much for Aviators

Football: Change is good, but can we tweak it?

Commendable Piqua Indians

East off to a Fast Start

Troy Squanders First Half Lead

Eaton loses to Hamilton Ross

How Sweet it is: South Wins Second Tournament

Both North and South had success in the Preble Shawnee Holiday Tournament albeit in different ways.  South was able to capture their 2^nd championship in a row – winning their own Tip Off tournament to start the season and then winning the Holiday Tournament.  North won the consolation game, ending a 5 game skid. Although North had a nail biter - having to go to overtime before they earned that win.

On opening night South played National Trail. South nailed their outside shots in the first half and behind their zone defense they built a 31-14 halftime lead.  Trail countered in the second half with a press and even went to all guard line up to generate some turnovers, but South shrugged it off and maintained their lead.  Also in the second half Trail tried to connect on 3 point shots, but failed to find the hoop even though they were getting open looks and meanwhile South was cleaning the glass – holding Trail to one shot attempt per possession.  South won easily 59 to 40.  Wes Cole and Mike Green lead the team in scoring while Anthony Augspurger hauled in 12 rebounds, Seth Baker 7.

North’s first round game was against host Preble Shawnee.  And in the opening quarter, it looked like North was going to dominate completely.  Shawnee was playing sloppy and North took advantage starting the game with a 10-2 run.  Shawnee used a zone defense and pressed a little, while North played a man to man defense in the half court.  Shawnee settled down and in the second quarter they finished strong – using their inside game to catch North and then go into the locker room with a 26-25 lead at the half.

The two teams fought back and forth thru the 3^rd quarter and entered the last quarter in a 35 all tie.  But about 2 minutes into the last quarter things began to fall apart for North – their post player Josh Heltsley who had been clogging up the middle went to the bench with his 4^th foul, and seconds later they were hit with an intentional foul.  Shawnee had a 5 point lead at that point. Then inexplicably both teams went into a scoring drought that lasted almost 3 minutes.   And as the clocked clicked closer to the end of the game, Shawnee went into a slowdown.  North began to foul and Shawnee hit their foul shots and would break open a close game and win comfortably 53-40.  It was another hard fought loss for North. Scoring for North: Billy Derringer 10, Austin Hutchins 18, Amani Cunningham 6, Josh Heltsley 6.

So the next night North played Trail in the consolation game.  This time North was playing from behind as the Blazers came out on fire. Their outside shooting, led by Williams, was dead on as Trail quickly built a 16-4 lead based upon the 3 point shot.  North adjusted and fought back – finishing the quarter strong as Austin Hutchins hit a 3 point shot launched from half court at the buzzer.  Still Trail had the advantage 18-12.

Trail became more deliberate in their offense in the second quarter but maintained their lead at the half.  In the second half, it became obvious that Trail was paying extra attention to Hutchins, but he maintained his level of scoring.  The pace of the 4^th quarter was furious as the two teams battled back and forth for the lead.  But as regulation ran out, it was a 51 all tie.  The first minute of overtime was slow paced.  But at the 2 minute mark North got back to back buckets from  Hutchins and Heltsley to extend their lead and get some breathing space.   And now it was Trail forced to foul North and with North hitting their shots from the charity stripe they extended their lead and ended the year on an up note with a 67-59 victory.

“It was a hard fought game”, stated North’s coach Jackson afterwards, “We just executed better at the end and played good defense.  It was an awful first half, we are much better than that. But we had good senior leadership from Billy Derringer and Josh Heltsley – they really stepped up and did their jobs.  Austin Hutchins had a double double – 33 points and 10 rebounds.  This win means a lot to these guys, I am so proud of them and the way they responded in the second half.  You can have all the plays in the world, but you have to have the desire to win, and this team was inspired to win tonight – they really wanted it.”

This set up the championship game between South and Shawnee.  The teams sparred evenly in the first half.  Both teams began in a zone and Shawnee pressed a little, but called it off.  The teams were tied at the half with 29 points apiece.  After the game, coach Augspurger related that he challenged his team to play tougher defense in his half time talk and then switched the teams defense to man to man.  The effect was immediate.  South broke the game open with an 11-2 run to start the second half.

Shawnee closed the gap at the end of the 3^rd quarter with the help of some South turnovers.  Still South had a 3 point lead as the game entered the final quarter.  In an attempt to make a run Shawnee went to a man to man defense and also pressed.  But South was undeterred and extended their lead.  South rebounded well – limiting Shawnee’s second chances on missed shots.  South scored 60 points in their victory. South had 3 players score in double figures:  Wes Cole 17, Jesse Wysong 3, Mike Green 23, Anthony Augspurger 3, Seth Baker 14. After the game, Wes Cole was named most valuable player for the tournament and Mike Green and Jesse Wysong were named to the all-tournament team.  Also North’s Austin Hutchins was selected for the all-tournament team.

“I have long believed that winning is a habit”, stated coach Augspurger afterwards, “the last 4 years we have had less than a winning habit than what I am used to as a coach here at South.  We are scratching the surface of where we can be for a young team. The team is 5 and 2 right now.  We act like we are young at times, and make young mistakes.  Tonight I challenged them, I gave them more of a tongue lashing at half time than I have all year long.  But that was because we played with no defensive integrity in the first half. “

He continued, “The bottom line in sports, in any sport – is to be good on defense.  Basketball is no exception.  They responded really well for the most part.  We defended much better in the second half.  Tonight was Mike Greens best all-around game.  He had a good tournament – made his free throws last night, he shot better tonight and pressured shots on defense.  And Wes Cole has responded very well in all 4 tournament games that we have played this season.  Last night he shot the lights out.  Tonight he really rebounded well and he took 3 charges in the game.  He does not let mistakes faze him and you can’t coach that.  He can miss a shot or make a mistake on defense and just come back and play that much harder.   Seth Baker made some nice shots for us tonight.  Anthony Augspurger played well against Trail, and defended well in the second half tonight.  But as a team we have to keep getting better.”

Young Dixie Players Step up Against Jets

Dixie continues their winning ways due in large part to the way that the young players are stepping up in the early part of the season.  After losing senior Matt Isaacs, Dixie needed someone to step in and replace his points and his presence on the court.   The Greyhounds have 3 wins a row since losing Isaacs and have not missed a beat.  This week the team played Franklin Monroe, a CCC team that is a perennial league challenger.  But the win was not easy.

Due to water damage to the gym floor at Franklin Monroe, the game was played in their old gymnasium.  A smaller gym where the close quarters helped lead to a more physical game.   Dixie got off a to a slow start, allowing Franklin to grow a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.  The Jets got down the floor in the hurry and beat Dixie to the hoop for some easy baskets.  The team had to play catch up from there and only gained a lead with about 3 minutes to go.   Although the team started slow, they finished strong to lay claim to their 3^rd victory in a row. 

The second quarter was even and Franklin Monroe maintained a 10 point lead up 27-17 at the break. Freshman Cody Grubb got a timely basket from a stick back right before time ran out to cut the lead from 12 to 10.  In the third quarter, Dixie made up ground – but the Jets still lead.  Logan Watts had another strong 4^th quarter for Dixie and also Griffin Moore - who scored 6 points in a row contributed to the Greyhound 18 point 4^th quarter which put them over the Jets.  Dixie had come back for a 43-40 win.

“They just beat us down the floor in transition in the first quarter, but after that it became a physical half- court game with both teams playing hard man to man defense”, commented Coach Waggoner, “It was two games in a row where we put together a strong 4^th quarter”, he continued, “Logan Watts hit some nice shots as did Griffin Moore – he did a good job of getting open and making his mid-range shots.  Those two scored 14 of our 18 points in the 4^th quarter.  And this is two games in a row where Logan Watts stepped up big in the 4^th quarter.  We just hit some shots and that fueled our offense.  And that seems to be our theme this year, we will miss some shots during stretches in games, then we will find the basket and score in a hurry. I tell the kids once you see it go it in a couple of times, then you feel better and get more confident. They had scouted us pretty well and took some stuff away, but we also tweaked our offense and that helped us comeback. “

Finally, “We are 3-0 without Matt [Isaacs] and we will take that. We are doing things a little different than if we had him in the lineup.  And the kids are responding.  Those are some nice wins – I mean this is a decent Franklin Monroe team, they barely lost in the 4^th quarter to [undefeated] Tri-Village.   I am thrilled with the way our kids have played since then – I feel good about this team. “

Leading scorers for Dixie: Luke Bowling 12, Logan Watts 14 (8 in 4^th quarter), Griffin Moore 8 (6 in 4^th quarter) Seth Benner 5.

Next week Dixie plays both Newton and Madison.  On Newton, “Steve Fisher is there.  We expect to see  2-2-1 pressure and a half court zone. Their team will be prepared. But if we play well we will have a chance. “

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.