3 Teams go for State Berth Tonight; Why Pickerington deserves a beatdown? Matchups, Predictions& more

With a Chance at State Seminal Berth on the line, here's the Match ups for Friday Night:

D-1
Wayne (11-0-1)   vs Pickerington Central (11-1)  @ 
 London HS 
 As if Wayne wasn't focused enough, they received a couple of photos that turned out to be bulletin board material for the Wayne Train. Central described the Warriors as thugs and convicts, which sent the net into a frenzy and now will set the stage for two teams who have a chance to reach State Semifinals tonight.
 The Warriors are too good of a team and too well coached to fall into the buffoonery that Pickerington is trying to cause.
Look for a Wayne win 37-24.


D-2 
Miamisburg (10-2)   vs  Cincy LaSalle  (10-2)  @ 
Mason HS 
Miamisburg has been able to win with a huge o-line, a physical backfield and skill players all over the field. Combine that with a fiery unpredictable coach, and the Burg is a LaSalle defeat away from State. Problem is LaSalle is as focused as ever and boasts a potent offense of its own.
We got Miamisburg winning 31-26.



D-4
 Alter  (12-0)   vs Cincy Wyoming (12-0) 
  The Knights will face a stiff test in Wyoming, as they have handled all their opponents the same way Alter has. Easily.  Alter seems to have a focused unparalleled in a while, and that could spell doom for the undefeated Wyoming squad who is led by a D-1 signee of its own.
We got Alter winning via the running game and late game coaching by a score of 34-28.

Saturday 

D-3 
Trotwood  (11-1)   vs St Mary's Memorial (11-1)

Week 2 Playoff Recap: Wayne, Trotwood, Miamisburg, Alter advance; How did they do it? Stars of Week 2;

After the 2nd Week of the Playoffs, one thing is crystal clear:

 The Miami Valley, and in particular, the GWOC, is reppin' well in the OHSAA State Football Playoffs, as 4 teams will play for a chance to reach the State Semifinals this weekend.

  With the teams that are still in, they all have a legitimate shot to not only get to state, but to win it.

Here's last weekend results and recap, as we see how all the local teams fared in their divisions.

Can these thoroughbreds lead their respective teams to the State Semifinals? 

(D-1) Wayne blows out Dublin Coffman   -
   Wayne RB Fred Pitts scored 4 times as the Warriors D shut out Coffman in the first half (31-0) and cruised to a victory vs Dublin Coffman 52-10. Coffman was outmatched from the start as the Wayne Train steamrolled Coffman in the first half. Wayne, who is now ranked #6 in the country (Max Preps) was clicking on all cylinders, and looked razor sharp from the kickoff.



(D-2) Miamisburg beats Troy again   - Different location, but the same results after Miamisburg defeated Troy 28-21. The game was played to a tilt until a late blocked punt helped the Burg seal the deal. Star RB Jake Netherton scored on a burst to give the Vikings the 28-21 lead they never relinquished, and will now head to the Regional Finals. Troy (10-2) had a great season, only losing to Miamsburg twice after only winning 2 games last season.

Rising Star QB Markell Stephens-Peppers of Trotwood passed for 3 TDs last week 

(D-3) Trotwood slams new Richmond
 Trotwood star RB Ravieon Hargrove once again scored on the first play of scrimmage and rising star QB Markell Stephens-Peppers threw 3 TDs as the Rams overwhelmed New Richmond 47-10. The D also did a great job of shutting down New Richmond offense as the Rams (11-1) head to another Regional Final.


(D-4) Alter shuts out Massie  -
Alter dominated early and often as they shut out Clinton Massie 42-0 as the #1 team in Ohio in D-4 moved to another Regional Final. Star RB John Bivens ran for a score as the Knights Defense stymied the Massie attack.



(D-3) Franklin falls to St Marys  - 
Franklin fell behind early, and fell prey to a tough St Marys team as they lost 55-31. Once St Marys got rolling, the Franklin offense couldn't stop them, as they scored, but wasn't able to get back in the game.



(D-4) Valley View falls to Cincy Wyoming
 Cincy Wyoming scored twice in the 2nd quarter to build a 21-6 halftime lead and take control in the game to hold off Valley View. The Spartans pulled it to 21-12 but missed the 2 point conversion and Wyoming scored in the 4th to seal the deal. Colin Genslinger and Colin Wood scored for the Spartans in a losing effort

1st Round Saturday Recap: Trotwood cruises despite ignorance, Franklin rallies, Belmont falls; Stars of Week 1 Playoffs

Here's the recap of Saturdays games of the 1st round of OHSAA playoffs in the Miami Valley:

Raveion "Shock" Hargrove running past Wapak en route to a   4-TD night in 1st round of OHSAA  playoffs 

Trotwood blows destroys Wapakoneta despite racism comments 
  The Rams showed that no matter where they play at, even in the most hostile of conditions, that they are ready for a playoff run.
  Ravieon "Shock" Hargrove started the game of with a long TD run - the first play from scrimmage, and that ignited the Rams to a easy victory @ Wapakoneta on Saturday night.
  The hard part?

Keeping their cool after the racial slurs and lack of class represented by Wapak.

The marching band was hit with items from the rowdy crowd, not to mention the slurs heard by the band and the players.

   However, no words in the world could have helped Wapakoneta on this day, as the Rams and their star RB ran, over, around and through the defense for 3 TDS, while the Rams D smothered Wapak offense to ignite the rout.
 Trotwood  Coach Jeff Graham and the staff did an excellent job of keeping their cool and staying focused on the gameplan.


  Franklin wins late, stops Tippecanoe 
Franklin survived a huge upset with a late TD OK Tippecanoe to pull off the comeback win and move on to the next round. Tipp had control until the final minutes of the game when Franklin pulled off the comeback.


Belmont falls to St Mary's 

Belmont wasn't able to get the ground game rolling, as they took a fall to St Mary's 42-8.
 Belmont ends the season 7-3, while St. Mary's will take on Franklin in the next round.

Stars of Week 1 playoffs

Here are our Dayton HD Sports Top 5 Star Players in Week 1 of the OHSAA playoffs 


Josh Browder, RB- Troy  - 5 TDs, 330+ total offense  in the win 

Rashad McKee, QB - Wayne -  12-14, 235 yards, 4 TDS passing, 136 yards rushing, 1 TD, (before half) 


L'Christian "Blue" Smith, WR - Wayne - 2 TD receptions in blowout win


Raveion Hargrove - Trotwood, RB -  3 TDs, scored on 1st play of scrimmage in the win 


Tony Clark, RB - Miamisburg - 220+ rushing and 2 TDs in the win


Colin Genslinger, QB, - Valley View - Genslinger led View with 3 Rushing TDs in blowout road win 

1st Round Recap; Wayne, thumps Lancaster, Burg, Troy, Alter Advance; Saturday Matchups

It was a good day for most of the Miami Valley in the 1st day of the OHSAA  playoffs. Here's the lowdown on Fridays games...

Wayne Captain Matt Wilcox runs past Lancaster for a TD

Wayne thumps Lancaster 
 Wayne (10-0-1) left no doubt about what time it was, scoring on its first 6 possessions to have a 42-0 halftime lead & cruise to a 52-7 win. "Blue" Smith scored twice while Matt Wilcox scored on a 75 yard pass from Mckee late in the half.
  Even Lancaster Coach Rob Carpenter knew what time it was saying, "Even the most hardcore Lancaster fan had to see the speed difference" as Wayne ran over, around, and through the Golden Gaels.


Miamisburg wins at home behind Clark 
 The Burg  (9-2) stormed out to a big lead behind the running of Tony Clark, and held on for a big win against Kings 28-24.  Clark amassed 226 yards on 22 carries and the offensive line opened up hole after hole for the Vikings.  Kings made a late run, but Miamisburg held on for a big win.
Up next? Troy



Springfield falls in Pickerington
 Springfield battled, but couldn't keep up with Pickerington Central, who scored twice late in the 2nd quarter, once on a WR pass to get separation (21-7) & set Pickerington on their way to a win. Danny Davis scored on a big 28-yard pass play from Leonard Taylor, but it wasn't enough for the Wildcats, who end the season 7-4.


Browder career night leads Troy to W  
 Star RB Josh Browder scored 5 times to lead a offensive shootout as the Trojans defeated Cincy Anderson 41-35.
Browder had 243 yards rushing and 114 yards recieving, in which Anderson had no match for. Anderson held its own behind Jay Volpenhein's 404 yards passing and 5 TDs. Anderson almost pulled off the upset, but the D stopped Anderson on the 4 yard line to secure the win.


#1 ranked Colerain ends Springboro season 
 Colerain  did damage both thru the air (Gunner Layendecker, 2 TD passes)  & on the ground (Monalo  Caldwell, 176 yards rushing, 3 TDs) as they grounded the Panthers 35-14. Springboro receivers Kris Hughes and Nick Kovacs caught TDs, but it was nowhere near enough to stop Colerain.


#1 Alter storms past Indian Hill 
 Alter did what they always do - win in the 1st round easily - as the Knights running game pulverized Indian Hill and the Knights rolled 54-28.


Valley View shuts out Waverly  
 The View came out firing on all cylinders as Star QB Colin Genslinger ran for 3 TDs to jump start the offense and the D put on the shutout for the Spartans (10-1).


Lebanon early turnovers too much to overcome
 Lebanon turned the ball over 3 times in the 1st quarter, and on the first offensive play of the game, as Cincy Sycamore won on the road 42-20.
  It had been 14 years since the Warriors were in the playoffs, and the jitters probably doomed the Warriors who were down 21-0 before they knew it. Star RB Ra'Von Bonner ran for 254 and 3 TDs on the Warriors.


Taft falls to Clinton Massie  
Cincy Taft, one of the teams selected in after Dunbar forfeiture, lost against Clinton Massie 26-12. Taft held the lead early, but Massie rallied to seal the deal.


Saturday Games: 

(DIVISION 3) 

Tippecanoe (7-3)  @ Franklin (10-0)  
Can Tipp win a big game this season? Or will Franklin continue its dream season? Franklin has a bevy of weapons on O, can Tipp shut them down?.
 We got Franklin winning 30-23.

Trotwood Madison (9-1) @ Wapakoneta (8-2)
Can Wapakoneta knock off another city team in Trotwood? Last year Wapak defeated Belmont. However Trotwood is completely different than Belmont, in their style, as the Rams haven't lost since Week 1. Look for a hungry Rams team to win in a hostile environment 28-17.

Belmont (7-2)  @  St Mary's Memorial (9-1) 
 Can Belmont use its 2nd life and make a deep run? After seemingly out, now they find themselves back in the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive season. With a hard core running game, and talent on the Defensive end, can the get the job done against a St Mary's team that has been clicking on all cylinders? .
  We think Belmont will get the job done in a upset 24-22.


(DIVISION 7) 

McGuffey Upper Scioto  Valley (7-3)  @ Troy Christian (9-1) 
Can Troy Christian Continue its winning ways with a big W at home vs a tough opponent? 
We got Troy Christian getting it done.

OHSAA Playoffs Start tonight; Matchups, Stars to Watch, Predictions

With the OHSAA football playoffs here, it's time for the best of the best to battle for HS Supremacy.

  Here's the teams who made it to the Playoffs, their 1st round Matchups and the key players to watch.

Can L'Christian "Blue" Smith and Fred Pitts lead the WayneTrain tonight in playoff action?

D -1 (Region 3)
Wayne  (9-0-1) (Ranked 2nd in State) 
  Home vs Lancaster 
 Wayne will look to start another Deep Run against Lancaster, a team that has been solid, but still was 6-4 coming into the playoffs. Wayne should be led by ferocious running attack and a aerial passing game that is second to none. Look for the Wayne train to win 34 - 17.

Springfield  (7-3) 
@ Pickerington Central (9-1)
 Pickerington was the best team in the city, and they are loaded with talent. Springfield needs to force turnovers early in the game, to seize momentum. Central has a balanced attack, so the Wildcats must be focused from play one....Also look for Leonard Taylor to make some plays to change the outcome. We have Pickerington Central 27, Springfield 24.


(Region 4)
Springboro (7-3) 
 @ (1) Cincy Colerain    
Springboro pulled off 2 huge wins to get to this point, defeating Miamisburg and Lebanon to streak into the playoffs. Problem is, they get the top team in the State in Colerain who looks to be set on a Championship run.
We have Cincy Colerain winning 28-17.

Lebanon (7-3) 
Home vs Cincy Sycamore 
Lebanon had a sterling year, led by a potent offensive attack which put up big points this season. However, they also gave up huge offensive outcomes, and Sycamore can score as well...We think with 2 even teams, the home team will prevail in Lebanon winning 35-32.

Division 2  
(Region 8) 
Troy (9-1)  
Home vs Cincy Anderson (7-3) 
Troy has been waiting for the opportunity to get back into the playoffs after a subpar season where they only won 2 games. They will get Anderson as a result of the hard work. Anderson has a nice season as well, but Troys  defense will lead them to a win in a home game. We got Troy winning 20-13.


Miamisburg (8-2)  
Home vs Kings (8-2) 
 "The Burg" has had a very good season by most, but with the talent on the team they feel there is more in store. They take on perennial power Kings as they host a game. Kings has had a good season, but Miamisburg is ready for the challenge in the best round. We got Miamisburg Winning 30-24.

Division 4 
(Region 16) 
Alter (Ranked #1 in state) 
Home vs Cincy Indian Hill (9-1) 
Alter has demolished everyone in their path this season, and ended CJ hopes emphatically with a 51-3 trouncing to gather the #1 spot in the D-4 State poll. While Cincy Indian Hill has had a great season thus far, the Knights eat, breathe and sleep for this year to atone for what happened last season..
Loon for a Alter win 41-27.


Valley View  (9-1)  
@ Waverly (9-1) 
 Valley View will head to Waverly after a very good season to take on the Waverly program. That crowd will be rockin tonight for this contest as Waverly has a good squad capable of making a deep run. Valley View, is 9-1 & has had some key guys step in and make plays. Can they continue the "next man up" philosophy to a playoff win?
 We got Valley View with the upset win 27-26.