Someone from Dayton will be hoisting a Super Bowl tonight

No matter who wins Super Bowl 50, one thing is for certain:
     Someone from the city of Dayton will be winning a Super Bowl tonight.

And it could be two players.  Depending on the winner.

Curt Coleman (Northmont) , David Bruton (Miamisburg), & Cody Latimer (Jefferson) all have a chance to grab a Super Bowl ring.

Even more interesting,  is their roles in Super Bowl 50 pitting the Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers.

 David Bruton & Cody Latimer are the two players who play for the Denver Broncos.

   While Latimer - a two year pro, will have a chance to make history tonight by catching a pass from one of the All-time Greats (Manning), Bruton will not play, as he had a season ending injury in mideseason.
    Bruton was having a major impact, as the Defensive Back was a Special Teams Captain and was a integral part of the Dime and Nickel Defenses for the Broncos.

 He then was hurt mid-season (leg) & his magical season was done.

   However, what you don't know is that Bruton is a huge giver to the communities in Denver and Dayton, and was one of the finalists for some humanitarian awards in the NFL and the Denver Broncos.
 His efforts in the community are legendary. And he still remains optimistic despite the fact that he won't get to play in the biggest game of his career.
    Bruton, started his career at Miamisburg HS, and dominated before heading to college.

   Latimer was a 2 sport star at Jefferson High School, and decided to head to Indiana, where he starred before being drafted by the Broncos.

  Don't be surprised to see Latimer catch a TD or big play, as both QBs for Denver have a good repoire with the 6'3 Wide Reciever who's ready to breakout.
 
On the other side is Curt Coleman, the Safety for the Panthers who has help spearhead a incredible defense that could become legendary with one more great performance.

   Coleman started his career at Northmont HS, where he was a 3-year starter and developed into a force, before he headed to Ohio State.

   While he didn't totally dominate at Ohio State, he was rock solid, and the NFL took notice.

    Coleman bounced around in the League, and now seems set in the back end of a monstrous D that gives up nothing, and has top players throughout all the levels. Coleman is a free agent, and could be in line to get paid.
     Coleman signature stamp was his performance in the NFC Championship game, picking off Carson Palmer twice and showing that he will make you pay for your mistakes.

 No matter who wins tonight, the DYT will be reppin some new hardware, as one- or two - kids dreams will become a reality of being Super Bowl 50 champion.
 And who knows? Maybe one becomes a household name. In a good way.

Couldn't happen to a better group of young men.

 Salute.

Dunbar grad set to make Ohio State debut today

 
Former Dunbar All-State PG A.J. Harris will make his college debut today (Noon)  @ Ohio State as the Buckeyes host their season opener.

Harris ready to lead the Buckeyes

  Harris, who led the Dunbar Wolverines to two state appearances (winning one) will now set his sights on a NCAA Championship.
   With a plethora of new faces, Harris fits in nicely with the Buckeyes, who will use him as the floor general.
  Head Coach Thad Matta has been pleased with Harris leadership and ability to adapt and looks forward to using his cat-like quickness, intelligent play, and electrifying speed to change the pace.
   Matta also is looking for Harris to keep the game flowing in the right direction for the Buckeyes, who are loaded with talent.
  After watching what Harris did for Dunbar, you can't help what to wonder what he will do at O State.

   Harris is the first player to play for Ohio State since Daequan Cook, who played with Mike Conley and big Greg Oden.

Dunbar track shows why its the best in the country, wins State in landslide; Meadowdale girls finish second

At the Franklin - Dunbar classic bball game at UD Arena, I ran into Dunbar track coach Alfred Powell, who reminded me that track was around the corner- and that his defending champion team was special. And as those previous State Championship rings shined so brightly on his fingers (multiple at that) while he talked, you had to respect the mere fact that him talking his track team up was no hype.

It was the reality.

Dayton Dunbar Wolverines have the best track team in the United States of America.

Period.

 

Dunbar celebrates second consecutive D-2 Ohio HS State Track Title

And after what happened in Columbus last weekend at the Ohio D-2 High School State Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in front of a packed house solidified not only the Wolverines as the class of Division 2, but the premiere Track team in the state, and frankly, the country after winning its second consecutive title on Saturday.

They demolished the competition in team play. And they did it with that Wolverine swagger that you used to seeing.

They almost doubled (64-40) the score of the second place team (Lake Catholic Central). They won most of the events they competed in, and when they didn't, it took a epic effort on the other opponents to defeat them (check headlines, video of 4x400 final)

There was no doubt who was the dominant team in Ohio. But how can you say the best in the country?

Well earlier in the season, the Wolverines competed in the National High School Track Invitational, (in New York) which only the best of the best are invited.

And they won that one too.

Now while winning the National tourney early in the season can sometimes feed too much arrogance to a already confident squad, the Wolverines used it as motivation to dominate throughout the tourney like few teams EVER have.

In the sectionals it was dominant, but it was "just the sectionals"

Then when it came to regionals, where it was more of the same, but the question was, "they cant dominate like that at State can they?"

All you had to do was ask the coach.
Or watch history, in its fastest and rarest form.
The execution was on point. The coaches had them well prepared and the fan base was in full effect.

Salute the Dunbar Wolverines as they show how to deal with early success and finish on top.
With class.

Dunbar Wolverines, Ohio HS Division 2 State Champs.

Could we see a 3-peat? 
Wouldn't bet against it.





Meadowdale ladies finish second in state

The Lady Lions repped the Miami Valley, had a very strong showing in Columbus. and showed they will be a contender for years to come as well.
 Meadowdale won the 800 Relay, finished 3rd in the 400 Relay (C-J finished first), and finished 3rd in the 1600 Relay.

The group of  lady Lions  (Henderson, Underwood, Mayfield-Brown, Pettigrew, Smith, Streety) definitely deserves praise for almost winning the State and having a great showing in Columbus.

Dunbar wins by 70; Kennard drops 33; all City League teams into 2nd round

With the Regular Season over in High School, its all about the State, and here are the top Headlines for week 1 in HS Hoops in Southwest #Ohio:

(1) #Dunbar wins by 70, destroys Eaton
Earlier last week after speaking with the Dunbar coaches, they all were eager to see how their kids would respond after another City League Title, A top-10 State Ranking, and a great record to boot; however, the coaches weren't as happy with some late season performances and wanted the Wolverines to show more of a "dominant" mentality.

Well if the first round is any indication, I see why nobody wanted to play them, as Franklin, Ponitz, & Thurgood elected to head to the other side of the district bracket.
In a completely overwhelming performance, the #Wolverines won 101-30.

Key stat?

Eaton never scored in double digits - in any quarter. 9 was all they could muster.

#OhioSt signee #AJHarris dropped 20, and it was a rout from the tip.
#Dunbar will play #Belmont next.

(2) #Kennard drops 33, as Franklin defeats Monroe;
#Franklin held serve vs Monroe as smooth lefty Luke Kennard was hot early and often, and moved the #1 seeded Wildcats to the next round. Kennard, (headed to #Duke next season) who recently moved to #3 on the All-Time scoring list, will look to get Franklin out of the Districts for the first time in his tenure.

(3) #Wayne dominates
Nationally ranked #Wayne dismantled Butler 103-46; With multiple players in double figures, this was merely a warm up. Up next:

(4) All City-League teams still alive after 1st round:
Its always interesting to see which city league teams will last the longest. With Ponitz being on par with Dunbar this season and Thurgood and Stivers slipping a little, its a wonder:

How many City League squads can legitimately get to regionals?
Last year there were three:
 (Thurgood, Dunbar, Stivers)

• #Ponitz has all the talent to go to state, but can they win in the bright lights with the pressure turned up?
• Can #Stivers shake off a tough season and show their playoff mettle? Last year they got to regionals. Can their leaders step up and repeat the performance?
• Can #Meadowdale make a run in D-3 this season?
• Can #Thurgood show their savvy and ride their key players (Daniels & Hoskins) back to the regionals?

Note: Thurgood and Ponitz plays next round.