PreSeason Rankings (Dayton Public League)

Heres our rankings for the City League HS Football teams and how they will end up in the Southwest Ohio Public League:

Is this the year the Wolverines win the SWOPL?

Dunbar Wolverines  - With 3 of the top offensive players (Keyshawn Johnson, JoJo Scates, & Jeffrey Wagner) in Southwest Ohio, and a defense with some experience, the Wolverines seem ready to make the jump into the upper echelon. With a experienced coaching staff, now is the time for the Wolverines. Despite losing big time players WR Terrance Landers and DL Jeffrey Pooler, Dunbar still is loaded and should make some playoff noise this season, not to mention in contention for the overall SWOPL title. Coach Darren Powell knows that the team must stay focused to get to the next level. They've been no less than 5-5 for the last 10 years.

Prediction (8-2) -  Playoff Bound



(2) Belmont Bison  - After the epic season Belmont had, what can they do for an encore?  Coach Earl White continues to move mountains, after taking a moribound sports program and injecting life into it. And the season could have been even better if injuries hadn't occurred in the 1st round playoff game. Despite losing All- Everything RB Davion Lankford, the Bison have a wealth of talent coming in, led by RB Elijah Malcolm and Safety Dawson Martin. Bison should be in thick of SWOPL Championship race this season as well.

Prediction  (7-3)  - Playoff Race

(3) Ponitz Panthers  -  With a bevy of seniors this season looking to make a move, this could be the season of a possible breakout with Coach Place at the helm in his 3rd season. If they can get some consistency from the QB spot in Xavier Henry, it will be a good year for the Panthers. Led by Senior Isaiah Gordon & star RB Jamil Freeman, the Panthers will look to make some waves this year in the SWOPL.

 Prediction (5-5) Compete for SWOPL Division



(4) Thurgood Marshall Cougars   - With a new coach (Brian Carter), look for the Cougars to have a new outlook for the 2016-17 season. After running the City League for 6 consecutive years, Belmont won the league last season, and Thurgood took a couple lumps in the process. But this season, with a talented QB Darion Stroud leading the way and All-State selection DB Thomas Richardson holding up the defense. There is optimism still for the Cougars who have talent across the board.

Prediction (5-5)



(5) Meadowdale Lions - The Lions have a possible star in QB Cameron Redd, who will look to lead the Lions back into prominence. Coach John Wortham is excited about the team this year, but knows he has to replace a do everything player in City League player of the year  CJ Williams. Look for the Lions to battle as they will be well coached, that's for sure. And with Defensive stalwart Dennis Locklin ready to assume a leader role, can the Lions get back to the playoffs?
Prediction (5-5)

Impact of Dunbar - Belmont game could be huge tonight (830pm)

For years the Belmont Bison have been the doormats of the City League.  Almost 37 to be exact. They've had a year or so where they have been decent, but nothing like what has happened in the last 2 years.  

    Well, the Bison have a chance to kick down history once and for all.
    At the hands of possibly the most celebrated High School in the Miami Valley.
   Before the season started, Dunbar was the team who were one of the pre-season favorites to win the newly formed SWOPL (Southwest Ohio Public League) which merges Dayton & Cincinnati Public schools for football.

Belmont? Figured to go .500 at best.

   But after both teams took season opening losses on the road, Belmont was able to bounce back and ride it's star to 7 straight wins, a possible playoff berth and a chance to complete history, as the first team to win the SWOPL outright in its first year back.
   But can they actually beat Dunbar?

    Dunbar smacked Belmont last season, and for years at that. They're like the big bro who smacks lil bro around and never thinks twice about that lil bro will get bigger and stronger one day and not forget all them whoopins. After the tough loss last season you can be sure that coach learned a thing or two about this team since that time.
   Dunbar is supremely talented, well coached and if not for a couple of tough late game losses, they'd be playing for a playoff spot themselves. They seemingly have the top talent that bring themselves to the Wolverines each and every season. However, they have made some timely mistakes which has been their undoing.
 
Will Dunbar once again prove that their talent and will outweighs that of any other team in the city, and stop The Bison amazing momentum?
The Wolverines are notorious for slamming Title hopes.
   Just not sure they can hold off 37 years of Bison frustration.
  Welcome Stadium will be rockin' tonight (830) as we will see if the Bison are forreal.

   Win this game? & Expect a Bison revival, a playoff run, and a new Era at Belmont.
Lose? Well, we've heard that story for 37 years. We know that ending.
At least the Bison are exciting,  relevant, and doing things the right way.
Expect a classic game tonight. Expect great High School football, coaches by two of the best coaches in the Miami Valley tonight. Expect plays made by D-1 players all over the field tonght.
City League football is on the rise.

NOTE: A possible Annual Dayton HS Sports City League All-star HS Football Challenge in the works for March - April debut.
Football in Dayton, Ohio is back on the rise.
History will be made tonight.

Who makes it, Belmont or Dunbar?


 

Dunbar D throttles Cin. Hughes; Meadowdale falls to Shroeder, why Centerville really beat Trotwood

Dunbar D rattles Hughes, Meadowdale falls to Schroeder
After a rough loss last week in which Dunbar held a big lead but couldn't stop Big School Cin. Princeton in the second half, the team knew that it had let a big chance slip away.
Winning that game vs a big school? Would've sent the Wolverines on their way up the ladder for a playoff berth.
Instead? A crushing loss, including two injured QBs, put them at 1-2.
So going into Stargell Stadium to face the Hughes squad, the writing was on the wall.

(DHSS Video: Joseph Scates takes it to the house)


Win or face a reality of not making the playoffs.

With that being said, the Wolverines put on a brilliant defensive performance as they won 32-12 last weekend, solidifying themesleves as a playoff contender, and winning in the Nati' as well- not a easy task- for the first time in a long long time.

   The Wolverines intercepted two passes for TDs, recovered 3 fumbles, sacked the QB multiple times and completely controlled the game.
Star wideout Terrance Landers Jr.  scored on 2 long TD passes to provide the offense.
Dunbar Coach Darren Powell was really pleased with the offense, but ecstatic about the D.

Dunbar Coach Powell working the sidelines

"That type of defense will get us to the playoffs this year." he reiterated to his squad.

Super sophomores Joseph Scates (#6) & Tavion Thomas (#27) were the recipients of the pick 6's that fueled the win.
Senior Julien Stokes also played well on D.
Can Dunbar do the same thing to a Schroeder team
that defeated a tough Meadowdale team last week in Cincy?



Rams get tough call late, lose @ Centerville 
 The Trotwood- Centerville match-up has produced some great battles but I don't know if any are more
 controversial then what happened last Friday night in Centerville.

Centerville star RB running from the Rams 

Centerville jumped out to a huge lead, but Trotwood made a stinging comeback to take the lead. After going down 33 - 28 lead in the 4th quarter, Centerville got the ball back with a chance to take the lead themselves. After getting deep in Rams territory they were stopped on 4th down, and with less than a minute left, it looked like a win for Trotwood.
 Lo and behold a flag was thrown.
 Initially thought to be a unsportsmanlike conduct for a celebration, turned out to be a too many players (13) on the field penalty on the Rams D.

Centerville accepted the penalty and the ball back, and ended up scoring a touchdown very shortly after, leaving a furious Trotwood-Madison team to say the least.
While Centerville (2-2) desperately needed the win, Trotwood (3-1) will have to bounce back & still looks good as far as the playoffs are concerned.

Dunbar looks to keep high powered offense going tonight vs Princeton

Going into last weeks game vs Ponitz, the Wolverines were angry.
Angry at the way they played in the second half vs Withrow.
Angry at the rain delay that caused them a day to wait to play.
Angry about the upstart football team with the great coaching staff who threatened to turn their possible championship season into a disaster.
So when they finally got to play, the frustrations came roaring out. Too bad for Ponitz.
They never had a chance on that hot Saturday afternoon as Dunbar won 52-30 last week vs the Panthers. Star WR Keyshawn Jones went buckwild on the Panthers.
Afterwards, there were some smiles, dances, and other small celebrations as the Wolverines got their first W of the season.


Now this week, Dunbar will be tested as Cin. Princeton head to Welcome Stadium tonight as the Southwest Ohio Public League starts to heat up.
Will star wideout Terrance Landers Jr. be available tonight? Remains to be seen as he continues to work back into game mode.


Wolverines Coach Darren Powell knows that in order to take the next step towards being a top football team in the Miami Valley? defeating the cincy schools.


Can they rise up with a talented squad brimming with confidence? Or will Princeton come out if the DYT with a W?


Stay tuned (7pm @ Welcome Stadium)

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.