Minor Setback for a Major Comeback; Rams win State, Silences Haters

Last year, the Trotwood Rams went into the OHSAA state football championship game feeling really confident that they could get it done and be 2016 - 17 state champions.

Trotwood celebrate 27-19 win over Tri-Valley for D-3 OHSAA Championship 

In that game, the Rams would be embarrassed, shut out on national TV and headed home with a nasty taste in their mouth.

Rams Coach Jeff Graham, the coaching staff, and the team was diploatic about it, but steaming inside.

Was the Rams overrated? Did they need some new juice in coaching or on the field? What was the reason for the collapse?
And on and on and on the questions ensued all summer and through the fall.

When the season started this year, there would be no hype train. Just all focus. No interviews, no preseason hoopla.

 This could be why the Trotwood Rams (15-0) are the 2017-18 OHSAA Division 3 State football champions after a comeback win on Saturday night vs Tri-Valley 27-19.

In In game that went back and forth, the Rams would step up in the most crucial of situations, in the 4th quarter.

Down 19-14 in the 3rd,  the Rams was able to score, shut down Tri-Valley and secure the championship on a William McDaniel TD, his 2nd of the half.

William McDaniel scores on a TD run

McDaniel scored 3 times on the night, while Hargrove got the Rams going with the 1st TD.
Hargrove, the runner up Mr Football, ran for 137 while McDaniels ran for 142 yards.

Then, in normal fashion, the Rams vaunted defense stepped up, as Jayvanare Nelloms snatched a huge INT, the only turnover of the night, and the Rams would hold on for the huge win.

The Rams have won their 2nd State Football title, the other in 2011. Offensive Coordinator Kerry Ivy stated, "This one means a lot" in which Ivy and the coaching staff endured all the criticism from last year.

All the haters can fall back now, as the Rams showed why they are the top team in D-3 & arguably the best in the State.

Congrats to Ram Nation on the title.
The question is, are the Rams the best in Ohio and the Midwest?

Minor setback for a major comeback.

Salute the Rams.

Underdog Rams look to finish with State Championship

Trotwood Rams will play for a chance to win the OHSAA D-3 Football Championsip today (3pm). They will take on Archbishop Hoban (13-1), the champions from last season at Ohio State Stadium.

Can the "Underdog" Rams grab that elusive State Championship

The Rams have been counted out all year as a serious threat to win a Football State title.

While other teams looked more the part, the Rams struggled in game 1, losing to Troy 12-6.

Raveion Hargrove struggled with a early season injury, along with other key players.
 We're the Rams overrated?
Was this just not going to be the year they expected? Would they still be a year away?

Then came the schedule.

The Rams schedule was called soft, weak, and not tough enough to get the Rams ready for the playoffs.
 Despite being one of the top dogs in the GWOC for the last decade, the Rams still are overlooked, especially on the Local & National front.

Today, the entire Ram Nation will have their chance, as they take on a ready for war Hoban squad.
The Rams, once again, will not be favored in this game despite having a elite team.
 Should be no sweat for Coach Jeff Graham and the Rams.

 Hoban has everything to lose as they are going for legendary status with back to back championships.
 Trotwood also has a lot to lose, as they don't want to fall to 1-4 in Championship games.
  The Rams have made it to the state final 5 of the last 7 years, and have reached the State Semifinal the last 7 straight, a record in the Southwest Ohio area.
  If the Rams can seize a huge victory today, they will solidly themselves as a perennial title contender, a giant slayer, and a National powerhouse in the making.

   Former NFL Player, now Coach Maurice Douglass guided Ram Nation back to prominence and handed the baton to Jeff Graham, who has done a masterful job in his own right, winning a State title and losing one in his tenure.
 For Graham and the Rams, winning on Ohio State soil would feel no sweeter than to the Rams Coach, who starred at Ohio State before heading to the pros.
 He told his players to take a few minutes and "soak up the moment." Before the big game at Buckeye Stadium.
"You will get emotional" Graham said.

  Look for a inspired Rams game today.

The defense has been lights out, & healthy star  RB Ravieon Hargrove has been electrifying along with the passing game.
 Hargrove will get a chance to play where he could end up in 2 years.
 Expect something special today from the underdogs.

The game is featured and televised on Time Warner today.

Trotwood will face familiar foe, looking to get back to State Championship

 After seeing the playoff performances from  Trotwood and Wayne, it's no surprise why these are the two teams still standing in the Miami Valley making it to the state semifinals.

Rams Coach Jeff Graham talks "Rap Diss Song" & reaching State

Let's start with Wayne.

    All-season Wayne has made it look easy scoring a multitude of points, usually having a "Running clock" by the third quarter because of the blowout rule in high school football which is a 35+ lead.

    Last week in the regional finals vs Hilliard Davidson there were all the signs of a upset: Frigid weather, raining off and on, a gusty wind, a tough Defense and a well coached team in Hillard who runs, runs, and yes, runs the ball. As  a matter of fact, Hilliard hadn't passed the ball the last 2 games prior to playing Wayne.
 
    Hillard shut down the Wayne Train in the first half (3-3 halftime score) and the game had the look of a low score, grind it out affair that it would take to win, which Wayne hadn't won all year.
    Considering that Wayne had cruised to every victory in the 2nd half, this was their first Real Test of the playoffs.
  In the 2nd half they outscored Hillard with 2 big TDs, shut down the Hillard squad completely with their D, and gutted out a 20-6 win in front of almost  7,000 fans at Welcome Stadium.

   Now while the Wayne faithful didn't quite like the way they won that game, they might wanna get used to it if they plan to hoist a State Championship and complete the most dynamic season in Wayne history.
   The pretty wins are probably over, as only 4 teams remain, and Wayne, despite being ranked #5 in the Country by USA Today, are only ranked 3rd in the State, and will face the #1 seeded team this week in Cincy Colerain  who dismantled Elder last week 41-11.

   After seeing what Wayne was able to do on Saturday night, it shows that they are far beyond the "Flashiness and Style Points" that have been affiliated with them. And that their "D" can stand up and be dominant when it needs to be.

   Daryl McCleskey Jr. scored late in the 3rd, Fred Pitts scored in the 4th, and the D locked down for the W.
   Can the Wayne Train continue to steamroll to its 2nd consecutive State Championship game?

Rams continue to ride hot player, dispatch of Wapakoneta

Rams Coach Jeff Graham talks "Rap Diss Song" & reaching State

   Last year Wapakoneta lost to the Rams in the Regional finals which Trotwood won in 4 OTs; so when Wapak saw that Messiah DeWeaver had transferred, they felt like they could - & would beat the Rams. The my even had a "diss song" rapping & talking about it.
   However they had no clue how to stop the new "Star Player" in Raveion Hargrove, which they had no answer for.
  Hargrove ran up, down around, and through the Redskins for 320+ yards, 3TDs and took the liberty of dominating from the opening drive after Wapakoneta fumbled on its opening 2 drives.
  The Rams seized control and sensing the nervousness of the Redskins, took control with their aggressive D & running game.
  In speaking with  head coach Jeff Graham, he laughed off the supposed, "Rap Song" that Wapakoneta made and said that his boys heard about it, but was focused on the task at hand, while having a laugh or two in the process.
 
  Wapakoneta has been undefeated the last two years and the only opponent to stop them?
  Trotwood.

   The irony Is that Trotwood will now have to face a team who has had their number recently in  Toledo Central Catholic, who won in OT, and will be looking to get back to the State Championship as well.
  Can Trotwood erase the demons of Toledo Central Catholic and get one step away from another Championship game?
  We like the Rams chances and their mentals right now,  and don't expect a rap song about Toledo Central Catholic anytime soon from the Rams.
 We'll just assume they just want to get the job done and in the words of the infamous Jay Z and Swizz Beatz from  the hit song,
"On to the next, On on to the next"




 

 

Rams find themselves in familiar position tonight vs Wapakoneta

    When we spoke with former NFL  player, now Trotwood Rams head coach Jeff Graham  before the season started, he felt like he had a team loaded with talent and ability, and if he could just get them to listen and not worry about their lack of experience,  they could go deep in the playoffs.

Can Soph sensation Raveion Hargrove lead Rams to State?

     Well, the Rams (9-3)  find themselves one win away from another State berth, as they will head to Lima to face unbeaten Wapakoneta, (12-0) who look to continue their magical season as well.

    Wapak squeaked out a win vs Mt. Healthy 12-7 last week while Trotwood handed it to Tippecanoe.

    Although Wapak is undefeated, they definitely have not faced a team like Trotwood this season.

    After hearing sources say that Belmont was having  their way with the Redskins D before the Davion Lankford injury in Playoff Week 1,  only has to please All-American worthy RB Raveion Hargrove,  who along with a great offensive line, has been nothing short of spectacular. With a healthy Hargrove, the Rams have blown every team out lately.

  While the Rams won't blow out Wapak, they do have a seasoned staff, great play callers and execute properly, and a ability to rise up in key games.
  Not to mention that this will be the 7th straight time the Rams have completed in this round, an amazing Stat to say the least.

 We're taking the Rams by a score of 30-21. 

Can Alter get revenge tonight? Who wins epic Boro - Wayne Train battle?

As the 2nd round of playoff games on tap tonight there are very intriguing matchups as we start to see who are the State Championship contenders from the teams who had good seasons but just not good enough.
Here's some key playoff matchups

(3) Trotwood    vs   (2)  Tippecanoe
    @ Wayne HS
Tipp rolled over Piqua last week, and now faces Trotwood, who also had a big W last week vs Celina.
There are reports that the Tippecanoe fan base was chanting "We want Trotwood";
Maybe they were feeling good after whipping the team the Rams took their last L to - at home.
 Maybe they feel like their high powered offense will be too much for the young Rams.
 1111 they like their experience.  They have a good squad, and have wrecked lots of dreams this season.
  However with a healthy Raveion Hargrove we think the Rams will find a way to win.
  They looked their best when in the pressure moments, and Tippecanoe won't be able to withstand the pressure of the Rams running game.
 Rams win 32-24.


Alter     vs    Fenwick (1)  -  Fenwick  has had a incredible season & will look to do what very few teams have done in their history, which is beat Alter twice in a season.
Fenwick shut them down earlier this season in mid-season.
 But this ain't mid-season, and as we all know in Southwest Ohio, the Knights are a machine when it comes to playoff time.
  Alter squeaked by last week, but I think Fenwick will do the rarely impossible;  win twice vs Alter in a season.
   Fenwick defeats Alter 28-27.

Can Brookville get it donight?
The Blue Devils, one of the top teams in the state, will take on Greenvillle tonight. Brookville has been nothing short of dominant.  Can they keep it up?
Greenville has been playing it's best ball of late.
We're taking the Blue Devils 37-24.


Wayne vs  Springboro
 in a matchup of two GWOC powerhouses, can Springboro pull off the major upset?
Wayne has been nothing short of dominant this season, and will have their heels clicking as they get ready for another showdown, which seems like they're playing in every week. With so many weapons can the Panthers slow down the Wayne train?  Qiarterback Elijah Cunningham is a very good weapon and has had a great season but can he win the biggest game of his career?
We don't think so.
 We have Wayne prevailing 37 - 20.

GWOC set to jump off tnite with Trotwood, Miamisburg, Piqua, Springboro, Vandailia Butler in action

After the GWOC football teams beat up on each other this season, 6 teams made the playoffs.
 5 will play tonight, with the marquee team playing tomorrow night - Wayne of course.
But to have 6 teams in the playoffs out of one division? It is a major accomplishment to say the least.

Let's take a look at the matchups for tonight and see who has the best chance moving on to the next round.

D-1   (11)  Springboro @  (6) Mason
The Boro' ended the season with a nice win over Lebanon as dual threat Elijah Cunningham threw 3 TD'S and ran for one. Mason has had a banner year, and has been playing top notch the last few weeks.
We're taking the Boro' in a minor upset 27-25.



D-2  (5) Lima Senior  @  (4) Miamisburg  (7pm)
Lima Senior, powered by a balanced attack (200 rushing and passing a game) lost its last game to Central Catholic by blowing a 20 -Point lead, while Miamisburg dismantled West Carrollton. Miamisburg has been playing lights out, but has surrendered big leads as well. But this being the last game ever in Harmon field, and the fact that Lima Senior barely escaped Piqua with a OT win leads us to belive the Burg' will move on to the next round by a score of 26-17.



D-2  (8) Vandalia Butler  @  (1) Cincinnati LaSalle
  while Butler lost his last game at Trotwood by a wide margin, they still had a very good year, and didn't really hurt themselves too bad in the loss. unfortunately, with the loss they will play one of the highest ranked teams in the state. The cell is loaded, and will look to use the home field advantage and their great play of late.
We're taking LaSalle by a score of 31-22.



D-3 (7) Piqua  @  (2) Tippecanoe   (7pm)
 Piqua is coming into the tourney feelin real good about themselves after a 2 big weeks with wins over Trotwood and rival Troy to squeeze into the playoffs.
However Tipp has been lights out lately dominating a tough Stebbins and shutting out Kenton Ridge 40-0.
We think that Piqua will get the upset, as they seemingly have found their rhythm. If Tipps-Clemons gets rolling, watch out.
 Piqua wins 31-28 in OT




D-3   (6) Celina   @  (3)  Trotwood Madison
With Celina coming in playing good football, this will be a real test for Trotwod, who slumped late in the season.
When I spoke with Coach Jeff Graham earlier in the season, he felt like his team was young,  but would be OK with seasoning.
After giving a beatdown last week to D2 Butler 57-35, it's safe to say they're ready.
Ravieon Hargrove, the next superstar HS player from Trotwood, ran for almost 400 yards last week.
   With a healthy Hargrove, it takes pressure off the entire team to produce.
Look for the Rams to produce a similar score if things go right.
We're taking the Rams 28-18.

  Last week prediction record 3-2