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)

Who are the Top 10 Teams in the Miami Valley? (Spoon-Fed Edition)

Heres our first High School Football Ranking of 2016

(D1-3) Top 10  Teams

Wayne Train 2-way star Matt Wilcox 

(1) Wayne (5-0-1)  
Wayne Train seems to be on another level, and the focus looks razor sharp as they go for the big school (D-1) Championship.  With Senior two-way star Matt Wilcox leading the way, the Warriors are primed for another championship run.



(2) Miamisburg (5-1) 
 The Burg has the weapons on offense and defense to get it done, and their coach will keep them focused. They also have a flair for the spectacular, which could be due to their explosive offense or their fiery coach.


(3) Trotwood  (5-1) 
 The Rams seem to be clicking on all cylinders and could be headed for a deep run with two potent RBs at the helm. Since the setback to Troy the Rams have rolled off 5 straight. We know what coach Graham can do come playoff time.


(4) Troy  (5-1)   The Trojans bounced back in a major way, and showed that they could be headed for a playoff berth this season. The only loss was a last second shocker to Miamisburg at home.

(5) Lebanon (4-2) The Warriors stopped Springfield and Northmont in consecutive weeks to move into 5 spot. Can they continue their hot play?



Next 5 :  Springboro (4-2), Springfield (4-2),  Franklin (6-0), Northmont (3-3), St. Mary's 6-0 ; Belmont (5-2) 



D4 -7 Rankings

(1) Alter   (6-0) D-4 -  The Knights have rolled over almost every opponent this season;  They are currently 2nd in the OHSAA state poll and could make another Stat trip.

(2) Coldwater  (6-0)  D-5  Have been dominant this season; Wil another trip to state be the end result?

(3) Dunbar   (5-1) D-4 The Wolverines boast a team with a high skill set, and seems to be gelling at the right time. Can the Wolverines do the little things to make a deep run?

(4) Marion Local  (5-1) D-6 Marion Local once again have a team that could be playing into December.

(5) Clinton- Massie (5-1) D-4 Massie have played well this year, and aside from the one blemish, look to be headed towards a playoff run.



Next 5:  St. Henry  (4-2) D-6; Valley View 5-1 D-4; Versailles (3-3) ;  Fort Recovery (4-2) D-7; Covington (6-0) D-7

Wayne rolls over Reynoldsburg; Trotwood pounds Celina; Belmont star falls, GWOC results

With the 1st round of playoffs jumpin off last weekend, here's our top Headlines for Week 1 of the OHSAA football playoffs in Southwest Ohio:

Matt Wilcox moving up national radar

Wayne Train starts slow, finishes fast 
  This season, the Wayne Train has scored 14 or more in every 1st quarter this season. So when it was 7-7 early into the 2nd quarter in week 1 in the Playoffs, there was some whispers about, Could Reynoldsburg pull off the upset?

No Chance.

Wayne (11-0)  went on to outscore Reynoldsburg (7-4)  49-10 in less than 3 quarters as the Warriors cruised 56-17 at Heidkamp Stadium Saturday night.

  Michigan St. Starting QB in-waiting Messiah DeWeaver threw 4 TD'S and showed why Spartans fans are already waiting on his arrival via Twitter.

    3 of those TDs were caught by 6'7 Super Soph L'Christian "Blue" Smith, who is rising up the National Hype Train faster than any kid in Ohio High School since LeBron James. He has caught the eye of the Ohio State Buckeyes already. The other TD was snatched by dynamic WR Matt Wilcox Jr, who is coveted by the entire MAC conference,  and now some bigger D-1s are showing interest.

   The D was rock solid after the first score, and the 12th man was in full effect, with tailgating and fandom like no other for High School Football.

Up next for the Wayne Train?
The Boro'  @ (Centerville HS) in a GWOC showdown.




Trotwood routs Celina behind Hargrove

Celina came out and battled early,  but once Trotwood shook off the jitters and adjusted, it was no turning back. Celina had some early opportunities to change the flow of the game,  but when they didn't take advantage of a couple of turnovers like they should have?
     Trotwood Star RB Ravieon Hargrove ran for multiple TDs and the Rams cruised in the second half to a easy victory.
   Celina cut the lead to 4 early in the 3rd quarter, but never got closer than that after a 18- yard Hargrove TD midway through the 3rd Quarter.
   The Rams D tightened up and shut down Celina while the Rams scored the last 26 points of the game.








Belmont falls to Wapakoneta as star injured

The Bison, finally in the playoffs after 37 years, started out the game fast @ Wapakoneta,  and did whatever they wanted for most of the 1st quarter. But Star RB Davion Lankford suffered a concussion on a run late in the quarter, and the tide turned from there, as Wapakoneta coach even admitted himself.

    Lankford had broken runs of 50+ and 40+ before the injury.  He looked completely unstoppable.
   Some felt Wapakoneta played a little too physical, almost dirty, as multiple Belmont players went down during the game.

   Belmont was ahead 14-7 before Wapak took control and outscored them 37- 8 for the rest of the game, going on a 30-0 run during the game.

Belmont had their best season in 37 years & the coaches feel like they will be back next season. Elijah Malcolm scored two TDs for the Bison. Belmont fought hard but was a little undermanned and now understands what playoff football is all about.

Great season nevertheless for the Belmont Bison.





The Boro' avenges loss @ Mason, 42-21; faces Wayne next

 Springboro pulled off a huge win @ Mason to move to the next round. Mason defeated Springboro earlier in the season, and that actually played into the Panthers advantage.
Elijah Cunningham threw for 4 TDs, was razor sharp, & In control for most of the game as the Boro got some get back, @ Mason to ice the cake.
Now can they do that to a Wayne team who will be playing at its highest level ever?
Well find out this weekend.



Miamisburg loses in epic finale to Lima Sr 44-42


The Burg had been no stranger to late game heriocs, and it looked as if we'd see another one from the Vikings. But Lima Sr. stuffed the Burg' on the 2-pt conversion and Lima Sr. wind a wild one 44-42 in the last game at Harmon Field.

With maybe the greatest single game rushing performance in Miamisburg history on display with
Sophomore Tony Clark.
   Clark ran a whopping 53 times for 249 and was - in one word - amazing.
 
    But not quite amazing enough to get through the Lima D Line, that made the play,  one of the few on Clark.

Coach Steve Channell knows that one will be a tough one to forget, but loved the effort and season his boys pulled off.

Wayne Train set to debut tnite vs Reynoldsburg (7pm)

After seeing how the GWOC fared last night, it's time for the main event as the Wayne Warriors look to battle Reynoldsburg (7-3) at Heidkamp Stadium tonight (7pm).

Will the Wayne Train unleash on Reynoldsburg?

  The Warriors have been ranked in the USA Today and National Top 25 polls all season, ranking as high as 8th Nationally.

But tonight they will be tested by a sound  Reynoldsburg squad who has nothing to lose.
 
 They know winning this game could result in legendary status.
And on top of that, they have been in playoff mode for weeks.

However,  the Wayne Train playing in front of its ruckus fans who will generate a 12th man like few places can.

Then there's the team.
With D-1 talent littered all over both sides of the ball, this squad looks focused like no other.

Coach Jay Minton has done a great job of keeping the team hungry, and I'm sure they will be ready tonight.
Could this be the start of the most celebrated Wayne run towards HS Football history?

We think so.

Expect a Wayne win 37-14.

Top 5 games of Week 2 in the Miami Valley on Labor Day weekend

Now that high school football has kicked off, lets take a look at the DHSS Top 5 key games in Southwest Ohio on this Labor Day weekend:




(5) Thurgood @ Trotwood (Fri 7pm)


Thurgood (0-1), last years City League champs, despite losing last week, still has a plethora of good players on the team, but will be tested severely tested tonight facing a young but hungry Rams team itself. Trotwood won a last week, and with another win, could ease the pressure off the young QB who replaced Michigan St bound Messiah DeWeaver (who is back at Wayne)






(4) Beavercreek @ Carroll (7pm)


The Creek ran to a huge W last week behind star RB Bradshaws 3TDs and huge running stats. Carroll defeated Meadowale. Both teams look to go 2-0 early In the season.






(3) Cin Withrow @ Alter (Fri 7pm)


After Withrow (1-0) handled Dunbar last week, they will take on the State runner ups this week. Alter (1-0) will look to continue on a great W over a hyped Fairmont team. Withrow has a couple game breaker type players, but can they stand up to the Knights well balanced squad?




(2) Dunbar vs Ponitz (Fri 7pm)


In a early season game with possible Title and playoff implications, Dunbar (0-1) will look to get on track tonight after numerous missed opportunities in the last game vs Withow. Ponitz, (1-0) spearheaded by former C-J coach Jim Place and a great staff, were the only team in Dayton City League to get a W, (defeated Cin Clark).
Dunbar looked as the early season favorite for a league title, but if the Panthers can pull off the upset tonight?
Watch out for Ponitz.


(1) Wayne @ Cin Moeller (Sun 4pm)


In a game that will be featured on ESPN3, the bragging rights for Southwest Ohio is on the line. Wayne was a quarter away from a state title last season, and defeated Moeller in the state semifinals 29-22 last season. The #WayneTrain blanked one of the top teams in Canada in its opening game and looks as focused as ever.
Moeller is a championship contender as well, and has won many games in this type of atmosphere. With a tough D, rock solid Offense and a All-American candidate at TE. Not to mention the fact that the Warriors ended their dreams last year.
The Moeller crowd will be insane today in Cincy.
However, when you watch the WayneTrain, you almost are looking at a mid major D-1 college team in which their three top offensive players (Messiah DeWeaver, Matthew Wilcox Jr and ChristianLBlu Smith) will be playing on your TV screens on Saturdays for a major program very soon.
And possibly Sundays as well.
I look for a WayneTrain showcase and a convincing W on Sunday.


Just in case those NFL coaches and scouts want to see the future.




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