Week 6 Big Games; Dunbar takes on Detroit powerhouse; GWOC showdown; City League Showdown; Stars of Week 5

Heres the top 5 Games in Week 6 as we hit the 2nd part of the regular season in High School football

(1)  Centerville  (5-0)     @   Wayne (4-1)
No question, as this will be one of the best games in the GWOC this season. With Elks coach Brent Ullery riding the wave, Centerville will be tested by the Wayne Train as the Warriors have won 4 straight.
Both teams have real playoff expectations, with the real question being, can the Elks continue to show they are better than what people expect? Or will Wayne expose the Elks for the first time this season?
This game also has ties to teen suicide campaign, as L'Christian Blue Smith was featured in a Teen Against Suicide campaign, in which a portion of the proceeds of tonights game will go to a foundation supporting teens against cancer.
For the video and more, click here:

(2)  Miamisburg  (3-2)   @  Fairmont  (4-1)

 In what is shaping up as a pre playoff game, can Miamisburg get back on track against a Firebirds team who was shut down last week against Beavercreek? Or will Fairmont dust off the lackluster offensive effort last week and push back into the playoff run?
 The loser of this game could see its playoff hopes dashed.

(3) Ponitz  (2-3)       @   Thurgood (2-3) 
In the City League Game of the Week, which team will show the most desire to get it done after both teams enjoyed great offensive outputs last week? Ponitz has won last 2 games, and has found a real rhythm on offense. Thurgood amassed 40+ points last week and has found a nice offensive rhythm the last 3 games.

(4)  Dunbar  (4-1)    @ Detroit Central Catholic

Can the Wolverines take on one of Detroits most prestigious schools as they face a strong Central Catholic team? The Wolverines have shown a lot of improvement since game 1, and they know if they can go up to Detroit and rep well, it could be a prelude for a big run later in the season.

(5) Beavercreek  (5-0)   @  Springboro (2-3)

Can the Beavers escape the trap game at a frustrated Springboro team? The Beavers stymied Fairmont last week with a great running game and a stout D that has the Beavers on the move towards the playoffs. But the schedule toughens, and despite Springboro's record, they are still a big threat to knock off Beavercreek.

(6) Belmont  (5-0)  vs  Cincy Hughes (Welcome Stadium, Saturday)  

Can the Bison continue to throttle opponents like they have all season? Hughes will come into Welcome and grab a monumental win? Or will Belmont continue to hold opponents without a TD?

Key Stars from Week 5:

Markell Stephens Peppers - Trotwood
Tavion Thomas - Dunbar
Seth Towns -  Dunbar
Leonard Taylor -Springfield
Harris - Wayne
Jaden Rucker Furlow - Belmont
Elijah Malcolm  - Belmont

Belmont game cancelled due to lack of players?; Top 5 Games in Week 9; Playoff Push

Belmont game cancelled

The Belmont game was cancelled yesterday due to a lack of players for the other team....With only 13 healthy players for the Cincy Riverview East Academy, the game was called due to forfeit.
This pushes the Bison record to 7-2 for the 2nd consecutive season and this also gives them another shot to get to the OHSAA playoffs for a 2nd year in a row, something that would be a first for Belmont football. They take on Dunbar next Friday.

Can this dynamic duo lead the Springfield Wildcats to a huge win over Wayne tonight?

TOP GAMES OF Week 9

With it being Week 9, there are some huge matchups that will shape some playoff contenders from the pretenders, and will also setup some major matchups for Week 10.

Here's the best games on this Football Friday, with the weather changing for the football gods.

Wayne  (7-0-1)      @  Springfield  (6-2)   In what could be the "Game of the Season", Wayne will look to continue its stranglehold on the GWOC and Southwest Ohio. Springfield has won some tough games on the road, but will all of "The Field" at this game for a chance at the biggest upset of the season. With D-1 Talent all over the field, this game will be as good as advertised. Two great coaches, 2 great programs, a bitter rivalry with perfect football temperatures (50-55 degrees) for kickoff.

 

 Can Wayne continue the dominance with possibly its most talented team ever? Or will Springfield earn a playoff berth tonight? Look for some epic performances from both sides.

Cincy Taft  (6-2)    @  Dunbar  (7-1)  -  Dunbar has come a long way this season, but if they don't win at least 1 of these next 2 games and clinch a playoff berth, then it will be all for naught, as the SWOPL Champions will stride into Welcome Stadium  tonight and look to continue its dominance of Dayton Schools. Taft, has trounced all comers in the SWOPL and tonight will look to hold up Cincy as the premiere city school. Led by a experienced coaching staff and stars on the offense, this will be a great test for the Wolverines, who have had a breakout season up to date.

Can the Wolverines rise up to the challenge and move 1 step closer to a playoff appearance?

Springboro (6-2)       @ Northmont (4-4)   In a game which could be the highest scoring game of the night, can Springboro continue its playoff hopes in a big game @ Northmont? The Bolts have played well at home, and the Boro have been in their share of close games. A slip at Northmont and the Panthers could be sitting on the outs of the playoffs.


C-J         (5-3)       @   Badin  (3-5)   Chaminade fought off a 0-2 start and now find themselves with a real chance to make the playoffs. Win on the road at a beatable Badin and then have Alter at home? Sounds like the playoffs already for the Eagles.


Xenia  (2-6)          @ Trotwood  (7-1)  Trotwood shouldn't have much problems in this game, considering Xenia hasn't been very impressive this season. However, we all know the vaunted matchup in week 10 between the Rams and Wayne, so will Trotwood focus on the task tonight, with bad weather and a team with no business of being in the game? Or will Xenia find a way to shock the Rams tonight?


Thurgood (3-5)      @  Meadowdale  (3-5)  (Saturday)  In a game that will dictate 4th place in the tough City League this year, which team will get it done? In losses, both teams haven't looked great, but in the wins they have demonstrated the ability to dominate. Which coach will get his troops to answer the bell in a "Rivalry Matchup?"
Thurgood New Coach Brian Carter or Lions coach John Wortham?

SpoonFed Recap: How did Top 10 football teams in Southwest Ohio do last weekend? (Week 7)

Here's out Top 10 Teams and how they fared this weekend:

Top 5 Teams (Division 1-3)

Wayne  2 way Star player Matt Wilcox on Dayton HS Sports Show

(1) Wayne      6-0-1     D-1 -    Wayne trounced Fairmont 35-0 as they moved into a
National Top 25 Ranking; Matt Wilcox shined on D and the offense was efficient in the win. If the Warriors can get it done against Springfield and Trotwood the last two weeks, they could very well be hosting the regionals.


(2) Trotwood   7-1      D-3 -    Trotwood rolled over another GWOC opponent as they put 50 on Stebbins, and stay in good playoff position. One more win and the Rams should be in the playoffs.

(3) Troy           7-1      D-2  -    Troy continued its great play with a easy win  which the D shut Sidney down. The Trojans could clinch a spot with another win, the way it looks.

(4) Springboro         6-2   D-1 -  Springboro erupted for 66 as the Panthers marched all over the field on Fairborn. the win keeps the Boro in good playoff shape providing they finish strong.

(5)  Miamisburg       6-2   D-1 -   The Burg silenced some critics and pulled out a can on Lebanon 55-20.  The win pushes Miamisburg into a playoff spot if they handle business late in the season.    


Next 5:  Lebanon  6-2; Springfield  6-2; Franklin  8-0; St. Marys 8-0; Wilmington 7-1; 
             Belmont 6-2



Top 5 Teams  (Division 4-7):

 (1) Alter                           8-0    D-4 -    Alter shut out Hamilton Badin 48-0, and  looks to be headed to a deep run come playoff time.

(2) Clinton Massie            7-1    D-4 -    Massie has been dominant despite the loss to Alter.

(3) Dunbar                        7-1    D-4  -   Dunbar punished another cincy team, and now will have back to back tests (Cin Taft, Belmont) which could make or break season.

(4) Marion Local               7-1    D-6 -  Marion handled business and stays in top 5 and in playoff shape.

(5)  Coldwater                   7-1    D-5-   The former champs will look to gear up for the postseason.       


Next 5:     Mechanicsburg (8-0); St. Henry (5-2); Valley View (6-2); Chaminade Julienne (5-3) Covington (8-0)

Ponitz ruins Meadowdale homecoming; "The Boro" squeaks by The Burg"; "Blue" Smith leads Wayne; Trotwood cruises; Springfield wins big battle

Here's the recap on what happened in Week 7 of HS sports in the Miami Valley:

L'Christian "Blue" Smith scores one of his 2 Long TD's  vs Creek

(1) The "Boro" shocks the "Burg" - 
Springboro scored with 2 seconds left in the game, and in dramatic fashion, scored on a 2-point conversion to defeat Miamisburg 39-38. The win puts Springboro at 5-2 & drops Miamisburg to 5-2. Both are in position to make the playoffs.

Springboro star receiver headed for paydirt vs Miamisburg

(2) Ponitz ruins Meadowdale homecoming, blanks Lions - Ponitz  handled  business and shut out Meadowdale 31-0  @ Welcome Stadium Friday night. It was the Lions homecoming,  but it was all Ponitz all night as they run their record to 4-3 while Meadowdale falls to 2-5. Pointz star RB Jamil Freeman led the way for the Panthers.

(3) "Blue" Smith shines vs Beavercreek  - Star WR L'Christian  "Blue" Smith scored on 2 long TDS early in the game and Wayne cruised past Beavercreek 44-0. Wayne now rolls to 6-0-1 while Beavercreek falls to 3-4. Once Smith entered the zone, there was no turning back for the Warriors.


(4) Dunbar wins big on the road - Dunbar got a much needed road victory in Cincy as they defeated Cincy Western Hills 50-8. Tavion Thomas led the attack with another great game (100+ rushing, 2 TDs), and the defense, led by star LB Antwuan Johnson's Interception.

Star LB Antwuan Johnson is the unquestioned leader of a stingy Wolverines D unit.

Dunbar is now 6-1 on the season, their best record in over 20 years. Dunbar will face Thurgood in a big rivalry game this week.


(5) C-J wins 4th in 5 games - Chaminade continues its hot play with a blowout win over Roger Bacon. The Eagles are now 4-3 on the season, their first time over .500 after starting slow.

C-J celebrates TD vs Roger Bacon as they get over .500 mark

(6) Springfield win huge road game @ Northmont
 The Wildcats  held off a pesky Bolts team, in which Northmont scored 23 straight points but still lost 35-29.  Springfield now moves to 5-2, while Northmont falls to 3-4.

Springfield celebrates after scoring @ Northmont 

(7) Trotwood rolls again for 6th straight - 
The Rams won their 6th straight game as they ran past Fairborn 49-6. The Rams have won their 6th straight and are definitely hitting a playoff stride as we get close to the playoffs. Star RB Raveion Hargrove and that vaunted Rams D led the way.


(8) Thurgood  shuts out Hughes -
 Thurgood went to Cincy and garnered their 3rd win of the season as they blanked Cincy Hughes 40-0.  The win puts Thurgood at 2-1 in the SWOPL. They have a huge match-up this week vs Dunbar. The Cougars have won 3 of their last 5 games and have played well recently.

Belmont smacks down Woodward; Centerville pulls off comeback vs Boro

Heres recap of the Thursday night games in the Miami Valley

 Elijah Malcolm

Belmont throttles Woodward 
Belmont  used it's gritty ground game to punish Woodward 48-14 on Thursday night.
 Elijah Malcolm scored 3 times and Belmont amassed 440 yards of offense in washing out Woodward 48-14.
Dawson Martin garnered a INT.
 The Bison scored 24 in the 1st and 2nd half as they was rolling on all cylinders.
Belmont moves to 3-2 and wins it's 2nd straight game.


Centerville rallies, defeats Springboro 
Centerville  rallied in the 4th to upend Springboro a in front of the home crowd by a score of 28-21.
 Springboro went into the 4th with a leqd, but the Elks used a home crowd and some key plays to get the job done.
 RB Mason Kuhr led the Elks with 150 years rushing and 2 TDs.  Centerville now moves to 3-2, while Springboro falls to 3-2.

Weekend Recap: Dunbar hits 100, Wayne wins again, Ponitz defeats Taft

Here's the recap of last weekend, which sets up a couple huge match-ups come Friday.

Top Headlines:

Dunbar hits century mark, cruises with "Audience" 

The Wolverines put together their most explosive game of the season by routing Ponitz 100 - 58.

     In case you don't remember the last time these two teams played they had to play with the "No Audience" rule because of fighting from kids up in the stands.
Well, this game had plenty of fans and it benefited Dunbar greatly as they scored early and often.
    Dunbar had 5 players in double figures, led by Terrence Landers 23.
  Ponitz had 3 players in double figures, led by Myles and Sealey, who had 14 each.
Dunbar moves to 7-1 heading into showdown with Thurgood on Friday.


Ponitz defeats Taft with late comeback
   Ponitz defeated Cin Taft 59-53 on Saturday night as
Cincy Taft AD Chuck Richardson and Head Coach Dwayne Hansbro reunited rivalries, just on a different level now.
 Richardson was a star at Dunbar while Hansbro starred at Colonel White.
  Richardson felt like his Taft boys would have a "good chance at winning"....And they did until the final quarter, when Ponitz locked down Taft for only 5 points en route to a decisive 15-5 win in the 4th, and the difference in the game.
   Scott led the Panthers with 23 and Cooks had 19.



Thurgood holds Stivers to 35 points 
 Thurgood stifled the Tigers to 35 points, as the Cougars won 55-35. Thurgood had balanced scoring, with five guys scoring at least 9 points in the game, led by Hoskins Jr. 12.
 The Williams duo (Isaiah and Joey Jr.) combined for 24 of the 35 points.
 Thurgood is now 6-1, setting up the crucial game at home on Friday night

WayneTrain wins another one led by Rodrick Caldwell

Wayne defeats Massillion, moves up USA Today ladder 
     The Wayne Train continued to steamroll up the National Charts with a 65-58 win over Massillion in the Scholastic Play by Play in Wilmington, Ohio.

     Rodrick Caldwell, the Bowling Green commit, won the MVP of the Tourney, as he led the team with 17.
  After the nearest rankings, looks like the Wayne Train is headed for the top 10, as they sit at #11 in USA Today HS Rankings.



Xenia wins in OT
 The Bucs continue their solid play with a OT win over Lebanon 72-64. Xenia now is 14-3 & 5-1 in GWOC play; The Bucks had 5 players in double figures, led by James 21.



Trotwood bounces back, smacks Piqua 

     The Rams  promptly dusted their young selves off and got back to the business with a 87-74 win over Piqua.  After falling to Nationally ranked Wayne, it was a wonder to how the Rams would respond. And respond they did, as they move to 16-2.



   Wilmington thumps Middletown

  Wilmington  continued their excellent play with a 82-57 win over Middletown, who, before the game, looked to be on the upswing.
After losing to Moeller, Wilmington was able to get 2 victories last weekend and get back on track.


Centerville shocks the "Field" - again

    In a season that the Springfield Wildcats thought this might be their year, it has been a series of heartbreaking losses, and none more hurtful then the last one to Centerville.
Springfield held a small lead going into the 4th (50-47) but simply could not contain Keegan Saben, who exploded for 36, and simply, could not be stopped. His ability to get to the basket and the foul line was too much for the Wildcats. Danny Davis dropped 22 for "The Field."
 


Key games for Tonight

Here's the Top Games doing down tonight (On a Tuesday)

(1)  C-J  @  Dunbar   
Who wins battle of teams who both went to State last season? 

(2)  Northmont  @ Wayne   Can Northmont do what no team has done in two years?

(3) Trotwood  @ Troy  Can Troy match-up with a talented aggressive Rams squad?

(4) Valley View  @ Franklin   Can "The Valley" matchup with Franklin?  

(5) Miamisburg  @ Springboro  Can the Burg pull off the upset against a tough Springboro team? I

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

Top 5 Games in week 4

Here's our top 5 games to check out in week 4:

(1) Miamisburg (3-0) @  Springfield (3-0) 
Led by Danny Davis and coach Maurice Douglass, the resurrection is nearing the level most thought the Wildcats could get to. Miamisburg is enjoying it's best early season in almost a decade. Which team shows its the top team on the rise?

(2) Trotwood (3-0)  @ Centerville (1-2) 
 Trotwood has bounced back after the departure of Messiah DeWeaver and now sit at 3-0,while Centerville and coach Rodney Roberts are in a early season "Must Win" situation. The Elks got a huge win last week, but this game will make or break the Elks season.

(3) Troy (1-2)  @  Wayne (3-0) 
  The Warriors are #1 in the state and in the top 20 in the country. Troy just took a lump to Miamisburg. Can they handle the premiere team in Ohio?
Could be too tall a task for the Trojans.

(4) Alter (3-0)  @  Middletown Fenwick (3-0) 

In a possible playoff match-up,  Alter will travel to take on Fenwick. The Knights are ranked 7 in the state. Can they win a tough road game vs a playoff caliber squad? Fenwick has allowed 8 points all season.

(5) Beavercreek (3-0)   @ Springboro (2-1)

The Creek' , which has been led by its running game and a stout D, will take on a Boro' squad who's ranked higher than the Beavers in the DDN Weekly Poll. Can RB sensation Tim Bradshaw continue his torrid pace and shock the Boro?


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