Wayne Train takes highest ranking ever into Regional Final tnite

After watching the Wayne Train steamroll every opponent they play this season, we watch their rankings go up, up, up in the process. Now the Warriors take the Regional Final stage as the #5 ranked team in the country according to USA Today.

DeWeaver headed to All-American Game

Tonight  they will battle Hilliard Davidson (12-1)  who won last week 17 - 10  over Upper Arlington. Hilliard has been dominant as well minus the 1 setback this season.

   Wayne, who just recently had its prized QB Messiah DeWeaver win a spot on the All-America team, will look to continue its winning ways, en route to maybe the most successful season in the history of the School.

   Initially the game was to be held in Columbus area, but it was switched to Welcome Stadium,  as it should, since everyone feels the Warriors are #1 or #2 in the state overall, depending on who u ask.
 
  On a wet night, look for the games O and Defensive lines to have a major impact; Also expect to see a lot of the running game for Wayne.
   While the WayneTrain passing game is unparalleled, the running game is underrated.
 
    After seeing what the Warriors have done to everyone else, along with city field advantage?

  Wayne Train gets back to state, 33- 24.

 

 
 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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