Going for their 61st straight win, Marion Local (above) has a rematch with their 2023 regional opponent, Ansonia. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
With a more manageable list of matchups at the mid-point of the playoffs, attention turns to the surviving elite teams…and the question of what’s really elite, and how can you tell?
Someone online questioned this week whether undefeated London High School, Division III, Region 12, was one of the ‘elite’ football teams remaining in Division III.
“They haven’t beaten anyone,” that person wrote. “This is what you get when you have seven divisions – watered down football.”
Well before we leave London, let’s consider the fact of who have the teams they’ve beaten, beaten? It’s true that the Central Buckeye Conference isn’t the football conference it was during the recent days of Tipp, Tecumseh, and Springfield Shawnee, when they were at their finest. Shawnee was just 1-9 this season, and Tecumseh didn’t win at all. So yes, London averaged 50 points a game against some rebuilding opponents.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA sports and the Buckeyes for Press Pros Magazine.
And just as well, you could argue that Ansonia’s 11-1 record came against some people not of their own size.
And everyone likes to say that while Marion Local has won 60 straight, that a lot of those games were not against ‘elite’ opponents.
But, have you seen London, Ansonia and Marion Local play?
Have you considered the size of their enrollment? Have you considered that they can only play against the teams on their schedule?
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And someone at the OHSAA must have at least considered that the more teams per region you have, the more risk of lopsided games…when football was the first sport expanded to seven divisions a decade ago. There was a time, you’ll remember, when there just six divisions, and eight teams per region. And there was a time, a LONG time ago, when there were even fewer divisions and just four teams per region. The football was great, but culture, and the politics of too many teams left behind, demanded something more…or maybe, less. And that said, people question teams like London.
The same people who once said…you can’t have enough football. And now no one seems to know what’s elite, and what’s not. Or, when the cream rises…is it really cream?
This is the next-to-last edition of the Friday picks for 2024, again sponsored by the Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio, with offices in Sidney, Vandalia, Greenville, Fairborn, Dayton and Centerville…to serve you with professionalism and compassion. If and when, remember the Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio. They help keep people in the game!
With fewer teams this week, and our final week of ‘picks’ for this year, we again thank OASWO for their matchless support of a weekly feature that’s by far the most popular singular post of the sports year. And if you’re interested, our record far is 96 of 118 games picked (81.3%). So for one more time, let’s see if we can’t go out with a bang.
Does Anna have the tools and experience to win against Cincinnati Country Day? We think so.
Ansonia vs. Marion Local (at Lima)…In Division VII people get to see a rematch of this game from a year ago, when the-then Cinderella Tigers beat MAC rival St. Henry to set up the ultimate Division VII test against Marion Local. Close at halftime, Marion Local hit the gas in the second half to send Ansonia home to do some scrapbooking, 48-0. I’ve only seen Ansonia once in person, but I can tell you that this is an even better team than that Marion team of a year ago. Simply, they have too many weapons. Marion moves on with win #61, with a similar outcome. Not if, but how much?
Minster vs. Cincinnati College Prep (at Sidney)…Again in Division VII, you need only look at the comparative competition to see that Minster is the more tested team. Both are 10-2, yes, but Minster’s two losses came against teams (Marion and Coldwater) ranked #1 in their respective divisions. Cincinnati College Prep has too many Montessori schools and Shroders on their schedule to make me believe they can hang with the high-powered Wildcats. Minster is back whole and healthy with the return of James Niemeyer, and I think they’ll make their own statement for being an ‘elite’…with a four-score win over CCP.
Ironton vs. Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (at Waverly)…In Division V this is the one game that I would love to see…take the time and travel to get there. Reason? No one has played bridesmaid more over the years than the Ironton Tigers…and no one has played better football, or gone to the trouble to schedule in order to prepare for the playoffs, like Ironton. They played an independent schedule in 2024 for exactly that reason, and at 11-1 they have wins over schools from three states to get ready for the Harvest Prep rematch, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago. Harvest Prep is 9-2, a similar team as 2023, and this, I think, is the most compelling matchup of this Week 13. Even if you don’t know anything about Ironton and Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, pay attention to this one. In Ironton (Lawrence County) they want this more than everlasting life. I’m picking the Tigers…by a score.
Anna vs. Cincinnati Country Day (at Monroe)…In Division VI, and an Anna team that I’ve extolled all year for their ability to beat teams that haven’t endured the likes of Coldwater, Minster and Marion Local. Anna, at 9-3, is by far the toughest opponent that Country Day will have faced this season, and the Nighthawks (Nighthawks?) will not enjoy the explosiveness of that Rocket offense with Alex Shappie and Zach Osborn. Anna, on the other hand, will have to tackle better than they did against Marion, Minster, and Coldwater. But it is, after all, the playoffs. Big Nick Marino fan, and for all the above, I’m picking the Rockets to be the playoff team I said they would be in September. They should win by three scores over Cincinnati Country Day.
London, and quarterback Blake Reay (above) has scored against all comers, and St. Marys will be their best test, yet.
London vs. St. Marys (Division (at Piqua)…In Division III this is London’s chance to prove something to their doubters. St. Marys took out Tipp last week with that methodical Wing-T run game and by wearing the Red Devils down at the line of scrimmage. Tipp could have, and should have won this game for the fact of having the ball twice inside the red zone, but failed to score. London may not do that, because the Red Raiders are a more high-powered offense that comes at you in waves. But they have to have the ball, and St.Marys makes a habit of controlling the line of scrimmage, the clock, and denying high-powered offenses any chance of scoring. Can St. Marys tempt fate again? I don’t know because London is a pretty for-real football team. Having beaten Bellefontaine, Jonathan Alder, and Urbana convincingly, I’ll lean toward London…by two scores.
Coldwater vs. St. Bernard (at Trotwood)…In Division VI, and one more time…compare the past opponents and make your own prediction about which of these two teams is the most prepared for a regional semi-final game. St. Bernard (Elmwood Place) is a near mirror image of Cincinnati Country Day, and despite their one loss against Marion Local, I think Coldwater is actually a better team now than they were as the #1 Division VI team playing Marion Local. If they’re healthy, they’re tested and simply have too much big-game experience. Abraham Lincoln once said that you cannot avoid history. I’m taking Coldwater to win and move on, by three scores.
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