Week 6: Are There Any Surprises Left In Area Football…?

After Week 5 losses by Coldwater and Ansonia, it raises the question of whether, or how many, surprises are left in area football for the 2026 regular season.  Any?  Some?  None?

Someone mentioned to me over the weekend that I must be feeling satisfied with correctly picking the Marion-Anna game (3 scores), the Urbana-North Union game (1 score, 1 point, in fact). and got 9 of 13 right for the week.

Quite the contrary.  Frankly, I missed the London-Graham game by a lot, a surprise that I didn’t see coming, despite the growing respect I have for the Graham Falcons.  That’s been a work in progress for a long time at Graham and it’s good to see the commitment rewarded.

I missed the Coldwater-Minster game because I trusted history too much, Minster’s first win over Coldwater in a decade.  A lazy pick, and I paid for it.

And I missed the Ansonia-Tri-Village pick because I forgot that Ansonia doesn’t throw the ball and when they trail they use a lot of time off the clock with their run game.  I overthought that game, gambling that if Ansonia got ahead they’d be the one to milk the clock on offense and choke Tri-Village out of offensive possessions.

So, are there any such surprises left for this week, or for the 2026 season for that matter?  That’s what we’re here for.

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We’re 59 for 72 (82%) for the first five weeks, and we’ll begin Week 6 with a pair of games that could be letdowns after those surprising wins a week ago, beginning with….

Graham @ Ben Logan…Ben Logan is 3-2, Graham his 4-1, but the impressive thing about Ben Logan is how they stayed in the game with Lima Senior and Bluffton, their two losses.  And like Graham, they had no trouble scoring on teams they should beat, like Bellefontaine and Tecumseh.  Graham is on a confidence high, however, and will not let the Raiders slip up on them.  Falcons by three scores.

Troy @ Stebbins…Could this be a trap game?  And could Troy overlook the Indians in preparation for Butler the following week?  The answer is yes, and yes.  They could, but I don’t believe they will.  Although they could.  This is exactly what happened to me last week with London and Graham and Ryan Jones had better be aware.  Troy is better, and in that better team state of mind.  But don’t take it for granted.  Stebbins has players.  Still, Troy by two scores…maybe!

Greenville @ Butler…Speaking of surprises, did anyone believe that Tipp was 42 points better than unbeaten Butler last week?  I thought two scores, tops, given the outright league lead issue, but it didn’t seem to matter.  Greenville, at 1-4, should be Butler’s Motrin this week, because the Wave only has one West Carrollton on their schedule.  Surprises?  I don’t think so, but this is a game that Butler had better win.  No…they have to win !  Aviators by three scores.

Arcanum @ National Trail…No one’s noticed, perhaps, but the Arcanum Trojans are 4-1, their lone loss coming against Covington, and their calling card is a potent running game with tailback MJ Macy, already with 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Trail will hang for a while, but not long enough.  Macy and the Trojans by three scores.

New Bremen @ Versailles…Here’s a trap game for me, because you’d like to believe that at home Versailles would have a decided advantage.  But the Tigers are fighting the injury bug, New Bremen is fighting the consistency bug, and it’s easier to play better on a given night than it is to get everyone healed in time for kickoff.  Bremen is 3-2, and their two losses came against Coldwater and Minster.  I don’t think they’ll lose three in a row to teams wearing orange and black.  Gavin Dicke and the Cardinals, by a score.

Fort Recovery @ Anna…This would be the worst possible surprise for Anna, coming off their third loss in four weeks last week at Marion Local.  Recovery plays hard, they’re building, and Wes Wenning has them believing they have nothing to lose.  Play to win.  Anna is the more talented team, but admits to making too many mistakes at the wrong times – three touchdowns scored by Marion last week on fourth down.  The Rockets badly need this game to square their season.  And if they don’t some really bad things can happen with Minster, Coldwater, and Versailles still to play.  I still believe in Anna…good team that should get their heads on straight this week.  Rockets by two scores.

Minster @ St. John…Seth Whiting’s Wildcats will have no problem with the Blue Jays, but credit to a team that’s proving to be better than anyone – media, coaches, and even the community – believed they could be back in July.  Literally, you read and heard nothing about the Minster Wildcats.  Which proves that it doesn’t matter what you read, but it does matter how you play.  Kudos to Whiting and the ‘Cats, who will move to 6-0 this week with a comfortable win over Delphos St. John.

Tri-Village @ Mississinawa Valley…No surprise here, either, but it is fair to mention that the Patriots are 5-0, about to be 6-0, and have seemingly worked on the one thing that hurt them in a regional loss last year to Coldwater.  “We can score,”  said coach Matt Hopkins.  “But we need to play defense like better teams do.”  So far, so good.  The Pats have given up 53 points in five games, an average of 5.2 points a game, while scoring 36.8 points a game.  That kind of math wins.  Tri-Village wins this game by four scores.

LCC @ Fort Loramie…If Minster was overlooked in the summer, Fort Loramie was written off, entirely.  And yet, no one has been a bigger surprise than both of these teams, with quality wins (and I mean quality) over heavily-favored teams.  Loramie beat Anna early, and Minster beat Coldwater last week.  Loramie quarterback Tanner Heckman has simply grown into the discussion over who’s the biggest surprise at quarterback in area Division VII football.  And youngsters like Wyatt Holthaus have grown up fast behind him.  But LCC is a tough out.  At 5-0 the Thunderbirds are coming off three quality wins over Urbana, Columbus Grove, and Allen East, and play with a veteran swagger that they’ve earned.  That said, Loramie is capable of making a statement.  But a statement doesn’t mean a win.  I like LCC, by a score, maybe two.

Urbana @ London…People from Madison County are asking, “How good is Urbana, really?”  Well, people are asking that same question this week about the London Red Raiders after their humbling loss at Graham.  If you need to know more you can check the stats page on the CBC site.  Neither team is running away with anything, although Urbana’s Grady Lantz is third in league passing with 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns.  Decidedly, London has the better run game numbers, but no passing game at all.  London is probably closer to the finished product based on size and defensive profile, but the Red Raiders have been snuffed out in the post-season largely for lack of balance, offensively.  They don’t throw the ball.  But Urbana does, a team that’s going to throw it around and have some fun.  “And we are having some fun,”  says first year coach Geron Stokes.  Urbana never quits, and has twice come from behind this year to score impressive wins, including a 42-34 win over Graham. It would be easy to play the hunch with London because they’re at home and they’re on turf.  But I think Urbana finds a way to win.  That’s the first of this week’s surprises…Hillclimbers by a score.

Marion Local @ St. Henry…Guaranteed, Marion Local is Marion Local.  And they’re in that mid-season improvement phase that all of the best Marion teams have had in the past.  And junior quarterback Brennen Hess sparkled last week against Anna with his first five-touchdown game passing.  But St. Henry is also the best 3-2 football team I know of in the area.  The ‘Skins are big, strong, and talented up and down their lineup.  The line play has been dominant in the past three weeks (wins over Versailles, Anna, and Parkway), and quarterback Landon Schwartz has settled into the position of leadership formerly held by Charlie Werling.  And lest you forget, it was St. Henry who snapped the Marion win streak last year at 76 games in the regional final.  I’ve picked right on Marion Local so many times that I can’t count ’em.  But St. Henry’s strength with the run game, good skill players, defense, and having everyone back and healthy now makes the Redskins’ the surprise pick in this game.  If it’s a shock, it’s a shock.  But I think ‘Skins…by a score.