Expect a bruising, physical contest when Versailles travels to Marion Local this week. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
It’s Week 6 and the jumbled picture of area football begins the second half trying to earn some important points for playoff consideration. If it’s going to happen, for some this is the week they begin their ascent.
What we thought we’d learned through the first four weeks of the season turned true last week, as we correctly picked 11 of the twelve games highlighted. The notable miss was Coldwater, who either got well, physically, in record time, or Minster had a melancholy night.
And what we’ve learned over the past decade of the Friday Picks is that Week 6 is the week that the ‘cream’ teams begin to rise to the top – the Marion Locals, St. Henrys, Troys and Tipps start to groom their game, get a few people back from injury, and establish that state of mind for better competition come post-season. We’ll select some games this week that play into that very narrative.
People also like to talk about trap games in football, and we have some likely candidates with this week’s picks.
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With one notable exception it’s a lighter week in Divisions VI and VII, and so we’ll start on I-75, beginning with…..
Xenia @ Piqua…A few years ago this would have been a marquee game for the fact that Piqua was a perennial playoff team, and Xenia was just coming into its own as a team that on any given night could be someone’s ‘trap game’. For instance, Piqua, during a 9-3 season in 2022 Piqua took the bait and left Xenia red-faced and shut out, 28-0. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Xenia will be the heavy favorite to win this game at Piqua, but over the last three weeks Bill Nees has the Indians playing hard and playing better. Xenia is 4-1 but really doesn’t have a notable win. Piqua is 2-3, but has a couple of hard-fought losses (call them quality losses) to Lima Senior and Troy. But Piqua doesn’t have a Deaunte White to carry the ball 25 times, or average 150 rushing yards. Xenia does, and if White does both it will limit Piqua’s opportunities on offense. If the Buccaneers can avoid mistakes and turnovers they win this game and avoid the trap. I could see Xenia, by two scores.
Coach of the year? Likely at this point, as Troy’s Troy Everhart has the young Trojans playing at a high level behind senior quarterback Aiden Kirkpatrick.
Sidney @ Tipp…We’ve overlooked Sidney for the past three weeks, thinking it might take those three weeks to get their collective game together. But during that time the ‘Jackets are averaging seven points a game on offense, and are giving up an average of nearly 40 on defense. Neither is going to help them much against #1-in-the-region Tipp. Running clock in the second half…Tipp wins this by four, or five, scores.
Butler @ Greenville…The team that people questioned a week ago as to how good their 3-1 record really was…and we’re talking about the Butler Aviators….got grounded pretty good by a very good Tipp team, 42-0. No shame in that, by the way, because this is the most complete team in Matt Burgbacher’s tenure as coach. And on the road this week against 2-3 Greenville, this is an absolutely ‘must’ win for Zach Gueth’s Aviators because they still have Troy and Piqua on their schedule. For a list of reasons the Aviators should win because Greenville’s best test was their loss to Piqua. I’m picking Butler in this one, by three scores.
Stebbins @ Troy…No one has written it, because there is no local newspaper in Troy, anymore. And no one talks about it, but it is a legitimate subject for debate. Troy Everhart, at Troy, is probably the leading candidate for Coach of The Year in the MVL. The Trojans have played the toughest schedule, the argument can be made that they have improved the most, man for man, in the first five weeks, and their quarterback, Aiden Kirkpatrick, might be the leading candidate for Most Valuable Player in the conference. Kirkpatrick is not the statistical leader, but he is the efficiency leader because his balance of skills is as good as anyone’s, and he makes the Trojans go because everyone plays better around him. Stebbins is 3-2 and another team that people overlook at least once a year and come away with a loss. That won’t happen this week. Troy is one of those teams making its ascent towards a showdown with Tipp on October 17, and the post-season. The Trojans beat Stebbins by three scores, and move to 5-1.
Coldwater @ Parkway...The egg-on-our-face miss last week with their romp over Minster, Coldwater is 3-2 after tough 14-7 losses to Clinton-Massie and Anna. The Cavs are beat up a bit, but simply put, they didn’t play well in those two losses, even with people healthy. Against Parkway they’ll have more margin for error, and should get back on track this week against the struggling Panthers, who’ve yet to win a game. Coldwater, by four scores.
New Bremen needs a better week through the air against bigger, and surprising Fort Recovery.
New Bremen @ Fort Recovery…Trap game! New Bremen is 4-1 and Fort Recovery is 3-2, and a better 3-2 than you might expect, with highly competitive losses to St. Henry and Coldwater. That said, New Bremen’s loss to Marion Local last week was an aberration, and you can look it up if you don’t know what it means…a departure from their normal style of play. They had no pass rush and Marion took advantage. But I think they’re one of the legit 4-1 teams in the area, I think they’ll rectify what they weren’t last week, and the combination of Gavin Dicke, Gavin Quellhorst, and Jacob Kelly should bounce back against Recovery. Bremen’s a nice football team. That said, Recovery is playing with house money because no one expected them to be 3-2 at this point of the season. Kudos to first-year coach Wes Wenning. This is no gimme, and if Bremen thinks it is they’ve taken the bait. But in a competitive contest, I like Bremen by a couple of scores.
Troy Christian @ Covington…Covington? Why not? The Buccaneers (1-4) got off the schneid last week with a winning performance against visiting Riverside (2-3). And this week they’ve got another opportunity to pad their season against winless Troy Christian. The issues at Covington since Ty Cates left as coach has been youth, inexperience, and injuries. They dress at least 30 now, and they’re well-coached by former Minster assistant Austin Morgan. And football, despite the turnover of some old familiar names in Covington, still means a lot. Last week was a huge lift in psyche for the Buccs, and that’ll carry over this week at TC’s expense. I pick Covington to win, by four scores.
Miami East @ Northridge…East is 4-1, Northridge is 0-4, and KJ Gustin and company should have their way down on Dixie Drive. Defensively Northridge is struggling, so the Vikings should run and throw for a boatload. The Polar Bears are giving up 35 a game. And East is one of those teams we spoke of that should pull their game together with their remaining schedule. Their biggest obstacle would seem to be Lehman next week. I’m picking the Vikings this week, however, by two scores.
St. Henry’s pass game benefits greatly by having wide receiver Carter Laguire back in the lineup.
Milton Union @ Lehman…Five years ago this would have been a war. Now, Bret Pearce is reforming the brigade after a disastrous graduation class three years ago. At 1-4, Milton does not have the athletes to compete with unbeaten Lehman, but the Bulldogs are in a better state of mind after getting their first win last week against Northridge. Lehman should win this handily…I’m saying three scores.
Mississinawa @ Tri-Village…There was grumbling last week amongst some readers when I called Tri-Village and Preble Shawnee the class of the WOAC Conference, then predicted that the Patriots would ride Trey Sagester’s arm to a two-score win against 3-1 Ansonia. Sagester and company actually won it by four scores. This week Tri-Village hosts the 4-1 Mississinawa Blackhawks, and the issue here is strength of schedule. MV’s four wins have come against teams with a combined record of 2 wins and 18 losses. Sagester will throw for a bunch and Tri-Village stays unbeaten…probably by a bunch.
St. Henry @ Minster…Credit to coach Josh Werling who has coached the Redskins along to a 4-1 record, and in time for one of their best athletes, Carter Laguire, to return after missing the first four weeks with an injury. Last week Laguire made his presence felt in an impressive second half win over Anna, and that boost will be a shot in the arm on the road this week at Minster. I expect Minster to rebound after a rough start against Coldwater, but St. Henry will again prove they’re a close second to Marion Local in the MAC. Redskins move to 5-1, by at least two scores over Minster.
Versailles @ Marion Local…At 4-1 I think Versailles might be one of the teams in the MAC capable of challenging the unbeaten Flyers, seeking their 70th consecutive win this week at home. Versailles is scrappy, Landon Knapke is a durable, tough-running back, and Ethan Wilker makes plays at quarterback to extend drives and keep opposing offenses off the field, as he did against New Bremen. But Marion’s defense is the best I’ve seen in the MAC, and last week’s revelation of a passing game against New Bremen was another reminder that the Flyers are continually building. I expect this game to by physical because Versailles and Marion can mix it up. But Marion has more weapons, and they’re rapidly improving in their deployment of those weapons. I expect #70 to happen…Marion, by at least two scores. You simply can’t pick against them at this point.
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