Division I
After a last second hail mary loss to Cade Rice and Northmont, the Springboro Panthers rattled off two straight wins against Beavercreek and Centerville. But when they collided with Te’Sean Smoot and the high-powered Springfield offense, things fell apart. The Panthers were then upset last week by Fairmont who knocked them off 10-7 off of a late field goal.
This Springboro offense, led by Navy commit Titan Case, Kahleel Trent, and Moise Armbruster will need to take every opportunity they can get against a Findlay defense that has let up 70 points over four games this season.
Miamisburg has been very inconsistent this season. After a win over Beavercreek, the Vikings haven’t won a game since. They’ve had very close losses to Wayne and Fairmont. Then two weeks ago, Northmont made an incredible comeback to snatch ‘Burg’s chances at an upset. Last week they fell 42-0 to Centerville are looking to avenge that loss with a big time upset over a strong Olentangy Liberty team.
They will need to force turnovers and force the Patriots into mistakes. Both Corwyn Hurt and Michael Ethridge are tied for second in the GWOC for interceptions. They will need to be big factors on Friday in order for Miamisburg to pull off the upset.
Fairmont got a statement win last week as they knocked off Springboro 10-7 off of a last second field goal by Will Holt. The Firebirds will now have to make the two and half hour bus ride north to take on Perrysburg. The Yellow Jackets are a suburb of Toledo and play smaller schools similar to the likes of McNicholas and Alter.
A bigger school like Fairmont with the speed of Keon Wright and the power of Tank Gant will be a lot to handle. With a solid defense, those two players will be the key to Fairmont coming home victorious on Friday.
The game of the week Friday will be a rematch of a thriller from earlier this year. Can Fancher and the Wayne Warriors will host Chase Harrison and the Centerville Elks for what should be a great game. Wayne is coming off of a controversial loss last week to Northmont where many Wayne players thought they were robbed of a GWOC title. With that motivation, Wayne has a lot to play for Friday. Quarterback Cam Fancher is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the GWOC and is a problem for any defense. His running-backs Ray Greene and Jordan Ward have both played well this season and have given Wayne a solid two-dimensional offense.
After a last second touchdown, Centerville’s season felt as if it was derailed. The Elks also fell the following week to Springboro. It appears Centerville is playing their best football at the right time though. The Elks have won two straight including a 42-0 shutout against Miamisburg last week. Quarterback Chase Harrison who currently holds offers from Louisville and Toledo threw for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns in the big win. It will take a strong defensive performance for Centerville to stop the Wayne train and move onto round two.
Division II
Xenia finished 1-5 in the regular season and last in the MVL Valley division. Despite that, the Buccaneers will come into Friday’s game looking to takedown the 3-3 Tecumseh Arrows. Xenia quarterback Tremell Wright has proved that he is one of the best running quarterbacks in the MVL this season as he has rushed for almost 300 yards in 6 games a QB.
Tecumseh’s offense is centered around their talented duo of running backs in Wyatt Ferguson and Braden Berner. Tecumseh will need to win the turnover battle and control the line to win this game and advance to the next round to face Winton Woods.
West Carrollton has had one of the most unusual seasons in their team’s history. Only playing 4 regular seasons games due to COVID-19, the Pirates have struggled. With all of the distractions, West Carrollton still has the talent to make something happen. Three-star quarterback Kamaury Cleveland has proven himself as one of the top passers in the Dayton area and running back Tyron Darby is also making a name for himself.
That well rounded West Carrollton offense will have to go up against an even more talented Sidney offense. The Yellow Jackets are led by quarterback Cedric Johnson who currently leads the MVL in passing yards. Defensive back Devin Taborn in also second in the MVL in tackles. The winner of this matchup will face Stebbins next week.
Divison III
This matchup will feature a pair of teams that love to throw the ball. Northwest quarterback Jaheim Cherry has over 1,100+ passing yards and leads the SWOC. C-J quarterback Luke Chandler leads the GCL Co-Ed with 700+ passing yards. C-J receiver Kenyon Owens has dominated defenses this year as well as he also leads the GCL Co-Ed in receiving yards. This game has the potential to be a very high scoring one as both teams have let up a lot of points this season.