Frontier Athletic Conference Football: Week 1 Preview
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The first week of the 2018 high school football season is here, and on Friday and Saturday night, the “Boys of Fall” return to the gridiron to get things rolling for at least the next 10 weeks. For the Frontier Athletic Conference, the league enters its second season, and for the the six teams on the FAC roster, they begin what will be five consecutive weeks of non-conference action.
Last season, the Chillicothe Cavaliers and Jackson Ironmen represented the FAC in the playoffs. They also played for the conference championship in Week 10 last season, with the Cavaliers winning the championship – their first conference title in football since 1990 when they were the Ohio Capital Conference champions.
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This season, the title is once again up for grabs with the Cavaliers and Ironmen in the driver’s seat, but also keep an eye on the Washington Blue Lions as they too could make some noise in the conference this season.
Listed below are previews for all six FAC schools and their Week 1 football matchups.
• HILLSBORO INDIANS at WESTERN BROWN
The Hillsboro Indians enter the 2018 season coming off their best season in nearly a decade when they went 7-3. Though a majority of the team is back this season, depth could be an issue for the Indians as they have around 38 players in their program this season.
That said, the Indians defeated the Western Brown Broncos, 55-34, in ’17, but before last season’s win, the last time Hillsboro had defeated the Broncos was the 2010 season when Hillsboro won by a 35-34 score.
Hillsboro returns a core of their offense with the likes of starting quarterback Mason Swayne and running backs Josh Keets and Deon Burns, as all three are back for their senior seasons. The offensive line also has some experience. The same can be said about those players returning on defense, too. What to watch for with Hillsboro is the play of the wide receivers and how they progress in 2018.
“Josh Keets makes our offense go, and it is great having a player like him in our backfield,” Hillsboro head coach Jack O’Rourke said this preseason. “We will need another big year out of him for our team to be successful.”
Hillsboro played well in their scrimmages, coming off their final scrimmage against Batavia where HHS dominated the preseason game.
For Western Brown, they struggled last season, finishing 2-8 overall with their wins a year ago coming against Ross and Batavia. The Broncos return some of their top players in ’18, including senior quarterback Josh Taylor, who passed for 2,120 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Taylor also led the Broncos in rushing a season ago with 536 yards and five touchdowns on 109 carries, including two games of 100-plus yards. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
The game at Western Brown is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time.
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• MCCLAIN TIGERS at ADENA WARRIORS
The McClain Tigers’ last varsity football win came against the Adena Warriors back in Week 1 of the 2016 season when MHS won by a 34-21 score at AHS. Last season, the Warriors won at McClain by a score of 27-0. In the past five meetings, the Tigers have won three times.
For the Tigers this season, a lot has changed with McClain hiring a new head coach in Jake Orr-Zody, who replaced Jeremey Andrews, who was the MHS head coach from 2015-17. The Tigers have over 40 players on their roster this season as they work to break a 19-game losing streak.
Even though last season was a winless year for McClain, they are still back on the field and working toward the goal of getting the program back on track. The Tigers have to replace their top quarterback from last season and their top two rushers from a season ago as well.
“It’s been a positive transition,” Orr-Zody said this preseason of going from an assistant coach at McClain to becoming a first-year head coach. “The support from the community and administration has been tremendous. It's been an extremely busy summer. We're working on things to help all of our programs here.”
Adena went 2-8 a season ago, winning against McClain and Huntington. For the ’17 season, the Warriors totaled 150 points and allowed 273.
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• MIAMI TRACE PANTHERS vs. CIRCLEVILLE TIGERS
It was a tough year for the Miami Trace Panthers in 2017, winning just once in their 10 weeks of football. This year, the Panthers are still a young program, having just six seniors as they try to turn around their fortunes.
To do so, the Panthers are facing a Circleville Tigers team that is coming off a 4-6 season, including a win over the Panthers last season by a 41-14 score. Miami Trace last defeated the Tigers in 2016 when MT won by a 51-12 score.
MT head coach Jerry Williams spoke about the expectations he has for the Panthers in an interview this preseason:
“Our expectation truly is to go out and win game one and get better each and every week. That’s what we’ve got to do,” Williams said. “We fully expect to improve upon last year’s performance and get better this year.”
This game is one of the oldest rivalries in Ohio high school football, and though both teams are coming off seasons they would rather forget, these two storied programs are working to get back to the level they are accustomed to playing.
Last season, the Panthers finished 1-9 overall.
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• JACKSON IRONMEN vs. WELLSTON GOLDEN ROCKETS
Jackson was one win away from earning the Frontier Athletic Conference championship last year. This season, the goal of winning the conference championship and returning to the playoffs remains the same, but they’ll work toward that goal once again with an offensive line that has speed, plus changes at other spots in their offensive and defensive lineups.
Jackson is coming off an 8-3 season, including a playoff game. Earlier this preseason, JHS head coach Andy Hall spoke about his team defense:
“I feel like this is one of the fastest defenses we’ve had, and our defense will be the strength of the team early on in the season,” Jackson head coach Andy Hall said.
Last season, the Ironmen scored 336 points and allowed 176 points en route to the playoffs in their first season in the FAC.
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• WASHINGTON BLUE LIONS at BLANCHESTER WILDCATS
The Washington Blue Lions start the season on the road this Friday night, traveling to Clinton County to take on the Blanchester Wildcats. Washington enters this game with some new faces and players starting at the skill positions, including having a new starting quarterback in Gio Thomas and Dillon Steward being a wide receiver this season.
Washington also has a new defensive coordinator in Corey Dye, while head coach Chuck Williamson returns for his third season with the Blue Lions.
Last season, the Blue Lions — who were 5-5 in 2017 — outscored their opponents, 294-256 (nine games, won one game via forfeit), and in three games in ’17, Washington lost by 10 or fewer points.
Before the start of the season, Coach Williamson spoke about how his team is doing the third year with his system installed:
“They’re more familiar with what we’re doing. It’s their third year in the system. Now they don’t have to think at all – they just go,” Williamson said. “They know we’re an up-tempo team. We’ve got some weapons out there. If we take care of the ball, we feel we should be pretty good offensively.”
In their meeting last year, also in Week 1, the Blue Lions defeated Blanchester, 42-26 in a game played at Gardner Park.
For this game, look for the Blue Lions to use their athleticism to their advantage.
As for the Wildcats, they were 5-5 last season, scoring 286 points while allowing 234. Four of their five wins a season ago were in SBAAC action, allowing 49 points in those games. They are coached by Brandon Sammons.
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• CHILLICOTHE CAVALIERS vs. TEAYS VALLEY VIKINGS
The Chillicothe Cavaliers start their path toward earning a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive year, and if they do so, their senior class would be the first group to achieve that feat in school history. Getting there begins with a home game against the Teays Valley Vikings.
Last season, Teays Valley went 8-2 overall, outscoring their opponents, 346-124.
In ’17, the Vikings defeated Chillicothe in Week 3 by a 31-27 score, as CHS eventually finished 8-3 overall, reached the playoffs and won the first FAC football championship. The Cavs last season also scored 375 points and allowed 269 points.
CHS will have a different look offensively after losing some of their top All-Ohio players to graduation, but it is time for a new group of players to make their mark on the roster, beginning with Week 1.
Chillicothe head coach Ron Hinton said the following about his offensive line this preseason:
“The strong part is we should be much better – even though we graduated some kids – up front. We basically return four of our five starters,” Hinton said. “Pat Rourke could play center, could play guard. Sophomores Ray Byers and Drew Seymour, those guys can play multiple positions, and if somebody goes down, one of those guys is going to go in.”
Last season, the Chillicothe Cavaliers and Jackson Ironmen represented the FAC in the playoffs. They also played for the conference championship in Week 10 last season, with the Cavaliers winning the championship – their first conference title in football since 1990 when they were the Ohio Capital Conference champions.
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This season, the title is once again up for grabs with the Cavaliers and Ironmen in the driver’s seat, but also keep an eye on the Washington Blue Lions as they too could make some noise in the conference this season.
Listed below are previews for all six FAC schools and their Week 1 football matchups.
• HILLSBORO INDIANS at WESTERN BROWN
The Hillsboro Indians enter the 2018 season coming off their best season in nearly a decade when they went 7-3. Though a majority of the team is back this season, depth could be an issue for the Indians as they have around 38 players in their program this season.
That said, the Indians defeated the Western Brown Broncos, 55-34, in ’17, but before last season’s win, the last time Hillsboro had defeated the Broncos was the 2010 season when Hillsboro won by a 35-34 score.
Hillsboro returns a core of their offense with the likes of starting quarterback Mason Swayne and running backs Josh Keets and Deon Burns, as all three are back for their senior seasons. The offensive line also has some experience. The same can be said about those players returning on defense, too. What to watch for with Hillsboro is the play of the wide receivers and how they progress in 2018.
“Josh Keets makes our offense go, and it is great having a player like him in our backfield,” Hillsboro head coach Jack O’Rourke said this preseason. “We will need another big year out of him for our team to be successful.”
Hillsboro played well in their scrimmages, coming off their final scrimmage against Batavia where HHS dominated the preseason game.
For Western Brown, they struggled last season, finishing 2-8 overall with their wins a year ago coming against Ross and Batavia. The Broncos return some of their top players in ’18, including senior quarterback Josh Taylor, who passed for 2,120 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Taylor also led the Broncos in rushing a season ago with 536 yards and five touchdowns on 109 carries, including two games of 100-plus yards. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
The game at Western Brown is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time.
- - - - -
• MCCLAIN TIGERS at ADENA WARRIORS
The McClain Tigers’ last varsity football win came against the Adena Warriors back in Week 1 of the 2016 season when MHS won by a 34-21 score at AHS. Last season, the Warriors won at McClain by a score of 27-0. In the past five meetings, the Tigers have won three times.
For the Tigers this season, a lot has changed with McClain hiring a new head coach in Jake Orr-Zody, who replaced Jeremey Andrews, who was the MHS head coach from 2015-17. The Tigers have over 40 players on their roster this season as they work to break a 19-game losing streak.
Even though last season was a winless year for McClain, they are still back on the field and working toward the goal of getting the program back on track. The Tigers have to replace their top quarterback from last season and their top two rushers from a season ago as well.
“It’s been a positive transition,” Orr-Zody said this preseason of going from an assistant coach at McClain to becoming a first-year head coach. “The support from the community and administration has been tremendous. It's been an extremely busy summer. We're working on things to help all of our programs here.”
Adena went 2-8 a season ago, winning against McClain and Huntington. For the ’17 season, the Warriors totaled 150 points and allowed 273.
———————
• MIAMI TRACE PANTHERS vs. CIRCLEVILLE TIGERS
It was a tough year for the Miami Trace Panthers in 2017, winning just once in their 10 weeks of football. This year, the Panthers are still a young program, having just six seniors as they try to turn around their fortunes.
To do so, the Panthers are facing a Circleville Tigers team that is coming off a 4-6 season, including a win over the Panthers last season by a 41-14 score. Miami Trace last defeated the Tigers in 2016 when MT won by a 51-12 score.
MT head coach Jerry Williams spoke about the expectations he has for the Panthers in an interview this preseason:
“Our expectation truly is to go out and win game one and get better each and every week. That’s what we’ve got to do,” Williams said. “We fully expect to improve upon last year’s performance and get better this year.”
This game is one of the oldest rivalries in Ohio high school football, and though both teams are coming off seasons they would rather forget, these two storied programs are working to get back to the level they are accustomed to playing.
Last season, the Panthers finished 1-9 overall.
- - - - -
• JACKSON IRONMEN vs. WELLSTON GOLDEN ROCKETS
Jackson was one win away from earning the Frontier Athletic Conference championship last year. This season, the goal of winning the conference championship and returning to the playoffs remains the same, but they’ll work toward that goal once again with an offensive line that has speed, plus changes at other spots in their offensive and defensive lineups.
Jackson is coming off an 8-3 season, including a playoff game. Earlier this preseason, JHS head coach Andy Hall spoke about his team defense:
“I feel like this is one of the fastest defenses we’ve had, and our defense will be the strength of the team early on in the season,” Jackson head coach Andy Hall said.
Last season, the Ironmen scored 336 points and allowed 176 points en route to the playoffs in their first season in the FAC.
- - - - - -
• WASHINGTON BLUE LIONS at BLANCHESTER WILDCATS
The Washington Blue Lions start the season on the road this Friday night, traveling to Clinton County to take on the Blanchester Wildcats. Washington enters this game with some new faces and players starting at the skill positions, including having a new starting quarterback in Gio Thomas and Dillon Steward being a wide receiver this season.
Washington also has a new defensive coordinator in Corey Dye, while head coach Chuck Williamson returns for his third season with the Blue Lions.
Last season, the Blue Lions — who were 5-5 in 2017 — outscored their opponents, 294-256 (nine games, won one game via forfeit), and in three games in ’17, Washington lost by 10 or fewer points.
Before the start of the season, Coach Williamson spoke about how his team is doing the third year with his system installed:
“They’re more familiar with what we’re doing. It’s their third year in the system. Now they don’t have to think at all – they just go,” Williamson said. “They know we’re an up-tempo team. We’ve got some weapons out there. If we take care of the ball, we feel we should be pretty good offensively.”
In their meeting last year, also in Week 1, the Blue Lions defeated Blanchester, 42-26 in a game played at Gardner Park.
For this game, look for the Blue Lions to use their athleticism to their advantage.
As for the Wildcats, they were 5-5 last season, scoring 286 points while allowing 234. Four of their five wins a season ago were in SBAAC action, allowing 49 points in those games. They are coached by Brandon Sammons.
- - - - -
• CHILLICOTHE CAVALIERS vs. TEAYS VALLEY VIKINGS
The Chillicothe Cavaliers start their path toward earning a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive year, and if they do so, their senior class would be the first group to achieve that feat in school history. Getting there begins with a home game against the Teays Valley Vikings.
Last season, Teays Valley went 8-2 overall, outscoring their opponents, 346-124.
In ’17, the Vikings defeated Chillicothe in Week 3 by a 31-27 score, as CHS eventually finished 8-3 overall, reached the playoffs and won the first FAC football championship. The Cavs last season also scored 375 points and allowed 269 points.
CHS will have a different look offensively after losing some of their top All-Ohio players to graduation, but it is time for a new group of players to make their mark on the roster, beginning with Week 1.
Chillicothe head coach Ron Hinton said the following about his offensive line this preseason:
“The strong part is we should be much better – even though we graduated some kids – up front. We basically return four of our five starters,” Hinton said. “Pat Rourke could play center, could play guard. Sophomores Ray Byers and Drew Seymour, those guys can play multiple positions, and if somebody goes down, one of those guys is going to go in.”