High School Football Notebook: Week 1 FAC Preview
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For some, the 2019 high school football season has already started, and for everyone else, it will start either on Friday night or no later than Saturday night. For the Frontier Athletic Conference, that is the case as well, with five of the six teams playing Friday and another starting their season the following evening on Saturday.
The co-FAC champion Hillsboro Indians return to Richards Memorial Field for the first time since Week 9 of last season as they are scheduled to host the Western Brown Broncos of the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference. The rest of the FAC schedule looks like this:
• McClain vs. Adena
• Washington vs. Blanchester
• Chillicothe at Teays Valley
• Miami Trace at Circleville
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Saturday, Aug. 31
• Jackson vs. Wellston
Those games do draw much interest, especially in Week 1 of the high school season, where anything can happen because of the unknown of what teams can do during actual in-game situations. These games mean something and are no longer preseason scrimmages, and they will eventually matter when playoff calculations are of great importance.
This is also the third year of the FAC, and for its first two years of existence there have been three champions, with Chillicothe winning the first title in 2017 and last season Jackson and Hillsboro sharing the co-championship.
Also in those first two seasons, no team has gone undefeated in conference play, as all three champions have finished 4-1 in their championship seasons. Of all the teams to make the playoffs as a member of the FAC, each team has yet to win in the playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, two teams from the FAC qualified for the playoffs last season (Hillsboro and Jackson), and four of the six teams in the conference finished the ’18 season with a record of over .500. Those teams were Hillsboro (9-2), Jackson (7-4), Chillicothe (7-3) and Washington (7-3).
Entering the ’19 season, those four teams are seemingly the top four teams going into the regular season from the FAC.
Hillsboro lost a good number of players from their high-scoring offense from last season, and those same players also made a difference on the defensive side of the ball, too. Jackson returns many from their starting lineup a year ago, having a veteran team, so they should be the favorites to win the conference.
Chillicothe has a new head coach, and they also lost many talented players to graduation, and the Washington Blue Lions had a lot of their players who scored many points and totaled many yards graduate or transfer.
Miami Trace is an interesting team too because they are in the mood to improve their team from last season and it will be exciting to watch their progression. The McClain Tigers are rebuilding their program, and with some new faces in the starting lineup, they could have some big plays like they had in their jamboree scrimmage against Piketon last Friday night.
Below are quick thoughts on each of the six FAC games for the weekend:
• Hillsboro vs. Western Brown — This is usually a fun matchup between the two schools, and for the past two seasons, the game has seen the Indians win on both occasions. In ’17, the Indians won 55-34, and last season HHS won by a 30-28 score. Hillsboro is also looking to gain their third consecutive winning season but will have to do so with a new starting quarterback and running back, but for Hillsboro, those two players in Justin Spears and Mark Gallimore are very capable of leading the offense in ’19.
Remember, though, the Indians did lose an All-Ohio running back in Josh Keets (1,200 yards rushing) to graduation, and All-District running back Deon Burns (800-plus yards rushing). The great thing for the Indians is Gallimore had a excellent ’18 season where he too had 800-plus yards rushing and is very capable of bringing excitement to the Indians as the featured back for his senior year.
As for Western Brown, according to the The News Democrat Brown County High School Football Preview edition, the Broncos are also with a new quarterback in Keegan Collins, but they have returning for his senior season wide receiver Yani Williams, who caught for over 1,000 yards in ’18.
• McClain vs. Adena — This should be an interesting measuring stick for the Tigers as they continue their rebuild of their program under second-year head coach Jake Orr-Zody and his coaching staff. The Tigers played well at times in their final scrimmage against Piketon last Friday, and it was easy to see they have big-play potential with their quarterback duo, as senior Garrison Banks made an outstanding run in the scrimmage that was called back due a penalty flag.
Adena won this meeting last season by a 31-15 score and have defeated the Tigers the past two seasons in their season opener, with MHS last winning this game in ’16.
No matter who wins or loses in Week 1, this is the greatest time of the year for a football fan because of the unknown that awaits, as the excitement has built all season long.
• Washington vs. Blanchester — The Blue Lions won this game last season, but this year their offense has a whole new look with many of those players responsible no longer on their roster. Washington could take a few moments to get used to playing in in-game action, but they are also a team to not overlook this season because during the preseason, their defense looked quick. The Blue Lions have a goal to make the playoffs, and to do so they will have to improve on their seven-win season from last year, and that starts Friday night.
A player to watch for the Blue Lions is new quarterback Ethan Rogers-Wright, and defensively the linebackers will be the key to their success in ’19, and Week 1 against Blanchester is where it all begins.
• Chillicothe at Teays Valley — Like others in the conference, the Cavaliers have many changes to their lineup too. They have a new head coach in Doug Pryor, and their offense will be changed too with a new quarterback. The Cavs lost a few All-Ohio players from their roster too, so they will be a team with some intrigue early on this season, but they are still capable of gaining wins along the way.
• Miami Trace at Circleville — This is a game where the Panthers are capable of opening their season with a victory. Last season wasn’t what any Miami Trace team wanted with two wins, but this year the Panthers do have more experience with the players returning that were a part of that team, and they also have a new quarterback this season.
Some of the players the Panthers will look to in ’19 for offensive success are Dalton Mayer at quarterback, center Aidan Kingery, running back Caden Sweitzer and tight end Andrew Amore.
• Jackson vs. Wellston — Rivalries in high school football are great, but sometimes they do come to an end or take an extended break. That is the case this Saturday night with the Ironmen of Jackson and the Wellston Golden Rockets. This will be the 105th and final meeting between the two schools for the foreseeable future, and one that some don’t want to see end.
The Ironmen are favorites to win this game, as they have won most of the recent meetings between the two programs who are less than 10 miles apart from each other. Last season, Jackson won 54-14 over the Golden Rockets.
This season, the Ironmen are expected to do great things, but they also have a challenging schedule. They have a excellent group of returning players, especially third-year starting quarterback Jared Icenhower, and four strong senior running backs, plus an offensive line that plays well. Actually, the entire offense of Jackson is said to be strong, with most returning from last season, so that should put them ahead of some teams on their schedule in ’19.
If you want to read more about the upcoming football season, click here for the digital edition of the 2019 First and Ten High School Football Preview with in-depth previews for all the FAC teams, and previews of the FAC, Scioto Valley Conference (SVC) and the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC).
The co-FAC champion Hillsboro Indians return to Richards Memorial Field for the first time since Week 9 of last season as they are scheduled to host the Western Brown Broncos of the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference. The rest of the FAC schedule looks like this:
• McClain vs. Adena
• Washington vs. Blanchester
• Chillicothe at Teays Valley
• Miami Trace at Circleville
[[In-content Ad]]
Saturday, Aug. 31
• Jackson vs. Wellston
Those games do draw much interest, especially in Week 1 of the high school season, where anything can happen because of the unknown of what teams can do during actual in-game situations. These games mean something and are no longer preseason scrimmages, and they will eventually matter when playoff calculations are of great importance.
This is also the third year of the FAC, and for its first two years of existence there have been three champions, with Chillicothe winning the first title in 2017 and last season Jackson and Hillsboro sharing the co-championship.
Also in those first two seasons, no team has gone undefeated in conference play, as all three champions have finished 4-1 in their championship seasons. Of all the teams to make the playoffs as a member of the FAC, each team has yet to win in the playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, two teams from the FAC qualified for the playoffs last season (Hillsboro and Jackson), and four of the six teams in the conference finished the ’18 season with a record of over .500. Those teams were Hillsboro (9-2), Jackson (7-4), Chillicothe (7-3) and Washington (7-3).
Entering the ’19 season, those four teams are seemingly the top four teams going into the regular season from the FAC.
Hillsboro lost a good number of players from their high-scoring offense from last season, and those same players also made a difference on the defensive side of the ball, too. Jackson returns many from their starting lineup a year ago, having a veteran team, so they should be the favorites to win the conference.
Chillicothe has a new head coach, and they also lost many talented players to graduation, and the Washington Blue Lions had a lot of their players who scored many points and totaled many yards graduate or transfer.
Miami Trace is an interesting team too because they are in the mood to improve their team from last season and it will be exciting to watch their progression. The McClain Tigers are rebuilding their program, and with some new faces in the starting lineup, they could have some big plays like they had in their jamboree scrimmage against Piketon last Friday night.
Below are quick thoughts on each of the six FAC games for the weekend:
• Hillsboro vs. Western Brown — This is usually a fun matchup between the two schools, and for the past two seasons, the game has seen the Indians win on both occasions. In ’17, the Indians won 55-34, and last season HHS won by a 30-28 score. Hillsboro is also looking to gain their third consecutive winning season but will have to do so with a new starting quarterback and running back, but for Hillsboro, those two players in Justin Spears and Mark Gallimore are very capable of leading the offense in ’19.
Remember, though, the Indians did lose an All-Ohio running back in Josh Keets (1,200 yards rushing) to graduation, and All-District running back Deon Burns (800-plus yards rushing). The great thing for the Indians is Gallimore had a excellent ’18 season where he too had 800-plus yards rushing and is very capable of bringing excitement to the Indians as the featured back for his senior year.
As for Western Brown, according to the The News Democrat Brown County High School Football Preview edition, the Broncos are also with a new quarterback in Keegan Collins, but they have returning for his senior season wide receiver Yani Williams, who caught for over 1,000 yards in ’18.
• McClain vs. Adena — This should be an interesting measuring stick for the Tigers as they continue their rebuild of their program under second-year head coach Jake Orr-Zody and his coaching staff. The Tigers played well at times in their final scrimmage against Piketon last Friday, and it was easy to see they have big-play potential with their quarterback duo, as senior Garrison Banks made an outstanding run in the scrimmage that was called back due a penalty flag.
Adena won this meeting last season by a 31-15 score and have defeated the Tigers the past two seasons in their season opener, with MHS last winning this game in ’16.
No matter who wins or loses in Week 1, this is the greatest time of the year for a football fan because of the unknown that awaits, as the excitement has built all season long.
• Washington vs. Blanchester — The Blue Lions won this game last season, but this year their offense has a whole new look with many of those players responsible no longer on their roster. Washington could take a few moments to get used to playing in in-game action, but they are also a team to not overlook this season because during the preseason, their defense looked quick. The Blue Lions have a goal to make the playoffs, and to do so they will have to improve on their seven-win season from last year, and that starts Friday night.
A player to watch for the Blue Lions is new quarterback Ethan Rogers-Wright, and defensively the linebackers will be the key to their success in ’19, and Week 1 against Blanchester is where it all begins.
• Chillicothe at Teays Valley — Like others in the conference, the Cavaliers have many changes to their lineup too. They have a new head coach in Doug Pryor, and their offense will be changed too with a new quarterback. The Cavs lost a few All-Ohio players from their roster too, so they will be a team with some intrigue early on this season, but they are still capable of gaining wins along the way.
• Miami Trace at Circleville — This is a game where the Panthers are capable of opening their season with a victory. Last season wasn’t what any Miami Trace team wanted with two wins, but this year the Panthers do have more experience with the players returning that were a part of that team, and they also have a new quarterback this season.
Some of the players the Panthers will look to in ’19 for offensive success are Dalton Mayer at quarterback, center Aidan Kingery, running back Caden Sweitzer and tight end Andrew Amore.
• Jackson vs. Wellston — Rivalries in high school football are great, but sometimes they do come to an end or take an extended break. That is the case this Saturday night with the Ironmen of Jackson and the Wellston Golden Rockets. This will be the 105th and final meeting between the two schools for the foreseeable future, and one that some don’t want to see end.
The Ironmen are favorites to win this game, as they have won most of the recent meetings between the two programs who are less than 10 miles apart from each other. Last season, Jackson won 54-14 over the Golden Rockets.
This season, the Ironmen are expected to do great things, but they also have a challenging schedule. They have a excellent group of returning players, especially third-year starting quarterback Jared Icenhower, and four strong senior running backs, plus an offensive line that plays well. Actually, the entire offense of Jackson is said to be strong, with most returning from last season, so that should put them ahead of some teams on their schedule in ’19.
If you want to read more about the upcoming football season, click here for the digital edition of the 2019 First and Ten High School Football Preview with in-depth previews for all the FAC teams, and previews of the FAC, Scioto Valley Conference (SVC) and the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC).