SCOL Football Notebook: Week 1

The “Boys of Fall” are back on the gridiron this week in games that count, with the kickoff of the ’16 high school football season taking place over the next few days all throughout the state.

Play in the South Central Ohio League begins Friday, as the SCOL kicks off their final season before disbanding for the third time in the history of the league with all eight teams in action.

That includes the 10-time consecutive league champion Clinton-Massie Falcons, who have a 52-game SCOL winning streak headed into this season, plus an overall record of 64-7 the past five seasons combined. A trip to the playoffs for CM this season would be their 15th consecutive.

CM are the favorites to win the league again this season, but also keep an eye on the Wilmington Hurricane to be possibly the toughest challengers of the Falcons in the league this season.

As for this season-opening week, all of the SCOL games are all non-league, with five of the eight teams on the road. The schedule includes:

- Hillsboro at Western Brown
- McClain at Adena
- Washington at Northridge
- Circleville at Miami Trace
- Clinton-Massie at Blanchester
- Johnstown-Monroe at Chillicothe
- Little Miami at Wilmington
- East Clinton at Batavia.


• A look at the SCOL Openers

Being this is the final fall football season before the SCOL disbands, it is a bittersweet year for area sports fans. Even with five of the current eight SCOL teams being in a yet-to-be-named league next season, it won’t be the same without the Clinton County schools.

That said, let’s enjoy this final SCOL season before we all jump into something new next season and take a look at the Week 1 matchups for the eight league schools.

- Hillsboro Indians (0-0) at Western Brown Broncos (0-0)
The last time the Hillsboro Indians defeated the Western Brown Broncos, the current senior class were sixth graders, as that victory came in 2010 when the Indians won by a single point at Richards Memorial Field, 35-34.

Since then, the Indians haven’t scored more than 14 points in a game against the Broncos, who are historically known for their pass first, pass second and pass third offensive scheme, with HHS averaging 7.6 points per game (38 points) against Western Brown since the ’11 season. In that same span (five games) the Broncos are averaging 42.6 ppg (213 points).

It will be an interesting game for sure for the Indians, as there is some unknown with this team having new faces on the roster, but having an improved preseason compared to other years. This game will also be the first season the Tribe has Jack O’Rourke as their head coach, so it will be interesting to see how the Indians do with a new head coach leading the way.


- McClain Tigers (0-0) at Adena Warriors (0-0)
This should be a exciting non-league game for the two Week 1 foes, as this is an annual matchup that has taken place for many years. Since ’04, the Warriors hold the win-loss advantage over the Tigers, with AHS winning eight times and the Tigers four times in that time frame. The Tigers last won this matchup in ’13, when they won by a 47-21 score.

The past two seasons, the Warriors have won by scores of 25-22 (’14) and last season at 41-34. What will be neat about this game is the fact former McClain defensive coordinator John Penwell is now the head coach of the Warriors, giving this rivalry a little extra “bragging rights,” so to speak.

McClain and the Warriors played closely last year as it came down to the fourth quarter, and with both teams having to replace good rushing attacks from last season, this game could be up for grabs for a second straight season.


- Washington Blue Lions (0-0) at Northridge Vikings (0-0)
The Washington Blue Lions have a sign hanging in their locker room that says 1-0, and that is their goal this Friday night when they begin their season on the road in Johnstown. Having a new head coach in Chuck Williamson and a new, quicker offense, the Blue Lions will look like a different team this season.

The Vikings were 4-6 last year with a team that had five seniors, and the Blue Lions are coming off a season where they also went 4-6, including a loss to Northridge, 14-7 to open last season.

The Blue Lions been working on inserting a new offensive and defensive system, and with Coach Williamson having a platoon on offense and defense, Blue Lions team is one that many should be interested in seeing just exactly what they will be like this season. Week 1 will give all of us a chance to see how the changes are going.


- Miami Trace Panthers (0-0) vs. Circleville Tigers (0-0)
This is one of the best non-league rivalry games around, with Circleville winning last year by a 41-21 score at their home field.

What will be the thing to watch this season for the Panthers is how much they improve from last season, a year they went 3-7 overall and a season when they didn’t win a non-league game.

MT has a different look this season compared to last year (with players who didn’t play last season returning) and should be an improved football team. It would be a surprise if the scoring differential would be 20 points in favor of CHS once again this year.

The theme of this matchup since ’12 has been the winner of this game has scored at least 41 points, with CHS and MT each winning two of the past four meetings, and since ’10, the two teams have split the series 3-3.


- Clinton-Massie Falcons (0-0) at Blanchester Wildcats (0-0)
The Clinton-Massie Falcons are facing Blanchester for the final time as members of different conferences this season, because in ’17, CM will be joining the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC).

This game is for the Cider Keg, a keg the Falcons have had possession of for the past nine seasons, as this is the 52nd edition of this game. Last year, the Falcons defeated Blanchester, 51-7, and since ’10, the Falcons have won by no less than 34 points and no more than 56 points. In that five-season span, CM has shut out the Wildcats twice (’12, ’14).

CM is looking to reach the state playoffs for a 15th consecutive season, and this is the start of that path.


- Chillicothe Cavaliers (0-0) vs. Johnstown-Monroe (0-0)
The new-look Chillicothe Cavaliers will be taking the field with a different starting lineup than last year’s team that reached the playoffs, but if there is one coaching staff that can get a new roster ready, it is one led by legendary head coach Ron Hinton.

The Cavaliers opened last season at Johnstown-Monroe and lost by a 14-7 score. In fact, they opened the season 0-2, only to win seven of their next eight regular-season games to finish 7-3 in the regular season and qualify for the playoffs.

These two teams have opened the season for the past three years with Johnstown-Monroe winning the aforementioned ’15 meeting and also winning in ’14 by a 28-14 score. The Cavs won this matchup in ’13 by a 20-7 score.


- Wilmington Hurricane (0-0) vs. Little Miami Panthers (0-0)
The Hurricane have won this matchup for the past seven seasons, either as league foes or lately as non-league opponents. WHS won this game last year by a 48-26 score and since ’11 have scored no fewer than 42 points in this meeting, that coming in ’13.

In their past five meetings, the Hurricane have outscored Little Miami, 232-73, scoring an average of 46.4 points per game vs. the Panthers, while allowing 14.6 ppg. since ’11.

The Hurricane are one of the most athletic teams in the SCOL, and Friday night will be the first step in their quest to reach the playoffs for the first time since ’09.


- East Clinton Astros (0-0) at Batavia Bulldogs (0-0)
These two teams have faced each other the past two seasons to begin play, with the Astros winning last season 25-19 and the Bulldogs winning in ’14 at 26-9.

This season, the game is an away game for EC, but if they stay healthy, they should be able to compete in this game just like they did the first two games last season where they won before having their top player Anthony Osburn injured in Week 2.

It could be an exciting year for the Astros, because if their health can stay on point, they can compete against a good amount of teams on their schedule to an equal level. The senior class wants to go out on a competitive note, and it starts with this game at Batavia.


• Week 1 for the Scioto Valley Conference and others

The Paint Valley Bearcats opened their ’16 season on Thursday night with a 21-6 win at Hughes in non-conference action. As for the rest of the SVC, here is what their Week 1 slate looks like:

- Paint Valley 21, Hughes 6
- Teays Valley at Westfall
- Vinton County at Unioto
- Southeastern at Northwest
- Logan Elm at Zane Trace
- McClain at Adena
- Huntington at Berne Union
- Waverly at Piketon


• What I’m Thinking
As many of you know, I’m a football fanatic, and this week is one of the best weeks of the year because it kicks off the high school football season. I’ve already watched “Friday Night Lights,” I’ve traveled to meet with or spoken to each SCOL football coach, and now it is time for the games to count.

If you haven’t already, pick up a free copy of the 2016 First and Ten High School Football Preview and use it as a reference all season long. Enjoy this season, as a lot is on the horizon to change next year.

Don’t take any of this for granted … make memories that will last a lifetime and enjoy Friday night.