SCOL Football Notebook: Week 7
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This week is one of the more interesting weeks of the South Central Ohio League football season, especially with a good rivalry matchup in Washington C.H. and another good league game in Madison County with not only league standings on the line, but possible shots at playing in the postseason on the line, as one more loss by any of those four teams pretty much seals the fate of a 10-game season in '12.
My game of the week resides in Fayette County with the Washington Blue Lions hosting the McClain Tigers. Both teams are 4-2 overall this season, both teams have a combined five straight wins (WCH is on a three-game tear) and the Blue Lions are 3-0 in the SCOL, while MHS is 2-1. This should be a quality game, but more on that game and the other four later on in the notebook.
[[In-content Ad]]Did you happen to see the OHSAA Computer Rankings this week?
If not, four of the eight South Central Ohio League teams are represented in the Top 11 of their respective regions:
- Division II, Region 12: Washington, 9th (4-2) with 6.0667.
- Division II, Region 12: McClain, 11th (4-2) 5.6167.
- Division IV, Region 16: Clinton-Massie, 1st (6-0) 13.3167.
- Division V, Region 20: Madison-Plains, tied for 8th, (4-2) 5.8333.
Not bad for an eight-team league with four games remaining, but more than likely some of the teams will knock each other out of playoff contention since McClain still has to play WCH and MP, and WCH still plays MHS and CM. Still, it will be entertaining to see if another team besides Clinton-Massie can make the playoffs.
The next four weeks will be fun to see where everyone falls.
Now for the previews and predictions.
• Previews and Predictions
- East Clinton Astros (0-3, 1-5) at Hillsboro Indians (0-3, 0-6)
I know East Clinton has only one win (a Week 3 49-14 victory over Southeastern), but in three of their losses the Astros have lost by a combined 14 points (losses by 5, 3 and 6 points), so they are a play here or there from having four wins … but they didn't, so they have just the one win.
I wrote more extensively about this game HERE, as I previewed the game.
For the Indians, they are still working toward that first win of the season, and to do so, they must stop the rushing game of the Astros … and continue to build on their two scoring drives from the past two games.
Prediction: East Clinton wins.
- McClain Tigers (2-1, 4-2) at Washington Blue Lions (3-0, 4-2)
This is my game of the week for the SCOL. This game has everything … Washington's offense vs. McClain's defense … a rivalry 15 or so miles apart … two schools who compete well against each other … two teams with a lot on the line in terms of keeping playoff hopes alive with MHS No. 11 in the Region 12 rankings and Washington No. 9 in the same regions (Top 8 teams play in Week 11).
The Blue Lions have four straight wins, and the Tigers have won their past two games.
This is by far the game to see this week.
Prediction: McClain wins.
- Clinton-Massie Falcons (3-0, 6-0) at London Red Raiders (0-3, 0-6)
Clinton-Massie is just too tough thus far in the SCOL this season. The two teams enter this game as complete opposites in the standings … and the Falcons are and have been the most dominant team in the SCOL this season and for the past six or so seasons.
CM will use their running attack again, though they've thrown the ball more this year than in the past, which is a nice change of pace for their offense.
In six games in '12, CM has outscored all opponents a combined 336-27 with just six points allowed in three SCOL games as they look for SCOL consecutive win No. 29 this week.
As for the Red Raiders, they are coming off a 36-0 loss to McClain last week and they are battling injuries.
Prediction: Clinton-Massie wins.
- Miami Trace Panthers (3-0, 3-3) at Madison-Plains Golden Eagles (1-2, 4-2)
I believe the Panthers are better the the .500 mark on their overall record.
I also believe the MP Golden Eagles are a team that has played well this season, so this could be another interesting game for the SCOL this week. There is a lot on the line for both teams as MT has a chance to stay undefeated in league games and MP has an opportunity to move up in the standings of the league.
Both teams possess great skill athletes who can run and throw the football. They both possess running QBs (Ryne Davis-MP and Jimmy Stroker-MT) who can break big plays.
Fans at this game should be entertained.
Prediction: Miami Trace wins.
• Last Week's Scores
(Friday, Sept. 28)
- London 0, McClain 36
- Hillsboro 6, Clinton-Massie 77
- East Clinton 13, Miami Trace 35
- Washington 42, Madison-Plains 41
• Last Week's Predictions
Last week, in the four SCOL games predicted, I finished 4-0 overall. That makes me 27-9 on the year after six complete weeks.
• 5 Things I'd like to see in Week 7
1. I'd like to see Hillsboro with the higher score at the end of the game. I know they can get a win this season.
2. I'd like to see a good old-fashioned, tough football game at Gardner Park between the Tigers and Blue Lions.
3. I'd like to see Hillsboro gain some second-half points.
4. I'd like to see the Golden Eagles and Panthers put on a good running display Friday.
5. I'd like to see fans continue to attend games, especially on the visitors side.
My game of the week resides in Fayette County with the Washington Blue Lions hosting the McClain Tigers. Both teams are 4-2 overall this season, both teams have a combined five straight wins (WCH is on a three-game tear) and the Blue Lions are 3-0 in the SCOL, while MHS is 2-1. This should be a quality game, but more on that game and the other four later on in the notebook.
[[In-content Ad]]Did you happen to see the OHSAA Computer Rankings this week?
If not, four of the eight South Central Ohio League teams are represented in the Top 11 of their respective regions:
- Division II, Region 12: Washington, 9th (4-2) with 6.0667.
- Division II, Region 12: McClain, 11th (4-2) 5.6167.
- Division IV, Region 16: Clinton-Massie, 1st (6-0) 13.3167.
- Division V, Region 20: Madison-Plains, tied for 8th, (4-2) 5.8333.
Not bad for an eight-team league with four games remaining, but more than likely some of the teams will knock each other out of playoff contention since McClain still has to play WCH and MP, and WCH still plays MHS and CM. Still, it will be entertaining to see if another team besides Clinton-Massie can make the playoffs.
The next four weeks will be fun to see where everyone falls.
Now for the previews and predictions.
• Previews and Predictions
- East Clinton Astros (0-3, 1-5) at Hillsboro Indians (0-3, 0-6)
I know East Clinton has only one win (a Week 3 49-14 victory over Southeastern), but in three of their losses the Astros have lost by a combined 14 points (losses by 5, 3 and 6 points), so they are a play here or there from having four wins … but they didn't, so they have just the one win.
I wrote more extensively about this game HERE, as I previewed the game.
For the Indians, they are still working toward that first win of the season, and to do so, they must stop the rushing game of the Astros … and continue to build on their two scoring drives from the past two games.
Prediction: East Clinton wins.
- McClain Tigers (2-1, 4-2) at Washington Blue Lions (3-0, 4-2)
This is my game of the week for the SCOL. This game has everything … Washington's offense vs. McClain's defense … a rivalry 15 or so miles apart … two schools who compete well against each other … two teams with a lot on the line in terms of keeping playoff hopes alive with MHS No. 11 in the Region 12 rankings and Washington No. 9 in the same regions (Top 8 teams play in Week 11).
The Blue Lions have four straight wins, and the Tigers have won their past two games.
This is by far the game to see this week.
Prediction: McClain wins.
- Clinton-Massie Falcons (3-0, 6-0) at London Red Raiders (0-3, 0-6)
Clinton-Massie is just too tough thus far in the SCOL this season. The two teams enter this game as complete opposites in the standings … and the Falcons are and have been the most dominant team in the SCOL this season and for the past six or so seasons.
CM will use their running attack again, though they've thrown the ball more this year than in the past, which is a nice change of pace for their offense.
In six games in '12, CM has outscored all opponents a combined 336-27 with just six points allowed in three SCOL games as they look for SCOL consecutive win No. 29 this week.
As for the Red Raiders, they are coming off a 36-0 loss to McClain last week and they are battling injuries.
Prediction: Clinton-Massie wins.
- Miami Trace Panthers (3-0, 3-3) at Madison-Plains Golden Eagles (1-2, 4-2)
I believe the Panthers are better the the .500 mark on their overall record.
I also believe the MP Golden Eagles are a team that has played well this season, so this could be another interesting game for the SCOL this week. There is a lot on the line for both teams as MT has a chance to stay undefeated in league games and MP has an opportunity to move up in the standings of the league.
Both teams possess great skill athletes who can run and throw the football. They both possess running QBs (Ryne Davis-MP and Jimmy Stroker-MT) who can break big plays.
Fans at this game should be entertained.
Prediction: Miami Trace wins.
• Last Week's Scores
(Friday, Sept. 28)
- London 0, McClain 36
- Hillsboro 6, Clinton-Massie 77
- East Clinton 13, Miami Trace 35
- Washington 42, Madison-Plains 41
• Last Week's Predictions
Last week, in the four SCOL games predicted, I finished 4-0 overall. That makes me 27-9 on the year after six complete weeks.
• 5 Things I'd like to see in Week 7
1. I'd like to see Hillsboro with the higher score at the end of the game. I know they can get a win this season.
2. I'd like to see a good old-fashioned, tough football game at Gardner Park between the Tigers and Blue Lions.
3. I'd like to see Hillsboro gain some second-half points.
4. I'd like to see the Golden Eagles and Panthers put on a good running display Friday.
5. I'd like to see fans continue to attend games, especially on the visitors side.