It was the final tune-up before the 2012 high school football regular season begins as the Hillsboro Indians hosted the Paint Valley Bearcats in their annual scrimmage matchup.

It was the final tune-up before the 2012 high school football regular season begins as the Hillsboro Indians hosted the Paint Valley Bearcats in their annual scrimmage matchup.

Enter 2012 seniors Ethan Emery and Zach Brown. As juniors, they were a part of the learning curve the two-win Indians had to endure last season, but if you talk to them, you realize that all the lumps and bruises they took (and gave) in the 10-week '11 season not only made them stronger, but made them better football players for what is their final season in '12.

The 2012 McClain Tiger football team looks to make a vast improvement from their overall record from one season ago and will look to achieve that goal with a group of 11 seniors who not only want to win, but a group where some have been playing on the same team since the fourth grade.

For five Clinton-Massie senior captains, last year's run to the Division IV State Final Four was a great memory. In fact, they all said it was their favorite experience playing football, but this group wants to take the next step in the state playoffs … earning a spot in the state championship game this December.

There is a group of players suiting up for the Cavaliers who were forced to gain varsity experience as underclassmen. They are a group who don't just want to win now, but who realize winning games is a process and want what is best for the program for not only in '12, but the best for future generations.

Four seniors of the East Clinton Astros looked at their upcoming final year of organized high school football and discussed how they not only have overcome some major adversity, but all have become closer because they play the sport of football.

The team concept for the London senior trio of Kyle Fisher, Dustin Coffey and Brandon Samons is not only important, but a concept they will make sure is a part of the LHS football program for not only this season, but for many years to come.

At Madison-Plains High School, there is a running back duo in senior Stephen Lemieux and junior Grant Johnson who are working for a single goal, and that is to improve the overall atmosphere and excitement at Madison-Plains High School each and every Friday night. To do that, they know they must bring a strong work ethic to the football field, and so far that is what they have done this offseason and in past seasons … make Golden Eagle football better than it was when they arrived on the scene.

On the practice jerseys of the '12 Miami Trace Panthers, it states "Rebuilding Tradition" wrapped around a football that says "Miami Trace." Rebuilding tradition is the goal of the senior class of the Panthers this season, as five randomly selected Panther seniors spoke about not only their goals and love for the game of football, but how they want to put Miami Trace football back on the map, starting with the 2012 season.

One senior is a cross-country runner by daylight and a football player when the lights are on during Friday nights, not beginning his football career until his sophomore year of high school. One senior was in the third grade when he began playing football, and the other was around 12 years old when he first buttoned a chin strap.

Playing on the offensive and defensive line, Cameron Shaw and Tyler Riley know a thing or two about contact when it comes to playing football on the gridiron. The two seniors also know about playing the game the right way and being two of the leaders for the Washington Blue Lions headed into the 2012 football season.

Football is a tradition for three Wilmington seniors, and this season, they will add the final chapter to their football stories at the high school level as Will Welsch, David Henry and Colt Briggs all embark on one last season playing football together for the Hurricane.

It's a new, fresh start for the Wilmington Hurricane in 2012. This year, they have left the Fort Ancient Valley Conference, will play in the newly minted Southwest Ohio Conference and wait two years before joining the South Central Ohio League.

It's a new, fresh start for the Wilmington Hurricane in 2012. This year, they have left the Fort Ancient Valley Conference, will play in the newly minted Southwest Ohio Conference and wait two years before joining the South Central Ohio League.