High School FAC Football Pregame Notebook: Week 6

The Frontier Athletic Conference finally begins their conference schedule after five tough weeks of non-conference football. For the six teams in the FAC, it is a chance to make a playoff push or show how much they have improved since the start of the 2022 season. 

In non-conference action this ’22 season, the FAC finished 20-10 combined with Chillicothe, McClain and Washington each having 4-1 records, Jackson and Hillsboro at 3-2 and Miami Trace at 2-3. Of course, those records are a bit different as Jackson has played a very strong schedule this season with opponents that include Logan, Ironton, Tri-Valley, Western Brown and Wheelersburg. 

As for this week, let’s take a look at all three FAC games taking place on Friday night in Week 6: 

- Miami Trace Panthers (2-3) at Jackson Ironmen (3-2)

Going into this game the Jackson Ironmen have to be the favorites as they have won two straight games and their three wins this season have been against Logan (35-8), Western Brown (41-35) and Wheelersburg (20-12). The win against Wheelersburg last Friday was impressive because that is a tough place to play, and to gain a win against that program on their home field isn’t an easy task. 

JHS quarterback Jacob Winters against Wheelersburg was 8-of-14 for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Winters also rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries, so he’s a player to watch and one that will decide the outcome of this game. 

The Ironmen also have Cade Wolford, who last Friday ran the ball 13 times for 64 yards and a touchdown. Wolford was also the receiving leader in Week 5 with two catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. 

As for the Panthers, they played a very good, if not great, Western Brown team in Week 5 and lost 51-14. In that loss, there were some positives as Asher LeBeau rushed for 125 yards on 17 carries and had a touchdown run. 

LeBeau is one of the best running backs in the conference, so seeing him face FAC competition for the rest of the regular season should be interesting as he’s one of the best players on the Panthers’ roster. 

- Chillicothe Cavaliers (4-1) at McClain Tigers (4-1) 

This is a big-time game for FAC football fans in Week 6 with both teams entering conference action with four non-conference victories.

CHS is coming off a 24-0 win over Logan as they had 310 yards of offense, while Logan totaled 193 yards of offense against the Cavaliers’ defense. 

Some players to watch are quarterback Mason Doughty, who was 13-of-30 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the win over Logan. Max Lee has been impressive all season, and in Week 5 he totaled 81 rushing yards on 13 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Shawn Smith totaled six carries for 28 yards in the same win over Logan. 

The receivers for the Cavaliers saw Miles Lewis, Quintin Netter and Tayvion Galloway each have two receptions last Friday night. 

Now for McClain, they’ve shown improvement this season. Last Friday, the Tigers totaled 573 yards, with part of that from a potential record-breaking performance from junior Andrew Potts, who rushed for 278 yards on 21 carries, plus he had three touchdown carries. 

Potts has been impressive this season, and so have other McClain players, including quarterback Drake Stapleton, who last Friday against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy finished with a 6-of-10 game for 193 yards with two touchdown passes. Wide receiver Max Eikenberry has played some of his best football as of late, and against CHCA he totaled three receptions for 113 yards with one touchdown reception.

This could be the best team the Tigers have faced to date, and that’s a good thing because McClain has a talented rushing game, and Chillicothe has talented athletes and that could make for an interesting football game. Time of possession could be key for McClain in Week 6 because if that goes their way, it could mean their rushing game is having success. 

- Hillsboro Indians (3-2) at Washington Blue Lions (4-1) 

The Hillsboro Indians have played their two best weeks of football the past two games, but the Blue Lions are probably the second toughest game on their schedule through the first six weeks of play. The last time the Indians faced a strong team like Washington was Week 1, where they had their troubles with the Western Brown Broncos.

WBHS is a common opponent for the two FAC teams as a few weeks ago the Blue Lions lost to that same WBHS team by a 54-40 score, while HHS in the season opener fell 55-0. 

For the Blue Lions, they have scored no less than 35 points in each game this season with their most recent win coming in Week 5 against St. Charles by a 50-21 score. Washington also has wins over Bexley (35-6), Paint Valley (48-0) and Minford (42-0). 

Washington has a talented offense and defense, and that was on full display in Week 5 as they ran 72 plays on offense and totaled 565 yards. They allowed 339 yards, but held their opponent to a shutout. Troy Thompson has put together a good season so far, including last Friday where he passed for 405 yards (30-of-47) with five touchdown passes and three interceptions. 

Rocky Jones was the leading rusher, averaging 7.3 yards per carry with 12 carries for 88 yards. The receiver and tight end positions are full of strong athletes for the Blue Lions with last Friday seeing AJ Dallmayer having 10 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Tanner Lemaster totaled six receptions for 86 yards, and Isaiah Haithcock had five catches for 85 yards.

Washington’s defense is strong too with the unit having three sacks and six tackles for loss last Friday night. 

The Hillsboro Indians have been playing much improved as of late, coming off a third straight win, defeating CNE, 31-14. The Indians have a freshman quarterback now with that being Preston Fauber, and in his first varsity start he rushed for three touchdowns in the non-conference win. 

Others including running back Austin Barrett have had good seasons too, with Barrett two weeks ago breaking the HHS school rushing record for a game with 370 yards against Williamsburg in Week 4, so he’s a player who can help keep the Washington offense off the field. 

Though the Blue Lions seem to have the more powerful offense and defense entering this game, the Indians will have to play their very best game of the season to date to be competitive with Washington on their homecoming game night. 

Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
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