SCOL Football Notebook: Week 4
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Last week in the South Central Ohio League was either a rare or unprecedented occurrence for the seven football teams … not a single team won a game.
I know it hasn't happened since the league reformed in '03, and if you think about it … with the good teams the Miami Trace Panthers and Washington Blue Lions had in the '70s and '80s, along with former league teams in Wilmington and Circleville, I think it would be tough to say the league has ever had a week like the one they had this past week with every team losing.
Here are weekly standings from the first three weeks of season (all non-league schedule weeks) since the SCOL reformed in 2003. From '03-04 the league had just six teams. CM joined the league in '05. East Clinton will join next season to make it an eight-team league. Currently, the SCOL plays four non-league games per school, but this list is comprised of the weeks (1-3) where every team is playing a non-league game.
I thought this was some useful information to know (or I have way too much time on my hands) …
2003 — Week 1 (2-4), Week 2 (3-3), Week 3 (3-3) = (8-10)
2004 — Week 1 (3-3), Week 2 (2-4), Week 3 (5-1) = (10-8)
2005 — Week 1 (4-3), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (4-3) = (11-10)
2006 — Week 1 (2-5), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (3-4) = (8-13)
2007 — Week 1 (2-5), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (4-3) = (9-12)
2008 — Week 1 (2-5), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (4-3) = (9-12)
2009 — Week 1 (6-1), Week 2 (5-2), Week 3 (5-2) = (16-5)
2010 — Week 1 (4-3), Week 2 (4-3), Week 3 (3-4) = (11-10)
2011 — Week 1 (3-4), Week 2 (2-5), Week 3 (0-7) = (5-16)
- Under .500 weeks = 14
- .500 weeks = 3 (out of possible 6 opportunities from 2003-04)
- Above .500 weeks = 10 (out of a possible 27 opportunities)
- Of the above .500 weeks, there are zero perfect weeks, two are one-loss weeks, two are two-loss weeks and six are three-loss weeks.
- Of the nine seasons since the SCOL has reformed, the league has had winning records in the first three weeks of the season four times for an record of 4-5.
In the third week of games, it is also safe to say the league played some very tough opponents in Wilmington, Jonathan Alder, West Jefferson, Tecumseh and Adena, to just name a few, so that could be one of the reasons for the 0-7 occurrence this past Friday.
Here is a quick recap of last Friday's games.
Washington running back Jerome Pettiford had 77 yards and one touchdown on nine carries against Adena. Reily Shaw had 42 yards on 11 carries, and quarterback Caleb Huffman was 4-of-12 for 115 yards. The Blue Lions finished by allowing 342 total yards of offense, while gaining 236. THis was by far the best game any team has had against Adena all season.
Miami Trace had 321 yards of offense with Clayton Dyer rushing for 208 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown. They held a fourth quarter lead, but allowed Tecumseh to gain the win with a late touchdown.
Then there was Clinton-Massie, who lost by one point at 29-28 to the Jonathan Alder Pioneers. The Falcons led 28-0 at halftime and were outscored with 29 straight points from Alder. Massie totaled 195 yards of rushing and 51 yards of passing. Their biggest play was a 60-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Bayle Wolf. Wolf also had a rushing score, and Wyatt Running scored two touchdowns on the ground.
Hillsboro just didn't have it for their first road game against the Wilmington Hurricane. The Hurricane tallied 466 yards of offense, 123 passing yards and 325 rushing yards, and most of that came in the first half. HHS gave up touchdown runs of 2, 5, 55, 1, 2, and 70 yards (all in the first half). The Indians had negative passing yards and 58 yards of rushing for a total of 56 yards of offense. Christian Cundiff led HHS in rushing with 36 yards. Christian Wildey had 29 yards on the ground.
London against West Jefferson totaled 218 yards of offense with seven first downs. Quarterback Dylan Follrod had two touchdown passes for the Red Raiders and was 7-of-17 for 145 yards with the aforementioned two touchdowns and two interceptions. London's Kyle Fisher had 86 yards on four receptions and 11 rushes for 50 yards. LHS allowed 219 yards on defense (37 plays) with three touchdowns and 14 first downs. The Red Raiders have started the season 0-3 overall as they begin league play this week with McClain. (They are not your normal 0-3 team).
Madison-Plains against Southeastern (South Charleston) allowed 475 yards of offense, including 300 yards of passing. MP's lone score was a Stephen Lemieux (81 yards rushing, 53 receiving) touchdown run that gave them their only lead of the game. Quarterback Kyle Davis finished 6-of-15 for 93 yards passing with three interceptions.
McClain gave up 395 yards of rushing to East Clinton and 41 yards of passing on five completions. The Tigers did have two interceptions on defense, but they also threw two on offense. MHS only gained 37 yards of rushing and a total of 42 passing yards on three completions. The Tigers used three quarterbacks, and their leading rusher was Dillon East with 37 yards of rushing. Thomas Schrader had one catch for 25 yards to lead the Tigers.
With all of last week out of the way, let's take a look at the start of the 2011 league schedule.
• Clinton-Massie (1-2) vs. Hillsboro (0-3)
I'm going to be completely honest in this assessment … Clinton-Massie needs a big win for their playoff push since they have two losses in the first three weeks of the season. It will be time for the Falcons to "flex their muscles" in a league they have completely dominated since they entered in '05. The aren't the defending five-time league champions for nothing, plus they have lost just twice in league games, the last being in '07 to the Washington Blue Lions (35-34). By the way, Massie's current two-game skid is the first of its kind since 2001.
Hillsboro faced a team bigger, stronger and more experienced than them last Friday against Wilmington, and their task this week isn't any easier. Hillsboro lost last season to the Falcons, 63-7, and that HHS team had 17 seniors. HHS has scored just 28 points against Clinton-Massie since '05, while the Falcons have had scores of 27, 40, 31, 63, 44 and 63 for a total of 268 points and a 6-0 mark against the Indians since joining the league. In three games so far, CM has outscored their opponents 64-56, and HHS has scored 51 points while allowing 121 points.
• McClain (1-2) at London (0-3)
I think it is safe to say the Red Raiders are one of the best 0-3 teams out there. They have had three tough losses by a combined 22 points. LHS even lost a triple-overtime game and have been playing games without top running back Jake Burns, who has missed multiple games due to an injury.
For the Tigers, well, they suffered another setback in Week 3 with a 26-6 loss to the East Clinton Astros. They were held to just 76 offensive yards and were held to under 100 total yards offense in a game for the second time in three weeks, as the game was tied at 6-6 following two quarters of play. MHS was outscored 20-0 in the second half. Their lone win is against Unioto (21-7) in Week 2, where they had 224 yards of offense.
Since the SCOL reformed in '03, the Red Raiders have led the series against the Tigers at 7-1, including a 55-0 rout last season at McClain Field where LHS scored on the first play of the game.
• Madison-Plains (1-2) at Washington (1-2)
This is a game where the Golden Eagles are entering on a two-game losing streak and the Blue Lions have won one of three to start the season. MP is coming off consecutive losses to West Jefferson and Southeastern (South Charleston) by a combined score of 80-14.
As for the Blue Lions, they lost a lead to the Adena Warriors and eventually the game by a 20-13 score last week, where they allowed 342 yards of rushing on 54 carries, along with 115 passing yards on four completions. On the other hand, the Blue Lions had zero passing yards on three attempts and 121 yards of rushing on 25 carries. If you add up the rushing and passing attempts for the Blue Lions against the Warriors, they had just 28 offensive plays, where they did gain a total of 10 first downs.
In their past eight meetings (MP-WCH), the Blue Lions lead at 6-2 with the last Golden Eagle win against Washington coming in '08 with a 20-7 victory in Week 4.
• Miami Trace (1-2) vs. Jonathan Alder (3-0)
This will be a very tough challenge for the Miami Trace Panthers this week. They have to face an undefeated Jonathan Alder team that just beat the defending champs of the SCOL by one point. JA even trailed by 28 points at halftime and still won against one of the better football programs in Division IV.
But JA isn't just a team that gets lucky … no, they are much more than that, as they are normally in the playoffs each season.
This year, JA has defeated Thomas Worthington 37-0 and Marysville 21-0 for a three-game total of outscoring their opponents 87-28, as they are coached by Steve Coate.
As for the Panthers, they are led by running back Clayton Dyer, who has tallied 435 yards of rushing (145 ypg) in three weeks. Conner Dement was limited in their Week 3 loss to the Arrows of Tecumseh due to an injury.
In their second loss of the season last Friday, MT held the lead late and totaled 321 yards of offense, more than the 273 their defense allowed. MT even had more first downs (13-9), and each had 30 yards of penalty yardage. The difference was MT was held scoreless in the second and fourth quarters.
In their last six meetings, the Panthers are 1-5 against the Pioneers, including a 56-0 loss last season. MT's lone win in that span against JA came during the '05 season, where the Panthers won 18-15 in overtime. Since then, MT has lost five in a row to the Pioneers.
• My Week 4 predictions
- Washington over Madison-Plains
- Clinton-Massie over Hillsboro
- London over McClain
- Jonathan Alder over Miami Trace
After three weeks of football, my prediction record is 10-11 overall, as I went 5-2 last week.
• Stats That Stood Out
- Clayton Dyer (MT) has 435 rushing yards in three weeks.
- Jerome Pettiford (WCH) has totaled 363 yards on the ground this season.
- Dylan Follrod (LHS) has 503 yards of passing after three games.
- HHS had two completions for -2 yards last week.
- Kyle Fisher (LHS) had a 49-yard TD catch to go with a four-catch game of 86 yards, along with 11 rushes for 50 yards.
- Bayle Wolf (CM) has 241 yards rushing in three weeks.
- Reily Shaw (WCH) has rushed for 228 yards in three games.
- Antonio Wilson (LHS) had just two yards rushing last Friday but has a season total of 326 yards.
• 5 Things I'd like to see happen this Friday
1. I'd like to see the competitiveness of all the games stay high through four quarters … no matter the score.
2. I'd like to see the pre-game atmosphere be at a high level Friday at London for the fact these two teams are battling for their league season in Week 4. Plus, this game could and most likely will go a long way in deciding if either one of these teams can finish with a winning record in '11. Also, I'm covering the game, and I've never covered a game at the London football field before, so it should be a fun experience.
3. I'd like to see exactly where teams really stand following the fourth game of the season. I think this will happen once all of the games are final.
4. I'd like to see more passing from the entire league this week, just because this is a run-first league for a majority of the teams.
5. I'd like to see if any of the teams that have more than a one-game losing streak can end that this week.
SCOL Standings
(through Week 3)
L O PF PA W/L S
Clinton-Massie 0-0 1-2 64 56 2L
Washington 0-0 1-2 58 80 1L
Madison-Plains 0-0 1-2 41 80 2L
Miami Trace 0-0 1-2 36 55 2L
McClain 0-0 1-2 27 64 1L
London 0-0 0-3 75 97 3L
Hillsboro 0-0 0-3 51 121 3L[[In-content Ad]]
I know it hasn't happened since the league reformed in '03, and if you think about it … with the good teams the Miami Trace Panthers and Washington Blue Lions had in the '70s and '80s, along with former league teams in Wilmington and Circleville, I think it would be tough to say the league has ever had a week like the one they had this past week with every team losing.
Here are weekly standings from the first three weeks of season (all non-league schedule weeks) since the SCOL reformed in 2003. From '03-04 the league had just six teams. CM joined the league in '05. East Clinton will join next season to make it an eight-team league. Currently, the SCOL plays four non-league games per school, but this list is comprised of the weeks (1-3) where every team is playing a non-league game.
I thought this was some useful information to know (or I have way too much time on my hands) …
2003 — Week 1 (2-4), Week 2 (3-3), Week 3 (3-3) = (8-10)
2004 — Week 1 (3-3), Week 2 (2-4), Week 3 (5-1) = (10-8)
2005 — Week 1 (4-3), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (4-3) = (11-10)
2006 — Week 1 (2-5), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (3-4) = (8-13)
2007 — Week 1 (2-5), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (4-3) = (9-12)
2008 — Week 1 (2-5), Week 2 (3-4), Week 3 (4-3) = (9-12)
2009 — Week 1 (6-1), Week 2 (5-2), Week 3 (5-2) = (16-5)
2010 — Week 1 (4-3), Week 2 (4-3), Week 3 (3-4) = (11-10)
2011 — Week 1 (3-4), Week 2 (2-5), Week 3 (0-7) = (5-16)
- Under .500 weeks = 14
- .500 weeks = 3 (out of possible 6 opportunities from 2003-04)
- Above .500 weeks = 10 (out of a possible 27 opportunities)
- Of the above .500 weeks, there are zero perfect weeks, two are one-loss weeks, two are two-loss weeks and six are three-loss weeks.
- Of the nine seasons since the SCOL has reformed, the league has had winning records in the first three weeks of the season four times for an record of 4-5.
In the third week of games, it is also safe to say the league played some very tough opponents in Wilmington, Jonathan Alder, West Jefferson, Tecumseh and Adena, to just name a few, so that could be one of the reasons for the 0-7 occurrence this past Friday.
Here is a quick recap of last Friday's games.
Washington running back Jerome Pettiford had 77 yards and one touchdown on nine carries against Adena. Reily Shaw had 42 yards on 11 carries, and quarterback Caleb Huffman was 4-of-12 for 115 yards. The Blue Lions finished by allowing 342 total yards of offense, while gaining 236. THis was by far the best game any team has had against Adena all season.
Miami Trace had 321 yards of offense with Clayton Dyer rushing for 208 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown. They held a fourth quarter lead, but allowed Tecumseh to gain the win with a late touchdown.
Then there was Clinton-Massie, who lost by one point at 29-28 to the Jonathan Alder Pioneers. The Falcons led 28-0 at halftime and were outscored with 29 straight points from Alder. Massie totaled 195 yards of rushing and 51 yards of passing. Their biggest play was a 60-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Bayle Wolf. Wolf also had a rushing score, and Wyatt Running scored two touchdowns on the ground.
Hillsboro just didn't have it for their first road game against the Wilmington Hurricane. The Hurricane tallied 466 yards of offense, 123 passing yards and 325 rushing yards, and most of that came in the first half. HHS gave up touchdown runs of 2, 5, 55, 1, 2, and 70 yards (all in the first half). The Indians had negative passing yards and 58 yards of rushing for a total of 56 yards of offense. Christian Cundiff led HHS in rushing with 36 yards. Christian Wildey had 29 yards on the ground.
London against West Jefferson totaled 218 yards of offense with seven first downs. Quarterback Dylan Follrod had two touchdown passes for the Red Raiders and was 7-of-17 for 145 yards with the aforementioned two touchdowns and two interceptions. London's Kyle Fisher had 86 yards on four receptions and 11 rushes for 50 yards. LHS allowed 219 yards on defense (37 plays) with three touchdowns and 14 first downs. The Red Raiders have started the season 0-3 overall as they begin league play this week with McClain. (They are not your normal 0-3 team).
Madison-Plains against Southeastern (South Charleston) allowed 475 yards of offense, including 300 yards of passing. MP's lone score was a Stephen Lemieux (81 yards rushing, 53 receiving) touchdown run that gave them their only lead of the game. Quarterback Kyle Davis finished 6-of-15 for 93 yards passing with three interceptions.
McClain gave up 395 yards of rushing to East Clinton and 41 yards of passing on five completions. The Tigers did have two interceptions on defense, but they also threw two on offense. MHS only gained 37 yards of rushing and a total of 42 passing yards on three completions. The Tigers used three quarterbacks, and their leading rusher was Dillon East with 37 yards of rushing. Thomas Schrader had one catch for 25 yards to lead the Tigers.
With all of last week out of the way, let's take a look at the start of the 2011 league schedule.
• Clinton-Massie (1-2) vs. Hillsboro (0-3)
I'm going to be completely honest in this assessment … Clinton-Massie needs a big win for their playoff push since they have two losses in the first three weeks of the season. It will be time for the Falcons to "flex their muscles" in a league they have completely dominated since they entered in '05. The aren't the defending five-time league champions for nothing, plus they have lost just twice in league games, the last being in '07 to the Washington Blue Lions (35-34). By the way, Massie's current two-game skid is the first of its kind since 2001.
Hillsboro faced a team bigger, stronger and more experienced than them last Friday against Wilmington, and their task this week isn't any easier. Hillsboro lost last season to the Falcons, 63-7, and that HHS team had 17 seniors. HHS has scored just 28 points against Clinton-Massie since '05, while the Falcons have had scores of 27, 40, 31, 63, 44 and 63 for a total of 268 points and a 6-0 mark against the Indians since joining the league. In three games so far, CM has outscored their opponents 64-56, and HHS has scored 51 points while allowing 121 points.
• McClain (1-2) at London (0-3)
I think it is safe to say the Red Raiders are one of the best 0-3 teams out there. They have had three tough losses by a combined 22 points. LHS even lost a triple-overtime game and have been playing games without top running back Jake Burns, who has missed multiple games due to an injury.
For the Tigers, well, they suffered another setback in Week 3 with a 26-6 loss to the East Clinton Astros. They were held to just 76 offensive yards and were held to under 100 total yards offense in a game for the second time in three weeks, as the game was tied at 6-6 following two quarters of play. MHS was outscored 20-0 in the second half. Their lone win is against Unioto (21-7) in Week 2, where they had 224 yards of offense.
Since the SCOL reformed in '03, the Red Raiders have led the series against the Tigers at 7-1, including a 55-0 rout last season at McClain Field where LHS scored on the first play of the game.
• Madison-Plains (1-2) at Washington (1-2)
This is a game where the Golden Eagles are entering on a two-game losing streak and the Blue Lions have won one of three to start the season. MP is coming off consecutive losses to West Jefferson and Southeastern (South Charleston) by a combined score of 80-14.
As for the Blue Lions, they lost a lead to the Adena Warriors and eventually the game by a 20-13 score last week, where they allowed 342 yards of rushing on 54 carries, along with 115 passing yards on four completions. On the other hand, the Blue Lions had zero passing yards on three attempts and 121 yards of rushing on 25 carries. If you add up the rushing and passing attempts for the Blue Lions against the Warriors, they had just 28 offensive plays, where they did gain a total of 10 first downs.
In their past eight meetings (MP-WCH), the Blue Lions lead at 6-2 with the last Golden Eagle win against Washington coming in '08 with a 20-7 victory in Week 4.
• Miami Trace (1-2) vs. Jonathan Alder (3-0)
This will be a very tough challenge for the Miami Trace Panthers this week. They have to face an undefeated Jonathan Alder team that just beat the defending champs of the SCOL by one point. JA even trailed by 28 points at halftime and still won against one of the better football programs in Division IV.
But JA isn't just a team that gets lucky … no, they are much more than that, as they are normally in the playoffs each season.
This year, JA has defeated Thomas Worthington 37-0 and Marysville 21-0 for a three-game total of outscoring their opponents 87-28, as they are coached by Steve Coate.
As for the Panthers, they are led by running back Clayton Dyer, who has tallied 435 yards of rushing (145 ypg) in three weeks. Conner Dement was limited in their Week 3 loss to the Arrows of Tecumseh due to an injury.
In their second loss of the season last Friday, MT held the lead late and totaled 321 yards of offense, more than the 273 their defense allowed. MT even had more first downs (13-9), and each had 30 yards of penalty yardage. The difference was MT was held scoreless in the second and fourth quarters.
In their last six meetings, the Panthers are 1-5 against the Pioneers, including a 56-0 loss last season. MT's lone win in that span against JA came during the '05 season, where the Panthers won 18-15 in overtime. Since then, MT has lost five in a row to the Pioneers.
• My Week 4 predictions
- Washington over Madison-Plains
- Clinton-Massie over Hillsboro
- London over McClain
- Jonathan Alder over Miami Trace
After three weeks of football, my prediction record is 10-11 overall, as I went 5-2 last week.
• Stats That Stood Out
- Clayton Dyer (MT) has 435 rushing yards in three weeks.
- Jerome Pettiford (WCH) has totaled 363 yards on the ground this season.
- Dylan Follrod (LHS) has 503 yards of passing after three games.
- HHS had two completions for -2 yards last week.
- Kyle Fisher (LHS) had a 49-yard TD catch to go with a four-catch game of 86 yards, along with 11 rushes for 50 yards.
- Bayle Wolf (CM) has 241 yards rushing in three weeks.
- Reily Shaw (WCH) has rushed for 228 yards in three games.
- Antonio Wilson (LHS) had just two yards rushing last Friday but has a season total of 326 yards.
• 5 Things I'd like to see happen this Friday
1. I'd like to see the competitiveness of all the games stay high through four quarters … no matter the score.
2. I'd like to see the pre-game atmosphere be at a high level Friday at London for the fact these two teams are battling for their league season in Week 4. Plus, this game could and most likely will go a long way in deciding if either one of these teams can finish with a winning record in '11. Also, I'm covering the game, and I've never covered a game at the London football field before, so it should be a fun experience.
3. I'd like to see exactly where teams really stand following the fourth game of the season. I think this will happen once all of the games are final.
4. I'd like to see more passing from the entire league this week, just because this is a run-first league for a majority of the teams.
5. I'd like to see if any of the teams that have more than a one-game losing streak can end that this week.
SCOL Standings
(through Week 3)
L O PF PA W/L S
Clinton-Massie 0-0 1-2 64 56 2L
Washington 0-0 1-2 58 80 1L
Madison-Plains 0-0 1-2 41 80 2L
Miami Trace 0-0 1-2 36 55 2L
McClain 0-0 1-2 27 64 1L
London 0-0 0-3 75 97 3L
Hillsboro 0-0 0-3 51 121 3L[[In-content Ad]]