Not off the Press
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The South Central Ohio League went winless Friday night with a league mark of 0-7. That was the first time it has occurred since the league re-formed in '03.
The seven teams who make up the league were outscored 173-96.
The biggest defeat was Hillsboro's 44-7 loss to the Hurricane. That was followed by a 21-point loss (28-7) by Madison-Plains to Southeastern-South Charleston. McClain lost 26-6 (20 points) to East Clinton (a future member of the SCOL) and Miami Trace lost by five points to Tecumseh 26-21. Clinton-Massie lost by one point to Jonathan Alder (29-28), and Washington lost by seven points to Adena (20-13).
No other way around it but a tough week for the entire league.
I'll go into more detail this Thursday about the games in my SCOL football notebook, but one of the positives about Week 4 is the fact this will be the first week of league games, except for one team who will be playing their final non-league game. Next year, the league will just have three non-league games with East Clinton arriving just in time for the '12 season.
• Just a thought on Week 3 games in the future
I know high school football is all about being played on Friday nights, and that is the way it should be.
But I have a suggestion for just one week and one week only.
Since the Highland County Fair is a very important event in the county, and since that event takes away a lot of spectators from attending Week 3 football games, why not do like Hillsboro did in 2008 and have the home game on a Saturday night?
HHS did this in '08 against Dayton Stebbins for a home game during fair week, and it was a success in my opinion. It allowed people to not only attend the fair on Friday, which is a big day at the fair, but it allowed those same folks to attend a football game the following evening.
Just an idea … it has to help the attendance because it seems each year, that week is one of the least attended games of the season every year.
• A few more Week 3 football thoughts
I'll go into way more detail in my Thursday notebook, but it just looks like the SCOL had very little passing yards in the third week. In the week where the league went winless, the stat sheets weren't that great to look at.
One thing that really stands out is six of the seven league teams held a lead at one point in their respective game this past Friday.
Here is something to think about … five of the seven SCOL teams have losing streaks of at least two straight games after three weeks this season.
One thing nobody can knock is the players are doing their best, and that is all we can ask for.
Again, I'll have much more in my notebook this Thursday.
• Week 1 of the NFL
My Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champion prediction is looking good after the first week with a big-time win (35-7) over the Steelers. I know it is early, but I'm telling you don't be surprised if they are holding the Lombardi Trophy in February.
The big surprise of the week was the performance of Carolina Panther rookie quarterback Cam Newton. The 2011 No. 1 overall pick passed for 422 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for a touchdown. Heck, he did more in his first game of his NFL career than former No. 1 picks Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell did in their entire careers. (OK, not really, but name a good performance by either one of those quarterbacks without looking it up).
Another surprise was the way the Cincinnati Bengals won a season opener. I'll be perfectly honest, I had them losing big, but they outsmarted the Cleveland Browns with the fourth-quarter hurry-up offensive play. You know, the play where they caught the Browns' defense out of position and Bruce Gradkowski found A.J. Green for a 41-yard, wide-open touchdown which led to the win.
Other stunners I didn't see coming were: the way the Bears handled the Falcons; Buffalo scoring 41 points; Houston not having one ounce of trouble against the Peyton Manning-less Colts; and Carolina scoring 21 points.
Where did Ted Ginn, Jr.'s performance come from? The former Buckeye had a kickoff return and punt return for a touchdown for the 49ers.
This is why, in my opinion, the NFL is the best brand of football in the world. I think this for the fact the best team doesn't win every week, and predicting the winner of an NFL game is the toughest prediction of any sport.
• 10 Thoughts/Facts on high school sports
1. The Bearcats of Paint Valley football gained their second win of the season. They defeated the Cedarville Indians 18-14 this past Friday. A fun stat on this team is they have scored 63 points and have allowed 63 points. Talk about a balanced team that stands at 2-1 overall headed into Scioto Valley Conference play.
In case you are wondering here are complete SVC standings after three weeks, along with a Week 4 schedule as they enter conference play this Friday:
Scioto Valley Conference Football Standings
(Through Week 3)
C O PF PA
Adena 0-0 3-0 86 25
Southeastern 0-0 2-1 117 39
Paint Valley 0-0 2-1 63 63
Westfall 0-0 1-2 87 119
Piketon 0-0 1-2 62 70
Unioto 0-0 1-2 42 70
Zane Trace 0-0 1-2 24 101
Huntington 0-0 0-3 50 162
Week 4 SVC Football Schedule
(Friday, Sept. 16, 2011)
Paint Valley at Zane Trace
Huntington at Adena
Westfall at Piketon
Unioto at Southeastern
2. On Tuesday, the Hillsboro Lady Indian soccer team returns to the soccer field, and if HHS wins, coach Leslie Molen will gain her 100th career win. Coach Molen's program is the most consistent at the Hillsboro school, and whenever the win comes, it will be a great accomplishment.
3. Though I enjoyed a slower week these past seven days due to the Highland County Fair, it will be nice to get back to a normal schedule with the fall season getting back into gear. FYI, Highland County has five soccer teams in first place as they head back to their regular-season slate. Those teams are: LC boys/girls, MHS boys and HHS boys/girls.
4. I feel that I am very lucky that I get to cover the youth (or next group of leaders) of Highland County, rather than the some of the adults of the county. Maybe it is just me, but some of the adults I read about in articles in the news section of the HCP arguing at public meetings or complaining about politics (you have no idea how much I dislike politics when it becomes about an individual party or candidate, rather than being about a proper solution to a problem or issue) could learn a lesson or two in manners from the student-athletes I have the privilege to cover on a daily basis.
5. I would have never believed anyone if they would have told me before the start of the football season that the SCOL would go 5-13 in the first three weeks of non-league games.
6. Did you know the state cross-country meet is being held at the National Trail Raceway in Hebron, starting this year? In their August meeting, the OHSAA Board approved the move from Scioto Downs. I think they moved the event because of slot machines at the race track.
7. Did you know the baseball state tournament operated at a loss of $15,155? The softball state tournament operated at a loss of $4,629. One positive was the track and field state tournament operated at a profit of $14,446, but the state tennis tournament operated at a loss of $5,478. If you do the math, the spring sports state tournaments operated at a total loss of $10,816. That doesn't sound like a plan that can continue to work, right?
8. For you track and field fans, The Ohio Association of Track and Cross-Country Coaches submitted a proposal to add the triple jump to the state tournament. The Board will review the proposal and is expected to vote at its December meeting, according to the September OHSAA Board of Directors Update released on Sept. 8.
9. In the most recent OHSAA Soccer Newsletter, it stated only 41 percent of coaches took advantage of the online offering of the required state rules meeting. The only reason I mention this is because it said "surprisingly," and whenever I see that word starting a sentence, it catches my attention.
10. Here are some fun soccer numbers in the newsletter: There have been 0 girls soccer coaches ejected from a game as of Sept. 8 … only 1 boys coach ejected from a game this season … there have been 41 boys players ejected this season … there have been 15 girls ejections this season.
• Some non-high school sports and non-sports thoughts
1. College football this weekend was a lot of fun to watch. So many crazy endings to games. That meant I had to watch bad defenses, though.
2. I'm pretty sure Notre Dame used all of its "Luck of the Irish" back in 1988. I'm also pretty sure Michigan's throwback jersey with the giant "M" on the front were some of the best throwback jerseys to date.
3. The NASCAR "playoffs" start this weekend … my prediction for the 2011 NASCAR Cup champion is Jeff Gordon. (I want Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to take home the trophy, though).
4. Speaking of NASCAR, I think we have an honest-to-goodness feud about to boil over between champion drivers Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson. There is nothing better than seeing two NASCAR champions talk smack about one another during post-race interviews. They also run into each other on the track too, which I feel will cost them both in the final 10 races.
5. It was a shame the back-to-back-to-back home runs by Chris Heisey, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce went for nothing Saturday as the Reds lost to the Rockies.
6. Do you realize the Reds are 34-41 on the road this season? At home they are 71-75.
7. In his return to the Majors, Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez went five innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and walked four Sunday afternoon against the Rockies. He struck out three and gave up one home run. (To be honest, I thought he was going to have a breakout year at the start of the season … guess I was way off the plate on that one.)
8. I try not to make a sporting event ruin my evening, but the way the Dallas Cowboys played Sunday night in the fourth quarter makes me think it will be a very long season for the team with the star on their helmet. For my sake … I hope I'm wrong and overreacting.
9. I'm thinking about quitting fantasy football after this season.
10. Anyone else excited about the season premiere of NCIS this Tuesday? (Since I'll be at a game during its telecast, I will catch it on the CBS web site later in the early A.M.). (CORRECTION: NCIS starts on Tuesday, Sept. 20 which is next Tuesday).
11. This summer I also became a fan of Criminal Minds … I am like 5 years behind on that show.
• Stat of the Week
The seven SCOL football teams were outscored in Week 3, 201-96. SCOL teams averaged 13.7 ppg in Week 3. Their opponents averaged 28.7 ppg in Week 3.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
The back-to-back losses by the Clinton-Massie football team in the past two weeks was the first occurrence of that feat since the 2001 season.
• (A third and final) Stat of the Week
In their nine-year series that came to an end on Friday, the Miami Trace Panthers went 1-8 against Tecumseh. The lone MT win came in '04 when MT won by a score of 52-26.
• Quote of the Week
"I thought our first series, we did some good things. We moved the ball … we were kind of clicking offensively, then it seemed like we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty here or a mishandled snap there and find ourselves behind the chains. You can't do that and be successful against good football teams … and we did that." — Randy Closson, McClain head football coach.
• (Another) Quote of the Week
"We started off flat again, but we played well overall. We took over in the second half, but I would really like to see us get started off better in the first half … but the kids played well." — Shawn Jackson, McClain boys soccer coach following their win against the Washington Blue Lions on Thursday.
• (A third and final) Quote of the Week
"We are just looking for consistency as a team. We've made big strides from Week 2 to Week 3. We let some scoring opportunities get away from us in the first half, and that goes back to being consistent." — Pete Hollon, Paint Valley head football coach talking about the Bearcats' win Friday vs. Cedarville.
• One last item of business
It was a great Sunday of NFL football, and it was also nice to see all the 9-11 tributes taking place at all the different sports venues on Sunday. Ten years ago when the attacks occurred I was a senior in high school in government class. I remember a teacher popped her head in the classroom and told us about it … so we turned on a radio and just listened.
The only station that would come in was the broadcast by Howard Stern, who was in New York City when the attacks occurred. I remember how serious he was, and he showed how good of a radio person he actually was as he talked about what was happening, with himself not really knowing what was going on in his city.
After the class ended, I remember going to the school's library (they had a TV) and just watching, not really knowing the full extent of what was happening, but knowing this was something bad and something I would always remember.
That week, we still had our football game … we traveled to play at Kings High School, and I'll never forget looking at the American flag as we stood for the Star-Spangled Banner, something that we never did before a game.
It was just one of those surreal days that none of us will ever forget.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
The seven teams who make up the league were outscored 173-96.
The biggest defeat was Hillsboro's 44-7 loss to the Hurricane. That was followed by a 21-point loss (28-7) by Madison-Plains to Southeastern-South Charleston. McClain lost 26-6 (20 points) to East Clinton (a future member of the SCOL) and Miami Trace lost by five points to Tecumseh 26-21. Clinton-Massie lost by one point to Jonathan Alder (29-28), and Washington lost by seven points to Adena (20-13).
No other way around it but a tough week for the entire league.
I'll go into more detail this Thursday about the games in my SCOL football notebook, but one of the positives about Week 4 is the fact this will be the first week of league games, except for one team who will be playing their final non-league game. Next year, the league will just have three non-league games with East Clinton arriving just in time for the '12 season.
• Just a thought on Week 3 games in the future
I know high school football is all about being played on Friday nights, and that is the way it should be.
But I have a suggestion for just one week and one week only.
Since the Highland County Fair is a very important event in the county, and since that event takes away a lot of spectators from attending Week 3 football games, why not do like Hillsboro did in 2008 and have the home game on a Saturday night?
HHS did this in '08 against Dayton Stebbins for a home game during fair week, and it was a success in my opinion. It allowed people to not only attend the fair on Friday, which is a big day at the fair, but it allowed those same folks to attend a football game the following evening.
Just an idea … it has to help the attendance because it seems each year, that week is one of the least attended games of the season every year.
• A few more Week 3 football thoughts
I'll go into way more detail in my Thursday notebook, but it just looks like the SCOL had very little passing yards in the third week. In the week where the league went winless, the stat sheets weren't that great to look at.
One thing that really stands out is six of the seven league teams held a lead at one point in their respective game this past Friday.
Here is something to think about … five of the seven SCOL teams have losing streaks of at least two straight games after three weeks this season.
One thing nobody can knock is the players are doing their best, and that is all we can ask for.
Again, I'll have much more in my notebook this Thursday.
• Week 1 of the NFL
My Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champion prediction is looking good after the first week with a big-time win (35-7) over the Steelers. I know it is early, but I'm telling you don't be surprised if they are holding the Lombardi Trophy in February.
The big surprise of the week was the performance of Carolina Panther rookie quarterback Cam Newton. The 2011 No. 1 overall pick passed for 422 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for a touchdown. Heck, he did more in his first game of his NFL career than former No. 1 picks Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell did in their entire careers. (OK, not really, but name a good performance by either one of those quarterbacks without looking it up).
Another surprise was the way the Cincinnati Bengals won a season opener. I'll be perfectly honest, I had them losing big, but they outsmarted the Cleveland Browns with the fourth-quarter hurry-up offensive play. You know, the play where they caught the Browns' defense out of position and Bruce Gradkowski found A.J. Green for a 41-yard, wide-open touchdown which led to the win.
Other stunners I didn't see coming were: the way the Bears handled the Falcons; Buffalo scoring 41 points; Houston not having one ounce of trouble against the Peyton Manning-less Colts; and Carolina scoring 21 points.
Where did Ted Ginn, Jr.'s performance come from? The former Buckeye had a kickoff return and punt return for a touchdown for the 49ers.
This is why, in my opinion, the NFL is the best brand of football in the world. I think this for the fact the best team doesn't win every week, and predicting the winner of an NFL game is the toughest prediction of any sport.
• 10 Thoughts/Facts on high school sports
1. The Bearcats of Paint Valley football gained their second win of the season. They defeated the Cedarville Indians 18-14 this past Friday. A fun stat on this team is they have scored 63 points and have allowed 63 points. Talk about a balanced team that stands at 2-1 overall headed into Scioto Valley Conference play.
In case you are wondering here are complete SVC standings after three weeks, along with a Week 4 schedule as they enter conference play this Friday:
Scioto Valley Conference Football Standings
(Through Week 3)
C O PF PA
Adena 0-0 3-0 86 25
Southeastern 0-0 2-1 117 39
Paint Valley 0-0 2-1 63 63
Westfall 0-0 1-2 87 119
Piketon 0-0 1-2 62 70
Unioto 0-0 1-2 42 70
Zane Trace 0-0 1-2 24 101
Huntington 0-0 0-3 50 162
Week 4 SVC Football Schedule
(Friday, Sept. 16, 2011)
Paint Valley at Zane Trace
Huntington at Adena
Westfall at Piketon
Unioto at Southeastern
2. On Tuesday, the Hillsboro Lady Indian soccer team returns to the soccer field, and if HHS wins, coach Leslie Molen will gain her 100th career win. Coach Molen's program is the most consistent at the Hillsboro school, and whenever the win comes, it will be a great accomplishment.
3. Though I enjoyed a slower week these past seven days due to the Highland County Fair, it will be nice to get back to a normal schedule with the fall season getting back into gear. FYI, Highland County has five soccer teams in first place as they head back to their regular-season slate. Those teams are: LC boys/girls, MHS boys and HHS boys/girls.
4. I feel that I am very lucky that I get to cover the youth (or next group of leaders) of Highland County, rather than the some of the adults of the county. Maybe it is just me, but some of the adults I read about in articles in the news section of the HCP arguing at public meetings or complaining about politics (you have no idea how much I dislike politics when it becomes about an individual party or candidate, rather than being about a proper solution to a problem or issue) could learn a lesson or two in manners from the student-athletes I have the privilege to cover on a daily basis.
5. I would have never believed anyone if they would have told me before the start of the football season that the SCOL would go 5-13 in the first three weeks of non-league games.
6. Did you know the state cross-country meet is being held at the National Trail Raceway in Hebron, starting this year? In their August meeting, the OHSAA Board approved the move from Scioto Downs. I think they moved the event because of slot machines at the race track.
7. Did you know the baseball state tournament operated at a loss of $15,155? The softball state tournament operated at a loss of $4,629. One positive was the track and field state tournament operated at a profit of $14,446, but the state tennis tournament operated at a loss of $5,478. If you do the math, the spring sports state tournaments operated at a total loss of $10,816. That doesn't sound like a plan that can continue to work, right?
8. For you track and field fans, The Ohio Association of Track and Cross-Country Coaches submitted a proposal to add the triple jump to the state tournament. The Board will review the proposal and is expected to vote at its December meeting, according to the September OHSAA Board of Directors Update released on Sept. 8.
9. In the most recent OHSAA Soccer Newsletter, it stated only 41 percent of coaches took advantage of the online offering of the required state rules meeting. The only reason I mention this is because it said "surprisingly," and whenever I see that word starting a sentence, it catches my attention.
10. Here are some fun soccer numbers in the newsletter: There have been 0 girls soccer coaches ejected from a game as of Sept. 8 … only 1 boys coach ejected from a game this season … there have been 41 boys players ejected this season … there have been 15 girls ejections this season.
• Some non-high school sports and non-sports thoughts
1. College football this weekend was a lot of fun to watch. So many crazy endings to games. That meant I had to watch bad defenses, though.
2. I'm pretty sure Notre Dame used all of its "Luck of the Irish" back in 1988. I'm also pretty sure Michigan's throwback jersey with the giant "M" on the front were some of the best throwback jerseys to date.
3. The NASCAR "playoffs" start this weekend … my prediction for the 2011 NASCAR Cup champion is Jeff Gordon. (I want Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to take home the trophy, though).
4. Speaking of NASCAR, I think we have an honest-to-goodness feud about to boil over between champion drivers Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson. There is nothing better than seeing two NASCAR champions talk smack about one another during post-race interviews. They also run into each other on the track too, which I feel will cost them both in the final 10 races.
5. It was a shame the back-to-back-to-back home runs by Chris Heisey, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce went for nothing Saturday as the Reds lost to the Rockies.
6. Do you realize the Reds are 34-41 on the road this season? At home they are 71-75.
7. In his return to the Majors, Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez went five innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and walked four Sunday afternoon against the Rockies. He struck out three and gave up one home run. (To be honest, I thought he was going to have a breakout year at the start of the season … guess I was way off the plate on that one.)
8. I try not to make a sporting event ruin my evening, but the way the Dallas Cowboys played Sunday night in the fourth quarter makes me think it will be a very long season for the team with the star on their helmet. For my sake … I hope I'm wrong and overreacting.
9. I'm thinking about quitting fantasy football after this season.
10. Anyone else excited about the season premiere of NCIS this Tuesday? (Since I'll be at a game during its telecast, I will catch it on the CBS web site later in the early A.M.). (CORRECTION: NCIS starts on Tuesday, Sept. 20 which is next Tuesday).
11. This summer I also became a fan of Criminal Minds … I am like 5 years behind on that show.
• Stat of the Week
The seven SCOL football teams were outscored in Week 3, 201-96. SCOL teams averaged 13.7 ppg in Week 3. Their opponents averaged 28.7 ppg in Week 3.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
The back-to-back losses by the Clinton-Massie football team in the past two weeks was the first occurrence of that feat since the 2001 season.
• (A third and final) Stat of the Week
In their nine-year series that came to an end on Friday, the Miami Trace Panthers went 1-8 against Tecumseh. The lone MT win came in '04 when MT won by a score of 52-26.
• Quote of the Week
"I thought our first series, we did some good things. We moved the ball … we were kind of clicking offensively, then it seemed like we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty here or a mishandled snap there and find ourselves behind the chains. You can't do that and be successful against good football teams … and we did that." — Randy Closson, McClain head football coach.
• (Another) Quote of the Week
"We started off flat again, but we played well overall. We took over in the second half, but I would really like to see us get started off better in the first half … but the kids played well." — Shawn Jackson, McClain boys soccer coach following their win against the Washington Blue Lions on Thursday.
• (A third and final) Quote of the Week
"We are just looking for consistency as a team. We've made big strides from Week 2 to Week 3. We let some scoring opportunities get away from us in the first half, and that goes back to being consistent." — Pete Hollon, Paint Valley head football coach talking about the Bearcats' win Friday vs. Cedarville.
• One last item of business
It was a great Sunday of NFL football, and it was also nice to see all the 9-11 tributes taking place at all the different sports venues on Sunday. Ten years ago when the attacks occurred I was a senior in high school in government class. I remember a teacher popped her head in the classroom and told us about it … so we turned on a radio and just listened.
The only station that would come in was the broadcast by Howard Stern, who was in New York City when the attacks occurred. I remember how serious he was, and he showed how good of a radio person he actually was as he talked about what was happening, with himself not really knowing what was going on in his city.
After the class ended, I remember going to the school's library (they had a TV) and just watching, not really knowing the full extent of what was happening, but knowing this was something bad and something I would always remember.
That week, we still had our football game … we traveled to play at Kings High School, and I'll never forget looking at the American flag as we stood for the Star-Spangled Banner, something that we never did before a game.
It was just one of those surreal days that none of us will ever forget.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]