To put that in perspective, the Knights are just four players away from two-platooning all brothers.
“One of the big things that we pride ourselves on here at Alter is we’re family as a football team,” senior receiver J.P. Schimpf said. “When you’re actually out here competing and playing with your actual brothers and families, it re-emphasizes what it means to play with your family.”
The Knights’ literal brotherhood is:
• Junior LB Lane and freshman DB Alex Harshbarger;
• Senior DL Alex and sophomore LB Austin Helm;
• Senior OL Max and sophomore OL Jack Miller;
• Junior LB Alden and sophomore DB Liam Simms;
• Senior DB Rob and sophomore DL Michael Alig;
• Senior WR Tom and sophomore TE Ryan Mangin;
• Senior DB Michael and sophomore DL Joe Beam;
• Senior WR J.P. and freshman DL Matthew Schimpf;
• Senior WR Danny and freshman DB Jack McKelvey.
“We feel close here,” said Michael Alig, whose father Tom Alig is the Knights’ defensive coordinator. “A lot of football teams, you don’t see the bonding between the different classes that you see here. Even seniors are close to the freshmen. It really is like a family.”
Besides that innate camaraderie, Alter also benefits from a family pipeline of proven football success. The proof is in the product: 16 consecutive seasons in the playoffs and 22 postseason appearances in all. This also marks the 10th season Alter has advanced to the state semis, all but twice since 2001.
“The best word for it is a brotherhood,” said J.P. Schimpf, who has just seven catches but four touchdowns and a phenomenal 36.6 average per catch. “From the freshman to senior class, obviously, there’s a pretty big age difference, but it’s a complete brotherhood.”
The Knights will need all that tradition against the Hawks. Alter posted its second straight defensive gem in shutting down previously unbeaten Cincinnati Wyoming 35-7 last week at Monroe. Hartley dodged Ottawa-Glandorf 38-35 to extend its win streak to nine games.
Hartley defeated Alter 29-28 in a 2010 D-IV state semi and also won a state title that season. Hartley lost its season opener 31-28 to unbeaten Toledo Central Catholic. Trotwood-Madison (11-2) will play TCC (13-0) in a D-III state semifinal at Lima on Saturday.
Hartley played its first six games on the road. That’s nothing new to Alter, which doesn’t have a home field and rotates its “home” games between Fairmont, Springboro and Centerville.
“It’s going to be a major challenge,” said Alter coach Ed Domsitz.
• This is the third consecutive year the Midwest Athletic Conference will have three teams in state semis. Marion Local (12-1) plays Hamler Patrick Henry (13-0) in a D-VI semi at Lima on Friday. On Saturday it’s four-time defending state champ Coldwater (12-1) vs. Coshocton (12-1) in a D-V semi at Lewis Center Olentangy and Minster (9-4) vs. McComb (12-1) in a D-VII semi at Wapakoneta.
Coldwater is working on a streak of playing in seven straight state title games. Marion Local has played in five consecutive title games. Minster won the D-VI state title in 2014.
Coshocton fields one of the oldest programs in the state, having first played in 1899.
• Two of this week’s state semis involving area teams will be televised by Time Warner Cable: Alter vs. Hartley at 11:30 p.m. today (delay) and Coldwater vs. Coshocton at 10:30 p.m. Saturday (delay). Both will be carried on channels 1311 (HD), 311 and 99.
• All the semifinal winners advance to next week’s season-ending state championships in Columbus at Ohio Stadium.
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