High School Football: GWOC teams ready to shine

Miamisburg battles Troy; Wayne, Trotwood favored to advance

Greater Western Ohio Conference football could be in for an unprecedented three-division playoff run with Wayne (D-I), Miamisburg and Troy (D-II) and Trotwood-Madison (D-III), and they’ll have company. The Southwestern Buckeye League and Midwest Athletic Conference also have teams contending in three divisions.

All four GWOC teams impressively advanced to this weekend’s regional semifinals. At least one — either Miamisburg (9-2) or Troy (10-1) — is guaranteed to advance to next week’s regional finals, because the Vikings and Trojans play in a rematch of their regular-season Week 5 game.

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Wayne (10-0-1) and Trotwood (9-2) should be considered heavy favorites to advance to Week 13, also.

Wayne was a D-I state runner-up the last two seasons. Trotwood has played in six straight state semifinals. Area teams have won state titles in all divisions throughout playoff history, but never in the big school bracket. Wayne has been a D-I state runner-up four times, all during coach Jay Minton’s era.

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“Our kids really realize what they’re carrying on their shoulders and I’m sure other programs do as well, when you’re carrying that torch for the GWOC,” Minton said this week. “Especially in D-I, we’d like to represent the (area) and bring one of those (state titles) back. We’ve done it in every other division except ours.”

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Wayne was at its best in a 52-7 rout of Lancaster in last week’s Region 3 opening round. The Warriors play Dublin Coffman (9-2) at London at 7:30 p.m. today. The winner is guaranteed to play Pickerington, because it’s North vs. South in the other semi.

Miamisburg and Troy will have Round 2 in a D-II, Region 8 semi at Northmont, also today. Miamisburg edged host Troy 21-17 in the final minute of a Week 5 showdown.

Trotwood record-setting running back Raveion Hargrove blasted Wapakoneta for a 67-yard touchdown run on his first carry last week. He rushed for 212 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 41-7 first-round blowout. That was a season-high rushing total for Hargrove, who was beset by injuries throughout much of the season It also was reminiscent of the high impact he had in the playoffs last year when he ran for 1,107 yards and 14 scores in four games.

A No. 7 seed, Trotwood will play New Richmond (10-1) in a D-III, Region 12 semi at Mason on Saturday. The other half of the bracket pits No. 1 seed Franklin (11-0) vs. St. Marys Memorial (10-1) at Wayne.

All four GWOC teams have the right stuff to make deep playoff runs, if not contend for state titles.

“Our kids will tell you that’s what they play for,” Minton said. “That’s the way you want it, making the playoffs and going deep into the playoffs. If we don’t do it, we don’t have anybody to blame but ourselves.”

• Alter senior linebacker David Rueth will pull the ultimate double duty this weekend. Alter (11-0) will renew a great playoff series against Clinton-Massie (10-1) in a D-IV, Region 16 semi today at Centerville.

Rueth also is Alter’s starting goalkeeper on its state-bound boys soccer team. Alter defeated three-time defending D-II state champ Columbus St. Francis DeSales 2-1 in double overtime on Wednesday with Rueth making several clutch saves. That earned Alter (20-1-2) a spot in Saturday’s D-II state final against Richfield Revere (16-3-3) at MAPFRE Stadium (formerly Crew Stadium) in Columbus at noon.

That’ll be a quick turnaround for Rueth, an outstanding 6-foot-1, 205 senior in both sports.

• Joining Franklin in representing the SWBL are Valley View (D-IV) and Milton-Union (D-V). Valley View (10-1) has lost only to Franklin and plays top-seeded Wyoming (11-0) in the other half of the Region 16 bracket at Monroe today. Milton-Union (8-3) gets top-ranked Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (11-0) at Miamisburg on Saturday.

• The MAC is represented by Coldwater (D-V), Marion Local and St. Henry (D-VI), and Fort Recovery and Minster (D-VII).

The most intriguing matchup is top-ranked Covington (11-0) vs. Recovery (7-4) at Piqua on Saturday. Covington defeated St. Henry 27-13 in the season opener and St. Henry beat Recovery 35-21 in Week 9. Recovery also is the defending D-VII state champ.

Marion Local (10-1) plays St. Henry (8-3) in a D-VI, Region 24 semi at Sidney today.

• Week 13 regional final sites will be announced by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Sunday.

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