Players vote to move title game to Columbus

Ohio State officials and about half of high school players surveyed across the state say they would prefer Ohio Stadium as the site of the six division championship prep football games played each season.

Canton and Massillon in northeast Ohio have hosted some or all of the high school championship games for the past 16 years, and the cities had their contracts extended through 2009 this spring.

Of the 1,827 high school players surveyed by The Columbus Dispatch, 52 percent said they would prefer to play at Ohio State. The newspaper surveyed players from 30 schools throughout the state that have routinely qualified for the playoffs, played in last year's championship games or have competed in at least one championship game in the last decade.

"Just about anyone who plays high school football here dreams of playing in the Horseshoe, and that's where the championships should be," said Zach Steve, a senior tackle for Columbus Brookhaven.

The stadiums in Canton and Massillon each got 11 percent of the vote, coming in after Cleveland Browns Stadium with 13 percent and Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati with 12 percent.

Cincinnati is lobbying for the games with the help of Bengals owner Mike Brown, while Cleveland officials say they plan to explore a potential bid.

A new twist on NKY rivalries

Did you read Ryan Ernst’s article this past week in the Enquirer about how to spice up the Northern Kentucky rivalries a bit. Last week’s Fireman’s Bell between New Cath and Newport really got him thinking.

Here are a few of our favorites:
Simon Kenton vs. Boone County: The Frontier Bowl
--Winner gets a coonskin cap.

The Battle for the Silver Spoon:
Highlands vs. Beechwood, Highlands vs. CovCath or CovCath vs. Beechwood
--This one depends on which shoulder you carry which chip.

Covington Catholic vs. Dixie Heights: The Dixie Highway Dispute
--Winner gets the street sign ... or the right to call themselves Colonels for the school year. The loser has to find a new nickname for 12 months.

Ryle-Conner-Boone: The FieldTurf Feud
--The winner gets a an artificial playing surface courtesy of reigning NFL MVP and Boone County School District product Shaun Alexander. Of course the Boone County school board has to approve this one first.

Fairfield vs. Wayne game cancelled

The Cincinnati Enqurier is reporting that the game scheduled for Friday between Fairfield-Huber Heights Wayne football game scheduled for Friday night at Wayne was canceled today, despite a tentative agreement reached in the weeklong strike by teachers in Huber Heights.
Word of the strike settlement came just before 2 a.m. today, after a day of talks with federal and state mediators in Columbus.

But, Wayne athletic director and head football coach Jay Minton said his team needed more time to prepare for a football game and suggested moving it to Saturday.

Vandalism is a sign of ignorance not school spirit.

Last Thursday night, someone took it upon themselves to use weed killer on the Lakota East football field.

The vandals spelled out "West 07" which most people would conclude is for Lakota West, the sister high school.

Who knows if the hoodlums will be caught and in the end it may or may not have been anyone from Lakota West but if that turns out to be the case, I would hope that with all of the money the Lakota school system squeezes out of the taxpayers that a teacher or principal would reiterate to the student body that this was pure ignorance and destructive behaviour. It isn't school spirit when property is damaged.

It appears that the student body at Lloyd Memorial high school have gotten so out of hand by pulling stupid pranks on each other and destroying private property that the principal has announced he is cancelling Homecoming. Good job Lloyd Memorial. The only two times I have seen your name in the paper this year were when you had you butts stomped by Simon Kenton 51 - 3 and now this. Clean up your act.

A Look At The NKY Top 10

I'm going to take a look at the Enquirer Top 10 each week. Here goes.

1. Highlands 2-0: Beat Conner 42-0 last week. This week the Birds play Elder at home. The Panthers had trouble with Cov Cath, and I expect HHS to be able to prevent some of the mistakes the Colonels had with a large Panther crowd (and band) out of the equation.RB Jordan Kramer will have to be spectacular in Elder teritory and QB Drew Cecil will have to be effective at keeping the D honest for the Birds to win. I think this is the week that NKY beats the GCL.

2. Cov Cath 1-1: Lost 13-3 vs Elder last week. This week the Blue Colonels host the Red Colonels of Dixie. Cov Cath had a great chance to beat the Panthers last week, but penalties and turnovers disrupted a great effort. If those problems are corrected, it doesn't seem that there will be much Dixie can do to stop them. Sam Flynn is once again anchoring a rock solid D that can make plays all over the field.

3. Beechwood 1-0: Beat Dixie 35-9. The Tigers play host to a young and undersized Lloyd squad this week. It's no suprise that Beechwood reloaded the talent base, but it was a bit of a shock to see them take Dixie to the woodshed. Bankamper is filling in the long line of ultra productive Running Backs in Ft Mitchell, and you can expect a big game from him this week.

4. Ryle 0-1: Lost 28-7 vs Glen Este. In my game of the week the Raiders play host to NCC. This is going to be a very interesting matchup that could depend on the injury report. With projected starting QB Kyle Benken out with a broken jaw, the Raiders can be a one dimensional team right now. With Scottie Gray and Vince Murray, it's a strong dimension, but will it be enough to beat NCC? My gut says no.

5. Simon Kenton 2-0: Beat Seneca 31-17. This week @ Holy Cross. The Neers are looking to stop the Indians 2 game winning streak vs NKY 4A, and there are a few reasons they should feel great about their chances. Elbert, Bishop and Haught are a very dangerous trio in the backfield and they also have solid options out wide. This is one of those years that SK can reach for a district title, and I don't see Holy Cross slowing them down before district play begins.

6. Boone Co 0-1: Idle last week. Host Scott County this week. With a healthy Correy Farris Boone can make a game of this one. Without him, they could be in trouble. Scott Co. has one of the most complete teams in the state this year, and looked very solid in preseason scrimmages against Lou St. X and Trinity. Farris was my preseason for NKY Player Of The Year, so I hope we see him make a sensational debut in a Rebels upset. I won't be holding my breath.

7. NCC 1-1: Beat Newport 2-0. @ Ryle this week. As I mentioned above, injuries are a big factor in this game. RB Michael Vicars is questionable for NCC, and if he can't go QB Josh Harris will have his work cut out for himself. The defending Class A Champs used a win over Ryle to help propell them to the title last year, and another big W right here can help do the same.

8. Dixie 0-2: Lost to Beechwood 35-9. This week they travel to Cov Cath. Things are not going well for Choach Spritzky and his Colonels. The heralded Junior Class is not where many expected to be at this point, and they need to turn it around soon. This game means one of two things for Dixie. If they win it's a chance to right the ship just before district play. If the lose the questions about a talented but underperforming team will continue. At this point it's hard not to think the latter.

9. Campbell Co 2-0: Beat W. Jesamine 37-6 last week. This week @ Lebanon. Is the sleeping giant known as the largest school in NKY waking up? It will be hard to tell before district play due to no local teams on the non-district schedule, but another W would be hard to ignore. If your looking for a suprise team to crash the 4A playoffs, this might be the one.

10. Holmes 1-1: Lost to Holy Cross 27-26. This week @ Pendleton County. It should be an easy win for Holmes, but it does give them a chance to work out some of the penalties that plagued them against the Indians. Durran Jefferson is the most exciting player in NKY when he has the ball, and I expect a huge week from DJ.

There it is. See you next week...

Aviators Look Strong In Debut

The Sycamore Aviators wasted no time in showing that this season was different than the last. New coach Scott Dattilo led the Aves' to an impressive 31-6 victory over the Withrow Tigers. Some might call the win an upset, but Sycamore went into the game expecting to win.
The game, played in Norwood due to the remodeling of Sycamore's stadium, started off with solid defense from both teams. Then, the green and gold floodgates opened. First, power halfback Mike Latessa ran it in from 4 yards out for an Aviator touchdown.
After a 26 yard Andrew Hancher field goal, QB Mitch Allen took matters into his own hands, running the option keeper into the endzone. Sycamore fans were on their feet, as it was 17-0 at half.
After a Withrow touchdown, Allen threw a perfect spiral that landed right into the hands of WR Michael Byrd for a 48 yard TD pass.
The stifling defense by Sycamore continued, including an interception by Steve Hull.
To close out the scoring, Bud Golden had a 38 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter.
This Friday, the Aviators have a matchup in Springboro, a team that is returning only four starters from last year. But don't overlook the Panthers; senior LB Spencer Vanover is a defensive force.

Refs crack down on Elder band

The rules clearly state that it's illegal for a marching band to be playing when the ball is in play or when the quarterback is calling signals as listed below from the OHSAA football manual.

16. Bands
G. Bands shall not play music at football games while the ball is in play, or while signals
are being called by the quarterback. This means that it is not permissible to use either:
1. Drum roll or beat
2. Cymbals clashing
3. Horn sounds, or
4. Any other kind of musical instrument while the play is underway in football.

Although maybe Elder's band wasn't following the rules during Saturday's matchup with Cov Cath, they certainly were following a precedent. I'm all for following the rules, and being good sports in all situations, but the selective, and quite random enforcement of this rule. In all my years of going to Elder, and other high school football games, I've never, NEVER, seen a band quieted by a referee.

I'm not angry because I go to Elder, or the fact that many of my friends are in band, but I'm angry because this rule has never before enforced. In fact one of the dumbest things the referees could have done was what they did. One band mom told me after the game, "We thought, 'If you don't want to listen to our band, then you're gonna have to listen to us'." The normally raucous "Purple Nation" only got louder, and then forced two straight false start penalties and a fumble. Maybe this year the referees were told to keep more watch on this rule. But one thing is certain; If this is the only time a referee tells a band to quit playing I would question the decision. It just makes no sense to selectively start enforcing the rules, even if they only do it once this season.

St. Xavier Huber Heights Wayne Game

the final score was 52-14, Saint Xavier.

Despite all of the scheduling problems, the game started at 7:30 with both teams looking strong. The first half was exciting and fast paced, with turnovers and fumbles by both teams. The score at the end of the first was 7-7, and at the half, 28-14. The running back, #8, Darius Ashley returned a 92 yard kickoff for a touch down right before half time. After half time, Wayne couldn't get past Saint Xavier's solid defensive line. St. Xavier pulled ahead offensively and was able to keep Wayne's offense in check. The defensive line was most impressive, and all in all a pretty solid game all around. Keep your eyes on Darius who will be a solid staple of Saint Xavier's offense. for more statistics on this football game, please click here.

St. X game moved to Thursday

The St. Xavier-Huber Heights Wayne game, originally scheduled for Saturday as part of the ninth Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown, has been moved to Thursday night at St. Xavier, event organizers announced Wednesday.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at St. Xavier Stadium and Ballaban Field in Finneytown.

St. Xavier-Wayne was to be played at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, at University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, but was moved up two days to ensure that it be played before a potential strike by the Huber Heights Education Association.

The district's board passed a resolution that if a strike were to occur, all of the district's extracurricular activities - including football - would be either postponed or canceled.

A tentative strike is planned for 12:01 a.m. Friday.

"Our only objective is to do what is in the best interest of the participating schools," said Tom Gamble of DSA Prep Sports, the event organizer. "From the beginning, both St. Xavier and Wayne indicated that they wanted to do everything possible in order to play the game.

"Believe me, we explored every option out there and - in the end - feel that this resolution is best for both the participating schools and all of their great fans."

The other seven games in the Skyline Crosstown Showdown will be played as originally scheduled. An event fact sheet, with all game sites and times, accompanies this release.

Besides St. Xavier-Wayne, the Skyline Crosstown Showdown Kickoff officially opens the Ohio high school season with its annual doubleheader at Princeton High School's Viking Stadium. Wilmington meets Winton Woods at 6 p.m., followed by Edgewood vs. Lebanon at 8:15.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to the St. Xavier-Wayne game are $10 at the gate. Any St. Xavier or Wayne fan that has already purchased an advance Saturday ticket will be admitted using that ticket.

All other Showdown games and corresponding admission prices and policies remain the same.

Please visit http://www.dsaprepsports.com/ for complete information and updates.

NKY Football Still A 4 Class Situation

The new football alignment for the 2007 season was released this week by the KHSAA, and while the rest of the state adjusts to a 6 Class system there isn't a lot of change in NKY. Here's how it looks...

1A - Beechwood, Bellevue, Dayton, Ludlow
2A - Holy Cross, Lloyd, Newport, NCC
5A - Highlands, Cov Cath, Dixie, Holmes, Scott
6A - Boone Co., Campbell Co., Conner, Ryle, Simon Kenton

At first glance, hats off to Highlands and Cov Cath for moving up in class, and keeping their rivalry alive. I'm also very pleased to see the 8 team districts a thing of the past. It put the teams in the old A and AAAA in a real bind in reguards to scheduling out of district games that could better prepare them for the playoffs. The only head scratcher is Beechwood staying in A. I've known Coach Rash for most of my life, and I'll trust his judgement over mine. It does seem they will have the chance to ask for a move up again in two years, so I guess time will tell. It does seem that the more things change the more they stay the same under the new system in NKY...

Elder's New Look for 2006

Elder High School was chosen by Under Armour as one of 20 high schools in the nation to receive Under Armour Football uniforms and team gear for the 2006 season and beyond. The hype surrounding the new uniforms was one of interest back when the announcement was made. The uniforms finally arrived at Elder late last week, and made their unofficial debut for team photos last Saturday the 19th.
Many have viewed the team photos and the picture of the captains on Elder's sports history website, and have voiced their opinion. Many Elder supporters aren't happy with the change to the newer design. The traditional ELDER that once was across the chest in large font has now been reduced to a smaller ELDER under the neck. Although I am in a small minority I must say I actually like the new look. Hopefully the new uniforms don't distract from what should be a great season for the Elder Panther football team.

Team Captains pose in the new uniforms- From Left Casey Lysaght, Patrick Williams, Jeff Rieskamp, Derrick Ventre, and Aaron Monk

How Times Have Changed

Reading the newspaper this weekend and seeing Lloyd Memorial being squashed like a bug by Simon Kenton and Boone County being blown out by Cov Cath while Highlands man handled Dixie Heights made me realize how times have changed.

When I was in high school I couldn't remember Lloyd ever losing to Simon Kenton. Boone County always beat Cov Cath and Dixie Heights dined on the cake eaters from Fort Thomas.

It's kind of like being in outer space for centuries only to come back to earth and find that it is being run by a bunch of apes and people are the primates that have lost their ability to speak.

KY Preseason Rankings

The preseason top 10 (Bluegrasspreps.com):

CLASS A
1. New Cath
2. Beechwood
3. Danville
4. Somerset
5. Bardstown
6. Mayfield
7. Lousiville Holy Cross
8. Lynn Camp
9. Pikeville
10. Russellville

CLASS 2A
1. Russell
2. Owensboro Catholic
3. Belfry
4. Mercer County
5. Western
6. Newport
7. Middlesboro
8. Corbin
9. Sheldon Clark
10. Elizabeth

CLASS 3A
1. Bowling Green
2. Highlands
3. Covington Catholic
4. Rockcastle County
5. Lexington Catholic
6. Hopkinsville
7. Boyle County
8. Bell County
9. Central
10. Southwestern

CLASS 4A
1. Male
2. Trinity
3. St. Xavier
4. Pleasure Ridge Park
5. Scott County
6. Henry Clay
7. Warren Central
8. Paul Dunbar
9. North Hardin
10. Boone County