Here’s five things to know heading into Week 4:
GWOC play begins
The GWOC went 0-8 in nonconference play last week for the first time since the league reverted back to eight teams in 2020.
Conference play begins this week with several key matchups, including Fairmont at Centerville and Springboro at Wayne.
The Firebirds and the Elks, who shared the GWOC championship last season, will meet in a battle of 0-3 squads. Fairmont has lost three games to start the season by a total of nine points, falling to Trotwood and LaSalle in one-point games each of the past two weeks. Both teams have played opponents with a combined record of 8-1. The Elks have won five straight in the series.
Fairmont fell to Centerville 31-28 last season, but won six straight league games to end the season and earned a share of the title after Springfield beat the Elks a few weeks later.
The Panthers (2-1) are the only team in the conference with a winning record. They fell to Elder last week 21-7. They’ll face a Wayne squad that’s lost back-to-back games after a season-opening win against Fairfield. Springboro beat the Warriors 28-7 last season.
Strong performances
Several area players put up big numbers last week.
Alter junior Drew Cripps rushed for 197 yards and four touchdowns in the Knights’ 35-0 win over Linton-Stockton (Ind.). He ran in scores from 9, 8, 44 and 16 yards for the Knights, who also had a strong defensive effort holding Linton-Stockton to 75 yards of total offense.
Talawanda senior Lance Cantrell rushed for 313 yards and four touchdowns as the Braves improved to 3-0 with a 45-20 win over Eaton. He has 863 yards and nine TDs in three games and surpassed 300 yards for the second time in three weeks.
Lehman Catholic senior quarterback Turner Lachey threw for 422 yards and five TDs as the Cavaliers (3-0) beat Fort Loramie 43-24. Lachey has thrown for 1,137 yards and 16 TDs with an 80.6 completion percentage (50-for-62) and no interceptions through three games this season.
Getting a W
After the conference went 0-11 to start the season, two Dayton City League teams brought home victories in Week 3.
Belmont junior Reggie Gardner caught two TD passes and returned an interception for a touchdown as the Bison beat Columbus South 20-6. Belmont trailed 6-0 and scored 20 unanswered points to bring home the victory.
Meadowdale senior quarterback Jordan Brown threw for 207 yards and three TDs and rushed for 80 yards and a score as the Lions beat Troy Christian 48-0.
Longest rivalry
The longest rivalry in Ohio -- Piqua vs. Troy -- will resume this weekend for the 141st time.
The annual “Battle on the Miami” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Troy Memorial Stadium. The Trojans (2-1) won 21-7 last season to earn their second straight victory against their rivals. They’ve won back-to-back games after a Week 1 loss at Middletown.
Piqua is 1-2. The Indians beat Greenville 50-7 last week.
Troy owns a slight edge in the series with a 68-66-6 advantage.
The streak continues
Marion Local’s Cale Nagel caught a 35-yard touchdown reception from Brennen Hess with 5:35 remaining in the game allowed the Flyers to escape with a 21-14 win over St. Henry to extend their national-active best winning streak to 67 straight games. The Flyers (3-0) host Delphos St. John’s (0-3) this week.
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