Shawnee and Kenton Ridge are both 4-1, while Tecumseh, Jonathan Alder and two-time defending champion Bellefontaine are all 3-2.
Kenton Trail Division play opens Friday with two stellar matchups — Tecumseh at Shawnee and Bellefontaine at Kenton Ridge.
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This year’s conference champion will certainly have earned over it the next five weeks.
“Any of us could beat the other on any given Friday,” Tecumseh head coach Chris Cory said.
The Arrows have won back-to-back games against Northwestern and Urbana in CBC crossover action after starting 1-2. They’ve gotten great production in the backfield from their three-headed monster of seniors David Berner (83 carries, 420 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Gavin Wasson (45-316-3) and junior Lucas Rodgers (19-171-2), who recently returned after a bout with mononucleosis.
“In the Wing-T, you don’t want them to know where the ball is,” Cory said. “When you have three backs who can all carry the ball effectively, it makes a huge difference.”
The Arrows offensive line is also finding its form, he said. The team had nearly 375 yards rushing as Tecumseh beat Urbana 35-32 in Week 5, Cory said. Wasson’s 48-yard touchdown run gave Tecumseh the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter.
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“It was one of those games where you felt like at halftime whoever had the ball at the end was going to win,” Cory said.
Defensively, the Arrows are led by senior linebacker A.J. Betleyoun, the CBC’s co-leader in tackles with 58. He’s also played guard, running back, fullback and tight end.
“Defensively, he does everything for us — makes the calls, gets the kids in the right spots,” Cory said. “He makes a ton of tackles.”
The next five weeks will be a grind, Cory said. It starts this week at Shawnee, which beat Northwestern 40-35 last week.
“They’re young, but they’ve got some good athletes,” Cory said. “Offensively, they’ve got (junior quarterback Robie Glass) who’s probably the best athlete in most of Clark County, if not all of Clark County. They’ve got some kids around him who are fast and can catch and run. We’re going to have to play well on defense. Offensively, we’re just going to have to keep mixing it up on the defense.”
The Arrows have struggled in close games the last few years, Cory said. He hopes last week’s win at Urbana is a sign of good things to come.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Game ball: While Glass scored the game-winning touchdown as a receiver in Shawnee's 40-35 come-from-behind victory against Northwestern last week, a game ball is also due to Braves sophomore quarterback Drew Mitch.
Mitch caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give Shawnee a 28-21 lead. In the fourth quarter, he intercepted the ball on Shawnee’s 9-yard line to give the Braves new life. Then, on the Braves’ final offensive play, he switched from wide receiver to quarterback and threw a game-winning touchdown pass — without even warming up.
He also led the Braves with 4.5 tackles.
“He’s a tough kid, a really smart kid, athletic,” Shawnee coach Rick Meeks said. “He went right out and laid it on the money.”
Rivalry game: Between 2001 and 2016, Mechanicsburg and West Liberty-Salem combined to win or share 12 conference titles, including seven for the Indians and five for the Tigers.
They’ll meet in Ohio Heritage Conference North Division play at 7 p.m. Friday in West Liberty in another key early season division matchup.
The Indians are 5-0 this season and have allowed just 14 points all season. The Tigers (4-1) have won three straight since falling to Benjamin Logan 30-29 in Week 2.
The winner will get a jumpstart in the race for their first OHC North division title. West Jefferson won the division last year, the first since the conference expanded to a 12-team league with two six-team divisions.
Homecoming parade: Springfield High School will be hosting a homecoming parade at 6 p.m. Thursday. The route will start at the Dome and travel south to Evans Stadium. A pep rally will be held at 6:30 p.m. and will include the introduction of sports team and the homecoming court. The event is free and open to the public.
The unbeaten Wildcats (5-0) host Xenia (3-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Evans Stadium.
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