The Rams host their former Kenton Trace Conference rivals for the first time since 2000. The Wildcats won the last matchup 48-16. Blanchester went 4-6 last season. Greeneview is coming off a record-breaking season that saw them win a school record 12 games.
Bradford at Catholic Central
The Ryan West era begins Friday for the Irish. He takes over for coach Jim Dimitroff, who is now at Southeastern. Catholic Central beat the Railroaders 37-6 last season.
Cincinnati College Prep at Cedarville
The Indians are looking to bounce back from a 4-6 season last fall. Cincinnati College Prep was a playoff team in D-VII, Region 28 last season, beating Southeastern 20-7.
Graham at Kenton Ridge
The Falcons and Cougars open the season with a Central Buckeye Conference crossover division game. Both teams advanced to the playoffs last season. The Cougars won the last meeting 37-6 in Week 1 of 2020.
Greenon at Shawnee
Both teams will look to bounce back this after each went 1-9 last season. The Braves have a new coach in Bob DeLong, who previously coached at Tecumseh and Xenia. Greenon won the last meeting of the two schools 56-39 in 2019.
Jonathan Alder at West Liberty-Salem
The Tigers have a new coach in former Shawnee standout Brad Jarzab, who takes over for Dan McGill. West Liberty-Salem advanced to the D-V state semifinals last season, falling to eventual state champion Ironton.
Mechanicsburg at Washington Court House
The Indians advanced to the playoffs for the 12th straight season, falling to Ridgewood 28-21. They return 18 upperclassmen, including quarterback Conley Bogard, who threw 2,061 yards last season.
Northwestern at Southeastern
The Clark County rivals faceoff in one of the longest-running Week 1 matchups in the area. Northwestern is 8-5 against the Trojans over the last 15 years - the teams didn’t play in 2019 and 2020. The Warriors won 41-6 last season. The Trojans have a new head coach in Jim Dimitroff.
Springfield at Winton Woods
The Wildcats travel to Hamilton County to face the Cincinnati powerhouse. The Warriors beat Springfield 16-6. They’re loaded with D-I prospects, including senior safety Rihyael Kelley, an Alabama commit, and senior quarterback Bryshawn Brown, a Northern Illinois commit.
Tecumseh at Fairborn
Another one of the longest-running Week 1 matchups in the area. The Skyhawks won 33-0 last year, snapping the Arrows four-game series winning streak.
Urbana at Northeastern
The former CBC rivals resumed their series last season. The Hillclimbers scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and withstood a late charge from the Jets to win 44-35.
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