MVL teams chasing defending champions Troy, Xenia

The league’s 10 teams are gearing up for a six-game regular season that could see plenty of surprises on and off the field with COVID-19 still posing a threat throughout the state.

Everyone will be eligible for the playoffs, but first a pair of division titles will be on the line in the MVL.

Here are six things to know about the league for 2020:

1. Troy and Xenia are looking to repeat as division champions.

The Trojans won the first Miami division title with a 7-1 mark in the league. Their only loss to an MVL team was at Xenia, who went undefeated in conference play en route to the Valley division championship.

Both teams have some of their bigger names on the defensive side of the ball: Linebackers Linebackers Evan Jones, Austin Johnson and Elijah Atkins, linemen Alex Greene and Adam Decerbo and safety Lucas Henderson for Troy and linebackers Zach Gaither and Isaiah Hoyt and defensive backs Tawfiq Jabbar Jr. and Tremell Wright for Xenia.

“We’re looking for playmakers to step up on the offensive side of the ball,” said Troy coach Dan Gress, who welcomes back four key offensive linemen including Bowling Green commit Dawson Hildebrand.

2. There are several college prospects.

Hildebrand does not figure to be the only player from the 2021 class in MVL to play Division I FBS football next year.

Piqua defensive tackle Lance Reaves Hicks also has offers from Akron, Army, Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Navy according to rivals.com while Smitherman said Gaither and Xenia teammate Kevin Johnson (running back) are also candidates for D-I offers.

West Carrollton junior running back Tyron Darby has offers from Cincinnati, Iowa State and Toledo while teammate and classmate Kamaury Cleveland is an intriguing prospect who led the MVL in passing last season and was 10th in rushing.

3. A handful of last year’s stat leaders are back.

Stebbins quarterback Nate Keller was fourth in the league in passing last season while Sidney running back E.J Davis is the reigning rushing champ in the MVL after picking up 1,329 yards on the ground and scoring 10 touchdowns last season.

Hunter Warner of Fairborn was fourth in the league in rushing (1,044 yards) and second in tackles with 131 while teammate Cam Hamilton was third in the league with 126 stops.

Johnson, who scored 15 touchdowns last season and ran for 1,001 yards, gives the league three returning rushers who hit that magic number.

Gaither led the league with 10.5 sacks, edging Jerell Lewis of Piqua by one. They are both back.

4. Xenia wants to become the hunted.

While the Buccaneers have had many standout athletes in multiple sports over the years, team success has been fleeting for most of the past 50 in football.

Smitherman hopes to change that, and he is off to a good start with consecutive winning seasons after going 2-8 in his first campaign.

“The league’s going to be tough, and once you’ve won it, I would just assume we’re everybody’s Super Bowl at this point,” Smitherman said. “That’s what we’re preaching to the kids. We want to continue to let them know hey we’ve got to go hard every day because you may not care but someone else does.”

XHS made the playoffs for the first time last year, and naturally the goal is to advance for the first time this year (when everyone will make the postseason unless they opt out) after losing at home to

“Xenia’s been a place where they’ve had a lot of successful athletes in all their sports, and our biggest goal is to put it all together as a team and that’s what we’re fighting for across the board every day, to be a better team than we were yesterday,” Smitherman said. “If you can do that then you’ll get opportunities like going to the playoffs and getting Division I colleges coming in and offering scholarships. We’re blessed with that opportunity right now, and I’m just constantly saying to our young guys you can be the next guy if you do what you’re supposed to do and it doesn’t come easy. You have to do the work.”

5. There could be a lot of parity behind the defending champs.

The Buccs won the division by four games while West Carrollton, Sidney, Fairborn and Stebbins all finished within a game of each other or tied. While the Pirates, Yellow Jackets and Skyhawks all boast a big-name offensive player, the Indians are looking to make a move out of the basement on the strength of a 15-man senior class highlighted by running back Marvelous Rutledge and three-year starting offensive lineman Julian Ramirez.

In the Miami division, Greenville is looking to take another step forward after going 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the league in Coch Bart Schmitz’s first season leading the Green Wave.

Like Stebbins, Butler is hoping a more experienced group can help it emerge out of last place. Coach John Puckett has nine starters back on defense and eight on offense.

“I really I like this team a lot,” Puckett said. “Last year we started a bunch of sophomores and at the end of the year we started freshmen too a lot of times they played like sophomores and sometimes they played a little over their head, and really took some lumps. The best part about it is that the attitude of this group is fantastic. The work ethic is is contagious with this group.”

6. The first week features what is annually one of the marquee games in Ohio.

Piqua, with 10 starters back on defense and a half-dozen sophomores veteran coach Bill Nees is expecting to be key newcomers, will host Troy in the 136th meeting between the Miami County rivals. The Trojans and Indians last played in Week 1 in 1981.

Troy hosts Xenia a week later while Week 3 features a showdown between West Carrollton’s Cleveland and Sidney’s Davis.

Greenville gets a shot at Troy in Week 5.