Valley View football: preseason survey

Team: Valley View Spartans

Division/Region: D-IV, Region 16; no change from last season.

Affiliation: Southwestern Buckeye League, Southwest Division.

Location: Barker Field, Spartan Stadium, Germantown.

Head coach: Bob Skidmore; third season (21-3 combined record); longtime Spartans assistant who succeeded Kris Ketron in 2016.

Assistant coaches/positions: Butch Stidham, DC/DB; Matt King, Strength Coach, Special Team Coordinator, LB; Jarrod Henry, DL; William Longman, LB; Andy Keating, QB; Joel Phillips, WR; Sean Schooley, RB; Brock Bolen, RB.

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2017 records: 6-0 SWBL Southwestern, 10-0 regular season, 11-1 overall.

2017 highlights: Undefeated SWBL Southwestern champion, losing only to D-IV state runner-up Clinton-Massie in a regional semifinal, 28-20.

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Key returners:

Justin Bromagen, jr., OL/DL, 6-5, 235

Cade Cradlebaugh, jr., 6-2, 200

Isaac Creech, sr., LB, 6-0, 200

Zach Hannah, sr., LB, 6-3, 205

Jonny Jones, sr., DB, 6-0, 175

Jarrett Lynch, sr., RB, 5-9, 170

Max Shuey, sr., RB, 6-1, 230

About the Spartans: It's been all good for Skidmore, a Spartans coach for 30-plus years. Valley View has KO'ed Waverly in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons, then fallen to Wyoming (2016) and Massie, both of which were unbeaten at the time.

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Key grads are QB Collin Wood (1,578 yards passing; 16 TD passes) and RB Collin Genslinger (1,103 yards rushing; 14 TDs) and LB Logan Hannah (Dayton).

Spartans have mounted an 11-game SWBL winning streak over the last two seasons. Same non-league schedule in Weeks 1-2, opening at Wilmington then at Fort Recovery of the MAC.

Recovery gave Valley View its closest regular-season game last year, a 24-21 Spartans win after leading 24-6. Milton-Union visits and replaces Dixie in the SWBL crossover rotation in Week 8.

Two former Spartans greats are on the coaching staff in Keating and Bolen.

Schedule: 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Week 1: Fri., Aug. 24 at Wilmington

Week 2: Fri., Aug. 31 at Fort Recovery, 7:30 p.m.

Week 3: Fri., Sept. 7 MIDDLETOWN MADISON

Week 4: Fri., Sept. 14 at Oakwood

Week 5: Fri., Sept. 21 MONROE

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Week 6: Fri., Sept. 28 BELLBROOK

Week 7: Fri., Oct. 5 at Franklin

Week 8: Fri., Oct. 12 MILTON-UNION

Week 9: Fri., Oct. 19 EATON