OHIO — When it comes to football in the Greater Miami Conference since the new millennium, it’s been a “Colereign” for one program in particular.
The Colerain Cardinals absolutely dominated the GMC from 2000-2019, winning (or tying) 20-straight conference championships, a 2004 OHSAA Division I state title and six regional crowns.
That amazing run came to an end in 2020, as Lakota West won the conference, and ended Colerain’s 83-game league winning streak (dating back to 2008) with a 10-0 victory in the season opener.
While the Firebirds are the favorites to repeat in 2021, their crosstown rivals at Lakota East still have a say in that matter. The Thunderhawks are currently third in the Region 4 computer rankings, one spot ahead of Lakota West.
Viewers in southwest Ohio will see Lakota East (5-1) take on Colerain (4-2) Friday night at 7 p.m., as part of the OHSAA Game of the Week on Spectrum News 1. The T-hawks will be looking to end a 15-game losing streak to the Cardinals, with their last win in the series coming in 1999, the year before Colerain’s GMC reign began.
Historically, both teams like to run the ball and try to control the line of scrimmage. The Cardinals’ M.J. Flowers leads the GMC in rushing, and has paced the offense to four straight wins following opening losses to La Salle and St. Xavier. Meanwhile, Lakota East has added more balance this year, thanks to the play of quarterback T.J. Kathman.
It will be defense on display in central Ohio, where Marysville makes the trek to challenge Union County counterpart Dublin Jerome. The Monarchs are undefeated on the year (5-0), thanks to a fast and physical defense that is allowing just 6.6 points per game, and only four touchdowns all year.
That unit is paced by one of the top recruits in the state in linebacker Gabe Powers, who is committed to play next year at Ohio State. With his combination of size (6’4”, 230 pounds) and speed, he will remind some of another Central Ohio player that ended up a Buckeye, in former Westerville South linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer.
Marysville will be tested by the Celtics (5-1), though. The “hart” of the offense is quarterback Zakk Tschirhart and running back Preston Everhart, who lead an offense scoring 32.2 PPG.
The Monarchs swept the season series in 2020, including 35-14 win in the playoffs. The schools have split six meeting all-time, with the Celtics last victory in 2011.
In northeast Ohio, it’s Benedictine (5-0) on the road to play at Brecksville-Broadview Heights (1-5). It’s a rematch of 2019 playoff game, won by the Bengals in thrilling fashion. Benedictine trailed by 18 points, before rallying for a 41-38 win, with the go-ahead touchdown coming with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
Looking ahead to the postseason, the Bengals’ playoff history stacks up with anyone in the state. Benedictine has won seven state championships, most recently in 2014, and have reached the state semifinals 11 times.
But it is looking for a Division II breakthrough in 2021. Of the Bengals’ seven state titles, all but one was in Division III or Division IV. The 1981 title was in Division II, but there were only five total divisions at that time (Benedictine was in Class AA in 1973, where there were a total of three classes).
Additionally, from 2014 through 2020, just six schools total have appeared in the Division II state championship game:
· Akron Hoban (champions in 2020, 2017-18)
· Cincinnati La Salle (champions in 2019, 2014-16)
· Massillon (runner-up in 2018-20)
· Cincinnati Winton Woods (runner-up in 2017)
· Massillon Perry (runner-up in 2015-16)
· Macedonia Nordonia (runner-up in 2014)
Benedictine currently sits on top of a very crowded and competitive Region 5 that includes Willoughby South, Nordonia, Hudson, Hoban and Walsh Jesuit. The Bengals will get a regular season shot at Hoban in two weeks.
The Bees have some work to do to finish in the top 16 of Region 6. Brecksville-Broadview Heights’ lone win was against Wadsworth in week four, and still has match-ups with Nordonia and North Royalton on the schedule.
All three games begin at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1, and the Spectrum News App.
