Things are really starting to get down to the nitty-gritty in the OHSAA football playoff picture as regional final contests are set for this Friday at various sites around the state. Let’s take a quick look at how we got to this week’s matchups:
The mighty Midwest Athletic Conference once again flexed it’s muscle in D-VI and D-VII play as Anna’s Rockets downed Springfield Northeastern’s Jets and Coldwater’s Cavaliers dashed the Tri-Village Patriots dreams of an undefeated season in setting up a MAC rematch of an earlier Rockets-Cavaliers game won by Anna. The D-VI contest will take place at Piqua’s Alexander Stadium.
Marion Local’s Flyers won their 76th consecutive game in handling fellow MAC member Fort
Recovery while the St. Henry Redskins stopped the Indians of Cedarville in the other D-VII semicreating a second pairing with MAC foe Marion at Wapakoneta Friday at 7:00.
Other regional championship games of local interest will find Tippecanoe’s undefeated Red
Devils facing unbeaten London in D-III at Fairborn, while Trotwood-Madison will take on
Anderson in D-II action at West Chester. Also, in D-I, Wayne’s Warriors square off with the
mighty Middletown Middies at Trotwood.
Congratulations to not only the winners but also those who had outstanding seasons come
to a heartbreaking end. It’s always hard to put away the pads one last time for the seniors and the fans and followers of their favorites will find this weekend without a game a bitter pill to swallow.
One other item of note: Greenville’s new Alumni Stadium at Harmon Field will not get to
host a playoff game this year as the schools advancing to the regional finals are better suited travelwise to play at other sites around the area. Too bad, the Greenville facility is top-notch!
Winter sports at the high school level have swung into high gear with regular season action
set to start in the next week or two. High school swimming and wrestling have begun practice with girls basketball tipping off this Friday and Saturday, and most boys squads not still involved in the football playoffs set to hit the hardwood the weekend of the 28th and 29th.
Greenville’s game with Tipp will be rescheduled making a home contest on the 29th with
Arcanum’s Trojans the season’s opener.
The last penny was produced earlier this week, ending 235 years of production by the US
Mint. With a penny costing almost four cents to make, it only made “sense” to do away with the denomination. However, what will become of these sayings—“a penny for your thoughts” and “penny wise and pound foolish”. Will no one be able to “pinch pennies”? And will “pennies from heaven” become not a “penny saved and earned” but a “penny spurned”?
After 1982 a penny now consists of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper plating and weighs less
than the older ones. Here’s today’s trivia question—what composes a nickel and which weighs more, a penny or a nickel?
Didn’t you just know that—
Michigan would kick a game-winning field goal on the last play to beat Northwestern?
Texas A&M would overcome a 30-3 halftime deficit to beat South Carolina 31-30?
Iowa would lose two games in the last minute to Oregon and Southern Cal?
Bengals, after beating the Steelers earlier 33-31, would only score 12 this time in yet
another loss, falling to 3-7?
The Browns would lose to the Ravens, and Shedeur wasn’t quite ready for “prime” time?
The Defiance Yellow Jackets would end the season 4-7 with a 43-34 win over Lawrence Tech?
A few other quick notes—
Greenville’s all-time leading rusher, Brock Short, carried the ball 13 times for 74 yards in Indiana Wesleyan’s win over Siena Heights in advancing to 9-2 and qualifying for the NAIA playoffs.
How many women does it take to decorate a four-foot-high Christmas tree? Evidently three as my wife Kathy, older daughter Alison, and good friend and neighbor Susan Reigle spent a few hours customizing a masterpiece for auction as part of a Brethren Retirement Community fundraiser for residents and families served by the BRC and EverHeart Hospice.
For more information check the BRC website or call the BRC at (937) 547-8000.
This might be worthy of thought next time you’re out on the roads and highways—according to Axios, the average US commuter now spends 63 hours a year stuck in slow-moving traffic.
That’s the most since 1982 when the Texas A&M studies started with Thursdays replacing
Fridays as the weekday with the most delays. I know the three years we lived in St. Louis
we finally became used to “rush hour,” but it was surely nice to get back to Darke County.
I stillget a little antsy when stuck behind three cars at an intersection though!!
Finally, a penny weighs 2.5 grams while a nickel checks in at a hefty 5.0 grams, being
composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel. By the way, it’s estimated that 250-300 billion
pennies are in circulation, the majority of which can most likely be found in seat cushions,
piggy banks, in the “black holes” around car consoles, and on the outside walls of the Maid-Rite!!
