Observations after another late summer/early autumn week, weather wise—
After week four of the high school football season, it’s starting to become evident who some of the area’s better teams are in the various leagues or conferences. In the Western Ohio Athletic Conference, Arcanum, Preble Shawnee, Tri-Village, and Ansonia are all impressive, with the first three scheduled to see each other in the coming weeks. Another team that has surprised some is the Blackhawks of Mississinawa Valley, sitting at 3-0 in league action but they have yet to play any of the aforementioned four squads.
In the Miami Valley League, Tipp and Troy are the powers, with Butler, Fairborn, and Xenia just a notch or two behind. All five will square off in the second half of the campaign to settle league honors as well as playoff implications.
Greenville’s Green Wave are much improved from the last few seasons and given another year or two of off-season weight work and familiarity with Coach Steve Channell’s offensive and defensive schemes, should become a force in MVL play.
Marion Local (what’s new?) and New Bremen top the Midwest Athletic Conference to date, with Minster, Versailles, St. Henry, and Anna close behind. Expect the annual late-season battles that have highlighted MAC play for years as teams scramble for a few more shots at State titles!
Undefeated Brookville and Oakwood roll on in the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division with a head-on meeting coming up on October 3rd. Valley View and Carlisle sit at 3-1 overall, while in the SWBL Southwestern Division, Bellbrook and Ross appear to be the class of the group.
Lehman Catholic and Miami East pace the Three Rivers Conference, with Bethel and Riverside also making noise this fall.
Volleyball action finds Butler, Tipp, and Sidney tops in the MVL at present; Mississinawa Valley and Arcanum heading the WOAC; with Brookville, Ross, and Eaton the class of the SWBL.
Can the Reds earn a wild-card slot in the National League playoffs? I wouldn’t bet the farm on it unless the Mets continue to plummet and the Giants can’t put a win streak together. Not much faith in the Reds these days from my viewpoint!
The Brewers continue to amaze me with a Major League best 91wins—can you name four of their regular starting lineup and three of their pitchers because I can’t!
Here’s a trivia question for you—while cleaning out the glove compartment in my car the other day I came across a Darke County road map. Being the inquisitive person I am, and evidently with nothing better to do, I counted fifteen state and two US highways crossing the county. Can you name all of them?
How important is the kicking game at the college and professional levels of football? Four great examples from this weekend—
Tennessee lost for a ninth consecutive time to Georgia when its kicker missed a 42-yard field goal as time expired in a tie game. The same kicker then made a 42-yarder from the same place in overtime to put the Vols ahead, only to see the ‘Dawgs score the winning touchdown a few minutes later.
Georgia Tech upset Clemson on the strength of a 55-yard three-pointer as time ran out in ACC play, leading to a raucous celebration at the home of the “Ramblin’ Wreck”.
Notre Dame’s home opener was spoiled much to the chagrin of the Irish Faithful when an extra point snap was mishandled late in the game, leaving ND ahead of Texas A&M 40-34. You know what happened next, right? The Aggies drove down the field on the following possession and scored a touchdown in the final seconds, winning the game 41-40 as they converted their extra point.
And the Cowboys beat the Giants thanks to a game-tying 64-yard FG by Brandon Aubrey, who later won the game in overtime by making a 46-yard attempt. The longer of the two made NFL history by being the longest to send a game to overtime in the annals of professional play.
Finally, here are the answers to the trivia question—
The US routes through Darke County are 36 and 127.
The state highways are 47, 49, 118, 121, 185, 319, 364, 502, 503, 571, 705, 716, 721, 722, and 726. 319 at Burkettsville and 364 at Osgood were two that I didn’t think of!!
If you got 14 or more of the seventeen, you don’t need a GPS!
10-13, you’d better carry a map with you most of the time.
7-10, don’t get lost in Darke County.
Fewer than six, take an Uber if you can find one!!
