Wins by Trotwood, CJ set up rare matchup
Undefeated Rams to face Eagles in D-III, Region 12 final.
It just keeps getting better in the Division III, Region 12 high school football playoffs.
As usual, this region was again loaded with midsized Southwest District powers. It took a supreme effort just to qualify for that playoff field. Advancing is a bonus.
It wasn’t a stretch to label Trotwood-Madison as the top power among a bunch that included playoff regulars Alter, Franklin and Dunbar. Unbeaten Trotwood appears every bit a team destined to win a state championship. Besides, the Rams have been to seven straight state semifinals. Good luck getting past that long-running playoff muscle.
But Chaminade Julienne? Welcome to the party.
CJ continued to make program history by outlasting New Richmond 26-21 on Friday night at Monroe. Stumbling into the postseason after being routed 34-6 by Alter in Week 10, CJ (9-3) finds itself in a D-III, Region 12 final against mighty Trotwood (12-0). The neutral site of Friday’s Week 13 showdown will be announced by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Sunday.
No one on Trotwood’s coaching staff could remember the last time the Rams played the Eagles in football.
“We’ll have to go deep into the archive to find that out,” Trotwood coach Jeff Graham said with a laugh after a 64-26 semifinal blowout of Dunbar at Butler on Friday.
The closest Trotwood and CJ have ventured since anyone could remember is a 7-on-7 passing tournament and picnic afterward last July.
Their playoff fates were sealed when CJ was bumped up to Division III last spring, mainly due to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s competitive balance initiative directed at private schools. CJ’s stunning 49-28 first-round defeat of Alter just one week after being blown out by the Knights also didn’t hurt.
Dayton’s Welcome Stadium would be a perfect fit for a game of this caliber. The OHSAA might say no because of the Dayton Public Schools’ three-year probation penalty. No playoff game was held at Welcome last season and no postseason game has been there this year through two rounds.
Regardless of the site, this region is assured of placing an immediate area team in the state semifinals.
“They’re coming off two good victories,” Graham said. “We know we’re in for a battle because that’s a rich tradition they’ve established there. It’s going to be great for the whole community.”
Here’s five things to know after Friday’s Week 12 regional semifinals:
■ What once was a robust seven-team Greater Western Ohio Conference playoff showing is now down to Trotwood after Centerville (D-I, Region 3) and Sidney (D-II, Region 8) were bounced. Still, it was a banner year for Centerville (10-2). Firstyear coach Brent Ullery set the bar high for next season.
Sidney’s senior class insisted on redirecting a program and making fall Friday nights special again at the Shelby County crossroads. Coach Adam Doenges’ Yellow Jackets (10-2) did just that.
■ Valley View might have been the beast of the Southwestern Buckeye League, but it’s Middletown Madison that’s still playing.
Clinton-Massie handed Valley View its only loss in a D-IV, Region 16 semi at Beavercreek, 28-20. That game was state-title worthy. Madison followed up its first playoff appearance and defeat of Anna by beating Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 35-27. That puts the Mohawks (10-2) in a D-V, Region 20 final against West Jefferson (12-0).
■ Marion Local (12-0) and Coldwater (9-3) earned a much-anticipated rematch, and that’s the problem. Competitive balance fallout bumped Coldwater down to D-VI, Region 24, same as Marion Local. Until this season, these Midwest Athletic Conference powers were state-final regulars with Coldwater in D-V. Now, another state-title worthy regional final is must-see for MAC fans. Marion Local won in Week 3, 13-7.
■ There’s more MAC in D-VII, Region 28. That’s where Minster (8-4) and Delphos St. John’s (8-4) will also have a rematch. Delphos SJ’s won its Week 3 MAC opener, 41-14. That also means the MAC is assured of being represented in two divisions of state semifinals.
■ Trotwood is hoping to match its 2011 team that went 15-0 and won a D-II state title, the program’s only championship. How do these two teams compare? The current Rams have outscored opponents 632-143 through 12 games, which includes second-half running clocks in most games. The 2011 Rams outscored 12 opponents 498183, and that was before the running clock era.