Ohio Football

Friday, July 22, 2011

Conference Call: GWOC South

By Greg Shoemaker | Featured Analyst

Fairborn's Billy Jackson is one of the top offensive weapons in the GWOC South.

There are only four conferences in Southwest Ohio that are made up of only Division I schools and the GWOC South is one of them, but conference has not been able to reach the playoff success of the GWOC Central, GCL South or the GMC.

Depth problems in the league have hurt the top teams’ chances to reach Week 11 in recent years. With a core of quality coaches and team stability from top to bottom it appears good things are about to happen south and east of Dayton.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to expect the unexpected from this quintet. In years past Springboro and Lebanon dominated the other three schools, but that is not likely to play out that way this fall as the shift in mental toughness will play itself out as it promises to produce some eye-popping results.

The one thing every team in this league has in common is that everyone allowed over 315 yards per game to their opponents in 2010. That won’t cut if any of these teams has aspirations of doing damage in November.

Here is a complete overview of the GWOC South:

SPRINGBORO PANTHERS
Division I, Region 4
Head Coach: Ryan Wilhite (32-18 @ Springboro, five years, 32-18 overall)
2010 Record: 7-3, 4-0

Overview: Every year it seems like Springboro goes 7-3 or 8-2 misses the postseason and people forget quickly how good they really were. This season the Panthers have the talent to make it a memorable campaign. The program last made the playoffs in 2005 and with a few good bounces they have a shot at their fourth post-season appearance in school history.

Springboro is a veteran squad at their skills positions. Quarterback Josh Little and running back Jalen Campbell were First-Team All-GWOC South members as juniors. Little had a knack for getting the ball over the goal line with 18 touchdowns passing and nine rushing. Campbell had a breakout-campaign running for 925 yards, catching 22 passes while finding the end zone eight times. Junior Jake Johnson is primed for a big year. He is one of many quality receivers in the conference. Head coach Ryan Wilhite is high on the pass-catching abilities of Jack Schaaf. Sean Welsh anchors the offensive line.

The Vikings need to step it up on defense. Wilhite worries about the Panthers’ inexperience on the defensive line. He knows this team must mature in a hurry. Outside linebacker and the team’s leading tackler Austin Rines will lead by his example on the field. Welsh will get snaps along the line. Kyle Longworth is expected to contribute in the secondary.

FAIRBORN SKYHAWKS
Division I, Region 4
Head Coach: Roy Thobe (37-53 @ Fairborn, nine years, 37-53 overall)
2010 Record: 5-5, 2-2

Overview: This is the year Fairborn has been waiting for. The Skyhawks only lost four starters from last season’s squad. Head coach Roy Thobe is excited about his team’s chances, but knows the boys can’t get ahead of themselves. He insists his team needs to focus on “one play at a time...one game at a time”. If Fairborn can stay focused a big season lies ahead.

The Skyhawks are very athletic on offense starting with quarterback Kendrick Williams. He threw for 1,404 yards, but needs to cut down on his 10 interceptions. Williams’ favorite targets are two of the GWOC’s finest in Billy Jackson and Devon Hamilton. Running back Winston Childers led the team in rushing yards and touchdowns as a junior. Center Tyler Wlazlo is one of the division’s best. He is joined by guards Dustin Hartman and Carson Baker on the line. Anthony Grundy is expected to contribute immediately at tackle.

Across the front on defense are ends Jason Moorman, Nick Franklin and tackle Kyle Roseborough. In the middle of the field at linebacker Roland Matthews, Ameer Wagner and Tomaris Coney and Matt Cline will hold down the fort. The secondary is also experienced with TJ Tillman and cornerback Guillebaldo Cepeda. They will add depth with Noah Rehs, Lawrence Inman and Chris Edwards.

LEBANON WARRIORS
Division I, Region 4
Head Coach: Shawn Lamb (56-44 @ Lebanon, 10 years)
2010 Record: 5-5, 2-2 GWOC South

Overview: It all comes down to one thing for Lebanon in 2011 and that is stopping opposing offenses. The Warriors gave up 351 yards a game in 2010 and allowed foes to convert 42.9 percent of their third downs. Head coach Shawn Lamb will have his hands full as the teams in the league are all better offensively than they were a year ago.

Scoring points will not be a problem for Lebanon. Quarterback Luke Morgan had a great varsity debut throwing 1,408 yards, 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions as a sophomore in 2010. Running back Aaron Abbott found the end zone 13 times and ran for 809 yards as a junior. Lamb is looking for big thing out of receiver Austin Wolf. Lineman Jacob Bennett has committed to play his college ball at BGSU.

The strength of the defense are Jake Gerspacher and Brandon Machen. The duo combined for 151 total tackles as juniors. Defensive back Zach Blaha had five takeaways, including three interceptions a year ago. Junior Anthony Wene will start in the secondary with him. Lineman Kris France was second on the team with three sacks in ’10. A healthy Matt Bendel will be a big boost for the pass rush.

XENIA BUCCANEERS
Division I, Region 4
Head Coach: Bob DeLong (6-14 @ Xenia, two years, 91-63, 15 years overall)
2010 Record: 4-6, 2-2

Overview: You can bet head coach Bob DeLong had no idea things would be so hard after coming over from Tecumseh. The program is getting healthier. The kids are putting in very respectable work and our talent level is improving. The Bucs stand to show great improvement with excellent hope for the future. Things are getting better and 2011 will be a telling season in how far this program has come under DeLong’s watch.

One of the major keys for the Bucs’ success will be overcoming depth and inexperience on the offensive line. The team will look for leadership from Aaron Anderson and Lucas Myers up front. Newcomers Auggie Stanaway, Tyler Baker and Cory Jacowski will have to blend in fast. Quarterback Zach Newsock will navigate the Wing-T scheme. That also means a stable of backs that includes James Sanford, David Roberts, Jamir Bankhead, Dre' Jackson and Shane Jacobs. The head coach would like to see one of them emerge as a go to guy. Tyler Lee could make some noise at receiver.

Strength and speed are both very good on the defensive side of the ball. Sanford is one of the top secondary men in southwest Ohio. Joining him back there will be Mark Brumley, Zane Moore, Roberts, Jackson and Jacobs. On the line Montana Gorsuch, Tyler Steward and Jacowski will be asked to hold down the fort. Bankhead could be a force at linebacker.

MIAMISBURG VIKINGS
Division I, Region 4
Head Coach: Tim Lewis (110-81 @ Miamisburg 19 years, 113-88 0verall, 20 years)
2010 Record: 1-9, 0-4

Overview: Back-to-back 1-9 seasons Miamisburg has the talent to finally be a menace to their South Division foes. The Vikings haven’t won a conference game since October, 19th, 2007. Last season the team lost four games in the final few minutes of those contests. If they can figure out how to win the Vikings could be dangerous.

Pacing the offense is Kentucky-bound lineman Zach Myers. Returning to join him up front will be Ryan Brown, Asante Hill, and Blake Myers. Quarterback Cody Hamblin is a four-year starter. He has thrown for 1,678 yards, ran for 1,770 more and score

Greg is a co-founder of TSF and is now entering his ninth season as a Featured Analyst for the website. The Xavier University grad also serves as the Content Manager for the website and is widely considered one of the top high school football experts in the region. If you are interested in covering your team, please CONTACT US.