Troy 56 Stebbins 7

Finally, a bit of football weather. I was wearing a fleece sweatshirt over a long-sleeved t-shirt, and I was still a little chilly. I wish it was this way all season long, instead of just toward the end of the season. Seeing people in the stands wearing sweatshirts and jackets, huddling together under blankets, is one of the first things I think of when I think of high school football season. I still love the games just as much when I'm wearing shorts and sunscreen to the games during the first few weeks, but the season really takes off once there's a little chill in the air.

Stebbins's stadium was nothing to write home about. It was better than Beavercreek's, but not by a whole lot. Once again, the visitors' side stands weren't quite tall enough to provide a view of the game unobstructed by the players standing on the sidelines. That's one thing that drives me crazy. I know that most teams do not bring as many visiting fans as Troy typically does, and thus there is little reason for most school boards (or whoever is in charge of stadium construction) to be as concerned with the visitors' side as they are with the home side; however, I will never understand why any seats are placed in a location from which the game is not wholly visible. It boggles my mind.

Of course, the weather and the stadium come to mind first when discussing last Friday's game because the game itself wasn't much of a game at all. This was a pure beating administered by the Trojans in all phases of the game. Stebbins just didn't have the horses even to stay close in this one.

It was good to see Troy remain focused and do everything they needed to do, even with a huge game looming on the horizon. This game was vintage Trojans from the opening kickoff. They physically dominated the opponent, rolling up 459 rushing yards (distributing the carries among eleven different backs) while holding the other team to 175 yards total, and bringing in the second string before the beginning of the fourth quarter.

This coming Friday brings about the game that is circled on both teams' schedule each season: the annual Troy vs. Piqua showdown. This will be the 121st meeting of the teams, in what is the most-played rivalry in Ohio; the record currently stands at 57-57-6. Troy is 5-1 going into the game, whereas Piqua is 3-3, but don't let that record fool you: Piqua's losses have been to good teams, and records often mean little in this game at any rate. It'll be a barn-burner, and whichever team comes out on top will have earned it.