Troy 31 Miamisburg 21

Miamisburg was the only team to beat the Trojans last year, and they did it twice. Both games were fantastic contests that came down to the wire, but both times the Vikings found a way to pull out the win.

I'll be honest: I didn't really have a whole lot of hope for the Trojans in this one. While Miamisburg lost both of their star linemen from last year's team, they seemed to have absorbed that loss without missing a beat, coming into this game at 3-1, falling only to perennial powerhouse Wayne last week. The Trojans came in at 2-2, with some questions lingering on the offensive side of the ball.

Those questions are all fine and good, but Troy's defense ended up taking matters into their own hands. Miamisburg is known for its crushing, grind-it-out Wing-T offense, much like the Trojans themselves used to run under former coach Steve Nolan. Troy held that vaulted offense to just 21 yards on 30 carries. Moreover, they were in QB Tate Vongsy's face all night, sacking him, harassing him, batting his passes. The Vikings didn't score an offensive TD until almost midway through the 4th quarter, when the game was already pretty much out of reach (despite much gnashing of teeth in the visitors' stands).

They were helped by the further emergence of Jaydon Culp-Bishop at tailback for Troy. It's been a true joy to watch his development this season. If the defense can keep putting up efforts like this, Troy will have some room to figure out how to get the rest of their offense straightened out. Next week they'll make their first visit to Tipp City since the Red Devils joined the GWOC, with both teams at 3-2.

Speaking of first visits, this was Troy's first visit to Miamisburg's new Holland Field. I hated to see them leave Harmon Field--I loved the neighborhood setting--but it was probably time for an update, for the sake of parking if nothing else. And the new stadium is great. It's set up on a small hill near some of their other athletic facilities, and the lack of a track and the steep slope of the stands make for a great vantage point to watch a game. And the fact that every seat in the house is a box seat with a back is glorious. Well done, Miamisburg.