A Season of Discontent

I thought about going to a high school football game tonight. There are a couple of tempting big-school matchups happening locally--Olentangy Liberty vs. Dublin Coffman (in New Albany) and Pickerington Central vs. Hilliard Davidson (in Gahanna)--and probably some small-school action as well. I do this pretty much every year, actually. I always think, "Oh, I should go to a playoff game this Friday." And then Friday rolls around and the weather isn't perfect, and nine bucks seems a little steep for a ticket to a game that doesn't feature my team (not to mention parking fees), and staying home just seems like a better idea. And so that's what I do, and that's what I'm doing tonight.

Now, if my beloved Troy Trojans were playing tonight, I would have tried to go, cold and cost be damned. Alas, they were eliminated last week, losing their second-round playoff game to Cincinnati Anderson (with their racist nickname redacted here forevermore) last week, 38-35. I didn't go to that game, and because I'm not a Spectrum video subscriber (although I do have Internet service through them), it wasn't available for me to watch. I did get to listen to the first half, but we had plans with friends, and so I was only able to follow the second half via Twitter (many thanks, @thefong).

The Trojans were up 28-17 at the half of that game. While I didn't get to see or even listen to the second half...that's a game you'd think they should have been able to find a way to win. Only being able to manage seven points in the second half is disappointing for a team with a once-in-a-generation running back and a serviceable passing game. By the same token, the defense had only given up more than 19 points once all season (31, in their other loss, to Miamisburg in week 5). All credit to Anderson for doing everything they needed to do to pull it out, but Troy should have been able to keep it from slipping away.

Of course, I'm always disappointed when the Troy football season comes to an end, no matter the circumstances. I have to admit, though, that this year I was really hoping they would advance to the third round. I started paying attention to Troy football when I was a freshman at THS in 1991. In those 28 seasons, the Trojans have advanced to the playoffs 11 times, if my recollection is correct. In all that time, I've never seen them advance past the second round. In the '90s, when only four teams per region made the playoffs, the second round was the regional finals; since then, with eight teams per region, the second round is the regional semifinals. Either way, in my experience, the second round is where the Trojans go to die. I really thought and hoped that this year might be different, but alas.

So the season is over--my first season experimenting with being a fan almost exclusively from afar. I was happy to maintain my streak of Troy-Piqua games attended (now at 28, going back to 1992), but that was the only time I got to see them play in person. I am very grateful to the THS mass communications program for their live video stream that allowed me to watch the home games from the comfort of my couch in Columbus (although I do regret not making it to at least one home game). I had every intention, when the season began, of attending at least a handful of local games, but much like the playoff situation tonight, if the Trojans aren't involved, I have a hard time getting motivated to go. I did attend one game at Thomas Worthington High School while the weather was nice, but that was it.

All in all, taking a season off from Trojan football has been...not great. Sure, I was able to watch several of the games, and I'm ecstatic that I have that option, but it can't take the place of being there. For the past several weeks I've felt cranky and out-of-sorts, and I really do think that skipping the games has been a big part of that. It's not just about the games for me. The stadium (taking "stadium" as a collective, and not just Troy Memorial Stadium specifically) is my happy place, and going to the game each week is a way of becoming centered, of setting aside a few hours for myself and kind of shutting out everything else that's going on.

And yet the facts remain that I live in Columbus, that I work until 5:00 pm, that games kick off at 7:00 pm, and that traversing that distance in that time (and at that time) is a difficult, sometimes infuriating experience that often acts as a counter to that positive headspace I'm trying to create for myself by attending the games in the first place. It's a conundrum. The solution I'm leaning toward for next year is to pick a handful of games that I want to attend (the number I'm thinking of is three, although there's no need to make any sort of commitment at this early date, and of course the Piqua game will be one of them), and on those days plan to knock off early from work so I can breathe a bit during the drive. And when I don't make the trip, I can still catch home games on the stream, or attend games around here (or not).

Next year will be interesting for the Trojans. They have quite a bit of graduating talent to replace, not least of which is their record-breaking running back. Coming off three straight league championships and playoff appearances, living up to their own standards will be quite a challenge. It'll be a transition of another type, too, as they leave the Greater Western Ohio Conference and re-form the Miami Valley League with Piqua, Sidney, Tippecanoe, Vandalia Butler, Greenville, West Carrollton, Xenia, Fairborn, and Stebbins. Purely from a football standpoint, I don't like it. It's great that Troy, Piqua, Sidney, and Butler (and Greenville, I guess) are staying together as traditional competitors, but I don't especially like that they left Trotwood behind, no matter what a juggernaut they've turned themselves into in football.

The MVL will probably be a pretty decent all-around conference for sports, but for football only, it looks like a loser to me. I'm guessing it'll feature Troy and Piqua as perennial contenders battling it out for league championships, with Tipp, Butler, Sidney, and maybe Xenia in the background, and everyone else being awful. I'm certainly not going to complain about Troy and Piqua being at the top of the heap--it'll be like the old GMVC days! Except there's no Northmont in this group to make it interesting. Instead, there's Fairborn and Stebbins (and West Carrollton, even though they were in the GMVC back in the day), and winning those games isn't going to help much toward making the playoffs, and playing in them isn't going to help your team get better so they can advance to that elusive third round. Especially since the nine-game league schedule is only going to leave one opening for a non-conference game, and that will always be in week 1 of the season.

That's getting ahead of myself, though, and I'd caution anyone to take my prognostications with a heaping spoonful of salt--I remember thinking (and probably saying) when playoffs expanded from four teams per region to eight that Troy would probably never miss them again. Given the run of success Troy was having at the time, it seemed reasonable, but looking back, it was obviously wildly optimistic. But hey, when it comes to Trojan football, that's me all over.

Troy 7 Piqua 6

Well, that was a little needlessly dramatic. But hey, a win's a win (especially in this rivalry)...a conference championship is a conference championship...and a playoff berth is a playoff berth.

This is the first Troy football game I've attended this year, but it's not the first time I've seen the Trojans play. Due to Troy High School's mass communications program, the home games are generally streamed online, and so I've been able to see those games, at least. Not being able to attend any games in person has been hard...but I've been to every Troy-Piqua game since my first as a sophomore in 1992, and that was a streak I wasn't about to break. I had today off from work, so I made the journey from Columbus to Troy (to visit my parents) and then to Piqua for the game. Weather-wise, I could have picked a better night, as it was cold and rainy the entire time, but it was good to be in a stadium to watch my beloved Trojans play once again.

I started to have a bad feeling about this game on Troy's first offensive series. After kicking off and forcing Piqua to punt, Troy took the field without star tailback Jaydon Culp-Bishop, the GWOC's leading rusher, and promptly went three and out. Then, after another Piqua punt, Troy came out once again without JCB in the backfield, and had another three and out. Piqua's run-heavy offense held onto the ball for a lot of time, so that was it for the first quarter. JCB joined the offense in the second, but by that point they were really out of sync.

There's a line in the movie Dodgeball that sums up how the Trojans looked on offense for much of the night. I won't repeat it here, because it's not PC, especially when applied to high school kids, but it's out there, and if you've seen the movie, you probably know what I mean. The defense, on the other hand...Piqua's run game gave them some trouble here and there, but Troy was able to keep them bottled up when it mattered. When they finally got their offense in some semblance of order and scored with just a few minutes left in the game to take the 7-6 lead, it was more relief than anything. And the last few minutes, standing and cheering for the final defensive stand to seal the game, were super fun--the way this rivalry is meant to be.

With the win, Troy now holds a 2-game edge in the series, now played 134 times, 65-63-6. They also finish the regular season at 9-1, a perfect 5-0 and outright champions of the GWOC North--the final time that particular honor will exist, with a number of teams (including both Troy and Piqua) breaking away from the GWOC to reform the Miami Valley League. (Personally, I wish they would have gone back to being the Greater Miami Valley Conference, which was what they were in back in my day.)

So that's the regular season. Next up is the playoffs, and the Trojans will host a game in the first round. It looks like the opponent will be Harrison, from west of Cincinnati, who finished up their regular season at 7-3. That will be made official at some point this weekend. I won't be able to make the game next week, unfortunately, but hopefully it will be streamed online so I can catch it.

A Programming Note or Two

High school football season is nearly upon us. Indeed, around the state of Ohio tonight most teams were in action, putting in their final preseason scrimmage in preparation for their regular season opener this coming week. My beloved Troy Trojans hosted their annual exhibition against the Dunbar Wolverines, dominating en route to a 42-0 victory in 3 quarters of action. I'm not sure what you can glean from that considering that Dunbar's team had around 1/3 of the numbers Troy did in terms of players, but at the very least it seems as though Troy is well-positioned to continue the run of success they've had in the past two seasons under Matt Burgbacher.

I've been writing about the Trojans for a long time and following them even longer, since my own days at THS, going back a depressing number of years to the fall of 1991. Over the years, to my neverending surprise, I've had a handful of people reach out to let me know that they were following their hometown team through my blog from a number of far-flung places across the country and even around the globe, which has touched me more deeply than you can probably imagine. And so it's with a heavy heart that I must announce that I won't be doing that this year.

A number of factors went into the decision, but what it boiled down to was that the joy and peace I derive from being at a Trojan football game have been counterbalanced the past couple of years by the angst involved in getting from Columbus to Troy (or wherever in the surrounding environs said game is being played) by the 7pm kickoff time that is, I think, now nearly universal throughout the state.

Now, there are a couple of caveats. First is that, as of now, I absolutely do plan on attending the Troy-Piqua game that closes the regular season on October 26. I haven't missed one of those bad boys since the aforementioned fall of 1991, and I see no reason why that streak can't continue. The second is that it's entirely possible I'll make it to other games--my family still lives in Troy, after all, and so if I happen to be heading over that way anyway, what the hell. I just have no specific plans in that direction, so if it happens, it'll probably be a spur-of-the-moment type thing. And if the Trojans should happen to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season...I'd hope to be there, but it would depends on where the game was being played, and at what time.

So how will I fill the next nine Friday nights, you may ask? Well. High school football in the fall is so much a habit with me now that I can't imagine sitting out the season entirely. The most likely scenario is that I'll see if my itch can be scratched by attending games at one of the two local high schools. Thomas Worthington is my neighborhood school, but I feel more affinity for Worthington Kilbourne, probably based on the fact that Troy faced (and, sadly, lost to) them in the state playoffs in 1997. Also, last year Troy's home games were video-streamed online, so I'll probably take advantage of that on occasion if it's still the case.

This may turn out to be a temporary, one-year type situation. All I know is that if I keep driving to games without finding out if it's feasible to follow the Trojans from afar, I'm going to run myself ragged, and probably drive myself and my wife crazy in the process. Rest assured I'll still be interested and invested in the team and keeping tabs on them by any means available, and we'll see how it goes.

Moving on from that...I just want to note, although I have no concrete plans and am just blue-skying at this point, that I've been thinking about changing the layout of my blog and possibly moving to a whole new site altogether, in an effort to reinvigorate my interest in keeping it updated. So much of the online community has abandoned the blog format for other, generally shorter-form social media, and the Internet has been worse for it, to my way of thinking. At any rate, if it should happen, there are a couple of things you can count on. First is that some of my favorite posts from this site would likely be migrated over, sort of a "greatest hits" type thing to get things started off on the right foot. Second is that it won't be a secret, with this blog staying live to point to my new landing spot, wherever it may be. I have no idea at this point if there's anyone out there who is even interested, but if you're out there, I'll make sure you can find me.

Anderson 33 Troy 0

And so it ends. The last game of the year for Troy turned out to be so much like the first one: shut out on the road by a really good team.

As you can see from the photo above, I did not attend this game. It killed me to miss it, the first playoff game I've missed in the entire time I've been following Trojan football, dating back to their ill-fated rematch with Piqua at Welcome Stadium back in 1992, when I was a sophomore at THS. But the logistics of making it from Columbus to Cincinnati (almost Kentucky) in time for kickoff (despite the more convenient 7:30 start time) and then back again after the game were going to be difficult. Add in the limited parking and seating at Anderson High School, and the trip started to sound like a night of misery just waiting to happen. And so, with the ability to stream a video broadcast, I opted to go that route instead. I'm getting soft in my old age.

Thinking about this game beforehand, I came to the conclusion that no outcome would surprise me: I could see either team winning in a squeaker; I could see either team winning fairly easily. Well, ha ha. As the game played out, it occurred to me that there was one outcome I hadn't really considered: the Trojans being shut out and running-clocked. That did, in fact, surprise me.

It surprised me because Anderson seemed like Sidney: high-powered offense, questionable defense. I knew they would score on Troy, but I figured the Trojans would be able to move the ball and score as well. I wasn't sure they would be able to score enough, of course, but seeing them blanked did catch me off guard.

This just didn't look like the same Troy team of the past several weeks, particularly on defense. Granted, Anderson runs an offense unlike any other, but still. The Trojans couldn't get any pressure on the quarterback. There was always a receiver wide open somewhere. It didn't look like they were taking good pursuit angles, and they missed a lot of tackles. Just not typical for Troy. Still, all of that matters little when you don't put points on the board. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what happened to Troy's offense, other than Anderson's defense playing lights-out. Jaydon Culp-Bishop had a decent night but had to work for absolutely everything, and couldn't break free for any long gains. Sam Coleman didn't play poorly either, even though he was on the run a lot. Really, you just have to give Anderson credit for being ready for everything Troy wanted to do, and stopping it.

I said it last year and I'll say it again now: I really like Anderson's aggressive style of play. It's tough for other teams to match up against. It'll be interesting to see how they do next year with a quarterback other than Volpenhein running the show. Something I don't like? Anderson's racist team name, unmentioned here now and always. Come on, folks, it's 2017; make this go away.

Back to football, I also hate the running clock rule. I've come to accept it in the regular season, but I really hate it in the playoffs. By the time it kicked in for this game, sure, the Trojans weren't going to come back and make it a game, but it would have been nice if they would have had more of a chance to get on the board. After the season these guys had, I just hated to see them go out this way.

But hey, they have nothing to hang their heads about. It really was a hell of a season. After losing the seniors they did last year, to come back and put together another run to the playoffs, not to mention a GWOC North championship, was nothing short of incredible. The individual players and the entire units made visible strides as the season went on, and it was awesome to see and fun to watch. A hearty congratulations goes out to all the players and coaches, as well as everyone else associated with the team. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Troy 32 Piqua 6

In all my years of going to high school football games, I've sat through my fair share of unpleasant weather. When it rains, normally it will either storm, in which case the game will be suspended and I can take shelter somewhere, or the rain will slacken and strengthen over the course of the game. Tonight was probably the most solid, straight-up downpour I've endured. It was raining steadily when I got to the stadium, it was raining steadily when I left, and it rained steadily the whole time in between.

Which made me nervous about the game. All things being equal, I knew Troy was probably the better team coming in, but that doesn't always matter in a rivalry game of this magnitude. Then you add in the weather conditions and you really just never know what's going to happen.

There was nothing to worry about, as it turned out. The weather did contribute, probably, to some early Troy turnovers, which gave Piqua a chance to stay in the game. Fortunately for the Trojans, however, their defense is phenomenal in all conditions, and they were able to keep Piqua off the scoreboard as the offense found its footing. Their one score came on a long fumble recovery late in the third quarter, but the defense pitched a shutout. Jaydon Culp-Bishop had his now-standard awesome performance to give Troy the edge in this one.

This win gives Troy the edge in the long-running series, which now stands at 64-63-6, and that was worth sitting through the rain and cold to see. Now the Trojans are on to the playoffs, while Piqua will be handing in their equipment and turning their eyes to basketball season. It looks like Troy will be making the trek down I-75 to take on Anderson in a rematch of last year's first-round playoff game (a 41-35 Troy win, in Troy). Should be fun!

Troy 42 Greenville 0

There's really not a whole lot to say about this one. It was simply a case of a really good football team going up against a team that was just overmatched in all aspects of the game. The Trojans put up all 42 of their points in the first half, and the backups came in and maintained the margin for the second half, which was played entirely under an OHSAA-mandated running clock due to the 30+ point-margin difference. Still, there were some really positive things to come out of this game.

First off, the Trojans took care of business. Last week's big win over Sidney didn't sidetrack them, nor did next week's big matchup with Piqua. It would have been pretty easy for them to come out this week and just go through the motions and still come away with a win. They didn't do that; they were focused and crisp from the get-go. They put the Green Wave away quickly, and then the coaches emptied the bench to get the second string some time and to keep the starters healthy for everything that's still to come this season.

I was also really happy to see Sam Coleman have a really good night at quarterback. This game was an opportunity for the Trojans to work on their passing game a little bit, to get some rhythm going for Piqua (and beyond). Coleman showed good touch and accuracy even on some long throws, going 14 of 16 for 207 yards and 2 TDs. He's really come a long way this season, which is awesome to see. The Trojan offense is really hitting its stride at the right point of the year.

And the defense...well, what can you say? This is one of the best high school defenses I've seen. I think a shutout is always cool, and I was really happy the defense held onto it, even after the starters came out of the game.

And now it's Piqua week. Ohio's most-played rivalry is all knotted up at 63-63-6 after 132 meetings. Piqua comes in at 6-3, and they'll be looking to force a tie for the GWOC North title, which Troy will win outright with a victory. Both teams also have playoff aspirations. Needless to say, it's a big one. The battle will take place next Friday night at Troy Memorial Stadium.

Troy 48 Sidney 21

Years ago, before the #4 was retired for the Trojans (because Ryan Brewer was still wearing it), at some point during the week I'd take a look at Friday's matchup for the Trojans and make some predictions about the way the game was going to go. I don't do that anymore—partially because I'm not as plugged into the Dayton-area high school football scene as I used to be and partially because I don't have anyone to tell that would really care—but I did have some basic thoughts going into this one.

Sidney tailback Isaiah Bowser is having an absolutely incredible year, but in the battle of the irresistible force vs. the immovable object, my vote was for Troy's defense. I've just seen them play so well this season, and I knew they'd have another great effort against Bowser. I was actually more concerned about Andre Gordon, the Yellowjackets' quarterback. If I was making predictions, I would have said that Bowser would have fewer than 100 yards rushing, and that Gordon would have more than he did. And with Sidney's shaky defense, I felt like the Trojans might be able to win this one handily.

I know I get no kudos now for predictions I never spoke aloud or committed to paper or screen, but nevertheless, this game played out pretty much exactly like I expected. Sidney's having an incredible season, the likes of which they haven't seen in a very long time, but they just didn't quite seem to be quite ready for a game of this magnitude. They seemed to be pressing to make things happen, which resulted in their five turnovers. With their defense unable to stop Troy's offense more than just occasionally, that was pretty much the ballgame.

One specific thing I want to mention: Jaydon Culp-Bishop's 99-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was one of the most incredible things I've seen on a football field. He had a massive hole to run through, and once he hit it, I looked at the angles of the defenders and, with his speed, knew he had a great chance to take it to the house. Considering the Yellowjackets were in great shape with the Trojans pinned at the 1, that had to be a shattering blow. To Sidney's credit, though, they never let the deficit get to running-clock territory. They fought hard. When the bright lights shine down on them for their next big game (which probably won't come until the playoffs roll around), I think they'll be more ready for it.

This was Troy's last road game of the year--or, at least, for the regular season. They'll return home next week to take on Greenville (2-6). That may not sound like a premier matchup, but it should be a great opportunity for the Trojans (now 6-2) to take a breath and get some things tuned up before the Week 10 tilt with archrival Piqua (and then, hopefully, the playoffs).

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.

Bellefontaine 30 Troy 22

First things first: despite what I wrote after the Trotwood game, I did not, in fact, attend last week's home opener for Troy against Xenia. Being a Thursday, the drive to Troy and back to Columbus afterwards just seemed a little too arduous with work the next day, and being able to watch the game online from the comfort of my own couch here in the capital city instead was too good to pass up.

But I did make it to Troy for tonight's contest. Last year's game between these two teams was one of the best games I've ever seen, and the performance from Bellefontaine quarterback Dezmin Lyburtus was maybe the most impressive outing I've seen on a high school field (non-Ryan Brewer division). So I wasn't going to miss this one.

This year's game wanted to be last year's game very badly. Like last year, it looked early like Bellefontaine would dominate, and like last year, the Trojans kept clawing their way back every time you counted them out. Also like last year, the Trojans had a running back emerge as a serious weapon. Last year it was Josh Browder (13 carries, 139 yards, 2 TDs); this year, Jaydon Culp-Bishop went even bigger, with 27 for 211 and a TD. However, this year there wasn't quite enough of a supporting offensive cast, and the Trojans' effort went for naught, despite the defense doing a better job of keeping Lyburtus (somewhat) in check. He was still pretty damned impressive.

So the Trojans are still trying to find themselves, especially on offense, and they find themselves at 1-2 on the season. Next week they're at home for the third week in a row, hosting the Fairborn Skyhawks, who are also 1-2.

Trotwood-Madison 48 Troy 0

The last time Troy traveled to play Trotwood, in 2015, the Trojans pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the state for the year. They finished just 2-8 that year under first-year head coach Matt Burgbacher, but one of those wins was that 21-20 victory over a Trotwood squad that went 10-4 and finished their season in the state semifinals. Alas, I wasn't there to see it; the last time I visited Trotwood with the Trojans was in 2013, which turned out to be the worst loss in Troy's storied football history, and the night I began to realize that then-coach Scot Brewer was not likely to be in that position for the long term.

Last year, Troy faced off against Trotwood in the first game of the season, and again managed to pull an upset, pulling out a 10-6 win. I at least got to see half of this one; the game was delayed at halftime due to lightning, and when they resumed and finished on Saturday morning, I was back in Columbus. That win, though, kicked off a magical season for Troy that saw them go 10-2 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

I was hoping for a similar outcome for this one, but it just wasn't to be. Trotwood was far, far too much for the Trojans tonight. The offense, replacing a number of key starters from last year, looked terrible, not to put too fine a point on it. There were some good plays here and there, but they couldn't put enough of them together to get anything going. Credit Trotwood's defense for that, as well as Troy's inexperience. I didn't think the defense played too badly, all things considered, but they were on the field so much, and the Rams were really good. So that was the ballgame.

One irritating thing of note: the scoreboard lights kept going out, and would stay out for long periods of time. Not being able to see the score was something of a relief, actually, but it was rare to know how much time was left in the quarter. This especially came into play as the game wore on and got into running-clock territory, when the game just flew by.

Anyway. The Trojans now face a short week, which will be good as they look to put this one behind them. They'll open their home season on Thursday against Xenia (0-1) in a game that will be televised locally and streamed online (abc22now.com). With Ohio State playing their season opener that night, not to mention a preseason Bengals game, having a televised Thursday game seems like a questionable decision to me, but hey. As I'm otherwise engaged on Friday evening, it works out for me. I'll be at Troy Memorial Stadium to see how the Trojans rebound.

Miamisburg 28 Troy 21

Alas. All good things must come to an end, and this season of Troy football was more than good; it was phenomenal.

Just like the first time these two teams met up this season, this was a great high school football game between two really good teams. It was a shame (from my side of the field, at least) that Troy came up short both times, but it doesn't change the fact that both games were a pleasure to watch.

I won't go so far as to say this was a game that Troy should have won, but it was one they could have won. Both teams made some mistakes. If the Trojans could have cut theirs back, or taken better advantage of the ones the Vikings made, the outcome may have been different. That last is what the game came down to, more or less. With the score tied at 21 more than halfway through the fourth quarter, Troy recovered a Miamisburg fumble in their own territory and took it down to the 5 yard line. With four shots to make those five yards, Troy couldn't break through the Vikings' tough defense and get the score.

Really, if I had to boil the story of the game down to one element, it would be Miamisburg's defense. They were really tough tonight. The first time these two teams played, Troy gained over 400 yards of offense, evenly split between rushing and passing. Tonight, they could muster only 181 yards, just 82 of them on the ground. As good as he's been all year, tailback Josh Browder just couldn't find a whole lot of room to work tonight.

Of course, I can't say that without also giving major props to Troy's defense, which put in another incredible effort. Miamisburg's most well-known strength is its offensive line, anchored as it is by Josh Myers, by most accounts the top high school lineman in the country, and a Buckeye-in-waiting. Nonetheless, Troy's defense made them work for everything they got, and was able to keep their running game in check for much of the night.

So the Trojans finish the season at 10-2, GWOC North champions and regional semifinalists, in coach Matt Burgbacher's second year, just one year removed from being 2-8. The turnaround has been nothing less than shocking to me. I expected improvement this year, but I didn't see anything like this coming. Looking at the schedule before the season started, I thought 6-4 would be a pretty damned good season. The run they've made has been an incredibly pleasant surprise in a year that has been filled with a number of unpleasant ones. With a number of key players graduating and several others returning, I have no idea what to expect from them next year, but I'm already excited to find out. The future looks undeniably bright for Trojan football.

A few notes:

* After last week's game, in which Anderson ran approximately one million offensive plays, Miamisburg's more traditional, deliberate pace was a welcome sight. In theory, I like the uptempo offensive philosophy, but man, does it make for a long, slow game.

* I don't really miss Northmont in the league, but I do miss visiting their stadium, which I've always liked. I've been there several times, but this was my first time sitting on the home side. I'm still a little surprised that this game wasn't held at Welcome Stadium, but Northmont was a good setting.

* I've been following Troy football since 1991, and the Trojans have had some great teams in that time, including a poll champion (1996). Still, I've never seen them win more than one playoff game in a season. There was a stretch last night when I felt pretty good that streak was about to end. Although it didn't, I'm hopeful that the day will come.

* If ever the day comes when I finally decide to stop following the Trojans, it likely won't be because of logistical difficulties (traffic) or because the football isn't good. No, if ever I stop following them, it'll most likely be because I can no longer tolerate the behavior of people in crowds. The Miamisburg crowd booed the Troy band as they were lining up to take the field; the Troy fans who commented on this in incredulity, not five minutes later, booed Miamisburg's team as they came out. Who boos high school kids? Let the record show that I'm against it, even when it's Piqua. I'm also amazed by people who, even at a playoff game for a conference champion that wasn't expected to attain either of those achievements, will loudly yell things like "stupid" and "dum-dum" at their team's coach when they disagree with his decisions. And when such proclamations then result in an actual shouting match between a couple of fans sitting behind me, all I can do is roll my eyes and be glad it didn't devolve into an actual altercation.

Seriously. What is wrong with people?

Troy 41 Anderson 35

Wow. Talk about "survive and advance"; this game was pretty much a textbook example.

Considering that Troy went 2-8 last year and turned that around to a 9-1 regular season this year, it's hard to quibble with much that they've done. Still, one thing that has bothered me about this team all year long--I don't think I've noted it, although I should have--is that they haven't shown an ability to step on an opposing team's throat and really close out a game, even with a big lead. For example, they forced a running clock three times this season (Fairborn, Butler, and Sidney), but only finished one of those games with a running clock, because they didn't keep expanding their lead and couldn't keep the other team from forcing the margin back under 30 points. Also, against Piqua, they came out on fire and scored three touchdowns in the first five minutes of the third quarter to push the score to 37-14, and although the defense kept Piqua from scoring, the Trojans didn't score again either.

Now, I realize on one hand that in lopsided games you need and want to pull the starters, and that there's no real need to pile on and beat teams by 30, 40, 50 points. But even when the starters have still been in, big leads have seen the Trojans get sloppy--they can't run the ball to keep the clock moving, they turn the ball over, etc. That didn't hurt them throughout the course of the regular season, but now it's the playoffs, and it almost ended their season tonight.

It's funny. Earlier in the week I read on a message board someone's opinion that the closest comparison to Anderson on Troy's schedule was Bellefontaine, and then this game almost played out like the Bellefontaine game in reverse. It looked early on like the Trojans were going to absolutely roll. The defense was giving up some yards to Anderson but getting stops when they needed them, and the offense was absolutely gouging Anderson's defense and scoring more or less at will. I mean, Troy's first offensive play from scrimmage resulted in a 78-yard TD run from Josh Browder, who went over 100 yards within his first three carries on the night. Little did they know, though, that they were falling into Anderson's trap.

That may sound silly, but it's really true, more or less. I'm sure they would have preferred to avoid giving up so many points, but giving them up quickly worked in their favor. Anderson's offensive philosophy is uptempo to the max, snapping the ball pretty much as soon as it's set. They want to run a lot of plays and wear a defense out. Because Troy's offense wasn't keeping the ball for very long, the defense was on the field a lot. As the game wore on, they were visibly wearing out. They actually played fairly well, but you'd never know it to look at the stats. Actually, if you only looked at the stats, you'd think Anderson had won, and probably handily.

The second half of this game was nuts, and it was a combination of Anderson's philosophy and Troy's sloppiness with a lead that created it. When Troy scored the first TD of the quarter (Browder's fifth on the night), it made the score 41-14 in their favor, just three points away from forcing the running clock rule, something the Trojan fans were very much aware of and looking forward to. The fast-paced offense makes for a very long game, and a lot of people were ready to wrap it up and call it a night. But instead, that's when things got crazy. More concerned with running the clock than attacking for points, the Trojan offense was suddenly ineffective. Punts...turnovers...a lost onside kick...Troy's D was on the field for the majority of the second half (especially the fourth quarter), and Anderson just kept attacking. It was 41-14...then 41-22...then 41-28. After Anderson scored to make it 41-35, Troy moved the ball a little bit, but then QB Hayden Kotwica threw up a desperation pass toward the endzone on third down, and Anderson intercepted it on the 2-yard line.

In most games, with the opponent needing a 98-yard drive with just 3:42 left, you'd have to feel pretty good, but at this point, everyone on the Troy side was holding their breath. Troy's defense was just whipped, and with Anderson's offensive pace, the clock was not an issue. They were able to drive down inside Troy's red zone and appeared to score the tying touchdown with 1:10 left. I was actually relieved at that point, because it gave the Trojans a little bit of time to try to answer. However, the TD run was called back due to holding, and Troy's D had another "opportunity" to go to work. They stretched it out to 4th and 12 on about the 15, and then the 4th down pass sailed out the back of the endzone.

But...

There was a flag for pass interference.

It was a terrible call; the ball was well out of bounds and the receiver in the area had zero chance of catching it. Nevertheless, the call stood. But! One thing I did not know, even after going to games for 25 years now, is that pass interference in high school is not an automatic first down. Anderson did gain a few yards and another chance, but since half the distance to the goal line was not the twelve yards they needed, at least it was just one more chance instead of a fresh set of downs. They ran a quarterback draw. Troy's defense, with their backs against the wall, dug down deep and dragged him down a yard short of the first down with 20 seconds left.

Ballgame. For real, this time.

I have to say, I really admire the way Anderson plays. That offense undoubtedly makes for very long games (total running time for this one was right at three hours, for 48 minutes of gameplay), but it's an absolute nightmare for high school defenses, especially for any team with players going both ways. Their quarterback, Jay Volpenhein, aside from having a really cool name, was really impressive, making a lot of good passes, escaping pressure, running when he needed to. He's just a junior, so if they have any talent coming back around him, they should be in good shape next year.

That tense fourth quarter aside, the Trojans did manage to eke this one out, putting them at 10-1 on the year. It's their first 10-win season since 2000, which was also the last time they hosted a playoff game, and the last time they won a playoff game. Their opponent in that playoff game sixteen years ago was the Miamisburg Vikings, and they will also be Troy's opponent next week in the second round. Miamisburg, of course, accounted for Troy's lone loss this season, scoring a TD with 8 seconds left to win 21-17 back in Week 5. With the games now moving to neutral sites, I have to imagine they'll be paired up at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, but we'll find out for sure until Sunday afternoon.

Troy 37 Piqua 14

This one was a long time coming. Losing to Piqua four straight times makes each year feel like an eternity, especially when you realize that this is the first time Troy has beaten them since Steve Nolan was the head coach, and that we're on our second coach since then.

There was a great buildup to this game, for the first time in a while. It's been a rare season lately when Troy and Piqua were both good at the same time. To come into this game with the league title on the line felt like the old GMVC days. Which is appropriate, since Troy hadn't won an outright league title since the old GMVC days--1998, in fact, which was Trojan legends Ryan Brewer and Kris Dielman's senior season. (And, on a sidenote, if you had told me in 1998 that Troy wouldn't have another league title to itself until 2016, I would have thought you were absolutely insane...especially if you had also told me that Trotwood would be the dominant team in the meantime.) But the luster was back on this year for sure, as an announced crowd of 9,700+ piled into Piqua's Alexander Stadium on a beautiful night to watch this one unfold.

Mostly what I was worried about going into this one was turnovers, as Troy had gotten a little sloppy with the ball in their past couple of matchups, although it didn't end up hurting them in the end. The Trojans did end up turning the ball over a couple of times late in the game, but they actually came out ahead in the turnover game. They recovered a Piqua fumble on the opening kickoff and turned it into three points, which they then turned into a 10-0 lead that they would never lose. Piqua was able to run the ball pretty much at will in the first half (tailback Ben Schmiesing was an impressive runner), but the Trojans held on for a 16-14 halftime advantage.

Troy received the kickoff to open the second half, and they came out on fire and blew Piqua's doors off. They scored three touchdowns in the third quarter's first five minutes, and that was your ballgame, especially as the defense tightened up and shut Piqua out for the entire half. The way they ended up dominating their rivals was quite satisfying.

So! The series with Piqua now stands at 63-63-6 after 132 meetings. Troy has won the GWOC North championship and goes into the playoffs as the #1 seed in their region with a 9-1 record. That earns them the right to host their first-round game, which will be against the #8 seed, Cincinnati Anderson (7-3). They will bring with them a potent quick-strike offense and a porous defense, so it'll be something the Trojans haven't really seen yet this year. And! The game will kick off at 7:30, rather than the customary 7:00, so that's a bright spot for me.

Troy 35 Sidney 6

This win probably should have felt more satisfying than it actually did. To explain why, let's rewind to last year at this time. When Troy played at Sidney in 2015, the Trojans were coming off a stunning upset of the heavily favored, state-ranked Rams of Trotwood-Madison the week before. I didn't get to attend the game at Trotwood, so I was fired up when I got to Sidney, hoping the Trojans had learned how to put everything together and play some good, competitive football. Instead, I saw a good Sidney team take them apart to the tune of a 52-28 defeat. Given all that, you'd think that seeing them beat the Yellowjackets handily would feel like a little bit of payback, but it really didn't.

Primarily I'd say that's because Sidney has been decimated by injuries this year and is a mere shadow of last year's team. But it's also because Troy didn't play very well, at least on the offensive side of the ball. I could easily be mistaken about this, but it seemed like they were trying to work some different players into the mix early on, possibly because it was Senior Night, and things just never quite clicked. They had five turnovers (3 fumbles lost, 2 interceptions thrown), including a scoop-and-score on a bad snap in the game's waning moments that accounted for Sidney's only points.

But hey, they played well enough to turn this one lopsided by the time it was over, even if it took longer than maybe it should have for them to get there. Part of that was because the offense was persistent and kept playing hard even on an off night, and part of it was because the defense, on the other hand, played lights-out. Sidney's tailback, Isaiah Bowser, is one of the top backs in the conference, and came into the game with nearly 1,300 yards on the season. Troy held him to 51 yards on 26 carries, while at the same time forcing quarterback Dillon King into a 6 for 19 passing night, with four interceptions. Granted, those are the two positions where Sidney was hit hardest by injury, but Troy wasn't facing complete stiffs back there; they just made it look that way. So, yeah. A defensive performance like that can easily make up for an occasional off night for the offense.

There was one play that I wanted to make particular note of. On one of Troy's extra point attempts, the snap went high, and holder Jacob Adams had to go way up high to field it. Instead of trying to get back down into his crouch, he just bent over at the waist and put the ball down, where Jacob Anderson was able to kick it through. It's the second time this season I've seen him do it, the other (I think) being the Tipp game. It's just an impressive, heady play, and the kid's only a sophomore. So, props to him. Troy's kicking game overall has been a real strength for them this season, even though it kind of flies under the radar.

Next week the Trojans, now 7-1, travel to Greenville to take on the 3-5 Green Wave. I, alas, will not be traveling with them. There's one more regular season game on the schedule after that one, and you can rest assured that I'll certainly be attending my 26th consecutive Troy-Piqua game (dating back to 1992) on October 28. That game is shaping up to be for all the marbles in the GWOC North, just like the old days.

Troy 35 Tippecanoe 7

Welcome to the GWOC, boys.

This is Tipp's first year in the conference, coming over from the Central Buckeye Conference, upon which they had made a habit of feasting. In the past ten years, their lowest win total was 8. With all due respect to teams like Bellefontaine (who Troy played a hell of a game against earlier this year) and Springfield Shawnee (who Troy played in 2012 and 2013), the teams in the GWOC's North Division are, week in and week out, a little more competitive.

The main difference in the two leagues is the size of the schools. Troy has quite a bit larger student body than Tipp does, and hence more depth on the sidelines, and that really showed tonight. Troy looked like the better team in the first half, but Tipp hung in there, trailing only 14-7 at the break. In the second half, though, Tipp just couldn't keep up. The Trojans wore them down and pulled away with three unanswered scores in the second half.

This is a fun game, and I'm glad Tipp is in the conference now so it'll happen on a yearly basis. This was the first time the teams have played since 1985, which was before I was paying attention (I was eight). The two towns basically bleed into one another, so it's a natural rivalry. Troy got the best of it this year (and historically: the all-time record now stands at 21-2-2), but Tipp is a solid program, and I have no doubt that they'll have something to say about how the series goes forward.

With all that said, I was surprised by the (relatively) small size of the Tipp City crowd (which you can see in the second photo above). I would have thought that they would have had 31 years' worth of anticipation to see their guys have a chance to knock off the big boy on the block. Don't get me wrong; they brought a decent crowd (Troy's side looked, to me, to be filled in but not packed), but not what I expected. Maybe the threat of rain kept some people away. If so, too bad for them: it was an absolutely perfect night for a football game.

At any rate, now that the Red Devils have been duly introduced to their new conference, the Trojans, now 5-1/1-0, will travel next week to face a longtime conference foe, the Aviators of Vandalia Butler (4-2/1-0). I, alas, will not be there. My work schedule has me on the road next Friday. At the moment, the plan is to take in a game instead at my wife's alma mater, as the 5-1 Clyde Fliers host the 6-0 Edison Chargers. I'll be back on the Trojan beat the following week, when they return to Troy Memorial Stadium to take on the Sidney Yellowjackets.

Miamisburg 21 Troy 17

There are times--quite a few of them--when I wish I had access to some sort of wormhole or device that would let me go back in time and change whatever life decisions I would need to in order to be coaching high school football today. And then there are nights like this, when I watch my beloved Troy Trojans lose in a heartbreaking and controversial fashion, and then moments later I see Coach Burgbacher on the field being interviewed about the game, and I know he has to put on a positive face and say all the right things. After a game like this, I don't know if I could do it. Not five minutes after the final whistle, at least.

The controversy (those on the Troy side of the field would call it that, at least) came on two separate plays on the game's final drive. When the Trojans kicked a field goal to take a 17-14 lead with around two minutes left in the game, Miamisburg was out of timeouts. They needed big plays, and they needed them fast. They were making the plays they needed, but the clock kept rolling, and it looked like the Troy defense--stalwart all night--was going to hold them one last time. Then, on a tackle near midfield, a Troy defender was flagged for an illegal hit. Now, it looked like a perfectly fine hit to me, but it happened on the opposite side of the field, so it's totally possible that I didn't see it clearly. However, I will say that the game was a little chippy all night, with at least two occasions of Trojans being tackled by the head and their helmets being torn off without penalties being called. If you're going to let plays like that go, then I'd say that inside of a minute left in a tight game is not the time to start calling personal fouls. Then, on a play shortly thereafter (it may have been the next one), the Viking QB threw a pass toward the sideline, but Troy's defense managed the drag the defender down in bounds with fifteen seconds left. The official signaled for the clock to keep running, but then, inexplicably, signaled for it to stop. By the time another official signaled that it should indeed be running, Miamisburg's offense was already back at the line of scrimmage, where they clocked the ball to set themselves up for their scoring pass.

Now, credit to the Vikings, because their kids came up big and made the plays when they needed them. Maybe they still get into the endzone without those two plays going the way they did. Who knows? What I do know is that this was a hell of a high school football game for 47 minutes, but that last minute left a sour taste in my mouth as I left the stadium.

Now! Having made the long(ish) drive back to Columbus and using that time to mull over the entirety of the game, there were, overall, more positives than negatives. Miamisburg is a really good team. They've blown Troy out the past couple of seasons, and this year the Trojans were right there with them. The Vikings are known primarily for their offensive line, which has one member committed to Ohio State and considered the best in the nation, and another to the University of Cincinnati. And yet Troy's D really did a nice job against them. And last but not least, Troy's home stands were as full as I've seen them in a long, long time. It was fun to be part of a big home crowd again.

And really, it's hard to be disappointed for long. At the halfway point of the seasons, the Trojans find themselves at 4-1, after finishing last year 2-8. It's already been a fun year, and it's only half over (or maybe less--stay tuned). Now it's time for conference play, and it starts off with what should be a pretty cool matchup. The Tippecanoe Red Devils, also 4-1, invade Troy Memorial Stadium next Friday, the first time the two teams have played since 1985, which was before even I was paying attention (I was in third grade). Tipp is always solid, and I'm glad the Trojans have made it back to that point as well. I'm looking forward to this one.

Troy 42 Fairborn 14

Another Friday night football game, another lightning delay. At least this one didn't cause the rest of the game to be postponed until the next day. The delay began at 7:12, just after Troy scored their first touchdown of the night. I didn't bring my rain gear (you'd think by now I would have learned to just keep it in my trunk at all times, just in case, but apparently I haven't), so I left the stadium and went back to my car. I listened to Marty Brennaman call the beginning of the Reds game, always a worthwhile endeavor, and tuned into my pal David Fong on Twitter to stay updated on when the game would resume. I headed back into the stadium at 8:15; the Trojans kicked off at 8:24, and the rest of the game went off without a hitch.

About the game itself, there isn't a whole lot to say. Fairborn, now 0-4, just isn't a very good team this year, and the Trojans had their way with them from beginning pretty much until the end. The Skyhawks didn't even get a first down until midway through the second quarter, and they had negative offensive yards in the first half. With the score 35-0 at halftime, this game marked the first time Troy had forced a running clock on an opponent, which is a nice change from having it forced upon them. Troy's starters played sparingly (if at all) in the second half. Give Fairborn credit, though: they never gave up, and their student section was in full voice until the final horn sounded. So that was pretty cool.

So the Trojans, now 4-0 on the season, got their first and probably only real breather of the season. Next week they'll face another test as the 3-1 Miamisburg Vikings invade Troy Memorial Stadium. And after that, things get really interesting, as GWOC North play begins the following week with an intriguing home matchup with the Tippecanoe Red Devils. As good as the Trojans have looked so far, it's time for them to tighten up their chinstraps and really show what they're made of. Should be fun.

Troy 41 Bellefontaine 36

What a game.

This was the one game on this year's schedule that I was looking forward to because it was somewhere I hadn't been before. Also, Bellefontaine is closer to Columbus than most places Troy plays, so that was a nice change for me. I didn't have to burn out of town the very minute I got off work at 5:00, and the ridiculous Columbus traffic snarls didn't really matter. I had plenty of time to get to the game well before kickoff.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me. Brandi and I moved into a new apartment last weekend, and actually, we're still in the process of moving. We're finishing that off tomorrow. It's been a really busy week at work; I traveled to Toledo yesterday for our catalog deadline, and I put in some extra hours over the course of the week. I had to make sure everything was finished, because I start two weeks of jury duty on Monday, and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to work during that time. So I've had plenty of tension in my life...and I could feel it all melt away as I got into the stadium and walked around the field to the visitors' stands.

And yet, with all of that said, as I watched Troy get absolutely torched by Bellefontaine's quarterback Dezmin Lyburtus as they fell behind 21-0 in the first half, I'd by lying if I said I didn't have some moments, all too common as I've followed the Trojans from Columbus over the past couple of seasons (in which they went 1-9 and 2-8), that I questioned why I keep doing this.

Fortunately, such moments are mostly fleeting. I'm an optimist at heart, and even after that dismal start, I was interested to see how the Trojans would respond. They did start to get it together a little bit as the second quarter wore on, but they nonetheless went into halftime facing a 28-7 deficit.

Well.

Troy looked like a completely different team in the second half. They received the kick and got their momentum rolling by driving for a score, cutting Bellefontaine's lead to 28-14. The real test, though, came on defense. Linebacker Shane Shoop came in to do yeoman's work in slowing down Lyburtus, and when they actually got a stop and then another score (28-20), that's when I started to feel like they had a shot at this one.

Then came the fourth quarter, which is when the game went insane. Troy's QB Hayden Kotwica busted off a long TD run on the very first play, and that tied the game. Bellefontaine turned the ball back over to the Trojans on their next drive, and Troy scored to take the lead, 35-28. There was still a ton of time left, but it was looking pretty good at that point. Even though the defense had tightened up, Lyburtus was just too good to be completely contained, though, and he was able to get another score with a minute and a half left. And no one was surprised when Bellefontaine decided to go for two. They got it. With 1:30 left, they led 36-35.

At that point it was already an incredible game, but it would have been such a heartbreaker as a Troy fan to see them come back from so far behind only to lose in that fashion. Happily, that was not to be. Kotwica hit tailback Josh Browder on a screen pass, and Browder--who had a coming out party as a really good back tonight--took it 50+ yards to the house. 41-36 Troy. They still had to play a minute of defense, and with the way the night had gone, it wasn't a sure thing, but they were able to hold on.

You just don't get games like this too often in high school football. It was incredible (and THAT is why I keep doing this). And as great as it was to see Troy get the win, you couldn't help but feel bad for the Bellefontaine kids, especially Lyburtus. He had a hell of a game--he almost managed to win the game by himself. I know he had to be crushed by the way it turned out. On my way out of the stadium, I joined a couple of Troy fans and a large contingent of Bellefontaine fans who waited to give their kids a hand on their way off the field.

So! The Trojans find themselves at 3-0, and who saw that coming? Admittedly, not me. Next week they go on the road again to take on the Fairborn Skyhawks (0-3). That's another "close" game from Columbus, so that's all good for me.

Oh, and one last thing I want to note. Because Brandi and I were busy with moving, I didn't get to go to last week's game, in which Troy hosted Cincinnati Northwest (and defeated them 31-14). However, thanks to Troy Community Radio, I was able to listen to the game. They did a great job on the play by play and I was really happy I got to listen since I couldn't be there, so I wanted to make sure I gave them a shout-out.

Troy 10 Trotwood-Madison 6

It's possible that there's a vast conspiracy afoot in the universe that is preventing me from seeing the Trojans defeat the Rams. On the day the two teams played last year, I was finishing up a work trip to Toledo and couldn't make it to Trotwood in time for the game. This year I did make the drive from Worthington to Troy for the game; Trotwood was leading the game by a score of 6-3 when it was halted due to lightning "in the area" (more on that momentarily). The second half was postponed until Saturday morning; I had to get back home and couldn't make it back.

So for two years in a row I've missed seeing my beloved Trojans upset a Trotwood team that was expected to roll over them. In fact, looking back, the last full game I saw between these two teams ended in a 72-6 defeat for Troy, the worst in their history, in 2013. That's a game I'd prefer to forget, to say the least.

Since I only saw the first half, there isn't a whole lot I can say about the game. What I can say is this: Troy already looks light years better than they did last year, particularly on defense. They made Trotwood look like nothing special. Now, it may turn out, as the season progresses, that the Rams, as a team, actually aren't anything special. It's possible. They do have some special players, though--tailback Ra'veion Hargrove rushed for over 3,000 yards last year as a sophomore. He didn't play in the game Troy won last year, which of course led many to label that game a "fluke." Although he did score Trotwood's lone touchdown this year (after the Trojans fumbled the ball to the Rams in the red zone), Troy's D held him in check, giving up just 75 yards on 18 carries. Offensively for the Trojans, much like last year, they had a hard time creating any room for the running backs, and although stellar quarterback Hayden Kotwica couldn't get a whole lot going through the air, either, this time his legs provided Troy's answers. He (unseen by me, of course) scored on a 21-yard run in the third quarter to give the Trojans the lead and the eventual win.

So! Like last year, the Trojans have opened the season with a big, not-entirely-expected win. Like last year, they follow it up by hosting Cincinnati Northwest (1-0) at Troy Memorial Stadium. Hopefully this year they can keep the winning ways going. I'm planning to be at the game next week, but there's a possibility those plans may fall through. Brandi and I get the keys to our new apartment next Friday, and although we're doing the bulk of our moving on Saturday, I'm keeping my eyes open to the fact that some snag may keep me in Columbus (in which case I'll likely be at the Worthington Kilbourne game instead).

Looking over my summary of last year's game against Northwest, it's kind of funny to remember that game's lightning delay, because the situation with this week's game was pretty similar. The OHSAA mandates that a game must be delayed anytime there's lightning "in the area." On this night, "in the area" actually meant "yeah, it's visible, but it's all to the south and east, past Troy even if it did somehow come this far north, and with no actual chance of striking anywhere near Troy Memorial Stadium." In a circumstance like this, it's more of a liability issue than a safety issue--I mean, if they want to get real about safety, the kids shouldn't be playing football in the first place, let alone in 90-degree heat with 90% humidity.

Okay, some hyperbole there. I'm a little peeved that I made the long drive from Columbus to Troy and back and only got to see half of what turned out to be a really good game, when the postponement didn't seem to be totally necessary. Of course, I also realize that most football game attendees don't drive 140+ miles roundtrip for the game, and a postponement isn't quite the inconvenience for everyone else that it is for me. They have to err on the side of caution; I get it. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to grouse about it when I miss half of the first game of the season, which I look forward to all offseason long.

Piqua 26 Troy 7

First off—and let the record show that I've been harping on this from the very beginning and will continue to do so until it's a thing of the past, which will probably be never—this Great American Rivalry nonsense has got to go. With all due respect (and then some) to the U.S. Marine Corps, the sponsor of the event, this game doesn't need any hoopla it doesn't generate on its own. Yeah, it's cool that a player on each team gets a small scholarship, but that's the only real benefit I see. I hate seeing them pulled out of their pregame routine for recognition—and yes, I realize it happens too for Homecoming, Senior Night, etc., so if that were the end of it, I guess I could live with it. But what I really hate is all the postgame crap. This game doesn't need a trophy or an MVP. Get the kids off the field so they can celebrate/commiserate in the locker room. And yes, I feel the same way when it's Troy's kids dancing on Piqua's field instead of the other way around.

On the other hand, if I'm Troy coach Matt Burgbacher, I'm not sure it was the worst thing in the world to have your team take a respectful knee on the sidelines to watch the spectacle. If I'm him, I'm pointing at those kids in red and blue jumping up and down on the Trojan star and saying something to the effect of, "You like that? Remember how this feels. You want to avoid this feeling, you need to work harder and get better. Next year that's going to be us."

(Not that I think the Troy kids didn't or don't work hard. Still, you take your motivation where you can find it.)

The story on this night was Piqua's relentless, punishing ground game. Troy's defense kept it more or less in check for longer quite a while, but eventually they just got worn down. I have to give them a lot of credit, though—they kept fighting to the end, even when the game was pretty much decided. There was no quit in these kids.

The problem, really, was that they just spent so much time on the field (GWOC stats show Piqua with over 32 minutes of possession), and that's because Troy's offense just couldn't sustain drives (they had the ball for just over 15 minutes). They did some things here and there, and they were finally able to put a TD on the board late in the game to keep it from being a shutout, at least. Early in the game, it looked like they wanted to test Piqua's defense deep, and that looked like a good strategy as the Trojan receivers were torching their defenders with regularity. Unfortunately, QB Hayden Kotwica had a couple of overthrows, and even when he did hit them, his receivers had a case of the dropsies all night. And that was it, really. A few more catches, this is a different game; a closer game, at least.

And that's the season. These ten weeks always fly by, at least for me. As trying as the season was at times, I'd happily load up and make another trek next week for another game. Sadly, there are no more, at least for the Trojans. They finish the year at 2-8, dead last in the GWOC North with a 1-4 conference mark. They can pack their equipment away and start getting ready for basketball, while other teams (Piqua among them, it seems, as much as it pains me to say) gear up for the postseason. I'm sure I'll have more to say about the totality of the Trojan season and program in the coming days.