From the Journal....
Defense will decide shootout
Middletown and Sycamore will bring potent offenses tonight.
MIDDLETOWN — Two of the Greater Miami Conference’s most explosive offenses will square off at Barnitz Stadium.
That makes the bottom line uncomplicated to Sycamore High School football coach Scott Dattilo.
“I think whatever defense shows up wins,” said Dattilo, who will bring his 7-0 Aviators north to face 6-1 Middletown tonight. “Both offenses are good in different ways.”
The Middies can strike quickly with their triple-option offense headed by quarterback Jalin Marshall and fullback E.J. Junior.
Sycamore has gotten huge ground numbers from senior quarterback Kyle Sess (188 carries, 1,298 yards, 21 TDs) in an offense that Dattilo describes as “a power running team that runs some option from the shotgun.”
The Aviators are big up front, which helps the 5-foot-9, 172-pound Sess and running backs Greg Simpson (88 carries, 485 yards) and Markus James (62 carries, 397 yards).
“The line was our biggest question mark, but it’s turned out to be one of the best lines I’ve ever coached,” Dattilo said. “Those little guys hide behind the big guys and run hard.”
If it comes down to defense, Middletown coach Troy Everhart has good reason to feel confident. The Middies rank first in the GMC in least yards allowed per game (209.9).
Everhart said his defense has been consistently strong, even while giving up 31 points to Huber Heights Wayne in the opener.
“People take a snapshot and make a judgment,” Everhart said. “They don’t study anything. They just sit in the stands and bark out, and that’s fine. That’s what fans do.
“But the reality is we’ve been playing pretty good defense all year,” he continued. “What’s different in my opinion is that the kids have fully bought in on the defensive side.”
The Aviators are allowing 320.9 yards and 20.6 points per contest. Last week, Oak Hills gashed SHS for 41 points and 456 yards.
“I think our kids will rise up in a big game like this,” Dattilo said. “Our defense is really embarrassed about our last game. They’ve been taking a lot of grief around the school.
“Overall, our defense has been very opportunistic,” he noted. “We’ve been giving up yards, but we’ve been turning teams over, especially in the red zone.”
Everhart said special teams play has been a factor in keeping the Aviators’ defense on the field too long.
“They don’t have the ability to create long fields,” Everhart said. “The good thing for them is they don’t punt much.”
From Maxpreps site:
MIDDLETOWN'S SCHEDULE AND SCORES TO DATE:
08/278:30 PM10:30 PM @ Wayne (Huber Heights, OH)
Preview Game Box Score
32 - 31
Win
09/027:30 PM9:30 PM @ Troy (Troy, OH)
Preview Game Box Score
29 - 21
Win
09/09TBA2 hour event Winton Woods (Cincinnati, OH)
Preview Game Box Score
21 - 14
Win
09/167:30 PM9:30 PM @ Oak Hills (Cincinnati, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
46 - 13
Win
09/22TBA2 hour event Colerain (Cincinnati, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
21 - 13
Loss
09/30TBA2 hour event Lakota West (West Chester, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
47 - 7
Win
10/07TBA2 hour event @ Hamilton (Hamilton, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
21 - 6
Win
SYCAMORE'S SCHEDULE AND SCORES TO DATE:
08/277:30 PM9:30 PM @ Withrow (Cincinnati, OH)
Details: Angus King Stadium
Preview Game Box Score
38 - 24
Win
09/02TBA2 hour event Springboro (Springboro, OH)
Preview Game Box Score
28 - 21
Win
09/097:30 PM9:30 PM @ Springfield (Springfield, OH)
Details: SPRINGFIELD EVANS STADIUM
Preview Game Box Score
33 - 20
Win
09/167:30 PM9:30 PM @ Fairfield (Fairfield, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
24 - 0
Win
09/23TBA2 hour event Lakota East (Liberty Township, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
28 - 25
Win
09/307:30 PM9:30 PM @ Princeton (Cincinnati, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
32 - 13
Win
10/077:30 PM9:30 PM Oak Hills (Cincinnati, OH) *
Preview Game Box Score
46 - 41
Win
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FAIRFIELD, SYCAMORE HAS HAD RELATIVELY CLOSE GAMES AND TEAMS HAVE SCORED ON THEM. I THINK SYCAMORE COACH DATTILO HAS A PRETENDER ON HIS HANDS. COMPARE THE OAK HILLS SCORES, A COMMON OPPONENT......MIDDLETOWN BEAT OAK HILLS 46-13. SYCAMORE BEAT OAK HILLS 46-41 AND OAK HILLS RAN UP 456 YARDS ON SYCAMORE'S DEFENSE. SYCAMORE HASN'T PLAYED COLERAIN EITHER. LAKOTA EAST HASN'T GOT ANYTHING THIS YEAR AND SYCAMORE ONLY BEAT THEM BY 3. IF STATISTICS ARE ANY INDICATOR, MIDDLETOWN HAS THE EDGE IN SCHEDULE STRENGTH AND IN POINTS ALLOWED BY THE DEFENSE. YOU CAN SCORE ON SYCAMORE AND WITH OUR SPEED, I WOULD THINK MIDDLETOWN HAS AN ADVANTAGE OVER THEIR OFFENSIVE LINE SIZE. SPEED USUALLY.....USUALLY OUTDOES SIZE ON THE FIELD. LET'S HOPE SO TONIGHT. IF MIDDLETOWN DOESN'T TURN IT OVER AND THE DEFENSE PLAYS TOUGH, AS IT IS TRENDING BY THE SCORES ALLOWED, I PREDICT A WIN FOR MIDD. BASED ON THE EVIDENCE. JMO
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