Sunday, August 29, 2010
Some things we learned from week 1 of the high school football season:
South Range is back.
The Raiders suffered through a 2-8 season in 2009 as coach Dan Yeagley played a very young team. You knew South Range wouldn’t be down for long, but the only question was how quickly the Raiders would be back.
That question was answered with an exclamation point on Friday night with a 26-7 victory over Warren JFK.
That was an impressive performance. Coming up this weekend is a trip to Campbell Memorial. That will be an interesting test, as well, and if the Raiders pass it, South Range will be the favorite in the ITCL Tier One.
Chaney is not.
Back, that is. Coach Jim Vivo’s debut was a 58-7 thud at Austintown Fitch.
That score wasn’t necessarily unexpected, given the condition of the respective programs.
But, Cowboy fans, keep the faith. Vivo, a Chaney graduate, knows how to build a winner. He did it at Ursuline in 2000, winning a state championship.
Have patience, and give Vivo some time to realize his plan. It’s going to take a few years, but Chaney football will return to its glory days.
Trent Toothman may be the best offensive player in the area.
The Salem quarterback was surrounded by some terrific receivers last year, and he did an awesome job of distributing the ball to them in coach Mike Kopachy’s offense.
This season, Toothman is THE man and he showed why in the Quakers’ victory over LaBrae, accounting for more than 300 yards of total offense.
Maybe more accurately, Toothman may be the most valuable offensive player in the area.
How about that East defense?
True, a shutout against a young Liberty squad might not be the most impressive performance on paper, but it was how the Panthers played that was impressive — hard-hitting and fast to the ball.
The schedule isn’t easy — lots of road trips (as usual) and some real tests against Warren Harding, Canfield and Poland.
But, if the Panthers can play the kind of defense they showed in week 1 they will have a chance in every game.
Don’t overlook Springfield.
The Tigers haven’t been a factor in the ITCL Tier One for a few years, but Thursday’s 9-7 victory over McDonald showed Springfield is ready to contend for a championship in coach Sean Guerriero’s fourth year.
Ursuline and Mooney are state championship favorites.
Big surprise, right? Their opening week wins showed that the talent drop off at both schools was minimal.
For Ursuline, the only team that can stop the Irish may be the Irish themselves. The players are saying all the right things, but coach Dan Reardon’s biggest challenge may be keeping their focus on each opponent and not looking ahead to Week 15.
Mooney’s road in Division III may be a little tougher, but the Cardinals’ victory in Pickerington on Friday showed they won’t be intimidated going on the road.
Rob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.