“We can sit around and feel sorry for ourselves all we want, but there’s six other teams in the same situation we are,” HHS coach Chad Murphy said. “We’ve just got to dig our way out. We’ve got an opportunity to be 1-0 in the GMC after Friday night, and that’s the goal.”
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Hamilton has been conquered by Moeller (42-7) and Fairmont (22-6), but will be seeking its first taste of 2017 victory on a night when Big Blue’s 1997 conference championship team will be honored before and during the game.
Oak Hills is winless as well, having lost to Milford (42-39) and Elder (41-12).
“The kids’ heads are good,” Highlanders coach Kyle Prosser said. “If we take care of our own and know what we’re supposed to do assignment-wise, we shouldn’t have to worry about other teams and what they do. We’ve been worrying more about what other teams are showing us and doing than taking care of our in-house stuff.”
Big Blue rank last in the conference in yards (174) and points (6.5) per game. Oak Hills ranks last in yards (434) and points (41.5) allowed per game.
Murphy said he’s still got plenty of faith on Hamilton sophomore quarterback Khaliyal Sowell, who is 13 of 37 for 95 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions.
“I think overall he’s playing well,” Murphy said. “We’re struggling a little bit with the passing game right now, but that’s as a team, not necessarily him. With the way he can throw the ball and the way he runs, he’s going to be a star at quarterback.
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“We haven’t busted many big plays yet, but I think we’ve stopped ourselves more than the defenses have stopped us. We were in the red zone four times against Fairmont and had six points to show for it.”
The Highlanders are throwing more than they run with veteran quarterback Jacob Woycke. The senior has completed 32 of 54 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns.
“Our offensive line has been very good protection-wise,” Prosser said. “We’ve got a few more sacks because we’ve been holding onto the ball a little too long instead of getting rid of it.”
Murphy said Oak Hills looks better on film than it has on the scoreboard.
“And it seems like since I’ve been here, they’ve always played us tough,” the Big Blue coach said. “We definitely need this one. We definitely want this one for the kids.”
He’s impressed with Highlanders senior Griffin Kain, a speedy free safety. Junior defensive lineman Joey Weikel has 16 total tackles.
“At the end of the day, it’s about finishing plays,” Prosser said. “We’ve had trouble getting off the field on third downs. Against Milford, we missed 12 sacks and seven of them got converted for a first down. We’d be in third-and-long situations and blow a coverage or jump offsides or have a dumb penalty. It’s a lot of little things.
“Murph’s got some athletes at Hamilton, and if we’re not doing the things that we need to do, they’re going to put a lot of points up on the board and make it a struggle for us to do anything. But I think this is a nice little matchup for us as long as we stay disciplined.”
The last three games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
Friday’s game
What: Oak Hills (0-2) at Hamilton (0-2), 7 p.m.
Where: Virgil Schwarm Stadium, 1165 Eaton Ave., Hamilton
Last year: Oak Hills won 42-32
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