“This is why you schedule some of those games in the first half of the season,” said Yordy, who is in his seventh season at Badin. “It’s always hard for us when you’re in a six-team league with five non-conference games. We do the best we can to play, in my opinion, a pretty good schedule right out of the gate — three schools that are bigger than us. We went out there, competed and were fortunate to come away with some wins.”
The Rams are 5-0 and have won 33 straight regular-season games, including victories over Division I Hamilton and Division II Col. St. Francis DeSales and Edgewood.
“We’re in a good spot right now,” Yordy said. “There is obviously stuff you can improve upon no matter what your record is or no matter what week it is. You can always get better. We try to make those corrections week after week, but overall, we’ve got kids stepping up all over the field.”
Third-year Falcons coach Mark Mueller has his program in decent shape as well. They’re off to a 4-1 start for a secondstraight season.
“This is the third year in our system,” Mueller said. “They’re becoming familiar with the system and becoming used to it. More specific, we’ve got a true QB that is growing in the system and throwing the ball very well.”
Falcons junior Austin Rickert has thrown for 433 yards and two touchdowns, which has set up the rushing game with junior running back Connor Schmuelling. He has rushed for 451 yards and 10 scores.
“We say this every year — they’re tough kids,” Yordy said of Fenwick. “They fly around. They’re well-coached and have a great staff over there. They’re good at what they do. They have some size. We’ve played some teams that have some size, but 11 on 11, they’re probably bigger than us.
“We have to contend with that and the fact that it’s a GCL game. You slip up at any point in these games, you’re going to get beat. Our kids are aware of that, and we’ve addressed it. We have to prepare for those types of games.”
Rams senior quarterback Alex Ritzie has thrown for 776 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 11 of 17 passing for 137 yards and two TDs in Badin’s 49-12 win over Hughes in Week 5.
Fenwick had its four-game winning streak snapped last week in a 28-25 loss to Mount Healthy.
Badin has won three in a row against Fenwick, including a 14-6 contest in 2022.
FAIRFIELD AT HAMILTON
The Indians (1-4) have beaten the Big Blue (3-2) in eight of the last 10 meetings. Hamilton is coming off a heartbreaking loss to state-ranked Princeton on a last-second touchdown pass.
COLERAIN AT LAKOTA EAST
The Thunderhawks (0-5) are off to their worst start since the 2009 season. The Cardinals (0-5) are coming off a 38-7 loss to Lakota West in Week 5. Lakota East quarterback Jamison Kitna leads the Greater Miami Conference in passing with 948 yards.
MIDDLETOWN AT MASON
The Middies (3-2) are coming off a 21-14 win over Lakota East, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Middletown has lost eight straight games to Mason (2-3). The last time the Middies beat the Comets (21-14) was Oct. 21, 2011.
LAKOTA WEST AT SYCAMORE
The Firebirds (3-2) have won three in a row and outscored their last three opponents 106-7. Lakota West has given up just 143.2 total yards a game, which is first in the Greater Miami Conference. The Aviators (3-2) had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 27-21 loss to Oak Hills in Week 5.
EDGEWOOD AT BELLBROOK
The Cougars (1-4) open SWBL Southweatern play on the road against the Eagles (2-3). Both teams are coming off Week 5 losses — Edgewood fell to Chaminade Julienne 28-7, and Bellbrook lost to Alter 20-13.
MADISON AT EATON
The Mohawks (4-1) had their four-game winning streak snapped in a 42-21 loss to Brookville last week, while the Eagles (4-1) had their four-game winning streak snapped in a 35-27 loss to Valley View.
FRANKLIN AT MONROE
The Hornets (2-3) open up SWBL Southwestern play against the Wildcats (1-4). Franklin won its first game of the season in a 26-0 victory over Carlisle. Monroe rushed for 451 yards and six scores in a 48-21 win over Washington Courthouse in Week 5. Hornets senior EJ Jyan had 216 rushing yards and a score last week.
TURPIN AT LEBANON
The Warriors (2-3) have lost three out of their last four games and two out of the last three against the Spartans (2-3).
CARLISLE AT BROOKVILLE
The Indians (2-3) have lost three in a row following a 26-0 loss to Franklin. Carlisle’s Blake Lawson has 624 yards rushing and six touchdowns. The Blue Devils (4-1) average 37.4 points a game. Carlisle has lost six straight games to Brookville.
ROSS AT WAYNESVILLE
The Rams (1-4) have lost two in a row and hit the road against the Spartans (4-1), who are on a four-game winning streak. Ross senior running back Riley Caldwell leads the Southwestern Buckeye League with 675 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Waynesville junior quarterback Alex Amburgy has thrown for a SWBL-best 959 yards and seven touchdowns.
TALAWANDA AT FORT LORAMIE
The Brave (1-4) are coming off their first win — 37-21 over Carroll last week. That halted Talawanda’s eight-game losing streak dating back to the 2022 season. The Redskins (2-3) are led by junior quarterback Max Maurer, who ran for a season-high 139 yards and threw for 82 yards and a TD against Meadowdale last week. Fort Loramie’s Will Holland ran for over 100 yards and had three scores.
CLARK MONTESSORI AT NEW MIAMI
The Vikings (1-4) received word that their Week 2 game was declared a win due to an ineligible player suiting up for Riverview East. New Miami has been outscored 214-46 this season.
About the Author