In an opening win against Loveland, the Middies (1-0) took positive steps in that regard and now they will put it to the test in the GMC opener against Fairfield (1-0) on Friday at Barnitz Stadium. Middletown rushed 32 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-33 victory last week.
“I was really impressed how we moved the ball up and down the field offensively,” Simpson said. “That was the major concern of ours going into the offseason, knowing we had to move the ball and establish the run better. Middletown has athletes, a big-arm quarterback, but has been missing an effective running game. We were able to move the ball at will and not rely on the pass Friday, and we know to win in our conference we have to be able to run the ball so that was a positive sign.”
Last year against Fairfield, a 23-0 loss, the Middies’ defense forced two turnovers but managed just 59 total yards of offense while the Indians ran for 215 yards on 39 carries. Running back Jordan Jackson accounted for 129 of those yards and had one of the team’s three rushing touchdowns, and quarterback Talon Fisher had a modest (for him) 32 yards and one touchdown. Both players are back this year and played well in Fairfield’s opening win over Wayne.
Middletown returned quarterback Kellen Davis, who Simpson said looks more poised in the pocket in his second full season as the starter. He’s got second-team all-GMC wide receiver James Franklin back as a target and up-and-coming sophomore receiver Chandler Shields, who caught the team’s first touchdown pass of the season.
The offense also gets a boost with Lemond Chambers and Eric Schroeder stepping up in the running game. Chambers had 84 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries last week before he was sidelined in the second half with a 41-13 lead. Schroeder finished with 16 carries for 94 yards. Simpson hopes to see that continue against a good Fairfield defense Friday.
“We saw we were able to play with them last year,” Simpson said. “The game went down to late in the fourth quarter and just couldn’t get anything going on offense. Their defense kept shutting us down. So, that was the offseason focus, establishing being able to move the ball, because we knew our defense could play, we just had to get the other side of the ball going. The coaching staff did a good job doing a little overhaul with the way we do things and that resulted in big numbers Week 1 so hope we continue doing that.”
For a team that won just one game each of the past three seasons and totaled six wins over the past six seasons, getting a victory in the opener was important. But now the Middies need to build on that confidence. They won openers in 2019 and 2018 as well.
“We have to establish that confidence that we are out here to win,” Simpson said. “There’s no week you prepare for more than Week 1, so it’s important to get off to a good start with a win. We just had to continue to trust the process so at the end of the tail Aug. 19 we came out with the W, and that was so big for us.”
Crouch’s home debut
Hamilton opened with a win against its former coach last week when the Big Blue beat Nate Mahon-guided West Clermont, 28-9, on the road. Now, first-year Hamilton head coach Arvie Crouch will lead the team in its home opener Friday against Mason, looking to build off last week’s success in a way the 2021 squad could not after also winning its opener.
The Big Blue went 2-8 last year with a lone GMC win over Oak Hills in Week 5, but Crouch’s expectation is to compete in every game. Mason was 4-7 in 2021 and opened with a 9-7 loss at Lincoln last week.
Rivalry game
Emotions could be running wild for Lakota East (0-1) on Friday when it hosts district rival Lakota West (1-0).
The rivalry game always gets players hyped, but East will be playing with some heavy hearts this week after the loss of alumnus Caleb VanHooser, who was killed in a single-car crash over the weekend ahead of the start to his career at Indiana State University.
East announced the news Sunday on the football team’s Twitter account, drawing a respectful response from Lakota West Football: “Friday we will play as adversaries on the gridiron but we are one community and our hearts are heavy for you.”
West is coming off a thrilling opening win over St. Xavier, while East looks to bounce back from a 9-6 loss against Centerville.
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