“They got us pretty good last year,” Rams senior quarterback Jordan Flaig said. “It was definitely a tough loss, but we’re going to try to have a little better effort this year.”
The score was 56-0 last season in Trenton. It was the biggest margin of defeat since Badin opened its doors in the fall of 1966.
Yet the Rams believe this year is different for many reasons. The attitude is different. The belief is different. Strong victories over Ross (36-6) and Talawanda (46-0) have replanted the seed of winning.
“There was a big emphasis on Ross in the offseason and just building off that,” Flaig said. “There’s so much energy around here. It’s really a great feeling, a great atmosphere. We’re going to keep trying to build on it.”
The only time Yordy dealt with Edgewood last season was in Week 10 when he was the offensive coordinator for Mt. Healthy. The Cougars won that game 49-28.
“One of the things I’ve harped on a little bit is that we’re moving forward,” Yordy said. “I wasn’t here last year. I wasn’t a part of Badin-Edgewood. So we’re worried about us right now and where we’re going as a program.”
This Edgewood team is different as well. EHS beat Monroe (38-13) and lost to Franklin (49-21) with an experienced defense and abundant new faces on offense.
“We can’t take the mentality that because we beat a team 56-0 last year it’s going to happen again this year,” Cougars coach Scott Clemmons said. “Those things don’t happen year to year in high school football. We enjoyed it while it was here last year, but this year’s a whole different game.”
Both of these teams want to run the ball and have been good at it. Ruling the trenches likely will result in a victory.
Juniors Wade Phillips (19 carries, 145 yards) and Elijah Williams (30 carries, 135 yards) lead the way for Edgewood on the ground. Senior Lavassa Martin (28 carries, 291 yards) and junior Davon Starks (24 carries, 170 yards) top the Rams.
The quarterbacks don’t throw a lot. They are offensive managers. EHS junior Corbin Craft is 7 of 9 for 105 yards. Flaig is 4 of 6 for 91 yards and two touchdowns, both to Starks.
“Corbin has thrown good passes where they’re supposed to be,” Clemmons said. “The offense is starting to jell. We’re not young anymore. We’re not going to use that as a crutch because we’ve been through a three-way scrimmage, two other scrimmages and two games. There’s no excuses for making mental mistakes anymore. They’ve got to go.”
Flaig wasn’t a given to start for Badin in 2017, but he won the job with his steady play.
“Jordan’s done everything we’ve asked of him,” Yordy said. “I’m proud of the way he’s stepped up as a senior. He really soaked stuff up in the offseason. We’re just trying to control the game. I think any coach around is going to run the ball as long as they can do it successfully.”
“I’ve been trying to be really efficient,” said Flaig, who has a cousin (junior linebacker Tanner Polisini) playing for the Edgewood varsity. “I’m definitely OK with throwing the ball more if we have to, but I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win. I have to make smart decisions with the football.”
Even with last year’s rout, Edgewood trails 15-5 in this series, which began in 1973.
Clemmons said Yordy’s Rams play “old-style Badin football. They’re running the ball and just pounding it. It’s going to come down to who can be the most physical team out there and who can hang onto the ball and avoid the untimely penalties.”
There is a bit of a twist in this matchup. Bill Tenore, who was dismissed as Badin’s head coach after the 2016 campaign, is an offensive line coach at Edgewood.
Yordy is happy to be coaching at his alma mater. The Rams are unbeaten at the varsity, reserve and freshman levels this year.
“It’s still a process, and we understand that,” Yordy said. “But I think we’re at least putting the right foot forward right now. That’s where we’re headed in the big picture.”
Saturday’s game
What: Edgewood (1-1) vs. Badin (2-0) at Hamilton, 7 p.m.
Where: Virgil Schwarm Stadium, 1165 Eaton Ave., Hamilton
Last year: Edgewood won 56-0
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