“They’ve already got a spirit bus going to Dayton Christian, so that’s a first,” first-year New Miami coach Jessie Hubbard said. “The school’s excited. The student body’s excited. I told the kids if you start winning, you’ll get treated differently. If you go 1-9 or 2-8, you’re just another football player with a jersey on. Now they’re starting to see it.”
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New Miami is 5-4 overall and 4-0 in the MVC, while Dayton Christian is 7-2, 4-0. The Warriors are defending Gray champions. The Vikings haven’t won a conference title since 1988.
And the playoffs? New Miami needs a win and some help, but it’s not a pipe dream.
Seven of the eight playoff spots in Region 28 have been secured, according to www.joeeitel.com. Only three schools remain alive for the last berth: New Bremen (6-3), Mount Blanchard Ridgedale (5-4) and the Vikings.
New Bremen controls its own destiny against Minster (6-3), and Ridgedale faces Pandora-Gilboa (9-0). A Ridgedale win seems unlikely, and if New Bremen loses and New Miami wins, those two schools will be closely watching results of their beaten opponents.
New Bremen is currently eighth in the region, while the Vikings are 11th and Ridgedale 12th. The latter two teams need to win to have a shot … New Bremen could lose and still advance.
Hubbard said his team’s focus needs to be Dayton Christian. He doesn’t want to hear his players talking about the postseason. New Miami’s only trip to the playoffs came in 2008.
“I am daring these kids to talk about the playoffs. It’s push-ups if they talk about the playoffs,” Hubbard said. “We don’t get anything unless we beat Dayton Christian.”
Senior Bruce Montgomery, an offensive tackle and nose guard, said the Vikings are dealing with the unfamiliar magnitude of the regular-season finale.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” Montgomery said. “It’s exciting, but it’s stressful at the same time.”
On the other side of the aisle, Dayton Christian also needs a victory to have a chance to make the Division VI, Region 24 postseason. The Warriors are on a seven-game winning streak, but haven’t been real impressive of late.
“We’ve been winning ugly, so we’ve got to get better,” Dayton Christian coach Ken Moyer said. “It’s funny because we’re upset that we won 24-12 (over St. Bernard) and 25-24 (over Lockland). That kind of speaks to the level of performance that they’ve had and set for themselves. They don’t like to win ugly.”
Certainly the Warriors have more recent experience playing in big games, and they’ve beaten New Miami the last three years by an average score of 46-10.
“I’ve not seen a single game where the outcome of a previous game had any impact on the outcome of the current game,” Moyer said. “It’s always easier once you’ve been there, but in general, that stuff just settles down after the first series or two and everybody just plays ball.
“New Miami’s done a great job of turning their program around. I think on paper, they’re the favorites. They’ve got good players and a good scheme. It’s great for them to have a chance to play a meaningful game like this. That’s what makes football great.”
This will be Senior Night for Dayton Christian, which has dealt with a number of injuries this season.
Junior quarterback Seth Griswold missed a couple games, while junior backup quarterback/middle linebacker Matt Batson played just three games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Griswold is back to lead the spread offense and has thrown for 721 yards and rushed for 377. Senior Ethan Powell has run for a team-leading 679 yards and seven touchdowns.
New Miami plays a more physical style of football, but that doesn’t mean the Warriors will back down in a hard-hitting matchup.
“We’ve played enough teams that have tried to outphysical us that it doesn’t scare us,” Moyer said. “Last year, we had a lot of stars. We don’t have a team of superstars out there this year. It’s just a team of really good players.”
The Vikings have seven players with 200 or more rushing yards, led by senior David Cunningham (60 carries, 675 yards), junior Danny Spivey (45 carries, 457 yards) and senior Dalton Garrett (49 carries, 394 yards). As a team, New Miami is averaging 8 yards per carry.
Sophomore quarterback Trey Robinette has rushed for nine TDs while completing 32-of-43 passes for 531 yards.
The Vikings’ game plan doesn’t change regardless of the opponent. They want to run the ball, control the clock and wear down the other team physically.
That starts with the offensive line: Montgomery and freshman Jarrod Caldwell at tackle, seniors Robbie Hundley and Erik Tatman at guard, and junior Austin Hart at center.
“I think our O-line is going to give them some trouble,” Hubbard said.
Defensively, the Vikings have been buoyed by the return of sophomore safety Jordan Robinette from a shoulder injury. Sophomore Dylan Spivey has been a standout linebacker.
“We’ve been preaching the 11-helmet thing since the first time I walked through the door,” Hubbard said. “Now if you watch us on film, they’re all running to the ball, and they’re physical. I knew these New Miami kids were rough, but they really hit now. It’s impressive to watch.”
New Miami has won its last four games. An ineligible player caused the Vikings to forfeit their season-opening win over Gamble Montessori, and a fumble led to a late Cincinnati Country Day touchdown that beat New Miami 28-20 in Week 5.
“We were driving and fumbled and they scored to go ahead of us after we were leading the entire game,” Hubbard said. “I called a couple seniors out after that loss because I thought there was some failed leadership. They didn’t like it, but I think they started to realize where we could be.”
He still considers this to be a 6-3 team because of what it did on the field.
“That was an adult error that was made,” Hubbard said of the forfeit. “We won 32-0 with a running clock. In terms of building a culture here, it’s still a win to us.
“The kids are actually excited to come to practice now. They’re excited to be here. It’s a team, but it’s more of a family thing now. It’s a really neat environment right now.”
Hubbard was adamant when he took the job that New Miami could be a winner this season, even after going 2-8 in 2017.
“Right from the get-go he predicted this,” Montgomery said. “The whole process of changing the culture around here was trying to get us to believe that we would be in this position.”
“The first day I talked to them I said, ‘You have the ability to put your names up on the banner and tell your kids or grandkids that you were the class that turned this all around,’ ” Hubbard said. “They looked at me like I was crazy, but that’s all they talk about now.”
Friday’s game
What: New Miami (5-4, 4-0 MVC Gray) vs. Dayton Christian (7-2, 4-0 MVC Gray), 7 p.m.
Where: Harmon Field, 727 Jefferson St., Miamisburg
Series: Dayton Christian leads 3-0 and won 48-6 in 2017
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