Madison has been a state championship contender since advancing to the semifinals with a junior-laden team last year. The Mohawks were ranked second in the final 2018 Associated Press state poll.
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“The expectations in this locker room are high and the goals are high and I won’t deny that, but the big neon target on our back is put there through people’s opinions and press and all that other stuff,” Madison coach Steve Poff said. “We’re a very similar team to what we were last year.
“We’d like to think we’re still getting better every week. We’ll be satisfied with whatever the result is as long as we don’t go out and beat ourselves. It’s the same as any other game we play.”
The thing that makes this contest a bit different is the caliber of the tailback on the other side.
Talyn Parker is a 5-foot-11, 188-pound junior for the Trojans. He received a scholarship offer from Toledo this week and has heard from Ohio State as well. His numbers are big time: 254 carries, 2,470 yards, 29 touchdowns.
“We’ve been watching him on film all week trying to figure out how we’re going to get him stopped or slowed down. On the films we have, nobody’s stopped him,” Poff said. “He reminds me a lot of (Franklin’s) Ryan Montgomery except 15-20 pounds heavier.
“He’s got a great burst. He’s physical. He can play whatever game he wants to play. He’s been on the phone with Urban Meyer, and there’s a very select few that get that phone call. We recognize that.”
Portsmouth coach Bruce Kalb said Parker was a 1,000-yard back in his freshman and sophomore seasons, but missed half of both years with injuries.
“He hit the weight room hard in the offseason, and he runs probably around a 4.4,” Kalb said. “He’s really come into his own this year.”
The Trojans have been involved in multiple shootouts this season. They’ve posted 57-40, 55-39 and 35-28 wins, along with a 36-34 defeat.
Like Madison, Portsmouth doesn’t throw the ball very much — senior quarterback Danny Lattimore is 32-of-68 for 456 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Tyler McCoy has contributed 350 yards and five TDs on 71 carries while running behind a big offensive line.
“We’re a power football team. We have no bones about it. That’s who we are,” Kalb said. “We’re a pretty physical team. That’s the brand of football I’ve been trying to instill.”
The Mohawks’ strength all season has been its defensive front and its ability to shut down the run. So in this case, something’s going to have to give.
“When you get against an athlete like Parker, there’s reason to be nervous,” Poff said. “I’m not saying scared or intimidated or anything like that, but there’s reason for caution there. It boils down to fundamentally, how good are we going to be? How willing are we to be the best at what we do rather than frantic about stopping how somebody else does things?
“We’re not going to get outside the box and change a bunch of things up. If what they’re doing is good enough, they’ll win. And if it’s not, we’ll win. We’re not going to change what we do just because we’re playing Portsmouth.”
Said Kalb, “This might be the best defensive line we’ve seen all year. We run the ball well, they play the run well, so I look for a slugfest for four quarters.”
The Trojans coach said his team’s 4-4 defensive efforts against the run have been a little erratic this year, and that’s a concern against Madison.
The Mohawks’ Wing-T offense is generating 344.8 rushing yards per game. Six Madison players have 200-plus yards, led by senior Evan Crim (87 carries, 809 yards, 13 TDs), senior Cameron Svarda (107 carries, 694 yards, eight TDs) and junior Jake Phelps (65 carries, 688 yards, six TDs).
Parker plays outside linebacker for Portsmouth. Senior end Brian Carey-Knipp (6-0, 173) has 16 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, and senior Bryson Morrow (6-1, 215) is a standout middle linebacker.
Kalb, a 2002 Portsmouth graduate, is in his first year as head coach. He noted that he’s the program’s fourth head coach in seven years.
“Portsmouth has a great football history, but it’s been 11 years since we’ve been to the playoffs,” Kalb said. “We feel like we’re maybe coming in as a little bit of an underdog here, but we’ve kind of embraced that mantle most of the season because most people have counted us out a lot.”
Madison is getting healthier with the return of junior cornerback Connor Blaylock for Saturday’s game.
Saturday’s game
What: Division V, Region 20 football quarterfinal, No. 7 seed Portsmouth (7-3) at No. 2 seed Madison (10-0), 7 p.m.
Where: Brandenburg Field, 5797 W. Alexandria Road, Madison Township
Series: First meeting
Next: Winner will play West Jefferson or Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 at a neutral site
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