Middletown (Ohio) makes solid early impression

The Middletown (Middletown, Ohio) Middies lost a significant amount of talent to graduation from a year ago, but it hasn’t affected their outlook on this early season.

Middletown (4-0, 1-0 Greater Miami Conference) continued to impress last week in a 24-13 win over host Lakota West (West Chester) in a regionally-televised game.

Middletown sophomore quarterback Jalin Marshall is proving to be one of Southwest Ohio’s brightest stars this season as he rushed for 110 yards and caught two passes for 18 yards.

Marshall also has help from his teammate – junior Geovanne McKnight – both of whom competed for the starting quarterback position this summer. McKnight threw nine times for 128 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Firebirds.



The win over Lakota West snapped a four-game losing streak for the Middies against Lakota West, according to the Middletown Journal.

“This is a big win for us,” Middletown junior wide receiver Zach Edwards told the publication. “We had to end that drought.”

Middletown, which has scored 145 points and allowed just 34 – both good for second best in the conference - plays host to rival Hamilton (3-1, 1-0) on Friday night in one of the week’s more intriguing matchups. Hamilton defeated visiting Oak Hills 48-10 last week.

In other top news of the week from Cincinnati region:

2. Colerain dominating: Colerain (Cincinnati) (4-0), rated No. 9 nationally by the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, had little trouble in maintaining its dominance as the Cardinals defeated host Fairfield 44-7. Colerain has scored 156 points and allowed just 32. It was the third time this season the Cardinals allowed fewer than double-digit points. Senior quarterback Tyler Williams had 113 yards rushing and three touchdowns and senior fullback Trayion Durham had159 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals. Colerain plays host to Lakota West Friday night.

3. Glenville stops Anderson (Cincinnati): Glenville (Cleveland) drove several hours to the east side of Cincinnati and did not disappoint as it won 34-7 Saturday night. The Tarblooders, rated No. 11 in the Xcellent 25, collected 421 yards of total offense. Quarterback Cardale Jones was 12-of-15 for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Anderson wide receiver Jordan Shelton had four receptions for 54 yards for the Redskins (3-1).



4. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) wins again: It wasn’t just senior running back Tucker Skove this time. The Crusaders mixed it up offensively and defeated visiting Findlay 49-31 on Saturday. Skove had 91 yards rushing on 18 carries and a touchdown, but three Moeller receivers – Monty Madaris, Brian Burkhart and Max Richey caught touchdown passes. Moeller sophomore quarterback Spencer Iacovone was solid in a backup role – he was 5-of-7 for 63 yards and three touchdown passes. Moeller plays at St. Xavier (3-1) Friday night.

5. Centerville defeats Cleveland power: Centerville continues to show why it’s one of the best teams in Southwest Ohio this season. The Elks (4-0) defeated visiting Cleveland St. Ignatius 31-7 on Saturday. Senior quarterback Jon Overstreet had 30 carries for 283 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Elks. “It’s pretty obvious,” St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle told the Dayton Daily News. “We got pushed.” It was the second consecutive quality win for Centerville, who defeated Kettering Alter 24-7 on Sept. 10. “(The Alter win) made a statement in this area,” Centerville coach Ron Ullery told the publication. “But we told our players if we wanted to make a statement statewide, this one was bigger.”

STANDOUTS
Conor Hundley, St. Xavier (Cincinnati): The junior running back rushed for 206 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns as the visiting Bombers defeated Louisville Trinity 17-10. It was the second consecutive week Hundley rushed for over 200 yards.

Tim Szabo, Chaminade-Julienne (Dayton): The senior wide receiver leads the Greater Catholic League with 352 yards receiving. He had four receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 44-41 loss to Roger Bacon.

Cameron Belton, Northmont (Clayton): The sophomore quarterback was 13-of-20 passing for 179 yards and three touchdowns as the Thunderbolts defeated host Sidney 31-0.

Tanner Sprong, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati): The senior quarterback was 18-of-27 passing for 270 yards and five touchdowns in the Spartans’ 44-41 win over Chaminade-Julienne.

THIS WEEK
GCTCA girls’ tennis tournament, Thursday and Saturday: The annual Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association tournament will be held at several locations across the Queen City. The finals will be held Saturday. The seed tournament is Monday at St. Xavier High School.



Dayton Carroll at Roger Bacon, football Friday: These two teams are the respective leaders of their divisions in the GCL and have 4-0 records. Roger Bacon senior quarterback Tanner Sprong has 700 yards passing and has thrown for nine touchdowns. Senior running back Alex Wolodkiewicz has 502 yards rushing and seven touchdowns for Carroll.

Moeller at St. Xavier, Friday: These two GCL-South rivals face each other in Week 5 – usually it’s at the end of the regular season, but has changed because of non-league schedules. This should be a very interesting matchup given both teams have played quality opponents since both of their seasons started at Ballaban Field in late August. Moeller averages 390 yards of offense, while St. X allows just 76 yards rushing per game.

RECRUITING NEWS
Pickerington North senior tight end Darien Bryant has reportedly added an offer from Nebraska, according to ScoutingOhio.com. Bryant, who is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, also reportedly has offers from Maryland, Duke, Ohio, Toledo, Miami University, Kent State, Marshall, Bowling Green and Air Force. …Dublin Scioto senior tight end Jamare Mills (6-6, 250) reportedly added recent offers from Kent State and Western Michigan, according to ScoutingOhio.com. Mills also reportedly has offers from Minnesota and Duke. …Aiken freshman point guard Tyonte Robertson (6 foot, 175 pounds) received a scholarship offer from James Madison on Monday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

RANDOM THOUGHTS
The Ursuline girls’ golf team set new school and league records at the Girls’ Greater Cincinnati League tournament Tuesday in Middletown. The Lions shot a 295, which is a school record by 8 shots. …The Summit Country Day boys soccer team is ranked No. 1 in the Division III state coaches’ poll. Summit earned the top spot with a 4-0-1 record and five first-place votes. …The Mount Notre Dame girls’ soccer team was off to its best start in school history through seven matches, according to the Community Press. The Cougars were 5-0-2 and outscored opponents 17-4 in that stretch, according to the publication.

Mike Dyer covers the Cincinnati and Southwest region of Ohio for MaxPreps.com.