Everything gets underway on Wednesday night at Princeton High School’s
Viking Stadium with a 6:00 kickoff as Loveland (3-7) will battle Roger Bacon
(5-5) followed by Princeton (3-7) taking on Western Hills (3-7) around
8:15.
None
of these teams took part in last season’s Crosstown and many are talking about
some of the players taking the field for Princeton especially super-soph Spencer
Ware. A fast rising prospect for
the 2010 class, Ware brings great athletic ability to the field and will look to
help the Vikings get back into the running as a team to watch in Cincinnati this
fall.
Thursday night fans can return to Princeton High School for the next two
match-ups as Glen Este (9-3) will take on a very tough Turpin (12-2) team with
three Division One prospects at 6:00.
Glen Este has made the past two playoffs with very good teams and Turpin
is expecting to have a another record setting season with offensive lineman
Aaron Van Kuiken (Virginia) and wide receiver Andy Cruse (Miami Ohio) heading up
the offense and linebacker Luke Kelly (Miami Ohio) providing the defensive
leadership.
At
8:15 another great match-up will be played as Edgewood (9-2) will battle Kings
(8-2). Both teams have players to
watch as Edgewood will look for senior running back John Elder to again help the
Cougars to a winning season. He’ll
be helped by senior quarterback Nate Thomas and junior receiver Xavier Fugate
who is a player to keep an eye on at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds.
Kings
Head Coach Andy Olds has some weapons of his own and will look for his senior
quarterback Bruce Ernest to lead the way.
The Knights have some younger players looking to breakout along with some
players who’ve made position moves to help shore up and strengthen the team
overall.
Danny
Hagee will return to his natural position of tight-end this season after helping
along the offensive line as a tackle.
At 6-foot-5, 235-pounds, Hagee has several MAC programs taking hard
looks. Also keep an eye out for
junior wide receiver Derrick Harris who shows signs of being a good
one.
Friday night the Crosstown moves to Yager Stadium on the campus of
Miami Ohio for some “Big School” match-ups. In the 6:00 opener Mason (5-5) will
battle Moeller (5-5). With a new
head coach at Mason we’re not sure what to expect from the Comets.
The
“Men” of Moeller will look to senior quarterback Ross Oltorik to show them the
way. The Crusaders will be playing
with heavy hearts as they’ve lost two of their former teammates this past
summer. Look for Moeller to play
tough physical football and again try and return to the playoffs by playing a
tough schedule.
The second game of the night pits Colerain (13-1) against Huber
Heights Wayne (7-3) in what should be another hard fought game. The Cardinals take to the field without
longtime head coach Kerry Coombs but full of talent.
Senior
Ravelle Sadler will look to head up the defensive along with senior Brandon
Mills who shows Terrill Bryd type qualities along the defensive front. Standing 6-foot, 260-pounds, Mills may
be short in stature but big on making plays.
On
offense the play of senior quarterback Doug Reynolds will be key as the
Cardinals will look to open up their offense a little more with his passing
abilities and the running ability of senior running back Dominique
Sherrer.
For
the Wayne Warriors they’ll enter with talent but many questions to be answered
after the loss of several top seniors from last year’s team. On defense senior defensive linemen
David Dick and Jerel Worthy will team with up and coming junior Anthony Pyle to
give the Warriors a powerful defensive front. Also looking to make a mark is freshman
Braxton Miller who is already turning heads at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds.
On
offense the Warriors will have many questions but know senior running back
Stephen Curtis has the skills to take it to the house on any carry. The offensive line may not be the
biggest but they’ll be technically sound with seniors Mike Conrads and Tommy
Berry leading the way.
Two
other seniors to keep an eye on are Troy Gilmer and Dustin Harrison. Gilmer can lineup at several positions
on offense and also at linebacker on defense. Harrison lines up at
linebacker.
This
give you an idea of just the first three nights of the Crosstown with a full day
of action at Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus set for
Saturday starting at 12:00. Later
this week we’ll have a look at the four games set for Saturday as there are
several top match-ups slated.