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In a battle of the top two teams in The Cincinnati Enquirer coaches’ poll, senior quarterback Alfred “L.A.” Ramsby carried Colerain from an early 17-0 deficit to a 57-44 win against Lakota West at Cardinal Stadium on a wet and chilly night in Colerain Township.

“It was a grind,” said Ramsby, who played for Lakota West as a sophomore. “They started way faster than us, but then we just got on track and we couldn’t be stopped from there.”

No matter how hard the Lakota West defense tried, it couldn’t stop “L.A.,” short for Little Alfred (shares first name with his father), who put up huge numbers – rushing for a career high 230 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries and completing 8-of-12 passes for 158 yards and another score.

“When he plays within himself, he is pretty darn good,” Colerain head coach Tom Bolden said of Ramsby. “There are a lot of good players in this league, but I would rank him right up there with them.”

With Ramsby starting under center, Colerain is 12-1, which also happens to be the Cardinals’ all-time record against Lakota West.

More importantly, the win gives Colerain sole possession of first place in the Greater Miami Conference and improves its record to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play.

A win next week at home against Oak Hills will mark the 13th straight season that the Cardinals either won or shared the GMC title.

“We are who are. That’s it. We are just tough,” Bolden said. “It is our community, its our school, its our fans.

“I just couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”

Meanwhile, after starting the season with an 8-0 record for the first time in school history, the Firebirds failed to keep up with Ramsby and the Colerain offense.

“Obviously, he was the difference maker in this game,” Lakota West head coach Larry Cox said of Ramsby, who played under Cox two years ago. “He provides an element – run-pass threat – and does a great job with it.

“Hats off to him.”

After its 17-0 start that quieted a near capacity crowd, a series of big plays swung the momentum in favor of the Cardinals.

The play that sparked the surge was senior Dejuan Lang’s 64-yard kickoff return that set up the first of eight touchdowns for the Cardinals when Ramsby raced for 31 yards for a score in the beginning of second quarter.

After that, Lakota West just couldn’t keep up with the Cardinals, who produced 509 yards of total offense.

Lakota West	14	6	10	14	44
Colerain	0	21	15	21	57

LW – Grove 2-yard run (Martin kick)
LW – Parker 22-yard pass from Grove (Martin kick)
LW – Martin 25-yard FG
C – Ramsby 31-yard run (Gehner kick)
C – Davis 21-yard run (Gehner kick)
LW – Martin 27-yard FG
C – Smith-Moore 3-yard run (Gehner kick)
LW – Martin 31-yard FG
C – Hudson 40-yard pass from Ramsby (Gehner kick)
LW – Grove 3-yard run (Martin kick)
C – Smith-Moore 17-yard run (Smith-Moore run)
C – Ramsby 8-yard run (Gehner kick)
C – Ramsby 17-yard run (Gehner kick)
LW – Grove 3-yard run (Martin kick)
C – Brown 77-yard interception return
LW – Jones 31-yard pass from Grove (Martin kick)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Alfred Ramsby Colerain, Colerain, Colerain football, Colerain Highi School, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Larry Cox, Larry Cox Lakota West, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Tom Bolden, Tom Bolden Colerain

Heading into last year’s matchup Colerain was on its way to winning another Greater Miami Conference title, while the Lakota West football program was hoping to earn its first conference win of the season.

What a difference a year makes.

This Friday night, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in The Cincinnati Enquirer coaches’ poll will face off at Colerain High School at 7:30 p.m. in what appears to be a matchup that will decide the GMC title.

And if this year’s game is anything like last year’s, Colerain fans have to be concerned.

Led by its then sophomore quarterback Malik Grove, who began last season as the third stringer, Lakota West scored two touchdowns and recovered two onside kicks in the final three minutes. Eventually, the Firebirds came up two yards short, fumbling the ball on third-and-goal in the closing seconds, falling to Colerain by the score of 24-19.

“That may have been a little bit of a turning point because we started to focus on what we had to do,” Lakota West head coach Larry Cox said. “I think too many times you can get wrapped up in who the opponent is, instead of how you are going to play.

“That was sort of the launch pad for our entire offseason.”

It can be easy to put too much focus on the opponent when it is Colerain, which is currently ranked No. 9 nationally in the USA Today Super 25 rankings and has won or shared the GMC title in each of the past 12 seasons.

“Our expectations at Colerain are always the same … we want to win every game,” Colerain head coach Tom Bolden said. “15-0 is our expectation. That is a very lofty goal, but that is what we do.”

Unlike last season, where Colerain entered the game with a 5-1 record and Lakota West with a 1-5 record, both teams are 8-0 overall and 5-0 within the GMC this fall.

Grove, who came off the bench to help lead the comeback by completing 14-of-23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, has been the Firebirds starter ever since – compiling a 10-1 record as the main signal caller.

“He (Grove) is a young man who wants to put the team in the best spot to win,” Cox said. “Malik is not about numbers, other than the win-loss column. That is all he cares about.”

Meanwhile, Colerain’s starting quarterback, senior Alfred Ramsby, who actually was a backup running back at Lakota West as a sophomore, has a similar record at 11-1 as a starter.

“Playing here at Colerain is a whole different environment,” Ramsby said. “The whole town is with you. It is like a love/hate relationship. If you doing good – they love you. If you are doing bad – they still love you, but they are ticked at you a little bit.”

That passion for high school football in Colerain Township stems from a program that consistently wins, especially against Lakota West whom they have defeated 11 times in 12 games and haven’t lost to since 1999.

“I always say, ‘you do have go through Colerain to get to a title,’” Cox said.

“If you are truly a competitor and you truly want to get to that level and aspire to be the best, than these are the games you can’t wait for. These are the games that you think about.”

Impact players

Colerain Cardinals

• Sr. QB Alfred Ramsby – 46-of-90 passes for 1,107 yards, 12 TDs and 2 INTs, 583 rushing yards and 8 TDs on 94 carries
• Sr. FB Jackson Sorn – 543 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 77 carries
• Sr. RB Detuan Smith – 497 rushing yards and 6 TDs on 60 carries
• Sr. RB/WR Chris Davis – 368 receiving yards and 3 TDs on 16 catches, 279 rushing yards and 5 TDs on 57 carries
• Sr. OL Dylan Wiesman – verbally committed to UC
• Jr. DB Ryan Williamson – 5 INTs for 40 yards

Lakota West Firebirds

• Jr. QB Malik Grove – 56-of-120 passes for 747 yards, 8 TDs and 4 INTs, 376 rushing yards and 7 TDs on 74 carries
• Jr. RB Mikel Horton – 898 rushing yards and 12 TDs on 174 carries
• Soph. RB Kole Gentry – 423 rushing yards and 6 TDs on 68 carries
• Sr. OL Kyle Meadows – offers from top Division I programs including Florida State
• Sr. DL Luke Scott – 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT, leads team with 40 tackles
• Sr. DB Tyler Cross – 6 INTs (school record) for 48 yards, 2 fumble recoveries

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Alfred Ramsby Colerain, Colerain, Colerain football, Colerain Highi School, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Larry Cox, Larry Cox Lakota West, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Tom Bolden, Tom Bolden Colerain

Colerain High School celebrated the class of 2012 before and after the game, as senior linebacker Joe Bolden rushed for a touchdown and caught another in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a 28-7 win against Lakota East on senior night at Cardinal Stadium Friday.

With a 14-7 lead in the fourth quarter, Bolden scored on a one-yard touchdown run and later on a six-yard pass from senior quarterback Dustin Smith. His touchdowns were his first ever on the varsity level.

“All I know is that we practice, practice and the line got a great push and I wasn’t stopping until I got in the red,” Bolden said of his first touchdown. “It was a unique feeling.”

Bolden, who is committed to the University of Michigan, also led Colerain in tackles with 7.5 and recorded a sack.

“It was a big night for Joe. What a great way for him to go out in his last guaranteed home game,” Colerain head coach Tom Bolden said of his nephew. “It was a special night for him, but it was a special night for all these seniors and not just Joe.”

Bolden’s second touchdown was set up when sophomore running back Detuan Smith reeled off a 72-yard run. Smith finished with a career-high 113 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Senior fullback Jackson Sorn rushed for more than a 100 yards for the third straight game, finishing with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

Lakota East head coach Rick Haynes is now 0-2 against Colerain, a team he was assistant coach and offensive coordinator from 1991 to 2006. As a program, Lakota East has lost nine straight to the Cardinals dating back to 1999. Colerain leads the all-time series 11-1.

“They just wore us down in the second half and our defense couldn’t get off the field,” Haynes said. “The fact we couldn’t get off the field doesn’t worry me, what does is that we couldn’t generate any offense.”

It was Lakota East, however, who scored first. The Thunderhawks’ sophomore quarterback, Eric Eichler, set up the game’s first touchdown with a 42-yard scramble. Two plays later, sophomore fullback Mikel Horton punched it in the endzone with a two-yard run.

Colerain didn’t answer until late in the second quarter. After the Cardinals’ defense set up great field position, Sorn was able to cap off a five-play 35-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

To close the half, Eichler launched his first pass of the ballgame from mid-field and was intercepted by Colerain senior cornerback Andre Jones. Jones, who is committed to the University of Cincinnati, gave Lakota East a scare – returning the ball 55 yards until junior offensive lineman Zach Daniel made a touchdown-saving tackle.

With the win, Colerain improves to 7-1 on the season and 5-0 in the Greater Miami Conference. Lakota East, meanwhile, falls to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the GMC.

Lakota East	7	0	0	0	7
Colerain	0	7	7	14	28

L– Horton 2-yard run (Martin kick) – 4:55 left in 1^st quarter
C– Sorn 1-yard run (Kevin Walker kick) – 1:04 left in 2^nd quarter
C– Sorn 3-yard run (Walker kick) – 7:20 left in 3^rd quarter
C– Bolden 1-yard run (Walker kick) – 11:56 left in 4^th quarter
C– Bolden 6-yard pass from Smith (Walker kick) – 8:41 left in 4^th quarter

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Andre Jones, Cincinnati football recruiting, Colerain football, Eric Eichler, football, Jackson Sorn, Joe Bolden, Lakota East, Lakota East football, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West football, Mikel Horton, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

Lakota East head coach Rick Haynes, who was the offensive coordinator and an assistant coach at Colerain from 1991 to 2006, will take on his former team this Friday at 7:30 p.m. on the road. It is a big game for both teams, as a win for Lakota East (4-3 overall, 2-2 in the Greater Miami Conference) could put the Thunderhawks back in playoff contention and a win by Colerain could help the Cardinals win or share the conference title for the 12th straight season.

Lakota East: Haynes knows Colerain’s triple-option attack so well that he uses now at Lakota East. While the coach might be experienced in the offensive attack, his players are only in their second year of learning the system. Offensively, the Thunderhawks have struggled and are ranked seventh (out of 10 teams) in the GMC in yards per game with 286. Haynes’ offense, however, had a good showing in last week’s 44-13 win against Fairfield – rushing for 352 yards as a team. The rushing attack is led by sophomore fullback Mikel Horton (514 yards and seven touchdowns on 99 carries), junior running back Will Mahone (475 yards and three touchdowns on 68 carries) and sophomore quarterback Eric Eichler (240 yards and eight touchdowns on 82 carries). The passing attack has been almost non-existent – averaging 48 yards per game as a team. Defensively, Lakota East has been solid this season and is currently ranked third in the GMC in yards allowed per game with 271. The defense has also forced 17 turnovers (nine interceptions, eight fumble recoveries) in seven games this season.

Colerain: Many loyal fans were shocked to find their Cardinals pinned against their own endzone and in a situation that could end in a loss to Lakota West in the closing seconds last Friday. In that game, Lakota West rallied from a 24-6 deficit to cut the lead to 24-19 with a minute to play. The Firebirds recovered the onside kick and drove the ball to the 2-yard-line, before turning it over on a fumble. Going into the game, Colerain appeared to be the heavy favorite after defeating Middletown on the road by the score of 21-13. Meanwhile, Lakota West entered the game tied for last place in the GMC and fresh off a 47-7 loss at Middletown. Offensively, Colerain has been hit hard by injuries and is sixth in total offense with 320 yards per game. Defense remains the Cardinals’ strength this season. Going into this week, Colerain is giving up an average of 220 yards and 10 points per game on that side of the ball. The stout defense also features seniors defensive back Andre Jones (Cincinnati commit), linebacker Joe Bolden (Michigan commit) and defensive tackle Trae Clark (many Division I offers).

Bottom line: Statistically, Colerain has to like how it is matched up with the Thunderhawks – having a defense that is only allowing 10 points per game and facing an offense that struggles to score. That being said, Lakota East’s offense is young and dangerous. The talent could be there to pull off the upset. However, to pull off the upset, Lakota East’s defense must stop the Cardinals’ rushing attack of senior quarterback Dustin Smith and senior running back Jackson Sorn. Currently, Colerain is tied for first in the GMC standings and is third in the Region 4 computer rankings. Lakota East is currently ranked 13th in the regional rankings. The top eight teams in the regional computer rankings will advance to the postseason.

(WestChesterBuzz.com will provide a recap of this matchup shortly after the game is over)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Andre Jones, Cincinnati football recruiting, Colerain football, Eric Eichler, football, game preview, Jackson Sorn, Joe Bolden, Joe Postlewait, Lakota East, Lakota East football, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West football, Mikel Horton, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Trae Clark, Will Mahone

Lakota West scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes, but came up short of upsetting Greater Miami Conference power Colerain Friday – losing by the score of 24-19.

The Firebirds scored on a 25-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Malik Grove to senior Kayaune Ross with a minute left in the game.

Trailing 24-19, Lakota West recovered the onside kick and advanced the ball to the two-yard line after Grove connected with Ross on a 47-yard pass play. Two plays later, the Firebirds fumbled the football. Colerain recovered and ran out the clock.

Grove (photo), who began the season as Lakota West’s third-string quarterback, put up some solid numbers – completing 14-of-23 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Meanwhile, junior Jackson Sorn, who rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, led Colerain.

By escaping with the win, Colerain improves to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the GMC. Lakota West falls to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the GMC.

Next Friday, Colerain will host Lakota East (4-3 overall, 2-2 in the GMC) at 7:30 p.m. and Lakota West will host Hamilton (3-4 overall, 1-3 in the GMC) at the same time.

Colerain	7	10	0	7	24
Lakota West	0	0	6	13	19

C – Sorn 2-yard run (Kevin Walker kick) – 8:15 in 1^st quarter
C – Walker 32-yard FG – 3:45 in 2^nd quarter
C – Ben Scherrer 37-yard pass from Dustin Smith (Walker kick) – 0:53 in 2^nd quarter
L – Derwin Jamison 1-yard run (Justin Martin kick) – 4:09 in 3^rd quarter
C – Sorn 20-yard run (Walker kick) – 6:31 in 4^th quarter
L – Jamison 5-yard pass from Grove – 2:54 in 4^th quarter
L – Ross 25-yard pass from Grove – 1:00 in 4^th quarter

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Colerain football, Dustin Smith, football, Jackson Sorn, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove

Lakota West (1-5 overall, 0-3 in the Greater Miami Conference) will be seeking its first conference win of the season when it hosts Colerain (5-1 overall, 3-0 in the GMC) Friday at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Cardinals haven’t lost to a GMC opponent in the regular season since 2008. During that span, Colerain has won 20 straight regular season conference games.

Lakota West: For the most part this season, the Firebirds had played close games this season – winning or losing four contests by six or fewer points. Last week was not one of those close games, as they lost by the score of 47-7 at Middletown. In that game, Lakota West allowed 398 rushing yards to the Middletown offense. Offensively, the Firebirds totaled 69 rushing yards. Despite the poor performance, the Lakota West offense does have some firepower. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones is an exciting player, who has thrown for 711 yards (third most in the GMC) and nine touchdowns this season. One of his biggest targets is 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver Kayaune Ross, who has eight receptions for 193 yards (24.1 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. The Firebirds’ offensive MVP this season, so far, is senior running back Marcus Davis. Of the team’s 720 total rushing yards, Davis has 712 and two touchdowns on 148 carries. As a team, Lakota West is averaging 243 yards of offense per game and is allowing 365 yards per game on defense.

Colerain: The Cardinals are coming off a 56-0 win against Fairfield, where they rushed for 417 yards as team and allowed only 27 rushing yards. Leading Colerain was junior Jackson Sorn, who rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. So far this season, Sorn has rushed for 628 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior quarterback Dustin Smith has rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries this season. Smith had to take over the starting quarterback duties when junior Alfred Ramsby suffered a knee injury, ending his season in September. Last year, Ramsby was a backup running back at Lakota West. Defensively, Colerain is led seniors defensive back Andre Jones (Cincinnati commit), linebacker Joe Bolden (Michigan commit) and defensive tackle Trae Clark (many Division I offers). Jones, who has four interceptions for 102 yards and a touchdown, is also a dangerous kick and punt returner. Currently, Jones is averaging 9.8 yards per punt return and 30.4 yards per kickoff return. As a team, Colerain is averaging 329 yards of offense per game and is allowing 199 yards per game on defense.

Bottom line: Colerain has been dominating the GMC, either sharing or winning the conference title outright for the last 11 years. This season, Colerain appears to be on track to make it 12 straight years after wins against Mason, Middletown and Fairfield. Meanwhile, Lakota West didn’t get any breaks with its schedule this season and could have a difficult time winning a conference game in 2011. Both teams share one common opponent this fall. Colerain defeated Middletown 21-13 and Lakota West fell to the Middies by the score of 47-7. Colerain, as usual, is the heavy favorite.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Andre Jones, Cincinnati football recruiting, Colerain football, Dustin Smith, football, game preview, Jackson Sorn, Joe Bolden, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Trae Clark, Tyler Jones