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After defeating Greater Miami Conference opponent Middletown Friday night, the 2012 Lakota West football team became the first in school history to begin a season with an 8-0 record.

In the latest win, the Firebirds took a 27-0 lead late into the third quarter before holding onto to a 27-14 win at home.

Lakota West junior quarterback Malik Grove has been one of the many reasons that the Firebirds are off to their best start in school history. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II in a 30-13 win against Mason Sept. 14.

6-foot-3 junior kicker Justin Martin caught his second touchdown pass of the season when junior quarterback Malik Grove connected with him from 10 yards out midway through the first quarter.

Running backs, junior Mikel Horton and sophomore Kole Gentry, each added touchdowns in the second quarter, as Lakota West took a 20-0 halftime lead. Horton would finish the game with 103 yards on 24 carries, while Gentry added 24 yards on six carries.

In the second half, the scoring started when senior Michael Carter incepted a pass from Middletown senior Jalin Marshall and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown. The interception was one of three thrown by Marshall, who will play college football at Ohio State. The other two INTs came at the hands of Lakota West senior Tyler Cross, who had two interceptions in a single game for the second time this season.

Before the game ended, Marshall would add a pair of touchdowns for the Middies – scoring on a run of 53 yards and throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jordann Thomas. For the game, Marshall finished with 165 rushing yards on 24 carries and was 4-of-18 passing for 39 yards.

Next week, the Firebirds, ranked No. 3 in The Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll, plays at No. 1-ranked Colerain (8-0). Entering this Friday, Lakota West and Colerain were also No. 2 and No. 1 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s region 4 computer rankings.

LW – Martin 10-yard pass from Grove (Martin kick)
LW – Horton 4-yard run (kick failed)
LW – Gentry 4-yard run (Martin kick)
LW – Mitchell 57-yard INT return (Martin kick)
M – Marshall 53-yard run (kick failed)
M – Thomas 15-yard pass from Marshall (A’Keeno King recp)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: football preview, game preview, Jalin Marshall, Jalin Marshall Ohio State, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Mikel Horton, Mikel Horton Lakota West

Lakota West running back Mikel Horton runs for a touchdown as he’s wrapped up by Mason defensive back Gus Thieken in the Firebirds’ 30-13 win against Mason earlier this season. Overall, Lakota West is 7-0 and is only one of two unbeaten teams in the Greater Miami Conference. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

Lakota West (7-0 overall, 4-0 in the Greater Miami Conference), who is ranked No. 3 in The Cincinnati Enquirer coaches’ poll, will host Middletown (2-5 overall, 1-3 in the GMC) this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Firebirds are coming off a 37-10 win against Oak Hills, while Middletown enters the game after losing 41-14 last week to Colerain.

Middletown: After making the postseason and winning at least 10 games in the each of the past three seasons, expectations were high in 2012 for the Middletown Middies. This team, surprisingly, has struggled – especially lately – losing its last three games, which included losses against Lakota East, Oak Hills and Colerain. Despite their struggles, the Middies are a dangerous team that is led by one of the state’s top players in senior quarterback Jalin Marshall, who is committed to continue his football career at Ohio State. Last season, in a 47-7 Middletown victory against Lakota West, Marshall rushed for 226 yards and four touchdowns on 11 carries. So far this season, Marshall has rushed for 953 yards and nine touchdowns and has thrown for 559 yards and seven touchdowns.

Lakota West: The Firebirds are off to their best start since 2004, are ranked No. 3 in The Enquirer’s coaches’ poll and are now No. 2 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s region 4 computer rankings. Unlike Middletown, Lakota West struggled the past two seasons and has been one of the area’s top teams in 2012. Overall, the offense has played well – scoring 30 or more points in all seven games this season. As a team, the Firebirds have outscored their opponents 256-90. Their offense is led by junior quarterback Malik Grove, junior running back Mikel Horton and senior offensive tackle Kyle Meadows.

Bottom line: Lakota West appears to be the favorite, but Middletown has to be considered a dangerous opponent. Just last year, the Middies blew out Lakota West, 47-7. Also making this matchup possibly dangerous for the Firebirds is the thought of the team’s next opponent – Colerain, who is ranked No. 11 nationally by USA Today and is the only other unbeaten team in the GMC this season. By comparing common opponents, Middletown has defeated Fairfield, 41-26, and lost to Oak Hills, 27-26, while Lakota West defeated Fairfield, 32-8, and Oak Hills, 37-10.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: football preview, game preview, Jalin Marshall, Jalin Marshall Ohio State, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Malik Grove Lakota West, Mikel Horton, Mikel Horton Lakota West

Lakota East (4-4 overall, 2-3 in the Greater Miami Conference) hopes to rebound from a 28-7 loss to Colerain last Friday when it hosts Princeton (6-2 overall, 3-2 in the GMC) this Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Princeton: After losing two straight conference games, the Vikings took out their frustration against Fairfield in a 57-20 win at home. In that win, Princeton rushed for 416 yards as a team and pushed the Indians’ offense backwards (Fairfield finished with minus 48 rushing yards as a team). A total of 10 different Vikings had at least two carries in the win. The leading rusher was senior Darian Nelson, who finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Princeton’s feature running back, junior DeMarco Thomas (photo), finished the game with 94 rushing yards on 10 carries. Senior quarterback Nate McGill didn’t complete a single pass in the win, but is actually fourth in the GMC in passing yards this season with 814. Defensively, Princeton has totaled 29 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries and 13 interceptions. Senior Jhalil Croley has six sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. According to Rivals.com, Croley has offers from Pittsburgh and from seven Mid-American Conference schools. As a team, Princeton is averaging 346 yards of total offense per game and is allowing 308 yards per game on defense.

Lakota East: The Thunderhawks found themselves in an important game last week if they wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive. Lakota East scored first, but watched Colerain pull away in the fourth quarter. After getting off to a 3-1 start this fall, Lakota East has lost three of its last four games. During that streak, the Thunderhawks have not been able to muster up much of a passing attack and have been losing the battle of time of possession (averaging under 20 minutes on offense per game in the past three losses). On offense, sophomore fullback Mikel Horton (560 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 110 carries), sophomore quarterback Eric Eichler (283 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 93 carries) and junior running back Will Mahone (507 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 74 carries) are all dangerous runners in the triple-option offense. Defensively, Lakota East is ranked third in the GMC for fewest yards allowed. As a team, Lakota East is averaging 269 yards of total offense per game and is allowing 283 yards per game on defense.

Bottom line: Lakota East and Princeton share four common opponents this season and have experienced similar outcomes against Mason, Sycamore, Hamilton and Fairfield. Both teams lost to Mason and Sycamore and both teams have wins against Hamilton and Fairfield. Using those scores, it appears that both of these teams are evenly matched. Princeton, however, is still in the playoff hunt. The Vikings are No. 9 in the regional computer rankings and Lakota East is No. 15. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the postseason.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Darian Nelson, DeMarco Thomas, Eric Eichler, game preview, Jhalil Croley, Lakota East, Lakota East football, Lakota East Sports, Mikel Horton, Nate McGill, Princeton football, Will Mahone

The Lakota West football team (2-6 overall, 1-4 in the Greater Miami Conference) is hoping to win its second straight game when it visits Sycamore (7-1 overall, 4-1 in the GMC) this Friday at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Sycamore is trying to rebound from its first loss of the season.

Lakota West: The Firebirds have found a spark from sophomore quarterback Malik Grove. Splitting snaps with fellow sophomore Tyler Jones, Grove has scored five touchdowns (three rushing and two passing) in the last two games. Prior to two weeks ago, Grove was the third-string quarterback. Last Friday, Grove rushed for three second-half touchdowns in a 30-17 win against Hamilton. Senior running back Marcus Davis rushed for 194 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in the Hamilton game. Through eight games, Davis is fifth in the GMC in rushing with 939 yards. Defensively, the Firebirds defense has accumulated 13 sacks, recovered eight fumbles and six interceptions. As a team, Lakota West is averaging 263 yards of total offense per game and is allowing 336 yards per game on defense.

Sycamore: The Aviators had plans to win or share its first GMC title ever, but lost its first game of the season last Friday at Middletown by the score of 21-3. Despite the loss, Sycamore’s 7-0 start was the program’s best since 2006. 5-foot-8 senior quarterback Kyle Sess leads the GMC in rushing with 1,371 yards. Sess (photo) is averaging 171.4 rushing yards per game and has 24 total touchdowns (21 rushing, three passing) this fall. When Sess is not calling his own number, he is handing it off to sophomore Greg Simpson (527 rushing yards and three touchdowns) or junior Markus James (403 rushing yards and four touchdowns). Defensively, the Aves have totaled 19 sacks, 12 fumble recoveries and five interceptions. As a team, Sycamore is averaging 358 yards of total offense per game and is allowing 325 yards per game on defense.

Bottom line: Sycamore has the top-ranked offense in the GMC and is in good position to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Lakota West has struggled throughout the season and has just recently won its first conference game. Looking at the numbers, it would be easy to write off the Firebirds in this game. However, for the past two weeks, Lakota West has played its best football of the season – losing on the last play against GMC-leader Colerain and scoring 30 points in the second half to beat Hamilton. The Aviators don’t score quickly, but they are hard to stop. Sess has the tendency to fall forward two or three extra yards on every carry. On defense, it is extremely hard to stop the GMC Player of the Year candidate from falling forward for the first down. Sycamore is the obvious favorite, but – with Lakota West playing well – it is hard to determine what will happen.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: game preview, Greg Simpson, Kyle Sess, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Malik Grove, Marcus Davis, Markus James, Sycamore football, Tyler Jones

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 (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

Middletown junior Jalin Marshall is one of the area’s most highly recruited athletes and he showed why in a 47-7 victory against Lakota West Friday.

Marshall, who has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and UCLA, rushed for four first-half touchdowns against the Firebirds, scoring on runs of 7, 45, 59 and 72 yards.

The Middies’ quarterback finished with 226 yards on 11 carries (20.5 yards per carry).

Marshall’s senior teammate, running back E.J. Junior (offer from Cincinnati), rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in the win.

As a team, Lakota West managed only 120 yards of offense, 58 of which came on the ground from senior running back Marcus Jones. On defense, the Firebirds gave up 440 yards.

With the win, Middletown improves to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Greater Miami Conference. Meanwhile, Lakota West falls to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the GMC.

Next Friday, Middletown will be at Hamilton (3-3 overall, 1-2 in GMC) at 7:30 p.m. and Lakota West will host Colerain (5-1 overall, 3-0 in GMC) at 7:30 p.m.

M–Marshall 45 run (Till kick) – 7:08 in 1^st quarter
M–Marshall 72 run (Till kick) – 0:30 in 1^st quarter
M–Marshall 59 run (Till kick) – 10:46 in 2^nd quarter
M–Wright 7 run (Till kick) – 8:36 in 2^nd quarter
M–Marshall 7 run (kick failed) – 3:47 in 2^nd quarter
M–Junior 1 run (Till kick) – 2:02 in 3^rd quarter
M–Burton 18 run (kick failed) – 1:42 in 4^th quarter
L–Williams 25 pass from Jones (Martin kick) – 0:13 in 4^th quarter



Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Cincinnati football recruiting, E.J. Junior, football, game preview, Jalin Marshall, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Middletown football, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

The Lakota West Firebirds (1-4 overall, 0-2 in the Greater Miami Conference) will be underdogs when they visit Middletown (4-1 overall, 1-1 in the GMC) this Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West’s only win this fall came at Anderson (20-14). The Firebirds have losses vs. Winton Woods (27-21), vs. Elder (35-10), at Princeton (27-21) and vs. Oak Hills (25-21). Meanwhile, the Middies only loss came last Thursday night against Colerain (21-13). Middletown also has wins against Wayne (32-31), at Troy (29-21), vs. Winton Woods (21-14) and at Oak Hills (46-13).

Lakota West: The Firebirds have suffered back-to-back losses to conference opponents after having fourth quarter leads in each game. Offensively, led by senior running back Marcus Davis, Lakota West has some firepower. Davis has already rushed for 654 yards (second most in the GMC) and two touchdowns on 128 carries this fall. The senior is averaging more than 130 rushing yards per game. Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones has thrown for 686 yards (second most in the GMC) and eight touchdowns (second most in the GMC). The first-year starter also leads the conference in interceptions with six. Jones’ top targets are seniors Bubba Williams (11 rec. 159 yards and 1 TD) and Kayaune Ross (8 rec. 193 yards and 4 TDs). Defensively, Lakota West has 10 sacks, six forced fumbles (recovering four) and has two interceptions this fall. As a team, Lakota West is averaging 267 yards of offense per game and is allowing 350 yards per game on defense.

Middletown: The Middies feature many big names; including one on the sidelines in head coach Troy Everhart. Middletown’s new coach previously led Winton Woods for 11 years and led the Warriors to a Division II state championship in 2009. He also served as the coordinator of recruiting services at the University of Cincinnati. On the field, Middletown features one of the region’s most-recruited players in junior quarterback Jalin Marshall. According to Yahoo! Sports, Marshall has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and UCLA. This season, Marshall has rushed for 625 yards (third most in the GMC), thrown for 385 yards and has nine total touchdowns. Marshall’s senior teammates running back E.J. Junior (offer from Cincinnati), defensive back Cody Quinn (Illinois commit) and wide receiver Zach Edwards (offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Miami) have also garnered attention from Division I college programs. Defensively, senior linebacker Jaylen Herring leads Middletown with four sacks. As a team, Middletown is averaging 359 yards per game on offense and is allowing 246 yards per game on defense.

Bottom line: While Lakota West has played much better than its 1-4 record indicates, it should have trouble keeping up with all the talent on Middletown. To make matters worse, Middletown is coming off its first loss of the season. Both teams have their similarities on offense, featuring mobile quarterbacks, a workhorse running back and a pair of playmakers at wide receiver. That being said, Lakota West has the ability to pull off an upset. However, when comparing the two teams’ only common opponent, the chances appear to be slim for Lakota West. The Firebirds lost to Oak Hills last Friday at home by the score of 25-21, while Middletown defeated Oak Hills on the road two weeks ago by the score of 46-13.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Bubba Williams, Cincinnati football recruiting, Cody Quinn, E.J. Junior, football, game preview, Jalin Marshall, Kayaune Ross, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Middletown football, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Tyler Jones, Zach Edwards

Sophomore running back Demarco Ruffin scored the game-winning touchdown with 9:54 remaining in the game to lead Oak Hills to a come-from-behind victory Friday at Lakota West.

Ruffin finished the game with 27 carries for 95 yards and he threw Oak Hills’ lone touchdown pass to quarterback Liam Sallquist. Meanwhile, Sallquist completed 10-of-19 passes for 153 yards.

Defensively, Oak Hills forced four turnovers and recorded four sacks. The Firebirds, on the other hand, didn’t force one turnover.

The Firebirds turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter, including a fumble at its own 46-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Lakota West senior running back Marcus Davis (photo) turned in another strong performance, rushing for more than 150 yards for third time this season. He finished with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.

His sophomore teammate, quarterback Tyler Jones completed 11-of-18 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown.

With the loss, Lakota West falls to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Greater Miami Conference. Oak Hills improves to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the GMC.

Next Friday, Oak Hills will host Hamilton at 7:30 p.m. and Lakota West will be at Middletown at 7:30 p.m.

L– Davis 51-yard run (Martin kick) – 10:07 in first quarter

O– Ruffin 23-yard pass to Sallquist (Kurtz kick) – 8:09 in first quarter

O– Smith 1-yard run (McDowell rush) – 9:16 in second quarter

O- Kurtz 33-yard FG – 2:58 in second quarter

L- Jones 1-yard run (Martin kick) – in second quarter

L- Ross 12-yard pass from Jones (Martin kick) – 8:02 in third quarter

O- Ruffin 20-yard run (Kurtz kick) – 9:54 in fourth quarter

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: DeMarco Ruffin, football, game preview, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Liam Sallquist, Marcus Davis, Nick Smith, Oak Hills football, Tyler Jones

Lakota West (1-3 overall, 0-1 in Greater Miami Conference) and Oak Hills (2-2 overall, 0-1 in GMC) will be searching for their first conference win this Friday when the Firebirds host Oak Hills at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West’s lone win this season came on the road at Anderson (20-16). The Firebirds have lost games vs. Winton Woods (27-21), vs. Elder (35-10) and at Princeton (27-21). Meanwhile, Oak Hills has wins at Harrison (21-17) and vs. Loveland (32-13) and losses at La Salle (42-21) and vs. Middletown (46-13).

Oak Hills: The Highlanders are 2-2 this season, but their losses have come against the region’s top two teams (La Salle and Middletown are No. 1 and No. 2 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association region 4 computer rankings). Leading the offense this season is sophomore running back DeMarco Ruffin, who has rushed for 502 yards and six touchdowns on 69 carries. In a 32-13 win against Loveland Sept. 9, Ruffin rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. So far this season, Ruffin has split carries with senior Nick Smith. The senior running back has 295 yards and four touchdowns on 66 carries. Helping the rushing attack is Oak Hills’ offensive line, which features a University of Michigan recruit in Caleb Stacey. As a team, Oak Hills is averaging 326 yards per game on offense and is allowing 352 yards per game on defense.

Lakota West: The Firebirds jumped out to 21-7 lead on the road at Princeton last Friday night before losing 27-21 in their GMC opener. Senior running back Marcus Davis rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in the loss. Davis has rushed for 495 yards and a touchdown on 97 carries this season. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones completed 12-of-23 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Defensively, Lakota West struggled to stop the Princeton offense allowing three unanswered touchdowns to end the game and a total of 381 yards of total offense. As a team, Lakota West is averaging 248 yards of total offense per game and is allowing 335 yards per game on defense.

Bottom line: Lakota West has played fairly well each week in the first half, but has had trouble keeping leads or, in the case of the Elder game, the score close in the second half. Meanwhile, Oak Hills has lost against two of Cincinnati’s best teams and has two wins against Fort Ancient Valley Conference teams. There are many unknowns about both teams. This Friday could provide GMC fans a better idea of where both teams will finish in the standings at the end of October.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: DeMarco Ruffin, football, game preview, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Davis, Nick Smith, Oak Hills football, Tyler Jones