The countdown reached one day on Wednesday as Miller talked about the 2023 opener. Fairmont and Alter will play at 7 p.m. at Roush Stadium in one of four area games taking place Thursday. It will be the 56th meeting between the two Kettering schools.
Fairmont has won the last two games against Alter and four of the last five. Alter won 13 straight games in the series until Fairmont’s 13-12 victory in 2017.
Last season, Fairmont won the opener 31-7 and rolled to an 8-4 season that included a 24-21 victory against No. 5 Springfield. The Firebirds were the only team to beat the Wildcats until they lost to Lakewood St. Edward in the Division I state championship game.
In 2022, Fairmont beat Alter 16-7. The teams didn’t play in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Alter’s last victory against Fairmont came in 2019 when it won 21-7.
“Our seniors would very much like to be able to get a win because they haven’t been able to beat Fairmont their sophomore or junior years,” Alter coach Ed Domsitz said. “I think it’s really exciting for the kids. They get to play in front of a huge crowd. They get to play right here. The battle is right here in Kettering. So it’s pretty special.”
Miller knows Alter will be motivated by the recent results in the series.
“I coached over there with coach Domsitz for a year, so I know him pretty well,” Miller said. “Besides that, we go pretty way back. That target’s on our back. It means a lot to (Alter). I think our kids, they’re inexperienced, and I don’t know how much they realize that, but we definitely talk about it.”
Alter finished 6-6 last season. Domsitz enters his 48th season as a head coach. He started in 1976 at his alma mater, Trotwood-Madison. He moved to Alter in 1981 and coached the program to three playoff appearances in seven seasons before leaving in 1988 to coach at Northmont for 11 seasons. He returned to Alter in 1999 and guided the program to state championships in 2008 and 2009 and state runner-up finishes in 2006, 2014 and 2018.
Among Alter’s returners is junior quarterback Gavin Connor, a three-year starter. He threw 14 touchdown passes last season and ran for five scores.
“He’s shown growth each year,” Domsitz said, “We’re looking for more maturity in terms of just overall leadership, which he’s shown here in the early summer. His judgment seems to be improved, not that it was awful but as quarterbacks progress from first-year starter on and even into college and pros, you expect judgment to improve over time.”
Senior Jake Noga returns to start at center with seniors Jackson Wright, Nathan Fussnecker and Jack Howard also on the line. Michael Russ, Carter Sheets, Andy Duplain and Jon Thieman are all returning senior wide receivers.
On defense, Alter returns its leading tackler, Henry Reifschneider, who led the team with 118 tackles. In the secondary are seniors defensive backs Russ, Collin Wehner and Duplain.
“There’s always optimism from every team at this point,” Domsitz said, “and there should be. Specifically looking at this Alter team this year, I think we’re strong. I know we’re stronger. We’re more experienced. We’ve had some good leadership from a good nucleus of seniors. We’re pretty solid at most positions. There’s still some question marks.”
Fairmont has seven new starters on defense and five or six on offense, Miller said. Junior quarterback Brock Baker is a second-year starter. Senior Justin Turner will start at fullback. Seniors Asa Dunlevey and Zac Gagel will get carries at halfback in the triple-option offense. Senior wide receiver Carson Copley is another offensive weapon to watch.
Fairmont had 24 rushing touchdowns last season and one receiving touchdown.
“We put more emphasis on our passing game,” Miller said, “and it’s shown. We were successful in our two scrimmages.”
Here’s a quick glance at the other Thursday night games involving area teams:
• Beavercreek at Xenia, 7 p.m.: The Buccaneers won this matchup 40-3 last season, setting the tone for the first perfect 10-0 regular season in school history. Xenia will show off the newly renovated Doug Adams Stadium for the first time.
This will be the third season for Xenia coach Maurice Harden. The team finished 5-5 in his first season.
Beavercreek finished 2-8 in coach Marcus Colvin’s first season. The Beavers beat Xenia three times in a row from 2015-17 but have since lost three of four games in the series.
• Meadowdale at Columbus East, 7 p.m.: Meadowdale finished 3-7 last season. It was the first season for coach Derrick Shepard, a Meadowdale graduate who played at Georgia Tech.
Columbus East finished 10-2 last season. It beat Vinton County and Cambridge in the playoffs before losing to Steubenville.
• Dohn Community at Thurgood Marshall, 6 p.m.: Thurgood Marshall will try to stop a 20-game losing streak that dates back to the 2020 season. Dohn, located in Cincinnati, was 3-5 last season.
About the Author
