GWOC play begins Friday night and Northmont is back in the discussion. The Thunderbolts are 3-0 with two shutouts and an offense led by quarterback Deuce Cortner and a cast of talented receivers. They face 3-0 Fairmont, which has knocked off Alter, Trotwood-Madison and Cincinnati La Salle. Fairmont’s physical option running game is led by GWOC leading rusher Drew Baker will test Broering’s defense.
“They do such a good job with what they do,” Broering said. “You’ve got to defend it, and it’s difficult because you don’t see it a lot.”
Friday is just the beginning of difficult games to win for Northmont and the entire conference, which had a combined 19-4 record in non-conference games.
Defending co-champions Springfield (2-0) and Wayne (2-1) meet in Springfield. The Wildcats are determined to be one better this year and win the Division I state championship they lost last year to Lakewood St. Edward. Wayne is led by sophomore quarterback Tyrell Lewis and is expected to challenge the Wildcats for the league title again.
Centerville (3-0) takes its stout defense to Miamisburg (2-1). And Beavercreek (2-1), which has won two straight after ending a 12-game losing streak, is at Springboro (2-1), which is getting strong play from first-year quarterback Evan Ruzzo.
“It will be the most competitive it’s been in a while,” Springfield coach Maurice Douglass said. “Everybody’s got good players, and it ought to be a pretty good year for the conference as a whole.”
Wayne coach Roosevelt Mukes said: “The league is very tough and challenging. So each week you got to make sure you’re playing at your best because you can’t overlook anybody.”
Northmont’s improvement is an example of Douglass’ and Mukes’ assessment of the conference. Cortner’s production (595 yards, six touchdowns), receivers Dalin Wilkins, Javien Brownlee and DaJaun Lamb and new starting running back Noah McClure (230 yards, four touchdowns) put the Thunderbolts on a high level at the skill positions.
The defense is led by Nigel Glover, a Northwestern commit who plays a little safety and a little linebacker in a hybrid role, linebacker Brian Jones and end Payton Lupton.
“We could be as good as we’ve ever been, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to win the league just because the league’s so loaded this year,” Broering said. “But when you have a good mixture of players with a really, really good coaching staff, you have the chance to win.”
Broering brought back some old friends this year. Tom Adams is back for a second time as offensive coordinator. Adams was head coach at Springfield South and gave Broering his start in coaching in 1991. Mike Walker is the new offensive line coach after a time as offensive coordinator at Hilliard Bradley. Walker coached with Broering and Adams at South in the ’90s.
Broering was able to convince Dan Gress to assist him on defense and coach special teams. Gress resigned as Troy head coach after last season and is a Northmont hall of famer along with Mark Mays, Jake Myers and John Brands in addition to other former Northmont players.
“They have such an investment in Northmont being good at football,” Broering said. “Their motivation is through the roof, especially after we kind of took a dip last year.”
Defense also emerged as an early-season storyline at Centerville. The Elks have allowed 20 points and are coming off a 10-0 win over Gahanna Lincoln. The Lions rushed for 244 yards but three turnovers and 11 penalties helped the Elks keep them out of the end zone.
“It was great to see our kids force some turnovers,” Elks coach Brent Ullery said. “Our defense did a good of the bend-don’t-break mentality. We did catch a couple breaks, but all the credit goes to our kids. They kept the ball in front of them the whole game.”
The Elks are leaning on their defense after having a dynamic offense last year that lost key players to graduation. Springfield lost all-state quarterback Te’Sean Smoot to graduation and Wayne lost key linemen.
”There is talent leaving the conference, but it’s kind of rinse and repeat,” Ullery said. “The coaches are coaching, the players are developing, and I put this year up there with one of the best I’ve ever seen in this conference.”
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