And, hey, what if they play at Welcome Stadium?
That will all be true Friday night as the Elks and Warriors aim for a spot in the Division I OHSAA state semifinals.
“I think it’ll be a great atmosphere for both teams,” said Wayne coach Roosevelt Mukes. “It definitely is close proximity for both of us, so it’s kind of like we’re meeting in the middle. So it’ll be a great atmosphere and a great opportunity, and we look forward to the challenge of playing a very good Centerville team.”
The Warriors are the No. 8 seed in Region II, but they have won seven of their last eight after starting 1-4.
Centerville is the No. 2 seed and has won eight in a row along with a share of the GWOC championship.
Both teams started slowly but appear to be peaking at the right time.
“We knew we would have growing pains early,” Centerville coach Brent Ullery said. “Even in early summer, we could tell we really needed to figure out our identity and what we do well, and what we were doing at the beginning of the summer is vastly different than what we are doing right now, and that’s because we’ve been kind of feeling ourselves out trying to develop skill and talent at the same time as figuring out what those skills and talents are.
“And then as we’ve progressed, we’ve had kind of a one day at a time mentality the entire season, and I think when you hyperfocus on one day being better than the last then, you know, the end result kind of takes care of itself.”
The Elks turned out to be a classic Centerville team built on running the ball and playing good defense while Wayne still runs the type of wide-open, spread offense that swept football at all levels over the past two decades but has waned to a certain extent in recent seasons.
Mukes has the ideal personnel for such a strategy, though, as Warriors quarterback Tyrell Lewis has four Division I prospects to throw to on a typical play — receivers Teaunn Hunter, Gauge Miesse and Jamier Averette-Brown and tight end Kamaurri Smith — and a 1,100-yard rusher to hand off to in Isaiah Thompson.
“They’re pretty loaded,” said Ullery, who stressed not overlooking the Warriors defense. “They look like an old school Wayne team, man. They’ve got all these college football guys — top tier recruits — a quarterback running around slinging it. They look old school.”
Lewis, who verbally committed to Arkansas State last summer, is the latest in a long line of dual-threat quarterbacks for Wayne that also includes Alex Earley, Braxton Miller and D’Mitrik Trice.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has thrown for 1,765 yards and 20 touchdowns and run for 278 yards and three touchdowns despite missing four games with an injury.
“He gives us a chance to win each and every night we step out on the field,” said Mukes, who put the bal in Hunter’s hands when Lewis was out. “Teaunn a great job when he was in there, but now he can go to the wide receiver and make plays from there.
“Tyrell just gives us a great opportunity. That’s our guy, so we rally around him, and we’re just gonna go out and compete and play for each other.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
The Elks also have a 1,100-yard rusher in Parker Johnson while quarterback Shane Cole has added 791 yards on the ground and 1,323 through the air.
Cole had 199 total yards — including 123 on the ground — while Johnson ran for 140 yards and three touchdowns as the Elks won the first matchup 38-14 in Week 10.
Lewis threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns but was also intercepted twice.
“We were happy with our game plan the first time we we played them, and our kids went out and executed it very well,” Ullery said. “And I think that anytime you do that, regardless of side of the ball or what team you’re on or anything, I think you give yourself a really good chance to win a football game.”
The series began in 1956, and Centerville leads 36-33 after winning two of the last three.
The teams have played in the playoffs three times, including a 20-10 Wayne victory in the first round in 2020.
Wayne also won memorable contests in 2005 (29-28) and 2010 (36-33 in overtime) with Earley and Miller playing hero in those games.
“I mean, there’s really not a lot to talk about when you say, ‘Wayne and Centerville,’” said Mukes, who like Ullery played in the rivalry for the team he coaches now. “It’s one of those games that you look forward to. It’s one of those games that you know is going to be physical. They’re going to be very aggressive. They’re going to play hard, and they’re well-coached. That hasn’t changed from from the time that I was in school.”
The winner will move on to play a Cincinnati Greater Catholic League South team in the state semifinals at a neutral site next week. That will be No. 1 seed Moeller or No. 6 St. Xavier, who are scheduled to play in Mason this week.
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