East Clinton head coach Steven Olds knows what’s on the line Friday night as his Astros visit Barbour Memorial Field.
“There is a lot riding on this one for both teams, so we expect an intensely physical football game,” Olds said. “It should be a lot of fun and we need to embrace the opportunity that we have in front of us.”
Kickoff between Blanchester and East Clinton is set for 7 p.m. Friday night.
The winner of the game is almost assured of making the playoffs. The team that comes up short will need lots of help and will likely face No. 1 Taft or No. 2 Preble Shawnee in the first round.
“Games like this one are why you play football and the kind of thing you dream about as a kid growing up playing youth football in our community,” said Olds. “Win on Friday and we earn a playoff berth. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
The Astros (5-4) are coming off a 45-7 win over Clermont Northeastern.
“That was the most complete game that we have played since Week 1,” the EC coach said. “That’s not to say that we haven’t played well in between, we just haven’t always played well in all three phases at the same time. We know we are capable of putting four quarters together like that, the trick is doing it consistently.”
Blanchester has won five straight games in the series and 7 of the last 10 meetings. However, over the last 20 years, each team has won 10 times.
“Blanchester is well coached and playing good football right now,” Olds said. “They like to run the ball and are physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Similar to us in that respect.”
East Clinton’s season has been up and down. The Astros opened with three straight wins then lost three in a row. The Astros have alternated wins and losses the last four weeks.
“I think everybody wants to be playing their best football towards the end of the season,” said Olds. “Its been a bit of a rollercoaster this year, but we have been playing better football of late and we need that trend to continue this Friday at Blanchester.
“This team has grown so much over the course of the season. We’ve had our ups and downs, but you have to believe it was all just preparation for the opportunity that we have on Friday.”
