League play begins as teams get ready for wild finish

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The SBAAC American and National Division teams will begin league play this week and the league races should be exciting and wide open as Week 6 gets underway.

The American Division has two unbeatens – Clinton-Massie and Goshen, and a trio of 4-1 teams.

On the National Division side, Bethel-Tate is undefeated with Fayetteville-Perry right behind at 4-1.

Defending National champion Blanchester is among a trio of teams at 1-4.

This week, the American Division matchups are Clinton-Massie at Batavia, Goshen at Western Brown, Wilmington at New Richmond.

The National Division contests include Bethel-Tate at Blanchester, Williamsburg at East Clinton and Fayetteville-Perry at Clermont Northeastern. The Rockets vs Rockets matchup is 7 p.m. Thursday.

All other games are set for a 7 p.m. Friday night kickoff.

Matchups involving Clinton County teams can be found elsewhere. The only two non-county matchups are previewed as follows:

Fayetteville (4-1) at Clermont NE (3-2)

Fayetteville-Perry coach Kevin Finch said the National Division “is very competitive” but will would be “difficult to assess how the teams are because non-league schedule can be difficult to gauge.” He said the coaches in the league will have their respective teams well-prepared so the Rockets are taking it one game at a time.

As for Clermont Northeastern, Finch said, “Coach (Jeremy) Fishback has done a tremendous job with that program as he has completely changed the culture in a short time.”

Cole Joslin of CNE has 10 touchdowns and 644 yards on the ground. Hunter Jester of FPHS has 425 yards and four scores on the ground.

Goshen (5-0) at Western Brown (1-4)

Western Brown head coach Don Sizer said the American Division of the SBAAC ‘is as good as it’s ever been.” And that’s even with the Broncos having a down season. Size said Goshen is solid all the way around and is playing very well in all areas of the game.

As for his Western Brown team, Sizer said everything can improve and will need to improve if the Broncos want to move up in the division standings.

Goshen coach Ryan George said the American Division is “loaded with talent. These last five games will be a slug fest.”

George is wary of the Broncos, who “continue to improve each week. They put points on the board and play well in all phases of the game. They are well-coached and we have to travel, so it will be a tough match-up.”

Jimmy Strunk of Goshen is No. 4 in the league in rushing yards with 572. He has nine touchdowns. Adam Slusher is third in the league in tackles and Deonte Bailey leads the loop with four interceptions.

Wyatt Fischer has been a solid two-way player, snaring three interceptions to be among the league leaders, while sitting atop the league with 39 receptions. He has 575 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

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By Mark Huber

[email protected]

Reach Mark Huber at 937-556-5765, via email [email protected] or on Twitter @wnjsports

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