The Scoop - August 22, 2016

Posted by Heather Rutz on Aug 25, 2016

Allen County's high school football coaches gave us a season preview.

If area football coaches had their way, they’d get weeks’ more practice, they told sports broadcaster Vince Koza Monday. But Friday night the season starts, so they’ll be ready.

Koza, a veteran Lima sports broadcaster who hosts a morning sports talk show on 93.1 The Fan, interviewed area coaches as part of a high school football preview Monday at Rotary.

Ten of the county’s 11 football programs participated (Allen East’s football team had a commitment at the Allen County Fair). The group includes five new head coaches looking to put their own stamp on a program.

One of those new coaches, Lima Senior’s Andre Griffin, said he was looking forward to a big rivalry game, hosting Middletown, to open the season Friday. Griffin is keeping much of former coach Mike Fell’s spread offense, but has added some power to it with a strong tight end.

Spartan Stadium will host a second emotional game Saturday night as Lima Central Catholic hosts Elida. Both coaches said they wanted their teams’ play to honor Jakob Sexton and Dew Duhlebohn, two Elida football players who died in a truck crash earlier this month.

Many of the teams in the county play in either the Western Buckeye League or the Northwest Conference, creating good rivalries and matchups that will determine playoff spots by the end of the season, coaches said.

Club President David Frost thanked Koza for hosting and organizing the program.

Also on Monday, Frost reminded members that Michael Ayers will be available before the meetings of Aug. 29 and Sept. 12 for new headshots.