2023 high school football preview: A look at local teams in the SWBL,GCL-Coed
Greater Cincinnati football teams soon will kick off their first regular-season games in less than three weeks.
The Enquirer will preview all Cincinnati-area teams by league, all Kentucky teams by class, and then the three Southeast Indiana teams from Dearborn County on their own.
To start, here is a look at two conferences in which Cincinnati-area teams mix and mingle with teams from Dayton and surrounding areas in the Miami Valley Football Coaches Association.
More: Catch up on the Enquirer's 2023 high school fall sports coverage
Greater Catholic League-Coed
The league has six teams now, with three Cincinnati teams facing Dayton teams Alter, Carroll and Chaminade-Julienne.
Badin won the league with a 5-0 record, going 13-0 before losing a tough one (20-17) to Tippecanoe in a Division III regional final. McNicholas went to the third round of the Division IV playoffs after only going 2-3 in the league, 7-6 overall.
Badin
Last season: 13-1, champions of the GCL-Coed
Head coach: Nick Yordy (six years, 57 -16)
Players to watch: QB Alex Ritzie, WR/DB Aidan Brown, WR Austin Buckle, WR/DB Carson Cheek, OL Drew Vocke, OL Luke Franchini, OL Tyler Abner, LB Nate Ostendorf, LB Zach Yordy, LB Drew Enginger, DB Ethan Kent, DL Royce Rachel.
Outlook: Yordy has a deep, veteran team. “We have a large senior class and these guys have been in our program for four years. They have been waiting for their opportunity and look forward to the upcoming season. We have players returning with experience and other players that played key roles last year. It is a new year and we need to focus on this year and continue to put in the work that has gotten us to this point. We have had some recent success in past years. Our goal is to not become complacent and continue to grow as a program.”
Last season, Ritzie was a first-team all-district and third-team All-Ohio selection after leading the GCL-Coed in passing yards (2,367), touchdowns (26) and completion percentage (70.9). Ritzie guided Badin to a perfect regular season and league title. He was QB as Badin went to the DIII state final in 2021.
Cheek, a first-team all-league and second-team All-Ohio selection, had 59 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions last season for the Rams. Cheek had a 51-yard pick-six in a 42-0 win over Woodward and had an interception in Badin's 16-9 win over Wapakoneta in the Division III regional semifinals. He also caught 35 passes for 349 yards.
Badin will play at city rival Hamilton for the first time in three decades Aug. 18. Badin will play Columbus DeSales, Edgewood, Roger Bacon and Hughes before hosting Fenwick to start league play Sept. 22.
Fenwick
Last season: 7-4, tied for second in GCL-Coed (3-2)
Head coach: Mark Mueller (third season, 10-10)
Players to watch: RB Jordan Vann, RB Connor Schmuelling, OL Matthew Swisher, OL Spencer Meiring, DB Shaefer Janeck.
Outlook: Vann, a sophomore, and Schmuelling, a junior, return at running back for a Falcons team that averaged 200 yards per game on the ground and only threw the ball an average of eight times a contest. Schmuelling rushed for 722 yards and nine touchdowns, and Vann 455 and six. The Falcons graduated 16 seniors but had a large junior class last year.
Fenwick hosts rival Franklin to start the season Aug. 18 then will play Talawanda, Monroe, Aiken and Mt. Healthy before beginning league play Sept. 22 at Badin.
McNicholas
Last season: 7-6, tied for fourth in GCL-Coed (2-3)
Head coach: Mike Orlando (13th year, 70-59)
Players to watch: QB Braden Bobo, OL Robert Polacko, RB Carson Young, WR Kyle Naumann, LB Jake Rees, K Rollie Gabriel.
Outlook: Says Orlando: “I am very pleased with the leadership that has emerged this offseason. Our senior class will be smaller than normal (12), but they are doing everything possible to leave this program better than they found it. We have a lot of guys stretching themselves outside of their comfort zone for the betterment of the team and it is pretty cool to watch. We have a lot of work to do but we are really looking forward to getting things started.”
BoBo was a second-team all-league selection as a sophomore last season after guiding the Rockets to a pair of postseason victories and a trip to the Division IV regional semifinals. BoBo ranked second in the league in passing yards (2,151) while throwing 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions. On the ground, he added 269 yards and four scores on 66 attempts.
BoBo threw for a season-high 275 yards in a Week 2 shootout loss to Wheelersburg, then fired a season-high five touchdowns one week later in a win over Goshen. In the postseason, BoBo threw four touchdowns in a win over Northridge and tossed two scores in the next round as the Rockets blanked Eaton.
The Rockets will start the season by hosting three-time defending Kentucky 2A state champions Beechwood Aug. 18, and start league play by hosting Chaminade-Julienne Sept. 22.
Southwestern Buckeye League
There’s a dramatic shift in two of Cincinnati’s northernmost leagues. Edgewood and Ross have moved from the Southwest Ohio Conference to the SWBL, leaving only four teams in the SWOC and now amounting to 12 teams in the SWBL.
The SWBL did some realignment as a result. The Buckeye Division now has Brookville, Carlisle, Eaton, Madison, Oakwood, Valley View and Waynesville. The Southwestern Division has Bellbrook, Edgewood, Franklin, Monroe and Ross.
Valley View was the most successful team last season, going 13-2 and reaching the Division V state semifinals while going a perfect 7-0 in league play to win the division. Bellbrook won its division and was 9-3 overall. Brookville was 11-2 and reached the third round of the DV playoffs.
Edgewood
Last season: 11-2, champions of the SWOC (5-0)
Players to watch: OL Luke Halsey, OL Brady Wagers, DL Brycen Robertson, LB Brayden Smith, LB Wyatt Walker, RB Brayden Sullivan.
Outlook: Edgewood moves to the SWBL after advancing to the third round of the Division II playoffs and losing to Anderson, 55-35.
Edgewood must replace its top two rushers from a team that averaged over 280 yards on the ground. They return Sullivan, a first-team all-district and second-team All-Ohio selection last season. Sullivan ranked fourth in the Southwest Ohio Conference in rushing yards (877) and found the end zone 10 times.
Sullivan averaged over nine yards per carry and ran for at least 90 yards six times, including three 100-yard performances to help lead Edgewood to the SWOC championship. Sullivan ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 win over Chaminade Julienne. He was Edgewood’s leading receiver with 463 yards and six TDs.
Franklin
Last season: 3-7, third place in SWBL-East (3-4).
Players to watch: OL/DL Izak Bowman, WR/DB Junior Creager, OL/DL Tucker Hall, WR/DB Isaac Elam
Outlook: Franklin must replace its leading rusher and receiver from last season. Franklin returns four all-SWBL picks from last season.
Middletown Madison
Last season: 1-9, last place in SWBL-West
Head coach: Steve Poff, first year (42-15 overall)
Players to watch: RB/OLB Kwenton Rhodus, RB/C Kaleb Miller, TE/DE Aiden Grooms, WR/S Devin Lindsay.
Outlook: Poff returns to the Mohawks after leading them to a 42-15 record from 2014-18, including four division championships and two Division IV regional final appearances. Madison had three head coaches in four years after he left.
Rhodus rushed for 704 yards and two touchdowns last year. The Mohawks were a young team with only four seniors last year.
“We are looking to find ways to be more competitive on and off the field,” Poff said. “We have a lot of new faces and we're excited to see what they can do.”
Monroe
Last season: 7-5, second place in SWBL-East (4-3)
Head coach: Bob Mullins (5th year, 22-20)
Players to watch: QB Ryan Miles, RB EJ Jyan, WR Landen Wynn, C Jackson Hounchell, LB Caden Vance, OLB Brayden Reece, S Karson Marcum, DL Myles Terry.
Outlook for 2023: The Hornets must replace SWBL offensive player of the year Elijah Jackson, who rushed for 1,458 yards and 17 scores. Miles rushed for 1,231 and 12 from the QB position. Jyan and Wynn each rushed for nearly 600 yards and 11 combined TDs as the Hornets rushed for nearly 350 yards on average per game.
“Very high expectations with lots of returning varsity starters in skilled positions,” Mullins said. “We have had lots of competition for starting jobs this summer and we are excited to see what some of our young guys can do. Offensive and defensive line play will be key to our success. If we can get it done in the trenches, we will be a tough team to beat.”
Ross
Last season: 6-6, third place in the SWOC (3-2)
Head coach: Kenyon Commins (seventh year, 38-26)
Players to watch: Riley Caldwell (RB, DB), Derrick Rack (DL), Justin Pence (OL), Trace Kirby (OL), Mason Shaw (OL), Blake Holmes (OL), Carson Adams (DB), Brayden Bastin (DB).
Outlook: Adams, Caldwell, Kirby and Rack were all second-team all-league picks in the SWOC last season. Caldwell rushed for 590 yards and seven touchdowns, helping the Rams rush for 220 yards per game. Ross must replace leading rusher Jaye Warren (1,308 yards, 14 TDs) and leading tackler Bryson Bastin (150 stops).
Said Commins: "This is the smallest team (numbers-wise) we've had in the last six years. However, there is a tremendous amount of grit that comes with this team. We have a very experienced OL, return our QB and second leading rusher. Defensively, we will be very senior driven. Their experience will be huge for us early in the year vs opponents like Wyoming and Mt. Healthy."
Waynesville
Last season: 3-8, fifth place in SWBL-East (1-6)
Head coach: Ben Johnson (third year, 8-14; 46-50 overall).
Players to watch: TE/DE Matt Wilkerson, RB/LB Garrett Lundy, WR/DB/K Connor Berrey, QB Alex Amburgy, WR/DB Trent Davis, FB/LB Carter Barnthouse, WR/DB Connor Huffman, OL/DL Jon Brillhart TE/DE, Caleb Sullivan, OL/DL Xavier Walker, OL/DL Elijah Federle, LB Kellen Philpot.
Outlook: The Spartans return seven starters on offense and nine on defense. They will have to replace quarterback Blaise Sizer, who for 2,315 yards and 22 touchdowns. Berrey caught 52 passes for 840 yards and nine scores last season. Lundy was the team’s top tackler with 92 stops on the year. Wilkerson was second in tackles and had 6.5 sacks plus 14.5 tackles for loss.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: GCL-Coed, SWBL high school football preview 2023
