They won at least a share of a Greater Western Ohio Conference championship four of the last five seasons and have gotten used to success under head coach Maurice Douglass, who came over from Trotwood-Madison in 2014 and turned Springfield into a perennial winner, including three straight trips to the Division I State Championship Game.
Coach Dave Miller has also raised the level of play in Kettering since he took the helm of the Firebirds in 2016, but second place has been Fairmont’s ceiling.
The Firebirds finished there in 2019 and have three third-place finishes — including last year — under Miller but have never won a GWOC title since the league formed in 2001.
“It’s what you want this time of year — to be going into Week 9 and playing for a championship,” Miller said Friday night after his team knocked Springboro out of first place with a 24-7 win. “So it’s pretty cool. Credit to our kids.”
Fairmont, which won the old Western Ohio League in 1997, leads the GWOC in scoring at 29.3 points per game.
As always, the Firebirds run first. Their triple-option attack is averaging 233.4 yards per game on the ground, by far the most in the GWOC, and sophomore Logan Doty is the league’s top rusher with 856 yards and 19 touchdowns on 178 carries.
Quarterback Brock Baker has run 79 times for 361 yards, but the 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior has shown off his arm at times as well. Baker is 20 for 29, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to Kam Thornton last week that started the scoring.
“It’s a whole lot of fun,” Baker said. “I like doing the option. Once you get that pass call, you get a little excited on the inside, but running the triple option’s been fun, and it’s proven to work for our team. I definitely, definitely love running it.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
With quarterback Brent Upshaw injured early, Springfield has had its ups and downs offensively this season, but the Wildcats boast the league’s top defense in terms of yards allowed.
They are second in points allowed (13.3) and No. 1 against the run (66.3 yards per game), so Friday night will pit strength against strength.
“They’re going to run it down your throat, but this year they’ve implemented a little speed,” Douglass said. “(Thornton) is one of their best athletes. He plays all over the field. They’re doing a good job of getting him the ball on the outside.”
Senior linebacker Kyron Dolby leads the Wildcats with 65 tackles, and his 14.5 tackles for loss lead the GWOC.
Junior tackle Royce Rogers anchors the defensive line while linebackers Jahmiere Daniels and Taj Powell have proven to be playmakers on the outside as well with a combined 13.5 tackles for loss.
The Wildcats see Fairmont’s offense every year, but they might benefit from having faced a similar attack at Beavercreek last week.
“Everybody has to be assignment-sound,” Douglass said. “You’ve got to trust your brothers that they’re going to do their job. Everybody has a job to do. If you get off task one moment, they’re going to crease you. Everybody has to be real disciplined in their job responsibility this week. We’ve got to win first and second down.”
Springfield is sixth in total offense and fifth in scoring.
Upshaw is 48 for 98 passing for 582 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions since returning in Week 4, and he his most imposing target is Zy’Aire Fletcher, a 6-6, 221-pound senior tight end who has verbally committed to Kent State.
The Wildcats have struggled to run the ball consistently (seventh of eight at 87.3 yards per game) but rank third in passing despite Upshaw missing most of the first three games.
He also missed the Fairmont game last season, a 10-7 win for the Firebirds in which they completed none of their own passes but intercepted three of Springfield’s and were able to grind out 152 yards rushing.
“It’s always going to be a good game, a good contest,” Douglass said. “Coach Miller has a great program over there. His kids always come ready to play. They’re well-coached and it’s always going to be a tough task.”
Centerville is also tied for first place heading into Week 9.
The Elks have won three in a row after starting 2-3, and they play host to Springboro this week still in control of their destiny in the conference race.
If the Elks stop the Panthers, they can clinch at least a share of the title with a win over rival Wayne in Week 10.
The Warriors, who also dealt with a quarterback injury in the first half of the season but got senior Tyrell Lewis back two weeks go, are a game back with two to play but could be dangerous in the playoffs.
Fairmont is No. 2 in the Division I, Region 2 playoff rankings this week while Centerville is third, Springfield, Springboro seventh and Wayne eighth.
The winner of the Springfield-Fairmont tilt will still have to win one more game to clinch their own share of a championship, but each appear to have an easier path than Centerville.
Fairmont will return home to play host to Beavercreek (3-5, 1-4 GWOC) at Roush Stadium while Springfield will head to Northmont (2-6, 1-4).
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