“It’s mixed feelings,” Meeks said. “We liked being up in the bigger division even though we’re a smaller school. We’ve been able to traditionally compete against those teams. … size-wise it’s where we belong.”
While the Braves have advanced to the postseason each of the past five seasons, they haven’t won a CBC title in over a decade. They hope to bring home the trophy this fall after finishing runner-up six times in the past 11 years.
Last year, Shawnee finished 7-5 and 2-3 in the Kenton Trail. They won a playoff game for the fourth straight season.
The Braves return 14 seniors this fall, the most Meeks has ever had in his 21 years at Shawnee.
“The expectations are pretty high,” Meeks said.
The Braves graduated quarterback RJ Griffin and incumbent starter senior Zane Mercer moved to Xenia in the offseason.
They’ll look to two seniors to fill that role — Mitchell Humphreys and Trint Cordle. The Braves also return several key skill players, including senior running back TJ Meeks, senior wideout Ed Boehmer, junior running back Hayden Coppess and junior wide receiver Connar Earles. Cordle will also see time at wideout and senior Braylon Brim will also see time at running back.
The Braves also return five senior offensive lineman — Darian Dixon, Brady Hauf, AJ Caruso, Thomus Morgan and Jack Warrington — and senior tight end Brady Bumgarner.
“We’ve got a lot of dudes,” Meeks said.
The Braves also return several defensive leaders from last season, including Bumgarner, Morgan and TJ Meeks, who earned D-III All-Ohio third-team honors as a defensive back.
The move to the Mad River will see the Braves face several new squads this season. They’ll play Benjamin Logan for the first time since 2006. While Shawnee has watched plenty of Benjamin Logan film over the years, the Raiders have a new coach in Paul Jenne, who previously coached at Jonathan Alder, Xenia and Hilliard Darby.
“They’re going to be drastically different,” Meeks said.
They’ll also face North Union for the first time since they joined the Mad River Division in 2019. The Wildcats have won two Mad River titles in the past four seasons.
The Braves will continue to play two of their traditional rivals in Tecumseh (Week 3) and Kenton Ridge (Week 5). The Arrows needed a Week 3 game and were willing to play the Braves in a non conference game. Shawnee will play the Cougars as part of their CBC crossover schedule.
“We’re glad to keep doing that,” Meeks said.
In Week 1, they’ll also face a former CBC rival in Stebbins, which is coached by former Southeastern coach Greg Bonifay. The Braves will host Stebbins at 7 p.m. Friday in Springfield.
Shawnee won nine straight against the Indians before they left the CBC for the Miami Valley League with their last matchup coming in 2015.
The senior class were freshmen when the Braves advanced to the regional finals in 2020.
“We’ve got to get some things right,” Meeks said. “We’ve got 10 weeks. If we do the right things and things shake out, we might get some bonus games.”
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