“It’s always the first goal to win the GWOC,” said Wildcats coach Maurice Douglass. “If you win the GWOC, that will put you in a position to where you want to get to in the next six games.”
Springfield shared the GWOC East Division title with Wayne in 2018. They won the GWOC American Division title in 2019 before claiming the eight-team GWOC championship in both 2021 and 2022.
The Wildcats finished 4-3 in the GWOC last season. After falling to both second-place Wayne and GWOC champion Centerville in the regular season last year, Springfield eliminated both of their conference rivals in the postseason.
Last week, the Wildcats used a last-minute drive to beat rival Trotwood 15-14. With 19 seconds remaining, Springfield sophomore quarterback Braylon Keyes hit junior Sherrod Lay on a 12-yard pass to cut the score to 14-13. Keyes then hit senior tight end Zy’Aire Fletcher on the two-point conversion.
“The offense had moments and we moved the ball a couple different drives, we just didn’t have the consistency that we needed,” Douglass said. “It came at the right time last week. We got the victory and now we’re ready to move on to a new week.”
Springfield has beaten Miamisburg each of the past two seasons. Last year, junior Brayden Herron kicked a 26-yard field goal with 4:50 remaining and the Wildcats held on for a 30-27 victory. It was the first victory in a seven-game winning streak that propelled Springfield to its third-straight Division I state championship game appearance.
The Vikings, led by veteran coach Lance Schneider, opened the season with back-to-back losses to Chaminade-Julienne and Dublin Coffman. They beat Dayton Ponitz 44-0 last Thursday.
“We’ve got to go out and play complimentary football, sound football and make sure that we don’t turn the ball over,” Douglass said. “Offensively, we’ve got to be consistent. If we can put together some good drives and finish with something in the end zone, that would definitely help. We’ve got to be responsible for our assignments.”
This year, the Wildcats will have to stop the Vikings backfield duo of seniors Keith Henry and Hunter Derr. Henry is the team’s leading rusher with 206 yards and two TDs and has caught 12 passes for 155 yards. Derr is the team’s leading receiver with 18 catches for 206 yards and two TDs. Vikings senior Landon Roberts (48-for-68, 503 yards, 3 TDs) takes over at QB for Preston Barr, the GWOC Co-Athlete of the Year.
“(Henry and Derr) are two of the better players in the GWOC,” Douglass said. “They both play slot and running back and they’ve got some other new pieces to the puzzle.”
Defensively, Springfield is allowing 148.3 yards per game. Wildcats senior linebacker Kyron Dolby ranks among the league leaders with 28 tackles and two sacks. Springfield senior Jackson Heims and junior Royce Rogers are anchoring the defensive line, while senior safety Quenta Wafer, Jr. is leading the secondary, Douglass said.
“The No. 1 key is always stopping the run,” Douglass said. “They’re just playing good football as a group.”
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