CLAYTON – The Centerville Elks thumped Northmont, 32-0, Friday night in a shockingly unambivalent smack down that also served quite nicely as the MVP Game of the Week.
Chris Kuzma converted four field goal opportunities (34, 40, 32, 20) into points and fullback Nick Miller scored two touchdowns (102 yards rushing, unofficially) as the visitors laid any doubt concerning their rightful place in the MVP Fab 5 to rest for good.
Centerville’s unstoppable Tristin Boykin was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his 107 yards rushing in just 18 carries (he also had a 51-yard catch to set up another score).
Everyone knew what he was going to do most of the time and it didn’t matter one iota.
Nineteen second quarter points broke open an otherwise close game and the precocious young Elks’ defense moved quickly in for the kill.
“I don’t even have words for how our defense played tonight,” said a jubilant Ron Ullery, head coach of the victorious Elks. “That was not a bad offense that we played against tonight by any means.
“We have played physical ball all year, but we were really physical tonight. It was just a tremendous effort by our players on the defensive side of the ball.
“They’ve played really well all season,” he said, laughing. “But I don’t know how they can top this.”
In a season that’s becoming known for shockingly unambivalent GOTW smack downs, this one sets a new standard for the almost senseless beating that was administered—to what remains—a talented, but seriously enigmatic Northmont squad.
“Offensively and special team-wise we had a complete breakdown tonight,” said T-Bolt head coach, Lance Schneider. “I can’t put my finger on any one thing. We just don’t take care of the ball, we don’t value it.
“You can’t do that against a good team like Centerville, they’ll just run you into the ground.”
The T-Bolts are now 4-4 overall, 1-2 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division standings. Next week they face always dangerous Fairmont (4-4, 2-1 GWOC-C).
Meanwhile, Centerville (7-1, 3-0 GWOC-C) retains total control of their own destiny. Next up? Why it’s the super-dangerous Braxton Miller and his friends from Wayne High School (5-3, 2-1 GWOC-C).
Look out!
As road wins go, it is hard to beat a win in the rain at Good Samaritan Stadium.
“It’s just another game on our road to the playoffs,” Elk quarterback, Zak Bertram insisted after the game. “Another win in the GWOC-C means that we are just a little bit closer.
“We’re going to play our best football in the next two weeks and bring home a championship. That’s what our team’s focus is. We’ll see what happens after that.”
Two interceptions and two blocked kicks with your back to the goal line are more than enough to torpedo any team’s plans. Certainly that was the case on Friday night.
For Centerville, on this night, ball security was job one.
“We do preach (ball security) all of the time in practice,” Bertram confirmed. “And when you get nights like this when the weather’s not what you would want it to be it really helps not to turn the ball over.”
For what it is worth, Northmont would probably agree with that statement.
“This win was huge,” Ullery told the press. “It was a divisional game. It had playoff ramifications. But there is a lot of work to be done ahead of us. I’ll tell you what, these guys will come in to watch film tomorrow… we have to focus on the future.”
Even though the T-Bolts almost had their fair share of possession time (10:29) in the first half, they only generated 21 yards of total offense compared to 135 for the Elks.
The big plays on defense and special teams made a huge difference, but the biggest tactical blunder of all was one of the world’s most obvious fake kick attempts. It was so bad that the Centerville student section was actually chanting, “Fake kick, fake kick!”
Obviously it went nowhere, and the opportunitic Elk’s drove down the field afterwards to score, just like they did after the two blocked punts and the two interceptions.
“We ran 20 plays in the first quarter, but a couple of turnovers and the floodgates just opened,” said the ultra-successful, but understandably downbeat, Schneider.
“There’s just a lot of issues that we just can’t get over. They started back in the summer and they just kind of snowballed from there.”
Just how bad was it?
Was it as bad as most of the other MVP Game of the Week stompings this season?
For example, was as it as bad, as say, Alter’s 47-21 thumping of a very talented Fairmont team on their home field?
Was it as egregious as Coldwater’s 42-19 throw-down on the road against Marion Local?
Was it one-sided like Tippecanoe’s statement game (24-7) up in Bellefontaine (negative passing yardage for the game and no second half first downs yielded)?
Was it a bold statement like Glenville’s shocking 57-28 exposure of Wayne’s Warriors in their home opener?
Was it was worse than St. Henry’s crunching of Eaton—at Eaton—44-21?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. This was the king of the physical smack downs. The GOTW curse is real, make a note of it. Hosting the MVP GOTW can be bad for a team’s playoff chances!
For the record:
(1) Centerville is the best team in the Dayton area right now. It isn’t even particularly close. This humble writer stands corrected. Sorry about that, folks!
(2) The most relevent of this season’s MVP GOTW’s would be Northmont’s own brutal unmasking of (another very talented GWOC-C team) Fairborn.
• Both games had the same festive MVP GOTW atmosphere.
• Both had similarly entertaining, informative, and quotable coaches.
• Both had the same half-filled (what’s up with that, anyway?) stands.
• Both had the same amazingly efficient parking operation.
The qualitative distance that was obvious between the programs at the Fairborn versus Northmont game in Game A is similar to the qualitative distance that exists currently between the T-Bolts and Centerville after Game B.
Earlier this year Northmont looked like they had the world by the tail. Everything that they had then is, in fact, still there—including a bunch of extra-talented kids, and an amazingly experienced coaching staff.
Except the stands are half empty.
It’s even easier to park at Good Samaritan Stadium, now.
The charity 50-50 drawing is one of the favorite things for local sportswriters to track on Monday morning. It allows us to see what programs are getting help from their communities and what programs aren’t.
Almost always, it is a revealing number. Friday night’s winner pocketed just $170.
In the end, those who don’t support their school’s program, usually find themselves without a program worthy of support.
