MVP’s Top 10 Football Programs of the Decade: Nos. 3-4
By Adam Adkins
The decade is just about over. That means one thing in this age of know-it-all writers like me.
Best of the decade lists. And I’ve got a good one.
I am counting down MVP’s Top 10 Football Programs of the Decade. (Read here to see if your school is in our coverage area. Fair warning, if you play in Cincinnati, Columbus or Cleveland, you probably aren’t here.)
I wanted to do this because it’d be fun, first off. Figuring out who was truly the best for our area was a tough task, and everyone has an opinion.
But this is my project and we’re playing by my rules.
Today we continue our countdown of MVP’s Top Football Programs of the Decade…
#4: Delphos St. John’s Blue Jays
• 2 State Championships (2005, 2008)
• 7 Playoff Appearances
• Regular Season Record Of 73-27
• Playoff Record Of 24-5
• Overall Record Of 97-32
The St. John’s Blue Jays had a very successful and at times flat out dominant decade, winning two state titles, reaching the playoffs seven times and winning nearly 100 games overall.
Oh, yeah, and the Blue Jays are a MAC school, too.
Delphos’ best team appeared to be their 2009 version, even though they fell a field goal short of a third state title. They won 14 straight games, including defeats of Coldwater by 6, St. Henry by 22, Marion Local by 21 (and by 6 in the state semifinal), and Versailles by 14. Pretty impressive.
Still, they didn’t win it all. Unfortunately, for a team with two state rings on their hand, that disqualifies 2009.
That means, in my opinion, the 2008 version was their best product. Although they didn’t dominate the MAC ¬– Coldwater and Local both hammered them – they did some work in November.
They started by blowing out 7-4 Arlington by three scores, then took down Carey by a touchdown.
They faced Ada in the Region 22 final and advanced, 38-28.
The Blue Jays ran into another local product, Lehman Catholic, a team with an impressive 11 wins, and blew out the Cavaliers by 19 in the state semifinals.
Entering their second state title game of the decade, the Blue Jays faced an excellent Hopewell-Loudon team and not only won, they overwhelmed the Chieftains 34-14.
Delphos truly did it all. In their seven playoff appearances, they never lost in the first round, and only once did they fail to win their region.
The Blue Jays are a comfortable pick for No. 4.
#3: Kettering Archbishop Alter Knights
• 2 State Championships (2008, 2009)
• 9 Playoff Appearances
• Regular Season Record Of 83-16
• Playoff Record Of 24-7
• Overall Record Of 107-23
Alter is football royalty. They built a tradition in the last nine years, and are now absolutely recognized as a powerhouse…and rightfully so.
Alter won at least nine games in the regular season five times; they won all 10 in three of the last 4 (remember those forfeits?) seasons; and currently, Alter has won 28 consecutive football games, including 2 state titles.
Simply put, Alter kicks some serious butt.
However, it wasn’t always that way. Sure, the Knights won a lot of games, but prior to 2006, they struggled to find the kind of consistent playoff success that a school like Delphos seems to so easily. Alter never flamed out in the first round, but it seemed to either lose a heartbreaker – like the 3-point loss to Columbus St. Francis DeSales in 2001 – or get blown out – like the 24-point body slam from CJ.
But it all changed, I think, with the 2006 season. Alter finally broke through and made it all the way to the D-III state final, to face as dominant a program as the state can offer, the Steubenville Big Red.
In the biggest game in the program’s history, the Knights fell short, 34-33.
With a team like Alter, who was quickly becoming the Indianapolis Colts of this area – win a lot of games but never the title ¬– such a game might have truly changed their mindsets.
And the hurdles weren’t over. In 2007, Alter suffered what was likely its most disappointing loss, a 52-59 three-OT loss to Coldwater in Round 2. Alter held a 21-point lead in the third quarter and it was as crushing a defeat as a team can have.
But…I pity any fool crazy enough to step on the field with Alter after that night. Since that loss, the Knights haven’t lost a game on the field and have wreaked serious havoc in D-IV.
If the 2008 State Champion Alter Knights were awesome, we don’t have words for the 2009 edition. They obliterated everyone in the regular season, finishing 10-0, but in truth, they were only getting started.
In regional play, Alter crushed Jonathan Alder, Carlisle and Clinton-Massie by a combined score of 115-7. Coshocton hardly put up a fight, but who could blame them? After winning by a comfortable 25, the running total came to 146-13.
Up-start Chagrin Falls didn’t know what it had coming in the state final. The Tigers put up a fight, but no one in D-IV could’ve taken Alter. The Knights won their second title 37-7.
In the end, Alter won it all by a combined score of 183-20.
That dominance, coupled with the rest of their impressive decade, made the Knights a top-3 program in this countdown.
Adam Adkins maintains www.adamadkins.net and can be reached at adamdadkins@gmail.com.
TEAMS 5-6
TEAMS 7-8
TEAMS 9-10
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