Columbian week...

Friday night will be the 55th meeting between Fremont Ross and Tiffin Columbian. The series between the two schools began 102 years ago in 1907. The two teams actually played twice in the inaugural season. Columbian won both games that year, 5-0, and 28-5. Ross has since taken a 35-17-2 lead in the series. The last 10 Ross-Columbian results look like this...

2008..Ross 28-6
2007...Ross 35-7
2006...Ross 17-7
2005...Columbian 21-7
2004...Columbian 35-13
2003...Columbian 56-7
2002...Columbian 47-7
2001...Columbian 35-7
1994...Columbian 21-13
1993...Ross 27-0

Columbian is 1-1 on the season. The Tornadoes were beaten by Toledo Whitmer 35-7 in week one. Tiffin evened their '09 record with a 39-23 win over Mansfield Madison last Friday night. The Little Giants are also 1-1. Ross opened the season with a 24-7 win over Toledo Start in week one and lost to the same Whitmer team that beat Tiffin, 29-25 last week.

Last years game between the two at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin saw The Little Giants play their best game of the season enroute to a 28-6 win. Some folks say the '08 edition of the Little Giants lost focus after that win. I don't think that will be an issue in '09. This teams seems very focused on winning. Let's get back to it at the Don Friday night.

Football eve thoughts....

As the sun sets on this beautiful late summer day some thoughts heading into week 2....

As I write this I've got the Massillon-Canton GleOak game on and the Tigers are out to a 14-0 lead. This is another big game in region two this weekend. Perrysburg and Clay at BGSU's doyt Perry Stadium will be interesting. The Yellow Jackets and Eagles both opened the season with wins. The loser of this one will gain some second level points down the road for the winner.

Tomorrow night in Northeast Ohio Wadsworth(1-0) takes on Nordonia(1-0). The Grizzlies are coming off a 21-7 win over Stow-Munroe Falls while Nordonias week one win was over Tallmadge 34-19.

Another big game in R2 taking place tonight is North Canton Hoover(1-0) against neigborhood foe and D2 power Louisville. A lot of points to be gained by the winner in this one.

And then of course, theres the R2 battle tomorrow night at Whitmer Memorial Stadium. the Little Giants of Fremont Ross(1-0) visit the Panthers of Toledo Whitmer(1-0). Ross is coming off a 24-7 win over Toledo Start while the Panthers were 35-7 winners over Tiffin Columbian last Friday night. This one just got a bit more interesting as ESPNU announced today that Little Giant junior Greg Brown has announced his intention to attend the University of Michigan. Earlier this week Whitmer junior defensive end Kenny Hayes verballed to Ohio State.

Massillon now leading GlenOak 21-0 sounds like a good crowd at PBTS.
Louisville leading North Canton Hoover 19-0

There are also some great games in our area of Ohio this weekend.

Is St. Francis for real? A big win over Findlay would go a long way in proving that yes, they are. Findlay on the other hand is hoping they are able to turn things around.

Also in the "are they for real" catagory lets talk about the Lima Senior Spartans. 49-14 winners over Celina last weekend. I think the Spartans have a shot a beating the John Snoad coached Gahanna Lincoln Lions.

The Perkins Pirates of the SBC will pay a visit to Strobel Field in Sandusky tomorrow night. The Pirates have many appearances at Strobel but this time they taking on the Blue Streaks. Look for a Pirate win tomorrow.

The Crimson Streaks of Fremont SJCC will be at Strobel Field Saturday night in their annual showdown with the Panthers of Sandusky SMCC. St. Joe is coming off a win over Oregon Cardinal Stritch 40-7 while the Panthers lost to powerhouse Norwalk St. Paul. The Crimson Streaks will win the 75th meeting between these two old rivals.



Toledo Central Catholic(1-0) hosts Dublin Scioto at the Gallahger Athletic Complex tomorrow night. This one is a battle of "Figthing Irish" teams. Sciotos Irish were losers to Pickerington North last week, 12-7.

We can't forget about the battle for the "Celestial Ball" between Genoa(1-0) and the Oak Harbor Rockets(1-0). While it was good to see OH win last week, the Comets will come out on top in this one, handily.

Shelby and Lexington hook up tomorrow night at Shelby. Both teams are 1-0. Lex should win that one.

Edison visits Monroeville tomorrow night. The Chargers of the SBC were winners last Friday night over Norwalk 35-19 while Monroeville were 33-24 victors over Keystone. Should be a great game. Monroeville wins.

Two 1-0 teams meet at Tru-Lay field in Port Clinton tomorrow night. The Redskins are hosting the Gibsonburg Golden Bears. The Golden Bears hope to go 2-0.

Halftime
Massillon 21
GlenOak 3

Louisville 27
Hoover 6

Over in the far Northwest part of Ohio tomorrow night the Blue Streaks of Archbold host the Golden Bears of Bryan. Both teams will come in 1-0.

And an interesting game will take place tomorrow night in Delphos as the Blue Jays of St. Johns(1-0) host the Rams of Tinora(1-0). The 'Jays were 21-14 winners over Lima CC last week while Tinora beat Liberty Center in impressive fashion 35-7

Gonna be a great night in Northern Ohio tomorrow night for high school football. Go to a stadium and support a team, support the kids.

Whitmer week....

Friday night the Little Giants continue their City League audition tour with a visit to Whitmer Memorial Stadium to take on the Panthers. Coming into Fridays game both teams are 1-0 on the season. Whitmer knocked off Tiffin Columbian 35-7, while Ross scored a 24-7 win over Whitmers bitter rival, the Start Spartans.

Fridays game will be the 22nd meeting between the two programs in a series that began in 1930. Ross leads the series 14-7 and the Little Giants won last years game 34-14. The series results so far....
1930....Ross 13-6
1931....Whitmer 3-0
1932....Ross 32-0
1989....Ross 35-0
1990....Whitmer 27-7
1991....Whitmer 34-7
1992....Whitmer 26-20(OT)
1993....Ross 21-14
1994...Ross 45-0
1995...Ross 29-13
1996...Ross 23-17
1997...Ross 17-0
1998....Ross 38-14
1999....Ross 6-0
2000...Whitmer 10-0
2001...Ross 10-0
2002...Whitmer 35-7
2006...Ross 35-21
2006....Whitmer 21-17
2007....Ross 23-21
2008...Ross 34-14

Both teams have been hyped all preseason as two of the best in Northwest Ohio. Whitmer is expected to challenge teams like Central Catholic, St. Johns and St. Francis for the Toledo City League title. Ross has been mentioned as the favorite in the Greater Buckeye Conference. Both teams are mentioned as contenders in the playoff race in region two. http://www.joeeitel.com/hsfoot/2009region_2.html

The winner of this weeks game will get a huge load of playoff points as the season goes on as the loser will go on to win a lot of games.

In the pre-game talk this week many folks are picking Whitmer to win. Citing the Panthers size and how physical they are. People have mentioned how much Whitmer pushed Columbian around in week one. There are questions however, about just how good, or bad, Columbian really is this year. The same can be said of our Little Giants. Some folks say Start really wasn't that good a team and they gave Ross a bit of trouble.

Al talk notwithstanding, the two teams will kick off at 7pm Friday night. You can be sure a big crowd will be in attendance. Make sure you are there too.

Make no mistake about it. Fridays game is BIG. GO TO WHITMER. GET BEHIND YOUR LITTLE GIANTS! BE LOUD!

Let's GO Little Giants!!
POUND THE PANTHERS!!

Northwest Ohio top 10

Beginning today I'll post my top ten football teams in Northwest Ohio regardless of division.

My definition of Northwest Ohio is that area north of US 30 and west of US 250.

Agree, disagree, comment, tell us who you think belongs in the top ten. It's all in good fun.

Here we go....

1. Sylvania Southview
The defending DII champs move up to the big school division this year. Despite the divisonal change the Cougars will not miss a beat. Southview will want to prove they can compete. Week one has them hosting Toledo St. Francis.

2. Toledo Whitmer
The Panthers are expected to be one of the challengers for a playoff spot in region two. Whitmer has fared well in their preseason scrimmages against Findlay and Perrysburg. Friday night finds the Panthers at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin battling the Columbian Tornadoes.

3. Toledo Central Catholic
A familiar face in the DII playoffs of late the Fighting Irish want to wipe away the memories of their quick exit in the 2008 postseason. CCHS opens the season Friday night at Bowling Green.

4. Fremont Ross
The Little Giants really want to wipe away the near-miss label they have achieved in the past two seasons. Ross just missed the postseason in '07 and '08. Many folks believe this talented Little Giant squad could make a playoff run. Ross hosts Toledo Start at Don Paul Stadium Friday night.

5. Genoa
The Comets, a team that pushed Kettering Alter in the playoffs in '08, are back and are the favorites in the Suburban Lakes League. Genoa opens the season at Rossford on Friday night.

6. Bellevue
The Redmen, a playoff qualifier in 2008 return some talent and have high hopes in 2009. Bellevue would like to take the NOL title away from Tiffin Columbian and return to the playoffs in 2009.

7. Clyde
The Fliers, defending champs of the Sandusky Bay Conference are the favorites once again.
Clyde will need to hit the ground running as they will be at always tough Eastwood on Friday night.

8. Kenton
The Wildcats have a familiar, and talented, name at QB. Sophomore Matt Mauk will lead the offense for his fathers Kenton squad. Kenton will find out quick just how good they are with a Friday night contest at Coldwater.

9. Defiance
The Bulldogs won the Western Buckeye League title in '08 and made a playoff appearance. They'd like to repeat that this season. The 'Dogs are a favorite along with Kenton in the WBL.

10. Eastwood
The Eagles will once again challenge Genoa for the SLL title. The Eagles open the season against a very tough Clyde squad on Friday night.

On the radar screen...
Toledo St. Francis
Toledo St. Johns
Bowling Green
Hopewell-Loudon
Tiffin Columbian
Norwalk St. Paul
Patrick Henry
Fairview
Perkins

And it begins again...for the 115th time

The dog days of summer begin to wind down. The sunlight becomes dim at an earlier hour. The crickets chirp louder and the desperate bees become more aggressive.
Ah yes, the signs of seasonal change. Another summer begins to fade into fall. We know that soon enough the leaves will begin to change and the thoughts will become the cold and snow.

But before all of that our thoughts are focused on one thing and one thing only, Little Giant football. The 115th edition hits the field very soon and that means new memories will be added to the old ones that live forever.

You know the memories I am talking about. We've all experienced them. We remember them well.

The anticipation of the game all week
Walking down Woodson way amid the giant footprints
Seeing the lines at the gate buying tickets
The sound of the Marching Little Giants coming down Franklin Ave. before the game
The smell of Heinz Ketchup in the air
The sound of the big crowds of the past
The Marching Little Giants running onto the field for pregame
Standing and singing the alma mater
Gary Kaltenbachs voice announcing halftime
Larry Jacksons recognizable voice announcing "touchdown Fremont Ross!'
The Pioneers sugar towers in the distance
The ghosts of Tiller, Lewis, Liggins, Lytle, Woodson and more haunting the field
Remembering Binkley, Mackey, Shuff, and Moore prowling the sidelines
The old scoreboards at the northest and south ends of the field
Memories of Harmon Stadium and the "junior high" section in the south endzone
The crowd spelling F-R-E-M-O-N-T after the band plays The March of the Little Giants
The church steeples off to the southeast
The great days of the Buckeye Conference
The memorable battles with Sandusky
...and the happy walks back to our cars or home after another Little Giant win.

Yes the 114th edition of Ross football is just around the corner and the excitement that comes with it is in the air.

Sure the cold and snow are coming closer and closer. But we'll think about that later, we have more important things to consider. We're Little Giant fans.

See you at the Don!

Ross and the NOL....a good match

Fremont Ross belongs in the Nothern Ohio League. Now I realize that many regular forum visitors will say whoa there buster, You've been against this for most of this year. Why the change now? That is a fair question and I hope to effectively answer it here.

As the league-change dominos began to fall last year with the move by Fostoria St. Wendelin out of the Midland Athletic League we all saw the writing on the wall. That simple move would eventually create a sea-change in league and conference memberships in Northwestern and North-Central Ohio. Next came Lakota, then Galion and Upper Sandusky, followed by the collapse of the Suburban Lakes League, and on and on.

In the meantime Little Giant fans, including myself were wondering, what would happen to us? Where would Fremont Ross wind up? The Northern Lakes League? Nope. The move by Napoleon from the GBC to the NLL, paired with the fact that the brief talk of an NLL expansion to 10 or 12 teams went nowhere eliminated that possibility. The Toledo City League? Not so far. The fact that Oregon Clay was told no by the NLL and will for now remain in the TCL seems to have wiped that chance away. A new league made up of Ross, Findlay and the TCL privates?
Seems like that long talked about dream will remain just that. An expanded Greater Buckeye Conference? No way in heck that will ever happen as only four teams remain and no one is beating down the door to get in.

That leaves the Northern Ohio League. With todays announcement that NOL member Fostoria has been extended an invitation to join the Northern Buckeye Conference, which is a given, the NOL will drop back to six members. New member Sandusky joins Tiffin Columbian, Norwalk, Bellevue, Willard, and Shelby. A six team league can work, but as the GBC has discovered it's not as easy to function with six members as it is with eight.

Some long time NOL folks are holding out hope that some way, somehow, they can lure Clyde and Perkins out of the Sandusky Bay Conference. The Fliers and Pirates were two of the programs that were sent letters of interest from the NOL this past spring. The answer to those letters was a resounding no, we're fine right where we are. The SBC is a stable league. Sure, some folks will point to Margarettas current financial state and the possiblity that there will be no Polar Bear sports teams soon. But that situation, much like what happened in Huron will resolve itself and things will be fine in Castalia.

Recently a Toledo Blade sports article quoted Ross AD Art Bucci as saying that back in April we sent a letter of interest to the NOL. As of this time there has been no response by the Northern Ohio to that letter of interest. Why is that? The simple answer is the Fremont Ross and the NOL are a good match and in the long run we will need each other.

Ross has a history of athletic competition with the six teams that will remain in the NOL once Fostoria leaves, and I am not just talking about football here. While the pigskin is a huge part of the scenario it is not the whole story and must not be the determining factor. Little Giant athletic teams play NOL teams in many sports. We play Willard in basketball, Norwalk in soccer, Bellevue in baseball, and Columbian in all sports. We are competitive with those programs. We do not dominate them.

Then there is the issue of travel and ecomomics. Fremont is centrally located to almost all of the remaining NOL schools. The cost of travel for them and us would be drastically reduced. It's a win-win situation. When Fremont comes to town the gate receipts would go up as we all know Little Giant fans travel well. If we can take 1,000 fans or more to Reynoldsburg, image how many would show up in Bellevue or Norwalk.

I believe there is a reason the Northern Ohio League has not responded yet to the letter of interest from Fremont Ross. I think they too, realize that in the long run if they want their conference to survive they will need us as we, quite frankly, need them. I urge the athletic department and administration to continue to court the NOL. In the long run it will be a good match.

So are we arrogant?

"Your attitude precedes you". "Leagues won't admit you because of your attitude".

These are two comments that some of us have encountered on a statewide sports forum from a few fans of other schools in the past few weeks. Their intent is to make us, and others, believe that somehow Fremont Ross fans as a whole have a bad attitude. We supposedly think we are better than everyone else, or in laymans terms, we think our "stuff" doesn't stink.

Is it true?

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this topic, about what has been said, and about the people who have been saying it. In my humble opinion the answer is a resounding NO, it is not true.

What attitude are they talking about? Sure, we have fans who are more vocal than others. what program doesn't? There are folks out there who live, eat and breathe Fremont Ross athletics who cannot see anything but purple and white and believe our athletic program is better than everyone elses. Show me a program that does not have fans like that. I can direct you to posts on statewide internet forums by fans of other programs that are just as bad. Some of those posts are from people from other GBC schools. Some are from NOL and NLL schools. Yes, the same NOL and NLL that some people say don't want us because of our attitude. I continually read posts by a particular Findlay fan that makes things Fremonters say look meek in comparison.

I've been following Ross athletics for four decades now and in all honesty can tell you that I rarely, if ever, run into a Little Giant fan who doesn't understand that showing class and sportsmanship is key. Respect your opponent and expect the same in return. That is what I learned early on from my fellow Ross fans. Are we perfect? Of course not. Do we sometimes get riled up? You bet. Are there times when we get carried away with our success and tradition? Yes. Those things are not specific to Fremont. Fans of all programs get that way. Saying that just Fremont Ross fans do these things is flat out wrong.

Then there is the whole issue of other leagues allegedly not wanting us because of the attitude of our fans. Our fans? Really? A potential new league is going to avoid us because we allegedly have fans who are too boisterous? Too proud? The example I was given involved supposed comments to an individual from two NLL programs that we have had very few athletic events against. A potential new league is going to ignore the great tradition, the great facilities, the big gate receipts they would get when Ross comes to town because of our fans attitude? What are we supposed to do? Sit on our hands? Stop being proud? That's ridiculous. After all aren't they supposed to be concerned about the attitude of our AD? The administration? The coaches? In other words, the people they'll be dealing with regularly?

Now not everyone out there thinks we Ross fans have bad attitudes. Many folks have come to our defense. Fans from Whitmer, Findlay, Lima, Marion and yes, even Sandusky have stepped up to say that this whole bad attitude stuff in unfounded and not true. And these are people who we have a long and proud tradition of competing against. People who would know better than anyone.

So yes, we have fans with attitude, and probably some fans who could be defined as arrogant. But none more than any other program. And the bottom line is that it is unfair and just plain wrong for others to be accusing us of anything more.