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Field senior leaders, from left, linebacker Zach Adelman, running back Patrick Boggs and offensive lineman Scott Adams, and the rest of the Falcons are looking to dig themselves out of a 1-4 start to contend for the playoffs for a fifth-straight season.
It’s gone by fast, but the 2011 football season has already reached its midway point, with five games down and five more to go. And there’s been plenty of surprises of every variety and even some things that have gone exactly as expected through the first month or so of the season.
First with the status quo, Kent Roosevelt and Ravenna once again find themselves at the front of the pack in the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division. The two teams are the only squads currently in the Metro Division to win a PTC football championship – Southeast won the first Metro title in 2005.
The Rough Riders, led by junior quarterback TraVon Chapman (811 yards passing, 418 yards rushing), are lighting up every scoreboard they play under at an average of 42 points per game. Meanwhile, Ravenna senior running back D.J. Jones (1,076 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns) is on pace to annihilate his team bests of 1,388 yards and 16 touchdowns from a year ago. It should be noted that last fall Jones split carries almost evenly with 2011 graduate Stephen Wilmington; Jones is getting the bulk of the carries this season.
The Coventry Comets and Streetsboro Rockets were at least mild surprises in the non-conference portion of the schedule with Coventry going 3-0 for the first time since 2006 and Streetsboro going 2-1. Both have cooled slightly as the Comets lost to Kent Roosevelt and Ravenna in consecutive weeks, while Streetsboro beat Springfield, but lost to Field.
Speaking of the Falcons, Field made the playoffs for the first time in school history in 2007 and haven’t missed playing in Week 11 since. But that impressive run may be coming to an end if things don’t turn around quickly for coach Patrick Youel’s group.
The Falcons are just 1-4, with their lone victory coming against the Rockets, but give Field credit for taking on all comers. Minerva, Southeast, Chagrin Falls and Kent Roosevelt are all currently holding playoff spots in the OHSAA’s most recent Harbin computer poll. Moreover, only the Pirates wouldn’t be hosting a game if the playoffs started today. As for Streetsboro, they are currently 11th in Division IV, Region 13.
“It is what it is,” Youel said of his team’s current status. “We could sit around and talk about a play here and a play there, but that wouldn’t do any good. It is what it is.”
The Falcons are currently 21st and sit more than four points away from eighth place.
The good news for Field is the schedule seems to get easier and offer the potential for more points. Norton, Springfield and Crestwood each have just one win to their credit at the midway point, while Coventry (3-2) has cooled off. That leaves just Ravenna (4-1) to round out the Falcons' second half.
“We’ve got five games to do what we have to do,” Youel said. “Certainly, we’ve continued to fight and they aren’t going to quit.”
Field will need to play perfect to have any hopes of making the playoffs for the fifth straight year, but anything is possible.
More football: Midseason playoff check
After five games, the current playoff standing of each of the eight football teams can be broken down into three categories: secure standing, on the brink and needing work.
In the secure standing category is Kent Roosevelt and Ravenna. Barring a significant collapse both of these teams should be playing in football’s second season. In fact The Rough Riders, sitting fourth in Division II, Region 5, and Ravens, third in Division III, Region 9, would both host playoff games if the tournament began this week.
Streetsboro is the lone team that could be considered on the brink of the playoffs, currently 11th in Division IV, Region 13. The Rockets are less than a computer point away from eighth-place Orrville and also have the added benefit of playing teams that are in higher divisions the rest of the season, as the only Division IV school in the Metro Division. Streetsboro faces two Division II teams (Kent Roosevelt and Coventry) and three Division III schools (Crestwood, Norton and Ravenna) the rest of the way. Not to mention a win over the Rough Riders or Ravens would be huge for secondary points for the Rockets.
The final five teams, have a lot of work to do if they want to think about making the playoffs. With just one win apiece, Springfield, Field, Crestwood and Norton all must first just get on the winning track. Coventry is in the best position – 18th in Division II, Region 5. Just two weeks ago the Comets were in position to make the playoffs before two straight losses have hurt their chances, but with the other five schools on the outside looking in being all that remains for Coventry, the opportunity is still there.
Volleyball: Falcons make things interesting
Last season, Kent Roosevelt, Southeast and Field battled to the last match to see who would earn the Metro Division volleyball title. The Rough Riders walked away with the whole thing.
Well, through the first half of the season it would seem as though the defending champs were going to walk through their conference and make it look easy -- that is until last Thursday.
Kicking off the second trip through the conference Kent Roosevelt met Field, and the Falcons avenged a 3-0 loss that started their conference season, by beating the Rough Riders in four games.
That match tossed Field into a three-way tie with Crestwood and Streetsboro with the three all having 6-2 conference records. It gave Kent Roosevelt its first conference loss, making it 7-1. Now with six games left the Metro Division title is very much up for grabs as the Rough Riders still have second dates with the Red Devils and Rockets. Streetsboro will host the defending champions on Thursday, while Crestwood will face Kent Roosevelt in two weeks. The Red Devils follow that matchup with one against the Rockets to close both teams’ seasons.
Boys soccer: Three undefeated’s remain
The top of the boys soccer standings is just as crowded as the volleyball standings as three teams still have yet to lose a match. Kent Roosevelt leads the way with three victories, but the Rough Riders still face their three toughest tests. Coventry (3-1-0) welcomes Kent Roosevelt Tuesday night, and the Rough Riders have matches with Field (4-0-1) and Crestwood (3-0-1) to close out the season before a champion can be named.
The race is likely to go down to the wire as all four teams will be involved in matchups with each other all the way through the first half of October, before tournament time hits.
Girls soccer: Riding pretty
Last season the Kent Roosevelt girls soccer team took a step towards holding the league trophy all by themselves this season. Kent Roosevelt (4-0-0 in conference) bested the Norton Panthers (3-1-0), 3-2, making the Rough Riders the only team in the Metro Division without a loss in divisional play. Kent Roosevelt closes out the season with a road game against Coventry (1-3-0) on Tuesday and a home game against Field (2-2-0) in two weeks.