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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2010 > November > 06 > Entry
Wayne RB Anthone Taylor: ‘This means we’re the real deal’
MIDDLETOWN - Long after Wayne had put the only blemish on Middletown’s football season, Anthone Taylor remained buckled up, helmet clamped and eyes fixated on the future.
“This means we’re the real deal,” said the Wayne senior running back after the Warriors spoiled the Middies’ perfect season 21-0 in Saturday’s D-I, Region 4 first-round playoff game.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to keep our state championship run. We want it real bad. I know there’s no other team that wants it as bad as we do.”
That would be tough to prove. What isn’t so hard is figuring out Wayne’s newfound success.
The offense is clicking and the defense is in shutdown mode. That’s a perfect combination at the right time of the postseason. And it resulted in a stunning upset of a top-seeded team - the Middies - by a No. 8 seed.
Taylor did his part, slashing for 153 yards rushing, all but 34 in the second half when Wayne’s ground game took over. He scooted untouched through the heart of the Middie defense for a 19-yard TD that put the Warriors up 14-0 at the end of the third quarter.
“When we came out that second half I had that mentality to keep the chains moving and get us a ‘W,’ ” Taylor said. “We turned up the intensity.”
Braxton Miller and the rest of Wayne’s offense sputtered. Miller was 7 of 14 passing for 63 yards and had a tipped INT on his first throw. But he made up for it with a clutch 20-yard TD strike to Jordan Morgan on 3rd-and-16 from the Middletown 20 midway through the fourth quarter.
In contrast, Wayne’s defense was locked on shutdown. Middletown, averaging 44 points and never having scored less than 32, garnered just 8 first downs, 110 yards of offense and nine punts. Three times the Middies ventured into the red zone, resulting in Tre Moore and John Senter INT’s, and a Sean Miliner fumble recovery.
Heralded Middie sophomore QB Jalin Marshall never got untracked. He had a long run of 29 yards, but just 21 total on 14 carries, which included several sacks.
“To blank those guys with that kind of speed and talent that they have, that’s incredible,” Wayne coach Jay Minton said. “But they’ve been playing like that all year long. The defense kept playing lights out.”
Wayne (8-3) earns a rematch with Centerville (9-2) in a Region 4 semifinal next Saturday at a site to be announced on Sunday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The Elks advanced by eliminating Cincinnati Moeller 27-17 also on Saturday at Lockland.
That ensures that the GWOC Central will have at least one team in the D-I regional finals.
Springfield defeated Hilliard Darby 22-7 in a D-I, Region 3 matchup. The Wildcats (9-2) will play unbeaten and defending state champ Hilliard Davidson in a Region 3 semifinal also on Saturday. Troy fell 24-8 to Pickerington Central in another Region 3 opener.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Football playoffs
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By Cincy HS FB Fan
November 7, 2010 10:16 AM | Link to this
Wayne, good win. I say Good as Middletown really had not played any great teams this year. OK So they beat Elder, in an Elder off year. Even the DDN sports writers and those from the Cincy papers all said the same thing, Middle may have been 10-0 but who did they play. The real test for Wayne is C-ville this week, then Colerain if they get past C-Ville. The Best team in Div-One-Reg 4 is Colerain. This is the best team since and IMHO, a much better Colerain team that won the state a few years back. Lets see Wayne get by C-Ville first, but I say it will be C-Ville and Colerain the week after. St X is a good team but Colerain. WOW. I will give my Congrats the winner of who beats Colerain if it is a Dayton team, but my money is on Colerain. NO I am not a Colerain grad, far from it. Just have watched the Cincy teams more then Dayton. You can yell at me all you want, but the best FB teams in Ohio are from Cincy and Cleveland. Easy reason for that. THEY BOTH HAVE Pro NFL teams in their Cities! Those player’s retire and stay in Cincy-C- Land area. It means they put their kids in the best schools in Cincy. St X-Moe-Elder-LaSalle-Colerain- Princeton, Even the smaller Cincy Div 2-3- 4 teams all have some players whose Dad’s played in the Pros. Not Daytons fault, just the way it is. You can do your own checking on how many Cincy HS teams have kids whose Dad’s played in the Pros, then check how many in Dayton. Do I care if you all dump on me. NO. It’s my point of view. You may not like it, but that is the way it is!
By Dayton HS FB Fan
November 7, 2010 12:33 PM | Link to this
If this is your opinion that is great keep it coming cause the only thing this does is make the Dayton teams that much more determined to prove they are better than the Cincy teams. Keep fueling the fire it should be a good R4 Finals game!!!
By Mr Obvious
November 7, 2010 2:36 PM | Link to this
Or could it be because it is the most populateds cities in ohio lol
By just me
November 9, 2010 7:49 PM | Link to this
X-pro’s who kids played in the cin area. I know three, Woods, Munoze and Lewis. You will have to enlighten me on all the others. Mr Obvious is right. Population. I know that the Colerain school district is almost as large as Centerville and Northmont combined.
By ??
November 9, 2010 8:24 PM | Link to this
Colerain is a good football team. Colerain has won the state championship how many times? 1!! St. Iggy is the big winner in that regards and their program took a hit when their soccer program took off. Northmont and Centerville both lose some really good atheltes to their soccer programs. Makes a huge difference. Not saying soccer is bad, just saying.