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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2010 > November > 19 > Entry
Five years after blowout, Wayne coach sees different mentality
HUBER HEIGHTS — Wayne football coach Jay Minton was in a red hooded sweatshirt to hide from the cold on Thursday at practice.
Around them, the Warriors saw and heard construction progress on the new high school, and the atmosphere on the game field was loose. Quarterback Braxton Miller went through passing drills in front of Minton, and they included a healthy Armani Miller, the receiver back from a concussion suffered in the first-round playoff win against Middletown.
Wayne (9-3) was preparing for Saturday night’s Division I, Region 4 final against St. Xavier (7-4). Both are teams that took losses because of difficult opponents and injuries, but they become healthy and gained momentum to get one step from the state semifinals.
But, there’s history here. In 2005, second-seeded Wayne advanced to the regional final with wins against Moeller and Centerville (an emotional 29-28 victory) and played St. Xavier. Five years later, Wayne has beaten Middletown and (deja vu) Centerville in a close second-round game to get St. Xavier in the regional final.
Except, in 2005, St. X throttled Wayne 42-7. I had to ask Minton what he remembered most about that game.
From under the red sweatshirt hood and a Greater Western Ohio Conference stocking cap, he paused.
“You know … ” he said. “I don’t know that we embraced the magnitude of that game. I think that year we were so excited about beating Centerville twice, which for these guys, that’s already forgotten.
“I think we were living on that a little bit, and I don’t know how much confidence that group had, if we could take it all the way. This team, this group has that kind of confidence as a whole team.”
Wayne has displayed that confidence by winning six straight after a 3-3 start that included losses against Moeller, Canton McKinley and Springfield, which finished the season with a combined 24-10 record after all making the playoffs.
Braxton Miller, the Ohio State recruit, missed the McKinley game in Week 2 after he suffered a high ankle sprain in the season-opening loss to Moeller. Against Springfield, his mobility was still significantly limited on the ankle.
But now Miller, like almost all of his key teammates, is healthy. That includes Armani Miller, the team’s leading receiver with 29 catches for 481 yards and 4 TDs.
Because of that, Minton chose to bring up another Wayne season instead of 2005. In 1999, the Warriors advanced to the state championship game in Minton’s first season, and the current team is trying to become the first area big-school group to get past the regional since then.
Minton has several times compared his current team to the ‘99 group.
“I hate to keep saying ‘99, but we want to use that, because this team has somewhat the same mentality,” Minton said. “They were healthy, and they were confident, and they thought they could win it all.”
Wayne has a defense whose stars are difficult to pick out because all are playing well. The Warriors have Braxton Miller, who has passed for 150.5 yards per game and passed and run for 25 touchdowns. Running back Anthone Taylor has taken a heavier load because of Braxton Miller’s injury and rushed for 1,262 yards and 11 TDs.
Overall, Wayne looks confident, maybe more than the team was in 2005.
“We know we have the ability, and we’re sticking together,” Taylor said. “We go out there every Saturday thinking it’s a fight, and if you see your brother getting whooped, you have to back him up.
“We have to live up to our full potential.”
Permalink | Comments (18) | Post your comment | Categories: Football
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By Tommy T
November 19, 2010 11:23 AM | Link to this
I hope Braxton holds on to the football better than he did last week. I do not know if we can overcome the turnovers against St. X
By lester
November 19, 2010 12:07 PM | Link to this
ok, IMHO, there is way too much emphasis on H.S. sports, especially football. My kid played wayne football, most of his teammates are losers now, got into trouble with the law, or drugs. The parents were fanatical about their kids playing, yelling at coaches, at each other, at other kids. I remember one parent, at uniform day, wore the shortest shorts ever, in front of all these young kids. I wanted to puke when she bent over and showed her a**. What a joke many of these parents were, who think football was a status symbol. All the money and time expended on the whole program would be better well spent on education and class curriculum. Football doesn’t make anyone smarter for the real world. As the intelligent quote says: “and if you see your brother getting whooped, you have to back him up” This at a time when hard football hits are harder than ever, causing injury, and not necessary
By lester's Uncle Fred
November 19, 2010 12:35 PM | Link to this
Stop living in the past lester. You remind me too much of your Uncle Rico.
By Benny
November 19, 2010 12:50 PM | Link to this
Hey Uncle Rico is a pretty sweet band you can see around the area.
By jim
November 19, 2010 12:59 PM | Link to this
hopefully minton doesn’t get out-coached like he did against moeller.
By Lee
November 19, 2010 1:25 PM | Link to this
Les I see your point, but its like that all over the country. And we are nothing compared to the soccer fans in europe. And even the hs football down south.
By Bubba
November 19, 2010 1:45 PM | Link to this
Wow, comparing yourself to the football down south and soccer in Europe. Why hold yourself to such high standards? Lester, I see your point and also know from experience that some Wayne football parents of the past were nuts. They took the game way, way too seriously. If they put as much energy and effort into their kids academics that would pay more dividends than football.
By Don
November 19, 2010 1:48 PM | Link to this
Lester, that’s funny because I played Wayne Football and all my friends have degrees and are very successful. Don’t judge based on your kids poor choice of friends. Your comment is ignorant.
By null
November 19, 2010 2:32 PM | Link to this
My son played Wayne Football, as a matter of fact was on the 99 team. He has 2 degrees and is very successful and through out his school and working career has made me very proud. By the way most of this team mates also have degrees and are successful. I am sorry your children did not have the same Wayne experience.
By lester
November 19, 2010 2:57 PM | Link to this
to put things straight, I didn’t say my kid had a bad experience, I said the whole program was a bad experience. and it wasn’t his friends that were losers later, it was his past teammates. Going on to college and getting a degree can be done by anyone, football doesn’t make this happen. Point is let’s “team up” and do something really good for the community, that counts and has real merit. Then make the sport just that, a sport for leisure time. But stop pumping $$ into game that after all, sometimes kills are kids … do you not read about these kids dropping like flies in August under the brutal workouts? Is it really necessary to work that hard and jeopardize health for a game??? It’s just way out of hand and context. I mean, have you seen the fans crying in the stands over a ball game? Girls going goo-goo for some football player status? Isn’t all the crap associated with “the game” just that, Crap?
By ohiodale
November 19, 2010 3:46 PM | Link to this
Lester - If you don’t like it than why are you reading an article about it. Also, I don’t believe every team mate of your son’s became a loser. Football builds character and teaches discipline which is more than most kids get in our schools, especially over the last 30 years. Yes schools should focus on education first, I totally agree, but football builds school spirit and pride. Besides, what else is there to do around here?
By Don
November 19, 2010 3:58 PM | Link to this
Well put OhioDale. I’m sure everybody agrees education first, but H.S. football is a great tool to making a boy into a man. Nothing wrong with having passionate fans either. To say the whole program is a bad experience is more ignorant than your previous comment. Thanks to Waynes program a lot of kids get a free college education and get to play the game they love while doing it. I don’t see the harm in that!?!?!
By Dee
November 19, 2010 4:11 PM | Link to this
Hows about reading books, studying and helping out around the house. A minimum wage job might help build character and provide a bit of motivation to get an education. I think sports in general are also a good way to build character and responsibility
By Not so
November 19, 2010 4:17 PM | Link to this
I do not think that a “lot” of kids get free college to play the game. Very few get a free ride at the next level. Why does football make a boy a man? Hows about a Dad stepping up to make a boy a responsible young man. All boys eventually grow up to be men.
By hansel
November 19, 2010 5:20 PM | Link to this
I can’t see how bashing each other around on a field makes a boy a man … it makes a boy a brain-dead man. and it is a waste of tax payer money when we have other things the money could go to. I think it is time to scale back on the emphasis on athletics. all of new orleans was afloat and they had to have the football first … all the money spent on new stadiums, tear down the old and dump it into the landfill - what ever happened to a patch of frozen ground and a ball??
By DP
November 19, 2010 11:45 PM | Link to this
Just a little correction to the article. the ‘99 season was Minton’s second season, not first
By cet
November 20, 2010 12:59 AM | Link to this
Lester, you obiviously didn’t make the team when you were younger. I live out of state on the west coast, my favorite thing about ohioans is the passion and love we have for football on all levels, they do not have that out here and it is kinda sad, sports brings communities, families and peers closer together (1999 wayne team). I understand yourpoint about player safety but u just sound bitter. We all have a friend or relative that went down the wrong path, it happens in everytown in america it will never change.
By jmo
November 20, 2010 12:11 PM | Link to this
hey lester as a former wayne player i take great offense to your post…im currently attending college as are all of my former teamates and we are still as close knit as ever..football provides a second family and a support group and keeps us away from the other activities that take place at school..if you do not like football then dont read articles about it and go back to watching soccer.