“I know there’s a lot of us that are beat up. We are all sore,” senior Austin Howard said. “For some of the guys, they’re starting to get low. A lot of our seniors are stepping up and making sure we all stay on the right track and try to get that win for our season.”
New Miami entered the campaign with Miami Valley Conference Gray Division title hopes, but gave up 161 points in three Gray contests and has been outscored 280-144 this year.
“Sometimes you just fall flat on your face,” senior Kyle Kellum said. “You’ve just got to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. Life’s going to throw you some curveballs. You’ve just got to dust ’em off and play the next pitch.”
Vikings coach John Singleton admitted he didn’t see this kind of season coming. Injuries are especially painful at the Division VII level, and New Miami has had more than its fair share.
Among the casualties in last Friday’s 62-18 loss at Dayton Christian were senior offensive tackle/defensive end Hunter Black and senior quarterback/cornerback Christian Acus.
A knee injury has ended Black’s season. Singleton hopes Acus can recover from an ankle injury and play in Week 10.
“We’ve got guys sick, we’ve got guys hurt. It’s a learning experience for everybody,” Singleton said. “Right now, having next week off might be a blessing.
“I can’t say enough about how the kids have played through stuff. It would be so easy for them to lay down, but they haven’t. I told them I’ve been disappointed, but I’ve never not been proud of them. You’re judged by your character, and right now, they’re showing great character.”
Freshman Dan Spivey, a starting safety, has played some quarterback this year and will step in for Acus. Singleton said Howard, a running back and linebacker, may also see some QB time.
The Vikings have been having some success running the ball behind Kellum (91 carries, 534 yards, six TDs), Howard (63 carries, 464 yards, TD) and Acus (53 carries, 379 yards, three TDs).
“We’ve been pounding people up front,” Singleton said. “The last four games we’ve averaged almost 300 yards rushing. We’ve been trying to shorten the game up a little bit with some ball control.”
There have been some competitive games along the way. New Miami lost to Lockland 46-40 and Dayton (Ky.) 27-20.
“A couple games we were right in and should’ve won, but we shot ourselves in the foot,” Singleton said. “It’s hard to put a finger on. On defense, we haven’t played as well as we thought we could play. We’ve had to play some young guys, and coaches have found our weak spots and exploited them.
“We didn’t know how true the saying was going to be when we put on our camp shirts this year, ‘The Few, The Proud, The Vikings,’ but it’s really worked out that way. We appreciate the support from our fans. Hopefully we can hang a win or two in these last two games. That would be a great way for these kids to go out.”
Friday’s game
What: Cincinnati Country Day (4-3) at New Miami (0-7), 7 p.m.
Where: Mara Field, 600 Seven Mile Ave., New Miami
Last meeting: Cincinnati Country Day won 42-0 in 2015
About the Author