That grind is what defines Greater Miami Conference football.
Hamilton (1-2) travels to Lakota East (2-1) on Friday night in a matchup that carries weight for both programs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Hamilton is trying to rebound, according to Crouch, after taking “one on the chin” against Lakota West last week in a 38-6 loss at home. Crouch said the result was as much mental as it was physical.
“Sometimes we come up a little short whether it be physically or mentally, and I think more of the other night was mentally with a little bit of physical,” Crouch said. “They had a couple dudes that we didn’t have an answer for, but other than that nobody really got their tails kicked.
“We’ve got a ways to go mentally, and we knew that going into the season. But even though we didn’t do well Friday night, we improved as a team. I think we’re gonna get better and better.”
Hamilton is led on offense by junior quarterback Jayden McClain, who has thrown for 477 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back Andre Bailey is second in the GMC with 408 rushing yards, including four touchdowns.
“We’re gonna take our guys, grind our guys, develop our kids that want to be here, and make the best football players we can,” Crouch said. “We look at East and make a game plan, but overall it’s about us fixing what we need to fix.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
The Thunderhawks have leaned on their balanced offense. Senior running back Ryder Hooks recently became the school’s all-time leading rusher by amassing 2,806 yards on the ground for his career. He has 455 yards and four touchdowns this season.
“What he’s done throughout his career and what he means to this program, this community and the state of Ohio — it’s pretty special,” Thunderhawks coach Jon Kitna said of Hooks.
Sophomore quarterback Nile Knutson threw for 338 yards in a 40-35 loss to Mason last week, exceeding the previous single-game record of 310 yards set by Jamison Kitna a year ago against Moeller. Knutson finished an incredible 27 of 29 passing with three touchdowns.
“Mason played a fantastic game,” Jon Kitna said. “They out-coached us and out-played us, and because of that, we didn’t finish on top. But there was a lot of good in that film. When you complete 90 percent of your passes in a game, that’s unheard of.
“Everything we go through is part of our story and our players’ story,” Kitna added. “We’re in the early chapters of a book that’s being written, and the good thing is — we have the pen. We don’t spend a lot of time talking about opponents or outcomes. We talk about processes. We celebrate the things our kids accomplish along the way.
“We’ve got to put our players in positions to be successful down in and down out. As a staff last week, we didn’t do a good enough job giving them that chance. So this week has been about taking a hard look at ourselves — our processes, our preparation — and figuring out what we need to do to help our guys be at their best.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
The GMC rarely offers breathing room. A win for either program would help them regain momentum as they dive deeper into conference play.
“Our kids are awesome, and they understand the process,” Crouch said. “We’re gonna keep getting better.”
“From a players’ perspective, we’ve got to know our assignments on every snap — offense, defense, special teams,” Kitna added. “We’re continuing to develop our identity and our mindset for peak performance.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
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