Saturday’s game
What: Division IV, Region 14 quarterfinal, Badin (7-3) at Fenwick (10-0), 7 p.m.
Where: Krusling Field, 4855 Ohio 122, Middletown
Playoff history: Badin is 22-20 in 21 appearances (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014); Fenwick is 12-13 in 15 appearances (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2012)
The new season is upon Fenwick High School’s football team.
It’s been quite a ride with a bundle of firsts. A 10-0 regular season. A Division IV state poll championship. The outright Greater Catholic League Coed North Division title.
The Falcons have been so consistently good that expectations couldn’t be higher. And that’s where pressure and a neon bull’s-eye and history come in.
This is Fenwick’s 16th trip to the playoffs, and the school won state titles in 1973 and 1974. But the Falcons haven’t won a playoff game since 1991. They’re 0-4 in the postseason since that 21-13 victory over Marion Pleasant.
Joe Snively doesn’t see that pressure in his players’ faces as they prepare to host Badin in a Region 14 quarterfinal Saturday night. But he knows playoff history will be an issue until Fenwick does something about it.
“All I can say is that everybody’s locked in,” Snively said. “I hear about the whole playoff jinx thing. I don’t feel it at all because it’s not part of my history. We’ve been very clear to the kids that it’s all history. We’re not going to live off the past, and we’re not going to dwell on it either.
“I have no clue what they’re thinking or feeling at Badin, and I don’t care. We’ve got a job to do. All this hype is great stuff. It’s great for our school and our fans and our parents, but it’s for them. What we tell the kids is, your job’s not to celebrate. Your job’s to cause a celebration.”
Fenwick has won four of its last five games against Badin. The Rams had extremely high expectations of their own this season, but they’ve stumbled on the biggest stages.
Badin lost to the Falcons 38-31 at Virgil Schwarm Stadium in September. The Rams also lost to Alter and McNicholas, ending the regular season with a resounding thud on the Rockets’ turf.
So Badin is 7-3 and the GCLC Central co-champion. The Rams know they are capable of playing right with Fenwick. So why not now?
“Don’t count us out,” Badin senior quarterback Zach Larkin said. “The first game was close, but they were the better team that night. We’re hoping our worlds change this time. We said we wanted to see them again. Maybe we didn’t want to see them again in the first round, but that’s where we’ve got them, so we’ll try to deal with it.”
The one good thing about playing FHS is that you generally know what you’re getting. The Falcons aren’t complicated. They do what they do, and you can either stop them or you can’t.
“Why would they change anything? They’ve won every game,” Larkin said. “We know what to expect. The physicality of the first game really sticks out. I think it was probably the most physical game we’ve been in all year.”
Fenwick will try to run the ball, dominate the line of scrimmage and deliver a pounding on defense. It’s a proven plan of attack.
Badin’s got experienced playmakers. The Rams want to be disruptive with big plays. They want to make the Falcons question themselves on the fly.
For Badin coach Bill Tenore, this is all very personal. He’s a BHS graduate and a former Fenwick head coach.
Is disappointing the right word for the Rams’ season? Most schools would be thrilled with seven wins, a league championship and a playoff berth. But it’s easy to tell that Badin isn’t thrilled with how things have gone.
“Feeling the way I do about this place, I can tell you that we are taking the responsibility of representing Badin very seriously,” Tenore said. “It’s the second season now. It’s like fresh air.
“We’re healthy. We’re motivated. Nobody’s pouting. Nobody’s sulking. I think whatever funk we were in, it was left on the bus on the way home from McNicholas.
“The pressure’s on Fenwick. They’re the No. 1 team in the state. If they beat us, well, I guess they should beat us. But if they’re the No. 1 team in the state and we went toe to toe with them and lost by a touchdown in Week 5, we must have something.
“It’s awfully hard to go undefeated in the regular season. It’s even harder to go undefeated all the way to a state championship. I’ve got to think we’ve got a good shot.”
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