Friday’s game
What: Edgewood (4-1, 2-0 SWOC) at Ross (2-3, 0-2 SWOC), 7 p.m.
Where: Robinson Field, 3425 Hamilton-Cleves Road, Ross Twp.
Last meeting: Edgewood won 49-9 in 2015
Brian Butts couldn’t help but chuckle when it was suggested to him that the folks who devise the Southwest Ohio Conference schedule did his Ross High School football team no favors.
Ross was scheduled to face the SWOC’s three strongest teams — Harrison, Mount Healthy and Edgewood — in its first three games, a run that will be capped Friday with a visit from the Cougars (4-1 overall, 2-0 in the SWOC) for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
“Our league is pretty tough any way you divide it up,” said Butts, choosing to include the Rams’ next opponent — Northwest on Oct. 7 — among the SWOC stalwarts, which extends the gauntlet. “Those are four pretty good teams, and being the smallest program in the conference can get you beat up a little bit.”
Ross (2-3, 0-2) went into the season roughed up, having lost in preseason two-a-days a couple of players Butts described as “key.” Suspending five starters a day before last Friday’s 37-7 loss at Mt. Healthy for disciplinary reasons further eroded the Rams’ depth.
The Owls jumped out to a 30-0 lead by halftime, invoking the Ohio High School Athletic Association running-clock mercy rule for the second half.
“We played short, which with the injuries makes it tough,” Butts said.
Still, he described the Rams as “excited” to play a rivalry game, especially since Friday also doubles as the Ross homecoming game.
“It’s Edgewood,” Butts said. “Regardless of the records, when you play rivalry games, you want to win those. It makes you feel a lot better to win those.”
The Rams dominated Edgewood for the first three years of the SWOC, winning the three games by an average of 40-14 before the Cougars posted a 49-9 win last season.
The Cougars have plenty of talent returning from that team, including senior quarterback Drew Reckart, who ranks third in the SWOC with 513 passing yards and fourth with 263 rushing yards while operating Edgewood’s Wing-T offense. Senior fullback Devon Garrett is fifth with 247 rushing yards, while senior wide receiver Eddie Driskell leads the conference with seven touchdown catches and is third with 325 receiving yards.
Senior two-way lineman Quinn Jones sparks Edgewood’s aggressive defense with a SWOC-high five sacks.
The Cougars have scored at least 35 points in each of their four wins, and the average score during their current three-game winning streak is 47-14. They lead the conference in total offense with an average of 394.4 yards per game and rushing offense with an average of 287.4 yards per game, as well as scoring at 39.6 points per game.
“They’re doing a few things differently with that Wing-T, but it’s still assignment football,” Butts said. “Defensively, they’re getting upfield. They’re very aggressive and make you earn what you get. They get off the ball hard — not as hard as Mount Healthy. They got off the ball hard.
“We’re not seeing a lot of weaknesses. This is one of the best football teams they’ve had in quite a while. They’re solid everywhere. It’s going to be a difficult contest.”
Scott Clemmons, being a football coach, isn’t about to say his Edgewood squad has all the answers.
“We’re not 100 percent in everything we do,” Clemmons said. “We have some missed assignments. Sometimes we overthink things, but I’m proud of our efforts right now. We’re coming together as a team. The kids hang with each other. They compete with each other every day in practice. They hold each other to high expectations. That’s what you want to see as a coach, everybody on the same page.”
The Cougars have grown used to seeing shotgun-oriented offenses that spread the field, Clemmons said.
“(Ross) spreads you out,” he said. “Any time teams spread you out with multiple receivers and have a quarterback who throws the ball well and can also be physical and runs hard, that always gives you cause for concern. They try to limit you to one-on-one situations.”
Edgewood takes a break from league play next Friday for a trip to Columbus to face DeSales (5-0), the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Division III state poll.
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