What a way to put a bow on the Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference National Division season for the Blanchester football team.
With a 10-touchdown performance from quarterback Tristan Greene, the Wildcats blasted Bethel-Tate 73-18 to win the league title outright.
But first-year BHS head coach Brandon Sammons doesn’t want his squad to rest on its laurels.
Truthfully, there’s still plenty to play for this week against Amelia. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Barbour Memorial Field.
“We’re playing our best ball right now, which is a great thing for us,” Sammons said. “We have to do what we do and play football at the end of the day. It will be a great, emotional night for our seniors and community and hopefully we can reward them and then see where the playoff chips fall.”
Blanchester is one of 10 teams battling for the four open playoff positions in Region 20. A win doesn’t guarantee BHS a playoff berth nor does a loss eliminate the Wildcats.
“There are a few games that have to go our way for us to get in,” Sammons said. “We are focused on Amelia and that is the only thing we are worried about.”
A few weeks ago, Amelia might not have seemed like a worthy foe but the Barons defeated Goshen last week. Blanchester was manhandled by Goshen just a few weeks ago.
“Amelia is a good football team,” said Sammons. “They have momentum and are playing with a lot of emotion. We have to be ready from the start and be ready to fight back because they have some size, some speed and are definitely better than their 3-6 record would suggest on the surface. They play in the tougher side of the conference, so they are battle tested and we know we will have our hands full.”
One Wildcat the Barons are sure to have their eyes on is Greene. The BHS senior had 295 yards and six touchdowns rushing, and 151 yards and four touchdowns passing in a 73-18 win over Bethel-Tate last week.
“That would probably be the best (performance) I’ve seen with my own two eyes,” Sammons said. “He was playing like a man possessed.”
