Justin Schmitz may only be in his first season as the head coach of the Blanchester football team.
But as a BHS graduate and former player for George Rise, Schmitz is well aware of what Goshen week means at Blanchester High School.
“I’m sure this one’s been circled on both of our calendars for a while,” said Schmitz. “It’s personal this week. You can feel it in the locker room, the practice field, and in the hallways of our school. Both teams will be well prepared. We’ll both come out hitting. I’m honored to be a part of this storied tradition. I hope we can make (the late) coach (George) Rise proud this Friday.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jim Brown Stadium at Goshen.
Blanchester has won seven of the last 12 meetings, including three straight. Prior to that, Goshen dominated by winning 20 of the first 24 meetings.
In the first 16 meetings, 1963 through 1991, Blanchester scored just 68 points and won only twice. The series was discontinued until 2001. They did not play in 2003 and 2004 but have met each year since.
Blanchester is 2-2, alternating losses and wins through four weeks. The Wildcats defeated Batavia 35-20 and Norwood 21-13 while losing to Paint Valley 35-14 and Waynesville 34-14.
Goshen is 1-3, ending a season opening losing streak with a 24-16 win over Woodward last week. The Warriors lost to Piketon 28-22, Hillsboro 56-19 and McNicholas 35-7 to start the year.
“Goshen’s another team with a deceptive record,” Schmitz said. “They’ve played tough games right out of the gate. They have some hogs up front. Their freshman running back (12-Camden Telinda) is the real deal. Their linebacking corps is disciplined. Their secondary is much improved this season. They’ve adopted some single wing elements offensively and they like to pound the rock.”
Telinda ran for 222 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over Woodward.
In the win last week, Blanchester jumped out to a 15-0 lead and then held off Norwood.
”We did a better job last week of possessing the ball,” the BHS coach said. “Our defensive line play is improving every week. We had a lot of positives to build on from last week, but the biggest positive takeaway from Norwood was our team’s sense of togetherness and grit. I’m really proud of the way we stuck together and fought for each other.”
