TROTWOOD – Friday night’s third round playoff game will see the top seed in Division 3 Region 12 Hamilton Badin take on fifth seeded St. Marys on the turf at Trotwood-Madison High School.
Badin enters their first ever meeting with the Roughriders sporting an 11-0 record and representing the Greater Catholic League’s Co-Ed Division.
Led by dual threat quarterback Landyn Vidourek the Rams offense is averaging 33.6 points per game this season and leading their conference averaging 355.6 total yards each week.
Vidourek, a senior committed to play baseball at the University of Cincinnati paces the air attack with 10 touchdown passes and just a pair of interceptions to go along with 1,117 yard passing. On the ground Vidourek is the third leading ground gainer in the league with 857 yards and 15 scores and a yards per carry average of 8.2.
Behind Vidourek is the conference’s leading rusher Jack Walsh, a 5’8 180 pound senior back who has carried 190 times for 1280 yards and 14 scores. Walsh tied the Badin career touchdown mark with five scores in a 48-21 week ten romp over McNicholas that clinched the GCLC title for the Rams.
Six times this season Walsh has accounted for over 100 yards in a game including a 230 yard performance against Alter on just 20 carries.
St. Marys sits at 10-2 this season but as winners of their last eight games by a combined 261-65 score. Last week the Riders were victorious in their seventh and final home game of the season at Grand Lake Health Systems Field 24-21 over Chaminade Julienne in a game they trailed 7-0 in after the opening possession.
Offensively the Roughriders are led by a quartet of All-WBL offensive line selections in center Chase Jacobs, guard Stash Patterson, guard Ryan Dabis, and tackle Caleb Miller who helped St. Marys lead the league in rushing yards per game at 271.1.
Seniors Ross Henschen and Braeden Hemmelgarn have combined for four 100+ yard rushing games, 13 touchdowns and just shy of 1,400 yards combined on the ground. Junior Aiden Hinkle provides the thunder to the senior duo’s lightning as he leads a deep group of rotating subs for first year head coach Bo Frye. Hinkle has notched seven touchdown runs and 468 yards to a stable that has totaled 43 touchdown scampers and just under 3,300 yards collectively.
Quarterback Gavin Reineke, a multiple year starter who sports a 17-5 record as a starter leads the Wing-T offense for St. Marys and has connected on 25/54 passes for 441 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Reineke’s value as a runner cannot go without notation for his teams offense as his seven touchdowns rank second on the team.
Defensively both teams pride themselves in keeping opponents from being able to run the football effectively. Badin surrenders just 73 yards per game on the ground while St. Marys gives up 74.4 to opponents with just 2.9 yards per carry through twelve contests.
Dylan Giesige, a senior named Co-WBL Defensive Lineman of the Year headlines a quick and at times violent Roughrider defense that has amassed 46 sacks and a trio of shutouts. Giesige is fourth on the team with 80 tackles and a team high 10 sacks.
Badin’s Eli Emmons paces the Rams stingy defense with 102 tackles and has finished three games this season by collecting 15 tackles. Logan Neu is second in the conference with 7 sacks while teammates Carson Cheek and Braedyn Moore sit first and second respectively with six and four interceptions.
“Badin is very talented. The best comparison to a team we’ve played is Van Wert on the offensive side of the ball” said St. Marys coach Bo Frye about what team the Rams remind him most of that they Riders have faced so far this season.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 P.M. at Trotwood-Madison High School with the winner taking on Tippecanoe or Bellbrook at a site to be determined next Friday night in the regional finals.
Phil Schumann and Dennis Cisco will be broadcasting the game live on WKKI locally on 94.3 FM with the pregame starting at 6:30 P.M. for those who can’t make it in person.