Sidney senior running back Brice Hughes runs while trying to fight off Tippecanoe’s Jeremy Walland during a Miami Valley League game against Tippecanoe on Friday at Tipp City Park. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to host Vandalia-Butler this Friday.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
After suffering its first lopsided loss since Week 1 last week at Tippecanoe, Sidney will try to bounce back this Friday when it hosts resurging Vandalia-Butler.
The Aviators haven’t had a winning record since 2018 but are in a three-way tie for first place in overall Miami Valley League standings this year.
Butler (5-2, 5-1 MVL Miami) has won four straight since a 16-7 loss in Week 3 at Troy, including a 24-19 win over Tippecanoe in Week 6. The squad beat Fairborn 49-13 last week and had nearly 500 yards of offense.
Butler struggled offensively early in the season but has been consistently strong defensively. The team is allowing an average of 15.1 points and 257 yards per game. The Aviators have forced 16 turnovers.
Junior defensive back Allen Mabson II leads the MVL with five interceptions, and senior linebackers Sam Mitchell and Dohnavan Collins both rank among the top five players in the league in tackles.
The Aviators averaged less than 100 yards in their first three games but are moving the ball better now. They had 341 yards two weeks ago against Tipp and 489 last week against the Skyhawks.
Butler senior quarterback Luke Seibert has thrown for 787 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception. Four receivers have over 100 yards, including sophomore Corey Rice; he has caught 11 passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns. Junior Kaiden Bates has run for 527 yards and seven TDs on 85 carries.
Sidney (4-3, 4-2 MVL Valley) had 249 yards of offense in the 47-14 loss to Tippecanoe last Friday. Senior quarterback Tucker Herron has thrown for an MVL-best 1,195 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Sidney junior Ethan New led the Yellow Jackets in receiving last Friday; he has caught 19 passes for 280 yards with two TDs this season. Isaiah Foster, a junior, has run for 328 yards and three TDs.
Sidney is without its two most productive offensive players. Junior Julius Spradling, who has played at every skill position on offense and as free safety on defense, suffered a shoulder injury in Week 6 at West Carrollton. Junior receiver Tank Fleming has been dismissed from the team. The two players each scored 10 touchdowns in Sidney’s first six games.
Butler hasn’t beaten Sidney since 2018. The Yellow Jackets have won three straight matchups since 2020; the teams didn’t play in 2019. Sidney beat the Aviators 16-0 in 2021 and 12-6 last year.
Lehman to travel to winless Covington
The Cavaliers look to have an opportunity to finish the season with a winning streak, as their final three opponents have combined to win four games.
First up for Lehman this Friday is a trip to Covington, which is winless.
The Buccaneers are continuing to struggle in a recent decline. The team finished 10-3 and advanced to a regional final in 2019, then dropped to 5-5 in 2020.
But the last three years, Covington has managed three wins — two of which came last year against Bradford, which didn’t play any varsity games aside from the contests against the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers have lost each game this season by at least 21 points; they dropped to 0-7 with a 48-0 loss at Milton-Union last Friday. They’re averaging less than six points per game and are allowing an average of 41 points.
Lehman senior quarterback Donovan O’Leary has thrown for a TRC-best 1,223 yards and ranks second in the league with 821 yards. He also plays at defensive back and ranks first in the league in interceptions made with four. Lehman sophomore receiver Turner Lachey ranks second with 496 receiving yards.
Fort Loramie begins series of road trips
Fort Loramie (4-3) will finish the last three weeks of the season on the road, beginning this Friday at Van Buren, which is located north of Findlay.
Fort Loramie has won three straight games and looks to have a good chance at a fourth. Van Buren (2-5) has lost its last two games in lopsided fashion, including a 53-13 loss to Pandora-Gilboa in Week 7.
The Redskins won a slugfest with Norwalk St. Paul 35-28 in Week 7. It was the third straight game they surpassed 300 yards of offense.
Fort Loramie junior quarterback Max Maurer surpassed 1,000 passing yards of the season against St. Paul; he has thrown for 1,005 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Senior RB Will Holland has run for 615 yards and nine touchdowns.
Anna to take Marion Local challenge
The Rockets will try to keep up with undefeated and Div. VII top-ranked Marion Local on the road this week after struggling with Versailles last week.
The Flyers (7-0) edged Versailles 14-13 in Week 6 to stay undefeated and beat Fort Recovery 49-0 last week for their fifth running-clock win of the season.
Anna (3-4, 2-3) had 352 yards of offense against the Tigers last week but committed four turnovers.
Anna junior quarterback Alex Shappie has thrown for 1,163 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.
WEEK 8 AREA GAMES
Vandalia-Butler at Sidney
Anna at Marion Local
Fort Loramie at Van Buren
Lehman Catholic at Covington
All games scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday.
Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.
