Sports
PREVIEW: Meigs Wants More After Breakout 2013
By: Andrew Hines
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Editor's Note: Over the next two weeks our reporters will be bringing you team previews for each team in the SEOAL, TVC-Ohio, TVC-Hocking, and our West Virginia teams. We continue in the TVC-Ohio, where everyone is chasing the Athens Bulldogs.
The Meigs Marauders were one of the most-improved teams in southeast Ohio in 2013 coach Mike Bartrum led his team to a 7-3 overall record, and 4-1 in the TVC-Ohio, which placed them second in the league behind only Athens. One year previous, the Marauders posted a 3-7 overall record in Bartrum’s first year at Meigs.
But while Bartrum isn’t satisfied with the 7-3 finish last season, he won’t be making any drastic changes to improve his team.
“We are just going to become bigger, stronger, faster and simply work on our execution,” Bartrum said.
Bartrum expects seniors Michael Davis, Daylen Neece, Ty Phelps, Brad Harless and Isaiah English to be examples and lead the team to a better finish.
One game those seniors and the rest of the Marauders will definitely have their sights on is their week seven matchup with Athens on Oct. 11. The Bulldogs beat them pretty handily 61-13 last season, but this time the Marauders get to defend their home turf.
However, as a former NFL player, Bartrum knows all too well that none of the teams before then can be overlooked, no matter the circumstances.
“It doesn’t matter if we are playing against a pee wee, junior high, high school, collegiate or professional team,” Bartrum said. “We refuse to underestimate anybody.”
The Marauders have three conference games before the Athens game, starting with the first road game of the season at Vinton County, a team that the Marauders have defeated in five of the last six seasons. They then wrap up the season on Halloween, as they make the 30-minute drive to Albany for their season-finale against Alexander.
With Meigs working towards their first playoff appearance since 2008, the Marauders kick-off the 2014 season on Aug. 29 with their home-opener against Coal Grove, a team the Marauders beat 46-44 just a season ago in the 2013 season-opener.
'Gridiron Glory' returns on Friday, Aug. 22 at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB. You can follow the show on Twitter @gridironglory, like the Gridiron Glory page on Facebook, and follow along on Instagram @woubsports. You can also join the conversation throughout the season by using the hashtag #gridglory.