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Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) Preview
By: Grant Kiefer
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Jackson Ironmen
It’s no secret that the Ironmen dominate the FAC year in and year out. Last year’s only regular season loss was to rival Ironton, but Jackson fell short in the regional quarterfinals again in 2023—falling to Bloom-Carroll in the final seconds.
A lot could’ve gone differently for Jackson last year—whether Gridiron Glory Player of the Year Cade Wolford was healthy enough to play both sides of the ball against Ironton, or if he could’ve cleared concussion protocol to play the second half vs Bloom-Carroll. There were a lot of “what-if?” scenarios for Jackson last year, but this season looks to be a rebound from a disappointing end to last year.
While Wolford has graduated, his brother Bodhi will look to take a leap at quarterback after showing signs of being a star as a sophomore in 2023. Jackson will always have a stellar defense, while the offense looks to improve with a younger core in 2024. While the expectation is for the Ironmen to run away with the FAC every year—they’ll have to fend off the rest of the conference—who all made leaps during the offseason.
Hillsboro Indians
We just mentioned how most of the FAC made big strides during the offseason, however, Hillsboro has the largest hill to climb in terms of replacing lost production. Coach Nathan Horne did a phenomenal job with this group last year, but Hillsboro went under .500 in nonconference games in 2023 and face a tough nonconference schedule once again in 2024. Hillsboro’s only losses were against Jackson and McClain, but with locations of games flipping from the 2023 schedule to 2024, they’ll face some tough road games ahead.
Miami Trace Panthers
This is a program that’s truly on the come-up. The Panthers were the only other FAC team besides Jackson to win a playoff game last year and return a boatload of talent. While dynamic pass-catcher Garrett Guess has graduated, there’s still quarterback Trey Robinette, ATH Cooper Enochs, and an absolute monster of an offensive tackle in Adam Guthrie. Jerry Williams has been given a tough task of rebuilding this program, but Miami Trace looks like they could challenge Jackson for the FAC crown.
That game against Jackson comes in a big spot—week eight at Jackson. Last year’s game at Miami Trace was a letdown stage for the Panthers, but this group has another year of experience under its belt and could very well walk out of Jackson with a win in October.
Washington Court House Blue Lions
While the Blue Lions are typically in the mix, last year felt like a step back. However, they’re returning a lot and are very well-coached. Washington is just two years removed from challenging Jackson for the FAC crown and looks in that direction again. The Blue Lions will need to win more toss-up games this season, as they dropped many winnable games last season that ultimately doomed their conference title chances. With Region 16 also seeing some change in realignment, this could be an opportunity to achieve real postseason success in Washington Court House.
McClain Tigers
While McClain finished towards the bottom of the FAC standings, 2023 very well may have been the best season in program history, as the Tigers made the playoffs for the first time ever in a full season. While it was a short-lived stay in the playoffs after falling to Cincinnati Taft in the first round, there’s a lot for Keith Penwell’s group to look forward to in 2024 despite some departures. There’s a lot of new talent coming through this program at the middle school and freshmen level, as the future looks bright in Greenfield. As for this year, expect a similar season from last year. McClain will need to win against rival Hillsboro once again in week 10 to have a shot at making the playoffs back-to-back years.
Chillicothe Cavaliers
Last year was an extremely bizarre year for one of the historically better programs in the 740. Chillicothe managed to win just one game, which was against a nonconference opponent. The Cavaliers have loaded up their nonconference slate once again, this time with the likes of Bloom-Carroll and Portsmouth West. We’ll see what this team’s made of early in the season. Despite this, Chillicothe got a year older and has put a lot of learning lessons and experience under its belt. While it may seem like an uphill climb to return to the playoffs, Chillicothe has moved regions and will get a chance to compete against new foes in the postseason.