Southern Ohio Conference II – Conference Preview
By: Ty Carpenter
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Wheelersburg Pirates
2024 Record: 9-5 (6-0)
Despite a slow 0-3 start to the season, Wheelersburg caught fire and finished the regular season 6-4, going undefeated in conference play and making it all the way to the regional final.
The Pirates graduate 14 seniors from last year’s squad but return many key contributors. They return their leading tackler and rusher in RB/LB Elijah Brown, their lead receiver and top defensive back Kenyon Evans, as well as quarterback Braylon Rucker.
Those three are all seniors but Wheelersburg returns plenty of talent down the board as well, including reigning SOC-II Defensive Player of the Year Ison Emnett, who notched 21 tackles for loss and 7 sacks last season.
The defense will likely be the highlight of this Pirates team, but the offense has plenty of room to grow. Wheelersburg is in a great position to win their third straight SOC-II title and make a run for a state championship.
Portsmouth West Senators
2024 Record: 8-4 (5-1)
Portsmouth West made noise last season as a threat to Wheelersburg in the race for the conference title. They fell just short at second place, going 5-1 in conference, with their only loss being to Wheelersburg in the final conference game of the season.
This strong performance was thanks to many key underclassmen who return next season. The Senators graduated RB Mason Parker, who led the team in both carries and touchdowns, opening the door for Anthony Bishop to take over the role as the team’s primary running back. Bishop led Portsmouth West in rushing yards last season, with 1560 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. Parker’s graduation also likely opens the way for junior Braden Adkins to get more carries, who had an impressive 8.1 yards per rush last season.
On defense, the Senators return both of their leading tacklers in Tilton Rapp and Bo Wroten, who will take an even greater defensive role this season with the graduations of Nichol Rapp and Kade Woods.
It will be an uphill battle to unseat Wheelersburg at the top of the SOC-II, but Portsmouth West is a team to keep an eye on this season.
Valley Indians
2024 Record: 3-7 (3-3)
Valley placed fourth in the conference last season and went under .500, but the record does not tell the full story of the year.
The Indians battled injuries last season, but even with those injuries, they were within one score in three of their losses. Of those included conference games against Waverly and Portsmouth West, and with the team returning many skill players, Valley could make a jump this season.
They have an excellent backfield duo with running backs Gabe McNeil and Anthony Aaron. Aaron led the team in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season and will likely be the focal point of the offense. That is on top of many key returning defensive players, including standout sophomore Jehu Howard and junior Blake Lundy.
After a disappointing 2024, Valley returns plenty of talent and looks to be in a great position to finish above .500 for the first time since 2015 and potentially their first conference title since 2012.
Waverly Tigers
2024 Record: 6-6 (4-2)
Waverly comes off a 6-6 season in which they graduated a large senior class and placed third in the conference. With a smaller senior class this season, the Tigers will need strong performances from their underclassmen to compete in a top-heavy SOC-II.
With the graduation of quarterback Mason Kelly, as well as their top three receivers in Mason Pollard, Kody Swords and Mason Sparks, the offense will be interesting to watch this season. Junior Quarterback Gunnar Meyers will have a completely new-look offense to work with. With his size and the younger squad around him, this offense will likely shift to a greater focus on the run and playmaking.
Sawer Meyers, who led the team in sacks last season, will similarly have to step up on the defensive side of the ball.
With a vastly different look on offense, there may be some growing pains for this Waverly team as they look to win their first SOC-II title since 2020.
Northwest Mohawks
2024 Record: 5-5 (2-4)
Northwest finished fifth in the conference last season off the back of an exceptional run game headed by Carter Runyon.
Runyon graduated last season but led the team in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The Mohawks graduate both of their top rushers, so the explosive offense seen last season may struggle to keep that same identity.
Northwest also struggled with consistency on both sides of the ball, so working that out will be a must for the Mohawks as they look to improve this season.
Minford Falcons
2024 Record: 1-9 (1-5)
The Minford Falcons struggled last season with their only win coming from conference opponent Oak Hill, 22-21. Their primary issues came on the offensive end of the ball, in which they scored less than 10 points in six of their games and put up their lowest points-per-game since 1971.
Even with those struggles, the Falcons have a strong base of underclassmen to build upon this season. They return their quarterback Curt Glenn who led the team in rushing yards and touchdowns. Standout sophomore Colt Donahoe also showed promise on offense, leading the team in receiving yards with 318 yards in only 27 receptions.
However, the true strength of this team next season will be on defense. They return an exceptional linebacker duo of Marty Sparks and Bryce Mclaughlin. Sparks put up 86 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss, while Mclaughlin tallied 115 total tackles and 9 tackles for loss to go with three sacks in the regular season.
With a couple of strong returning contributors, Minford should be on the path to improvement heading into next season.
Oak Hill Oaks
2024 Record: 1-9 (0-6)
Oak Hill had a disappointing year last season, with their only win coming against Fairfield Christian in overtime. Despite the record, the Oaks showed some promise early in the season, as each of their first four games were all within one score. They also had their best offense since 2018.
Next season, the Oaks will have a small senior class, meaning they will need strong performances from underclassmen if they hope to improve. With a stronger offensive line and rising junior RB Blaise Ford, the Oaks will likely seek to dominate the trenches and the run game. The defense, which allowed 39.5 points per game last season, will also need to see some improvement.
The Oaks have dealt with head coaching turnover over the past couple years, but with second-year head coach Jason Fitzhugh, the Oaks are looking for their first winning season since 2018.