Sports
Southern Ohio Conference- Conference Preview
By: Ty Carpenter
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Eastern Eagles
2025 Record: 10-0 (5-0)
Eastern claimed their fourth straight SOC-I crown last season in dominant fashion, with no conference games being decided by less than three touchdowns.
Despite falling short early in the playoffs against Fort Recovery, their season was one to remember, as wide receiver Boston Webb set the single game receiving touchdowns record and quarterback Eric Manley Jr. tied the single game passing touchdowns record.
And in that success lies the immediate problem for the Eastern Eagles: the graduation of Eric Manley Jr.
Manley Jr. accounted for 36 touchdowns to only two turnovers for Eastern, leading to his recognition as Gridiron Glory’s Player of the Year.
He, among other key seniors such as Brewer Tomlison, Carson Peters and Benjamin Bower, leaves major holes to fill as the Eagles chase another undefeated regular season and conference crown.
That said, there is plenty to look forward to for the Eastern Eagles in 2026.
Boston Webb immediately emerges as the X-factor for this Eastern squad. The record-breaking senior led the team in receiving yards with 1,218, alongside an unbelievable 20 receiving touchdowns.
He should prove to be the primary weapon for the quarterback to take Manley Jr.’s spot. As if you get the ball in his hands, good results tend to follow.
Another piece to the puzzle is Jack Montgomery, who led the team in rushing with 1,038 yards on the ground alongside 17 total touchdowns. The junior also returns as the team’s leader in tackles-for-loss with 21.0, alongside senior lineman Cade Leist who similarly set the tone defensively with 12.0. Other key defensive pieces like Trey Kelly and Justin Fowler also return, so this unit should still be quite successful across the SOC-I.
While the path may look a bit different this time around, the Eagles are still in prime position to continue their success they have had for the fifth straight season.
Symmes Valley Vikings
2025 Record: 8-2 (3-2)
Symmes Valley was expected to make a leap last season, but their success was far greater than what most expected.
Fresh off a season below .500, the Vikings skyrocketed to an 8-2 record, finishing tied for second in the conference. It’s hard not to credit much of this success to star quarterback Bronx Carpenter, who exploded for 2,555 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.
Jackson Fields was his right-hand man, leading the team with 966 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Asher Maynard held it down on the ground with 16 rushing touchdowns and 539 rushing yards in the pass-first offense.
All of that sounds great, but it sounds even better when you remember each of those three are only entering their junior seasons.
In fact, the Vikings graduated just two seniors, the most productive of whom was the team’s sixth highest receiver, with the other falling on the offensive line.
The sky truly is the limit for the Vikings this season, as last year’s squad was already their best offense in program history, but their success largely relies on the improvement of those key juniors entering a pivotal point of development.
The Eagles have been running the conference for the past few years, but Symmes Valley is definitely a team which should give them a scare.
South Gallia Rebels
2025 Record: 7-3 (3-2)
Last season was one to remember for South Gallia, as the team won seven games for the third straight season and made the playoffs. While the playoffs did not go their way in a crushing upset to Trimble, they certainly made their marks in the conference race, with their losses being to Notre Dame and Eastern.
They scored the most points in program history, including a jaw-dropping 54 points per game against SOC opponents. Their defense similarly held up, leading to their best point differential in program history as well.
That said, there is a bit to be concerned about if you are a fan of the Rebels. South Gallia graduates a healthy number of star contributors, including both Layne and Hunter Wright, who established one of the most devastating rushing attacks at the conference.
Not to mention reigning two-time SOC-I Defensive Player of the Year, Blaise Davison, who also appeared on the D7 All-Ohio Second Team.
Expect players such as RB/OLB Lincoln Saber, WR/SS Carter Sanders and QB/OLB Wyatt Clary to step up in increased roles. Star lineman Mason Waterhouse should anchor an offensive line that was excellent last year.
So, while their losses are certainly detrimental, the trend for South Gallia has been nothing but up for the past three seasons. You do not want to be caught sleeping on these Rebels.
Notre Dame Titans
2025 Record: 8-2 (3-2)
Notre Dame enters 2026 with admittedly a lot of question marks.
First things first, the roster graduated one of its largest senior classes in memory. Those seniors were massively productive, propelling the Titans to an impressive 38 points per game and eight wins on the season.
Leading that offense was Luke Cassidy, who took the reigns at quarterback following an injury to fellow senior Ethan Kingrey. Cassidy threw 662 passing yards with eight touchdowns through the air while adding 1,034 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
Other key seniors departing are Bryce McGraw, who accounted for 950 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, Michael Hiles on the offensive line, his brother Matthew Hiles at linebacker, as well as Brody Coleman who anchored the defensive line.
With so many graduating players, this leaves a roster comprised of mostly juniors and sophomores with lacking experience. TE/DE Jaxon Stombock and G/MLB Krystian Canter are early contenders to be key contributors for the Titans, as both were honored in the All-SOC Second Team.
Figuring out this roster will be a task for new head coach Steve Irwin, the program’s third head coach in as many years. He has heavy expectations to fill, but Irwin enters with a solid resume as an offensive coordinator at Portsmouth West, as he boasts an offense that averaged around 30 points per game during his tenure.
The Titans have quite the hill to climb with a less experienced roster, but they shocked us last season with their success, so why not again?
East Tartans
2025 Record: 1-8 (1-4)
East returns a healthy number of seniors as they hope to improve their 1-9 record from last year, but they will have to see some serious internal improvement to do so.
The Tartans were shutout in four games last season and only scored more than 10 points twice. Their defense allowed 37 points per game, with the team’s worst point differential in over a century.
Now it doesn’t help playing in a conference where just about everybody else had their best offensive seasons in history. That’s worth noting. And East has plenty to get excited about with a solid returning class, as the team brings back two All-SOC First Team players in Lindon Williams and Leon McKinney.
The Tartans ran largely by committee last season, but Williams proved himself as one of the team’s premiere rushers, emphasized by a 91-yard performance with a touchdown in their lone win of the season against the Green Bobcats.
He and many other rushers for this squad demonstrated a rushing attack that can have success; it’s just a matter of putting it all together this season.
Adam Bailey is once again back as head coach for this squad, and East is slated to improve in the coming year.
Green Bobcats
2025 Record: 0-9 (0-4)
Truthfully, the only way to go is up for the Green Bobcats. The Bobcats scored just six points per game while allowing a staggering 58 points per game, good for their worst point differential of any season by far.
But if there’s any silver lining for Green, it’s that their incredibly young roster has another year of experience under their belts as now-second year head coach Shane Colvin has a better feel for this roster and their strengths.
Elijah Evans enters his sophomore season as quarterback in an offense that should see a solid passing attack. Multiple of his top receivers return next season with junior Riddick Jenkins, sophomores Kaleb Mutter and Leland Blevins, who similarly impressed as a rusher last season.
Last year can be described as growing pains with a younger team and a new system. This season, it’s hard to imagine a universe where this offense is not much improved. They hope to go .500 for the first time in five years.