BELLBROOK — Bellbrook knew before the season it needed to reach midseason form as quickly as possible with a difficult schedule to start the season awaiting the Golden Eagles.

A 14-point win against Tippecanoe in the season opener showed they did well in their preparation. They will need to keep it up with another big home game coming Friday.

Miamisburg visits Bellbrook in one of the marquee games for week two in southwest Ohio. Bellbrook went on the road a year ago and pulled out a 24-13 win in this matchup.

The Vikings cruised to an easy shut out of West Carrollton last week after scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter. Most of those scores were from near the goal line, but the big play potential is available as Miamisburg scored a 91-yard touchdown pass and ran in a 78-yard punt return as well.

Preston Barr accounted for four of the team’s trips to the end zone at quarterback. Bellbrook in last year’s meeting held Barr to 94 yards on 10 of 23 passing.

Bellbrook’s next three games will all be on the road.

Beavercreek at Ponitz CTC

This game was originally scheduled to be played on Thursday until concerns about high temperatures caused it to be rescheduled.

Murphy’s law was in full effect for Beavercreek during the first quarter of its opening game. After the initial 12 minutes and the weather passed through, the Beavers played better and would have been in the game against Xenia. Five turnovers still won’t be acceptable to try and win any game.

Ponitz struggles in getting shut out by Valley View may have been worse, having the opening kickoff of the season returned againsts them for a touchdown. Ponitz ended the game having nine total yards of offense despite a 26-yard reception being the team’s longest play from scrimmage.

Tecumseh at Carroll

So far, so good for Carroll in its attempt to earn a home playoff game after getting an initial win against a team which qualified for the postseason a year ago.

Tecumseh should be a greater test with its mis-direction run game and strong line play. The Arrows ran for 244 yards against Fairborn and couldn’t be stopped in the second half.

Five different players got at least six carries for Tecumseh in its opener to keep fresh hands with the ball. Its defense was susceptible to deep passes and Carroll tossed for nearly 200 yards in week one.

Cedarville at East Clinton

During the week one win by the Indians, the team nearly doubled its average carry from last season as it amassed 220 yards on 35 carries. Cedarville only threw it nine times thanks to the improved attack.

Colt Coffey has 15 carries for 118 yards and Jake Winter also had 64 on just five attempts. Newcomers Tyler Cross and Brayden Criswell both had interceptions as the newly formed secondary duo on defense.

East Clinton prevailed in a bruising affair in its opener. The Astros relied on Glenn Peacock to get yards in the run game but scored both its touchdowns on passes.

Tippecanoe at Fairborn

Fairborn was able to move the ball well and picked up 18 first downs in week one, but three turnovers stopped points from being added.

Tippecanoe’s defense put in a strong performance in its opener while the offense struggled to do much until switching quarterbacks in the fourth quarter.

Several key players are returning from the Red Devils state semifinal run last year, headlined by linebacker Cael Liette, who made 165 tackles in 2022.

Greeneview at Waynesville

This is the sixth time in seven years the Rams and Spartans will face off and the majority of those matchups have finished with one or two score margins.

Waynesville struggled to stop the run in week one and gave up several long touchdowns. The Spartans will need to make some quick adjustments as Greeneview’s attack averaged 7.1 yards per carry last week at Northridge.

Spartans’ quarterback Alex Amburgy accounted for all but 10 of the team’s offensive yards against Clinton Massie, which could get the juices flowing for Jamarious Vinson again to repeat his two interception game for the Rams in week one.

Xenia at West Carrollton

A year ago the Bucs set a school record for points scored as they stomped West Carrollton. During the opening win of the 2023 season for the Buccaneers, the offense didn’t show the same burst as it had last year. It feels safe to believe this week could fall between the two extremes.

The Pirates were shutout by Miamisburg in its opener, only produced six first downs on offense, and didn’t make many stops on defense.

Xenia was only one of two MVL schools to win in week one.

Weekly Rankings

1. Xenia

2. Bellbrook

3. Greeneview

4. Cedarville

5. Fairborn

6. Carroll

7. Beavercreek

Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on Twitter @Steven_Wright_.