BELLBROOK — The Bellbrook High School Golden Eagles football team has used an explosive offense to propel them to a 10-0 record and become the Southwestern Buckeye League’s Southwestern division champions. The team is looking to continue its success against the Thornville Sheridan Generals (9-1) in a Division III first round postseason matchup.

“There is some extra hype,” Bellbrook running back Justin Sloan said. “We are excited and we were talking about how many fans are going to be here, but we have to stay focused.”

Bellbrook’s offense is what has put this team in position to play in the postseason. Bellbrook coach Jeffrey Jenkins said that the commitment to the run is something that he will always value. He said that run game helps bring the team and program stability.

Sloan led the conference in rushing yards this year with 1,310. The team also boasted the second leading rusher in the SWBL, Sedrick Ferguson, who ran for 1,110 yards.

“We had a lot of confidence in our line and running backs,” Jenkins said. “We aren’t shocked by their performance, but we are very proud of it.”

Sloan was quick to attribute the offensive success to the linemen in front of him.

“It starts off with our linemen,” Sloan said. “They are getting their blocks and they know where I am going to be running. We have a real trust between us.”

That trust has led to a strong season. After going 7-3 the last two seasons, the team has taken the leap to go undefeated.

“Going 10-0 was huge,” Jenkins said. “We really didn’t even talk about it as one of our preseason goals.”

There was excitement around the school, but the team stayed focused throughout the season. Jenkins said the team tuned out the noise and just focused on winning each game.

“We focused a lot on getting better every single day,” Jenkins said. “Every single practice matters. Every single rep matters.”

As the team prepare to face Sheridan, they know they have a big test in front of them. However, the team needs to tune out the noise once again. Jenkins said the team needs to approach this game just like any other one.

“They (Sheridan) are a tremendous football team,” Jenkins said. “We have prepared like any other week with film work and practice and we are focusing on improving our own game.”

That consistent approach has worked out well so far.