FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Dr. Acula]

But please don't pretend that they are playing from the same deck of cards as the rest of the division.

I guess that's life, isn't it?  No two entities in any league or avenue of life play from exactly the same deck, do they?  I'm unsure why that is so bemoaned on these boards regarding D-III football. Why would anyone expect D-III football to be the only exception on the face of the earth?

D3 is the catch all.  There are so many factors at play.  Look just within the OAC.  I'm sure Musky wishes for recruiting purposes they were located in a nice metro area like Cap/Ott/BW/JCU.  I'm sure Berg would like to have engineering, pharmacy, a law school, etc. to offer recruits like ONU does.  Wilm probably wouldn't mind having an endowment like JCU (10 times larger). 

There are always going to be differences.  The one common thing is that coaches seem to be the biggest factor.  Berg was awful.  Hallett shows up and they win playing on a glorified practice field for home games.  Mount has always supported athletics.  They hire Fuline and all of a sudden the hoops program goes from middling to winning the OAC.  We see programs at OAC schools nationally relevant and we rightfully credit the coaches.  I don't see why Leipold or someone like Jack Bennett would be less deserving of credit. 

[LadyBear]

But please don't pretend that they are playing from the same deck of cards as the rest of the division.

I guess that's life, isn't it?  No two entities in any league or avenue of life play from exactly the same deck, do they?  I'm unsure why that is so bemoaned on these boards regarding D-III football. Why would anyone expect D-III football to be the only exception on the face of the earth?

D3 is the catch all.  There are so many factors at play.  Look just within the OAC.  I'm sure Musky wishes for recruiting purposes they were located in a nice metro area like Cap/Ott/BW/JCU.  I'm sure Berg would like to have engineering, pharmacy, a law school, etc. to offer recruits like ONU does.  Wilm probably wouldn't mind having an endowment like JCU (10 times larger). 

There are always going to be differences.  The one common thing is that coaches seem to be the biggest factor.  Berg was awful.  Hallett shows up and they win playing on a glorified practice field for home games.  Mount has always supported athletics.  They hire Fuline and all of a sudden the hoops program goes from middling to winning the OAC.  We see programs at OAC schools nationally relevant and we rightfully credit the coaches.  I don't see why Leipold or someone like Jack Bennett would be less deserving of credit.

Great take! I completely agree!

[Toph]

the fact that geographically UWW is well positioned to exploit the fact that both WI & Mn have only 1 D1 football program each, as well as proximity to Chicago and Detroit metro areas

Lady, seriously, UWW is well positioned to exploit the Detroit metro or East Dakota (Minnesota) areas? How? Whitewater, Wisconsin is no where near either of those areas. It would be a total misuse of time and effort recruiting those areas that are just too far away and that would provide little to no gain when they have one of the more fertile D3 recruiting areas in their back yard, their front yard and all around them. I don't think you understand the geography. They have a geographical advantage in the real estate they live in, why would they go somewhere where they no longer have that advantage? It makes no sense.

BoBo,

I am an elementary teacher and even my 5th grade students understand both the definition and the concept of region, but in case you had an excused absence that day;

re·gion: an area or division, especially part of a country or the world having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries.

When I played for ONU, woman's basketball, we recruited regionally. That was defined by roughly 400 miles or no more than a 6 hour drive from our campus. When I wrote my post I imagined a program as successful as UWW probably has a recruiting radius even greater than that. I wasn't suggesting that they did recruit from those areas, but for reasons I mentioned they could.

I think you're missing a huge point and that is the different nature of state schools and private schools. If you're in Detroit, you're not going to get the low in-state tuition at UWW. And Ohio Northern recruiting for women's basketball isn't really analogous to UW-Whitewater recruiting for football. UWW, like all of the WIAC schools, is limited by conference rule to 100 football players on the roster. Kids might come to Whitewater from further afield now that it has a reputation as a place to win a championship, but I don't believe that equates to it making sense for UWW to spend recruiting resources pounding the pavement in Detroit.

Proximity to Chicago, yes, definitely helps. Proximity to Detroit? I don't see it (and that's me speaking as a former resident of Ypsilanti, Mich.).

Plus...in Detroit, they eat coney dogs.  Not sausage and deep fried cheese topped with deep fried onions topped with deep fried pickles inside a deep fried hamburger.

[Dr. Acula]

I didn't get a chance to watch a ton of HS football last fall, but what I did see were two really talented kids from the Alliance area that both chose to go to OAC schools. 

Anthony Moeglin was a multi-sport star at St. Thomas Aquinas.  He just seems like one of those kids that's a leader and winner on top of being a good athlete.  Good get for JCU at QB.  This kid can play.  Moeglin highlights

Dalton Hartshorn was very, very impressive at RB when I saw him.  He's not just fast, he's physical.  It said in the paper he made it to State for wrestling as well as being All-Ohio in football so he's a multi-sport guy too.  I like that toughness wrestling brings.  Those kids are disciplined.  Hartshorn highlights   

[flaballcoach]

Why would a team list a communuty college  grad of 2015 coming in as a freshman? Shouldn't he have 2 years of his eligility left instead of 4?

[raiderguy]

I didn't get a chance to watch a ton of HS football last fall, but what I did see were two really talented kids from the Alliance area that both chose to go to OAC schools. 

Anthony Moeglin was a multi-sport star at St. Thomas Aquinas.  He just seems like one of those kids that's a leader and winner on top of being a good athlete.  Good get for JCU at QB.  This kid can play.  Moeglin highlights

Dalton Hartshorn was very, very impressive at RB when I saw him.  He's not just fast, he's physical.  It said in the paper he made it to State for wrestling as well as being All-Ohio in football so he's a multi-sport guy too.  I like that toughness wrestling brings.  Those kids are disciplined.  Hartshorn highlights   

It looks like Mr. Hartshorn chose to take his talents to the Raiders. Highlights were impressive.. kind of reminded me of a little fellow that used to carry the rock for the Raiders with the initials.....N K. Dare we hope for a return of a back that only knows positive yardage? I hope so.

[flaballcoach]

Why would a team list a communuty college  grad of 2015 coming in as a freshman? Shouldn't he have 2 years of his eligility left instead of 4?

Looking at hudl highlights of MU freshman and came across this on freshman roster:

Dontell Kennedy....no high school listings on bio page, but roster page says Maple Heights. Googled name for hudl highlights and Dontell Kennedy from Maple Heights 2013, is shown as attended Fort Collins CC in Fort Collins, Kansas, with a CC graduation date of 2015. If this is indeed the same kid, and it sure looks like it is, even the height and weight match up, how could he be listed as a freshman, when in terms of eligibility he should be a junior? My understanding was that when an athlete enrolls , CC or otherwise the eligibility clock statrts ticking.

[Dr. Acula]

Your logic seems correct to me.  I would think if he played 2 years of JUCO he would be a junior.  Perhaps he's just listed on the freshman roster because he's new?  If he's indeed a junior that stuff usually gets ironed out online once the season starts and they have the roster more solidified.

[Dr. Acula]

It looks like Mr. Hartshorn chose to take his talents to the Raiders. Highlights were impressive.. kind of reminded me of a little fellow that used to carry the rock for the Raiders with the initials.....N K. Dare we hope for a return of a back that only knows positive yardage? I hope so.

It's obviously unfair for us to saddle anyone with those expectations, especially based on a highlight video.  But I'd be lying if I didn't say that was who he reminded me of just a little as well.  When I saw him play he stood out.  Like he was playing in fast forward.  But I'm guilty of always getting too hyped about recruits so I'll reel myself in and just say good luck to the young man and all the new Raiders.

[LadyBear]

I just received my first negative Karma hit! 

Our boys are heading to Adrian for a scrimmage on Friday. I am excited to hear how it goes!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

I just received my first negative Karma hit! 

Our boys are heading to Adrian for a scrimmage on Friday. I am excited to hear how it goes!!

Better develop a thick-skin about negative karma - it is a fact of life on the football boards no matter how innocuous you are!  I once got six negs while on a two-week vacation, and hadn't posted anything controversial for at least a week beforehand.   Often your mere affiliation is enough to do it (especially if you are from a reasonably good and rising school - I'm from IWU; not sure whether we are rising anymore, but we were then.)

[SaintsFAN]

Just purchased Kickoff.  Now I have to go explain to my boss that as of noon today, I'll basically be on PTO while sitting at my desk (and not actually putting in for the time off).

The only drawback is the articles on the SCIAC seem to be written by someone who was dropped on their head repeatedly as a child.

Kickoff comes out today at noon. 

[badgerwarhawk]

I will offset with an applaud LadyB despite the fact that we've only had two Michigan athletes on our roster in the past decade.

[BoBo]

I will offset with an applaud LadyB despite the fact that we've only had two Michigan athletes on our roster in the past decade.

...and weren't they both transfers, too?

[reality check]

Just purchased Kickoff.  Now I have to go explain to my boss that as of noon today, I'll basically be on PTO while sitting at my desk (and not actually putting in for the time off).

The only drawback is the articles on the SCIAC seem to be written by someone who was dropped on their head repeatedly as a child.

Kickoff comes out today at noon.

And somehow he still comes off smarter than a Badin "grad".  (Suspicious quotation marks intentional)