The trouble with playing in the Greater Western Ohio Conference is that there isn’t any time to celebrate a big win. Not with another key opponent usually waiting in the wings.

That’s the case for the Sidney Yellow Jackets this week. They put together what head coach Adam Doenges said was their “first complete game against a quality opponent” when they ambushed the Troy Trojans 52-28 at the stadium last Friday.

But the celebration was short-lived because preparations began almost immediately for the archrival Piqua Indians.

The two rivals meet Friday night at Alexander Stadium in Piqua, and this Yellow Jacket team will be trying to do something that few have done in recent memory — beat the Indians.

Only once in the last ten years has Sidney emerged with a victory over its biggest rival, and that was in 2009. And from there, you’d have to go back to the 2002 season to find another Sidney win over the Indians.

But none of these Jackets, or their coaches, are concerned about that. Doenges is just pleased that his team, 5-3 on the year, has two games left that are “meaningful.”

“I told our kids, you always want to have meaningful games at the end of the year,” Doenges said. “We’re playing for the Battered Helmet this week and for the Little Brown Jug next week (at Greenville). This is why you play and why you work so hard. To have meaningful games at the end of the season.”

He left out another reason this game — and the next — are meaningful. Sidney, though well back in the computer rankings in its region of Division 2, stil has not yet been mathematically eliminated. And who knows? Two wins to end the season could make it interesting for a program that has only been to postseason play once.

But the opposition is going to be difficult. Piqua is also 5-3 and is coming off a win over Trotwood, 28-7, last week. And the Indians appear well on their way to a Division 3 postseason berth.

“Typical Piqua team,” said Doenges. “And they’re on a roll. They’re well-coached and have big, thick kids that their coach gets everything out of. They have a great running back and big, tall receivers on the outside. They will run three or four 6-4 receivers out there. But they will definitely want to run the ball.”

And they have just the weapon to do it in Darien Tipps-Clemons, a 6-1, 213-pound junior. He’s rushed for 1,231 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.

“The Trotwood running back is pretty good, but I think Clemons, as a complete back, is the best we’ve faced all year,” Doenges said. “He’s a north-south runner with good lateral speed. And once he gets his big legs moving, he’s tough to bring down. We’ll have to get to him early and wrap him up.”

Doenges said freshman quarterback Andre Gordon, who went down late in the game two weeks ago at Vandalia, showed no ill-effects and is back at 100 percent. “He’s a tough-minded kid,” said Doenges. “He never talked about iy, just came out ready to practice.”

He leads the Jackets in rushing with 749 yards, with sophomore running back Isaiah Bowser at 736 yards.