Practice has begun over the past few days for fall sports, including football for the eight local/area schools.
After having three new teams on the 2016 schedule, including the addition of Tipp City to the American North Division of the Greater Western Ohio Conference, Sidney’s slate this year is the same as last year’s with the sites reversed.
The Jackets, 4-6 last season, will host St. Marys in the season opener on Aug. 25, travel to Bellefontaine in week two and host Carroll in week three. Following GWOC crossover games with Xenia and West Carrollton, Sidney takes on rival Piqua on the road on September 29 to start division play.
For the second straight year, Sidney will be a part of Fox 45’s Thursday Night Lights on Oct. 5 as the Jackets host Tipp City in a televised game.
• Anna (5-5) started strong last season, winning four of its first five games by scoring 28 or more points in each, but struggled down the stretch, falling to four teams that eventually made the playoffs, including Division VI champion Marion Local.
After traveling to Arlington, Delphos St. John’s and Parkway in 2016, Anna will have much shorter trips this season after the Brookville game, as the Rockets go to Versailles, Marion, St. Henry and Coldwater.
Sidney and Anna will be the only two area schools that will play the same 10 teams as 2016, thanks in large part to the expansion of the Cross County Conference.
The CCC will grow to 12 teams with the additions of Fort Loramie and Tri-Village this season, which means for the first time since 2001, the conference will go with an eight-game slate instead of the usual nine.
With all 12 teams now having week two open, that has resulted in new non-conference matchups that will begin this fall.
One of those new matchups involves the Lehman Cavaliers (7-4), who begin a series with Miami East on Sept. 1 at Sidney Memorial Stadium. The two teams have not met since the Southwestern Rivers Conference dissolved after the 2000 campaign.
The other change on the Cavalier schedule comes on Sept. 22 with a contest against Marion Elgin, the newest member of the Northwest Central Conference, at Lehman High School. Lehman will host two games at Sidney and two at Piqua along with the Elgin game.
• With Fort Loramie’s (5-5) switch from the NWCC to the CCC, the Redskins will face nine new opponents in 2017, with the opener at Minster being the only holdover. Loramie will host Greenon in week two. Greenon will also be switching leagues this season from the Central Buckeye Conference to the Ohio Heritage Conference.
The Redskins travel to Covington for their first-ever CCC game on Sept. 8. The Buccs, who finished 11-1 last season, have made the playoffs 17 of the last 18 years.
Before Loramie plays Covington in week three, the Buccs will face another new opponent in week two in Minster, who played Lehman in week two the past seven seasons. The Wildcats (10-5) won just two of their first six games in 2016, but then ran off four straight wins to make the playoffs, where they won four more to advance to the Division 7 finals.
• New Bremen (2-8) has a new week two opponent as well, as the Cardinals head to Union City to take on the Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks, replacing Holgate.
• Versailles (5-5) also has a change in week two as the Tigers hit the road to play Delphos Jefferson. The Tigers will make the long trip to Delphos twice in a 16-day span, going back to face Midwest Athletic Conference rival St. John’s on Sept. 16.
• Riverside (7-3) has three new opponents on its schedule, starting with the opener at Ansonia. The Pirates then travel to Indian Lake in week three and new NWCC member Elgin the following week.
2017 football schedules
SIDNEY YELLOW JACKETS
PRESEASON
Aug. 12 — at Edgewood, 10 a.m.
Aug. 18 — Chaminade, 7 p.m. at Sidney Memorial Stadium
REGULAR SEASON
Games at 7 p.m.
August
25 — St. Marys
September
1 — at Bellefontaine
8 — Carroll
15 — at Xenia
22 — West Carrollton
29 — at Piqua
October
5 — Tipp City
13 — Troy
20 — at Vandalia
27 — at Greenville
——
LEHMAN CAVALIERS
PRESEASON
Aug. 12 — St. Henry (L), 10 a.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Games at 7 p.m. unless noted
August
25 — at Fort Recovery, 7:30
September
1 — Miami East (S)
9 — Graham (P)
15 — at Ridgemont
22 — Elgin (L)
29 — at Hardin Northern
October
6 — Waynesfield (P)
13 — at Upper Scioto Valley
20 — Lima Perry (S)
27 — at Riverside
(S) — Sidney Memorial Stadium
(P) — Piqua Alexander Stadium
(L) — Lehman High School
——
FORT LORAMIE REDSKINS
PRESEASON
Aug. 8 — Indian Lake, 6 p.m.
Aug. 17 – at New Bremen, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Games at 7:30 p.m. unless noted
August
25 — at Minster
September
1 — Greenon
8 — at Covington
15 — Miami East
22 — at Ansonia
29 — Twin Valley South
October
6 — at Mississinawa Valley
13 — Tri-Village
20 — National Trail
27 — at Tri-County North
——
ANNA ROCKETS
PRESEASON
Aug. 8 — at Greenville/CJ, 10 a.m.
Aug. 11 — at Mechanicsburg, 10 a.m.
Aug. 18 — Covington, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Games at 7:30 unless noted
August
25 — Arlington
September
1 — at Brookville, 7 p.m.
8 — at Versailles
15 — New Bremen
22 — Delphos St. John’s
29 — at Marion Local
October
6 — at St. Henry
13 — Parkway
20 — at Coldwater
27 — Minster
——
MINSTER WILDCATS
PRESEASON
Aug. 8 — at Bellefontaine with Vandalia, Belmont, 10 a.m.
Aug. 12 — at Franklin, 10 a.m.
Aug. 18 — at Wapakoneta, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
All games at 7:30
August
25 — Fort Loramie
September
1 — at Covington
8 — Delphos St. John’s
15 — at Marion Local
22 — Fort Recovery
29 — at St. Henry
October
6 — at Coldwater
13 — New Bremen
20 — Versailles
27 — at Anna
——
NEW BREMEN CARDINALS
PRESEASON
Aug. 9 — at Riverside, 10 a.m.
Aug. 17 — Fort Loramie, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
All games at 7:30
August
25 — Bradford
September
1 — at Mississinawa Valley
8 — St. Henry
15 — at Anna
22 — Parkway
29 — at Delphos St. John’s
October
6 — Marion Local
13 — at Minster
20 — Fort Recovery
27 — at Versailles
——
VERSAILLES
PRESEASON
Aug. 8 — at Brookville, 10 a.m.
Aug. 11 — Van Wert, 6 p.m.
Aug. 18 — Greenville, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Games at 7:30 unless noted
August
25 — Celina
September
1 — at Delphos Jefferson, 7 p.m.
8 — Anna
16 — at Delphos St. John’s, 7 p.m.
22 — Marion Local
29 — at Fort Recovery
October
6 — at Parkway
13 — Coldwater
20 — at Minster
27 — New Bremen
——
RIVERSIDE
PRESEASON
Aug. 9 — New Bremen, 10 a.m.
Aug. 12 — at Troy Christian, 10 a.m.
Aug. 18 — at Northeastern, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
All games at 7 p.m. unless notes
August
25 — at Ansonia, 7:30
September
1 — Mechanicsburg
8 — at Indian Lake
15 — at Elgin
22 — Hardin Northern
29 — at Waynesfield
October
6 — Upper Scioto Valley
13 — Lima Perry
20 — at Ridgemont
27 — Lehman
