SIDNEY — Sidney is ready for television redemption.
The Yellow Jackets host Tippecanoe at Sidney Memorial Stadium on Thursday in a Greater Western Ohio Conference American North Division game that will be broadcast live by Fox 45 on channel 45.2 as a part of the station’s Thursday Night Lights.
Sidney lost to Piqua by 20 points in a game televised by the station last year and followed the next week with a 10-point loss to Tippecanoe.
The Yellow Jackets are in a far different place heading into Week 7 this season with a 6-0 record, and they’re hoping for a far different result in a televised game.
“Playing on TV is really exciting,” Sidney senior defensive lineman Devan Rogers said. “We’re all pumped. We’re going to come out stronger than last year.”
Sidney’s shown no problems playing in high-stakes games this season. The Yellow Jackets started the season with wins over St. Marys and Bellefontaine in front of near-capacity crowds and played in front of packed bleachers last Friday at Alexander Stadium in a 34-33 win over Piqua.
“I don’t think we handled the limelight of that Thursday night game real well last year,” Sidney coach Adam Doenges said. “I think our kids responded from it and learned from it. …Hopefully we’re able to handle the spotlight a little bit. I thought we did a nice job against Piqua. We’ve been able to figure out how to play in front of big crowds and handle adversity on a big stage. That’s a learning process when you’re not used to that as a program.”
Tippecanoe coach Joel Derge is in his third season at the school and hasn’t changed much from how former coach and current Troy defensive coordinator Charlie Burgbacher ran things. The Red Devils run a wing-T scheme on offense and strive to control the ball.
Doenges said Tippecanoe (3-3, 0-1 GWOC North) looks nearly identical to how they looked on film last season.
“I think our offensive and defensive coordinators, Greg Snyder and Kyle Coleman, have hit the nail on the head about (Tippecanoe),” Doenges said. “On both sides of the ball, they do a really good job of taking away your aggressiveness. They know who they are and know some of the teams they face might have a little bit better athletes.
“But they do a good job of throwing a lot of different formations and motions at you offensively. When they do things like that, you can’t be as aggressive on defense because sometimes your kids start thinking a little bit too much. On the defensive side, they move things around and show you different coverages, different fronts and different blitzes. That’s all meant to slow down your aggressiveness and get your kids thinking. It’s a challenge, because they’re a very well-coached team.”
Cole Barhorst and Josh Burritt have shared the majority of the carries for the Red Devils. Barhorst has rushed for 639 yards on 125 carries while Burritt has rushed for 533 yards on 83 carries.
Tippecanoe averages 270 yards and 19.5 points per game on offense.
“They’re similar to St. Marys,” Rogers said. “We’re preparing the same way we were for that and we have the same mindset. We’re hoping to shut it down.”
Doenges said a big goal when facing a run-oriented opponent is to jump out to a multiple-touchdown lead and force the other team to throw the ball. The Red Devils have attempted 39 passes in six games and have completed 12 for 222 yards. In a 28-13 loss to Troy last week, Tippecanoe completed 3-of-13 pass attempts for 80 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
The Red Devils allow an average of 374 yards and 24.8 points per game on defense and have struggled against high-powered offenses. In back-to-back losses to Northmont and Trotwood-Madison in Weeks 3 and 4, Tippecanoe allowed over 500 yards and 40 points in both games.
Sidney leads the GWOC with an average of 492 yards per game and is second behind Trotwood with an average of 41.2 points per game.
“Trying to take advantage of our explosiveness and jumping out every week is one of our goals,” Doenges said. “… It’s important for us to start each game well and start (the second half) well. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re playing a run-oriented team or a pass-heavy team, if you can jump out in the first half and the second half, you’re in a good spot.”
Rogers said last Friday’s close win over Piqua has served as motivation for the team to close out the season undefeated and win the GWOC North.
“We’re going to be ready for Tipp and ready to keep rolling,” Rogers said. “Winning a one-point game against your rival, that’s momentum for the rest of the season.”
Fox 45’s channel 45.2 is a MyTV affiliate and is carried on channel 995 by Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable). The game’s live telecast can also be watched online at mytvdayton.com. The game will be re-broadcast on Sunday at noon on ABC 22.
Thursday’s game will also be broadcast on radio by WPTW on 98.1 FM and 1570 AM.
