2016 WCRS Sports - 2016 High School Football Kickoff Preview Special

Submitted by djbc on Fri, 08/26/2016 - 5:28pm
Cover (front)

In this special, we preview the 2016 High School Football Season.
- The Ohio Capital Conference (including the Divisional Realignments)
- The City League
- The CCL
- The Licking County League
- The Mid State League

Week 1 Games to Watch:
- St. Charles at Upper Arlington (1st meeting since 1959; ALL meetings in this series have been at Upper Arlington H.S.)
- Columbus South at East
- Westerville Central at Gahanna
- Walnut Ridge at Watterson (at North High School on Arcadia)
- Bishop Ready at Whitehall
- Lancaster at DeSales
- Delaware Hayes at B*ckeye Valley
- Zanesville at Newark (Oldest rivalry in the State, dating back to 1903)
- Hilliard Davidson at Grove City
- Olentangy at Hilliard Darby
- New Albany at Reynoldsburg

Plus the Games to Watch This Season:
(Including but not limited to...)
- Davidson vs. Coffman
- DeSales at Watterson
- Watterson at Hartley
- Hartley at DeSales
- Marion-Franklin vs. Walnut Ridge
- Eastmoor vs. Walnut Ridge
- Grandview at Bexley
- Gahanna vs. Pickerington Central
- Whitehall at Bexley
- New Albany vs. Gahanna
- Upper Arlington vs. Hilliard Davidson
- Olentangy vs. Olentangy Liberty
- Olentangy Liberty vs. Westerville Central
- Olentangy vs. Westerville Central
- Licking Heights vs. Licking Valley

Plus the BIG Rivalries (and who they are):
- The Battle of Hard Road (Worthington Kilbourne/Dublin Scioto)
- The Battle of 256 (Reynoldsburg/Pickerington Central)
- The Battle of Broad Street (Watkins Memorial/Licking Heights, and NOT West/East)
- The "Holy War" (Watterson/DeSales)
- The 2010 Champions (Watterson/Hartley)
- Mayor/Headmaster Trophy (Bexley/Columbus Academy)
- The Battle of the Bishops (Hartley/Ready, sorry Watterson)
- The Victory Bell (Eastmoor/Walnut Ridge)
- The Battle of Main Street (Whitehall/Bexley)
- The ENTIRE B*ckeye Division (Olentangy & Westerville Schools) of the OCC (Olentangy/Olentangy Liberty, Olentangy/Olentangy Orange, Westerville North/Westerville South, Westerville South/Westerville Central, etc.; the Fourth Olentangy High School will be in the Cardinal Division when it opens in 2018, and could be fast rivals with Delaware Hayes)
- Delaware Hayes vs. B*ckeye Valley
- Groveport vs. Canal Winchester (Only the 3rd meeting since 1964)
- Zanesville vs. Newark
- The OCC Inter-Divisions (not in the B*ckeye Division): Pickerington (Central vs. North), Hilliard (Davidson vs. Darby, Darby vs. Bradley), Dublin (Coffman vs. Scioto), South-Western (Westland vs. Central Crossing; NEW this Year: Central Crossing-Grove City), but not Worthington (Thomas-Kilbourne; the Wolves of Kilbourne have owned High School Football in the City of Worthington since they opened in 1991)
and Davidson/Coffman (formerly Hilliard vs. Dublin)
(and What we call the "Inner Ring Suburb Bowl": Grandview/Bexley, which the Mid State League Ohio could come down to this Week 10 match at Smith Field at Bexley High School)
and gone, but not forgotten... Haven vs. Croft (Brookhaven/Beechcroft, retired after the 2013 season)
and Bring Back the WarEagle Trophy (Westerville Central vs. Big Walnut, not played since 2012)

Week 1 Road Trip?
- Hartley at Toledo Central Catholic
- Pickerington Central vs. Cincinnati Elder (at University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium)
- Olentangy Liberty at Wexford North Allegheny (PA, near Pittsburgh)
- Hamilton Township vs. Dayton Belmont (at University of Dayton Welcome Stadium)

Plus, the DJBC Predicts League Favorites...
CITY: (South) Marion-Franklin or Walnut Ridge; (North) Beechcroft
CCL: (Gold) Hartley; (Silver) DeSales or Watterson
OCC B*CKEYE: Toss-up
OCC CARDINAL: Hilliard Darby
OCC CAPITAL: Toss-up with New Albany in the Driver's Seat
OCC CENTRAL: Davidson or Coffman
OCC OHIO: Pickerington Central
LCL LARGE: Licking (Insert Name Here)
LCL SMALL: Johnstown or Newark Catholic
MSL B*CKEYE: Hamilton Township in the Driver's Seat
MSL CARDINAL: Toss-up, led by Harvest Prep
MSL OHIO: Grandview or Bexley