Conference leaders collide, an unbeaten team faces its biggest test yet and a GCL South matchup comes to Dayton. Here’s what’s on The Slate for Week 7 of Ohio high school football.
Six weeks are down. Four remain.
By now, conference races are taking shape, playoff résumés are becoming clearer and every Friday night carries a little more weight.
Week 7 brings another six games to The Slate, led by a GCL South matchup between Elder and Moeller that will take place away from Cincinnati and under the lights at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.
No predictions. No rankings. Just the matchups, the facts and the stories surrounding them.
Here’s what’s on The Slate for Week 7.
Elder (5-1) at Moeller (4-2)
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Welcome Stadium, Dayton
One of Cincinnati’s premier rivalries is coming to Dayton.
Elder and Moeller meet Friday night at Welcome Stadium with the GCL South race squarely in the spotlight.
Moeller enters at 4-2 overall and has won three straight, including conference victories over St. Xavier and La Salle. The Crusaders followed a 30-15 win over St. Xavier with a dominant 45-0 victory over La Salle in Week 6.
Elder is 5-1 after suffering its first loss of the season Friday night. St. Xavier went into The Pit and handed the Panthers a 31-29 defeat. Before that, Elder had opened the season with five consecutive victories.
The conference standings make the stakes straightforward: Moeller enters Week 7 unbeaten in GCL South play, while Elder heads to Dayton looking to avoid a second league loss.
And for one Friday night, one of Cincinnati’s premier rivalries will have a Dayton address.
Wayne (3-3) at Springfield (4-2)
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Springfield High School
Forget the overall records for a moment.
In the GWOC, both of these teams are unbeaten.
Wayne and Springfield enter Friday at 3-0 in conference play, setting up a Week 7 meeting between two teams that have yet to lose a GWOC game.
Wayne’s season has essentially been split in half. The Warriors opened 0-3 before conference play began. Since then, they’ve rattled off three straight victories while scoring 42, 41 and 49 points.
The latest was a 49-24 win at Northmont.
Springfield officially enters at 4-2, with one of those losses coming via a non-conference forfeit. On the field, the Wildcats have built a three-game conference winning streak, beating Miamisburg, Centerville and Springboro.
Springfield held off Springboro 24-20 in Week 6 to remain unbeaten in conference play.
After Friday night, only one of these teams can still be unbeaten in the GWOC.
Butler (5-1) at Troy (5-1)
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Troy Memorial Stadium
Troy hasn’t lost since opening night.
The Trojans dropped their opener to Pickerington North before responding with five consecutive victories, including Friday’s 42-7 win at Stebbins.
Butler comes to Troy with the same 5-1 overall record following a dominant 52-0 victory over Greenville in Week 6. The Aviators’ only loss came against Tippecanoe.
That sets up another important game in the Miami Valley League’s Miami Division as the regular season moves into its final month.
Troy has positioned itself among the leaders in the conference race, while Butler has an opportunity to shake up that picture on the road.
Two 5-1 teams. One Friday night at Troy Memorial Stadium.
North College Hill (5-0) at Summit Country Day (4-1)
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Williams Field
North College Hill hasn’t just won every game it has played.
Nobody has scored on the Trojans yet.
NCH enters Week 7 at 5-0 after victories of 46-0, 53-0, 43-0, 54-0 and 61-0.
That’s a combined 257-0 scoring margin through five games.
The latest came Thursday night when North College Hill beat Belmont 61-0.
Now comes a considerably different challenge.
Summit Country Day is 4-1 and has won four straight since a four-point opening loss to Cincinnati Country Day. The Silver Knights escaped Week 6 with a 38-36 victory over St. Bernard-Elmwood Place. That result is reflected in the statewide Week 6 finals.
There’s another element surrounding this one: it’s Homecoming night at Summit.
Last season, Summit beat North College Hill 40-14.
This time, NCH arrives unbeaten, unscored upon and carrying one of the most eye-catching defensive streaks on The Slate.
Coldwater (5-1) at Versailles (4-2)
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Versailles High School
Another week brings another matchup worth watching in the MAC.
Coldwater heads to Versailles at 5-1 overall. The Cavaliers’ only loss came by three points at Minster before they responded Friday with a 45-7 victory over Parkway.
Versailles enters at 4-2 and has bounced back from consecutive losses with back-to-back victories.
The Tigers followed a win over Fort Recovery by grinding out a 16-13 victory over New Bremen in Week 6.
The two teams have taken different routes to Week 7, but both arrive with momentum after wins Friday night.
And in the MAC, where little separation exists from week to week, another conference matchup provides both teams an opportunity to strengthen their position as the regular season enters October.
Beavercreek (4-2) at Springboro (3-3)
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Springboro High School
Beavercreek keeps finding itself in close games.
The Beavers improved to 4-2 Friday with a 21-20 victory over Centerville, their second one-point victory of the season.
That keeps Beavercreek within striking distance in the GWOC race entering Week 7.
Springboro is 3-3 following Friday’s 24-20 loss at Springfield. The Panthers had an opportunity to hand Springfield its first conference loss before the Wildcats held on.
Now Springboro returns home looking to get back in the win column, while Beavercreek heads on the road attempting to build on its dramatic Week 6 victory.
With Wayne and Springfield meeting elsewhere in the conference Friday night, this game also gives Beavercreek an opportunity to capitalize on the movement that is guaranteed to happen above it in the GWOC standings.
Six games. Twelve teams. Four weeks left in the regular season.
From the GCL South coming to Dayton to a battle of GWOC unbeatens and North College Hill putting a 257-0 scoring margin on the line, there’s plenty to know before Friday night.
That’s The Slate for Week 7.
