Tickets will be available that week on:

Tuesday – 7AM-4PM

Wednesday and Thursday – 7:30AM-4PM

Friday – 7:30AM-2PM.

The price of the presale tickets is $4 for students and $6 for adults.  All tickets at the gate the night of the game will cost $7.  There may also be a few reserved seats left for that game as well.  Those cost $10 each and will go on sale at the same time.

There is a limit of 10 tickets per individual buyer for this game and only cash and checks will be accepted.

Please note, any tickets purchased at the Centerville HS Athletic Office will only be good for admission to the home side of the stadium.

Gates will open the night of the game at 5:30PM.

1. If you have web access on your phone then you can access: http://twitter.com/gwoc.

2. If you do not have web access on your phone, you can setup a twitter account (free of charge) at www.twitter.com.  Follow the instructions for setting up a new account.  Once you setup your account you will want to follow “GWOC”.  Then you will see a small mobile phone icon next to the GWOC logo that you are following. Click on the icon and it will activate mobile text messages. You will then receive text message updates of all GWOC quarter scores and from time-to-time GWOC events.

Overview: The visiting Elks dominated from start to finish, scoring on the first possession of the game and never letting off the pedal.

Centerville, the area’s top-ranked Division I team, held a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime and added a pair of scores in the third quarter, highlighted by Brandon Reese’s 75-yard TD return on a fumble recovery.

Turning point: After Centerville put together a 12-play, 79-yard scoring drive to begin the game, East coughed up the ball on its second play from scrimmage. The Elks quickly took advantage moments later on senior QB Jon Overstreet’s 2-yard TD sneak, his second score of the game, and the rout was on.

Stat pack: With its patented triple-option, Centerville piled up 299 yards rushing and five TDs, two each by Overstreet and Tristin Boykin.

The Thunderhawks committed three turnovers, and the Elks cashed all three in for TDs. In that dominating first half, the Elks’ advantage in time of possession was 14:01 to 
9:59. The Elks threw just one pass.

Quote: “I’m happy with the victory. Usually when you have a big lead at halftime, the second half is pretty sloppy. This second half was pretty sloppy, which in a way is a good thing for us. We can easily get their attention (today) when we look at the film.” — Centerville coach Ron Ullery

Records: Centerville 1-0, Lakota East 0-1.

Up next: Centerville hosts Mason next week to begin a stretch of four straight home games. East hits the road against Glen Este.

The network was looking for a Thursday night high school game to broadcast during the third week in October in Ohio. Could his team, they asked, move its highly anticipated Greater Western Ohio Conference matchup against rival Wayne to a Thursday night to be on ESPNU?

It didn’t take Ullery long to decide.

“Probably about five minutes,” he said.

After working through the proper channels, Centerville and Wayne finalized a deal that will move their Week 8 game from Friday, Oct. 15, to Thursday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. for the national broadcast. It will be the first time a game between two area teams is broadcast nationally.

“Everyone in the GWOC has a sense of pride about this,” said GWOC Commissioner Eric Spahr. “It’s a great testimony to the schools and the competition we all share.”

The game will be Wayne’s third on ESPNU this season following its opener against Moeller in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown on Aug. 29 and a Week 2 matchup with Canton McKinley in the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series event on Sept. 5.

The game, annually one of the most anticipated in the area, will feature two Ohio State recruits in Wayne quarterback Braxton Miller and Centerville lineman Michael Bennett as well as Division I commitments Kyle Rose (West Virginia) and Mike Replogle (Indiana) of Centerville, which added to the ESPN interest.

“It’s hard to make this game any bigger,” said Wayne coach Jay Minton. “But ESPN is pretty big.”

A.J. Hawk has been as reliable as a Honda Accord. And about as flashy.

The fifth pick of the 2006 draft, Hawk almost always has been good but only rarely has he been exceptional. Inside linebackers coach Winston Moss wouldn’t mind a little more “exceptional,” even at the cost of Hawk losing some of that renowned reliability. In other words, push the peddle to the metal.

“And I know a coach shouldn’t be saying this, but he’s got to take a shot when he has the opportunity,” Moss said during the minicamp in June. “Because he has that ability. I still believe in him, from what I’ve seen evaluating him coming out of college, he has not done anything since he’s been here to take away from the ability that’s in him that I know what he wants, the work ethic that he has, what he puts forth in the meeting room, he doesn’t skip on plays, he takes all his reps, he doesn’t back down, he’s highly coachable, he’s a smart guy, he’s very intelligent, so he has all the tools, all the dynamics. He’s just now got to have that (mentality of), ‘If I take a shot, if it happens, I’m a hero. If it doesn’t, yeah, the coach will probably say something, but what the hell … I’m trying to make a play.’”

Hawk made a few eye-catching plays during Saturday’s Family Night Scrimmage. Playing with the starters against the No. 2 offense, Hawk stopped one drive by beating center Evan Dietrich-Smith on a third-down blitz to sack Matt Flynn. A couple plays later, he stopped Quinn Porter for no gain. Later, in a starters-vs.-starters two-minute drill, Hawk beat the block of fullback John Kuhn to drop Ryan Grant or a critical 3-yard loss inside the 10-yard line.

Hawk, who spoke in depth earlier in the week with a couple of reporters about Moss’ comments, downplayed his performance after the scrimmage.

“I don’t know. I mean, either way, good or bad, it’s what, Week 1 of probably 30 for the season?” Hawk said. “So, you can’t get too excited or too upset about anything that goes on on a night like tonight. As a defense and as a team, we wanted to come out and do some good things and put some good film together and at least get ready for our first preseason game next week.”

Even while being basically a two-down player last season, Hawk finished second on the team in tackles, had his first turnover plays since midway through the 2007 season with two interceptions, and was voted a Pro Bowl alternate. After watching film of the season, Moss thought Hawk played to that level. Now, the coach wants more from his pupil.

“Yeah, he wants me to even get up and have a celebration and dances and stuff after plays — which I told him is never going to happen,” Hawk said. “But he wants, I guess you’d say, he wants me to just let it loose, don’t worry about anything, don’t care, which I don’t feel like I do, but just go 100 miles an hour whatever you’re doing and make plays.”

Not only will Hawk not draw attention to himself after a tackle, but he won’t draw attention to himself in light of what last year’s defense accomplished. The Packers led the NFL in run defense for the first time ever, and stopping the run is Hawk’s forte in the scheme. He could toot his horn and scream, “Look at me!” Instead, he seems conflicted — in large part because of the overwhelming expectations that come from his draft status and the perception that he hasn’t lived up to them.

“Team-wise, yeah, we have, at times,” Hawk said. “I don’t know. It’s hard. We have the best fans in the world, I feel like, and our defense did well but when you leave a sour taste in people’s mouth like our last game in Arizona, it’s kind of tough. It’s tough for us; it’s tough for (the fans) to deal with that and we know we need to rebound. Expectations, I don’t know. I don’t know how you’re supposed to live up to them or whatever. Everyone has in their own mind of how they feel like they should play. I’m getting there.”

If Moss has his way, Hawk will be “getting there” by playing a little less cerebrally and relying more on heart and passion. Some of that was on display on his tackle of Grant on Saturday night. Hawk put a shoulder into Kuhn, which was just the textbook would ask for, but he continued on and dropped Grant for a big loss. Hawk talked about his conversations with Brady Poppinga about never playing scared, and his need to find the “balance” required to play with a little more of an edge but not cost the team by going overboard.

“I want him to be very aggressive with it, and what I’ve seen from him already in training camp,” Moss said last week. “When he’s playing the run, he’s running through the gap he’s responsible for. His, blitz he’s not trying to be as powerful and try to go down the middle of a guy all the time but work edges on guys, which will allow him to be more effective in one-on-one situations. If he can continue to believe that we want him to not be such a guy who’s so stringent on assignment — be conscious of it but take it to the edge. Everybody wants to make plays in this defense, just get confidence in doing that, believe in yourself and go get it.”

The early scoreboard shows Hawk is going out and getting it. Hawk won’t ever join Barnett in a samurai dance, and he’ll probably always be a liability in pass coverage. But that doesn’t mean Hawk can’t be more than just good at what he does best.

That might not be good enough for the fans, who think of his draft status and instantly want 160 tackles, 10 sacks and four or five turnovers. But as long as it’s good for the team, that’s what matters.

“I’ll never judge myself on Pro Bowls or anything like that. I plan on having some Super Bowls under my belt by now for sure,” Hawk said. “Individually, I don’t think you’re ever — say I went to four straight Pro Bowls, it’s not like I’d be satisfied or I made it or anything. I bet you never feel like you’ve really made it or you’ve reached your potential. You’re always working towards it, like I am. That’s the great thing about football. Where we’re at as a team and where I’m at as a player, why not? Why not let it loose? What’s the worst that can happen?”

Kyle is a two-year starting defensive lineman and was voted 1st team All GWOC by the coaches after completing his junior season last fall where he had 54 tackles, including 18 for a loss, and 6 quarterback sacks.

He also finished as the state runner-up in the 215 pound weight class as a wrestler.

Kyle was also recruited and offered scholarships by Indiana, Miami, Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kansas, Ohio U., and Western Michigan.

This game is being played Friday, September 10th, at Centerville Stadium.

Centerville Head Coach Ron Ullery reports an overwhelming response from former Elks who plan to attend this game along with many of their former teammates.

Coach Ullery stated that many of these former players are planning to travel long distances to attend the matchup with the 2-time defending state champion Knights and are making plans to make it a “reunion” type of weekend.

As with all Elk home games, Coach Ullery invites all former players to be part of the pregame locker room and the game action on the home sideline.

To read more about this fall’s Alumni Night visit the following hyperlink on Facebook which promotes it.

Centerville vs. Alter Football Game (ELK ALUMNI NIGHT)

Bucknuts broke the news in late April that defensive lineman Michael Bennett had narrowed his long list of scholarship offers down to Ohio State and Northwestern.  Less than one month later Bennett is a Buckeye.

“I called coach (Jim) Tressel tonight and committed,” Bennett said. “He was really excited.”

When asked why he picked Ohio State, Bennett said, “After I talked things over with my family I felt Ohio State would prepare me better for the NFL.

“And Ohio State has a strong medical school.  They will be able to help me after I’m done with football.”

In addition to OSU and Northwestern, Bennett’s list of offers included Cincinnati, Alabama, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, West Virginia, Iowa and Pitt.

Bennett took a hard look at what Northwestern had to offer before picking Ohio State.

“It was a hard decision,” he said.  “But I feel good about it and so does my family.  They will be able to see my games easier, but they would have been supportive no matter which one I picked.”

The 6-foot-3 and 270-pound Bennett started at guard his sophomore season. He played offensive and defensive tackle during his junior season.

Bennett helped lead the Elks to an 8-3 record with over 70 ‘knockdown’ blocks and over 20 ‘pancakes’ this past season. However, Bennett plans to play defensive tackle for the Buckeyes.

OSU defensive coordinator and line coach Jim Heacock recruited Bennett.

“He’s a good guy,” Bennett said. “We have a good relationship.”