Ross, Monroe renew gridiron rivalry

Butler County schools meet Friday night for first time since 2002.

By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer 1:01 PM Thursday, September 2, 2010

ROSS TWP. — It’s the renewal of a Butler County rivalry and a game that could have playoff implications.

Ross High School’s football squad will travel to Monroe tonight, Sept. 3. Both teams are 1-0. Both were in the postseason last year. Both aspire to return in 2010.

“We’re both looking at having good seasons,” first-year Hornets coach Brett Stubbs said. “Somebody’s probably going to get a lot of (Harbin computer) points from this one.”

Stubbs said his team is a bit of an underdog, with the Division II Rams coming off a 21-0 victory over Goshen.

“They’ve got good athletes across the board,” Stubbs said. “We’re going to have to play every single play to beat this team. Ross has things going right now. We’ve got a new offense, a new defense, a new coaching staff. We’re still feeling our way out.”

Ross coach Brian Butts likes the Hornets’ talent and said they should improve weekly as they become more comfortable with Stubbs’ system.

“It’s nice that we’re catching them early,” Butts said.

The Rams will have to contend with Monroe’s Wing-T offense. The Hornets had two 100-yard backs (senior Devin King and sophomore Chris Wilson) in their 17-0 win over Dayton Meadowdale, and senior quarterback David Routson is a point of emphasis for Ross.

“We must stop the sweep,” Butts said. “We’ve played Edgewood for so many years, I think we’re pretty good at shutting down the Wing-T. If we can force them to throw, I think it’s to our advantage. For us, the quarterback running the ball is probably the most dangerous thing.”

The Division III Hornets racked up 317 yards of offense against Meadowdale, yet lost four fumbles and got hit with 11 penalties.

Monroe will blitz a lot in its 3-3 stack defense. Ross managed just 59 yards on the ground last week, though the Rams did throw for 217 yards between quarterbacks Brady Foley and Tyler Noonan.

“Monroe is very dangerous,” Butts said. “I think it’s going to come down to who scores first and gets the upper hand physically.”

Today’s game

Who: Ross (1-0) vs. Monroe (1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hornet Field at Monroe Stadium, Monroe

Radio: WMOH-AM (1450)

Note: This is the teams’ first meeting since Ross defeated Monroe 33-8 in 2002.

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