The future of the Southwest Ohio Conference is in flux.
On July 24, Talawanda announced it would join the Southwestern Buckeye League. Football will make the move in 2027, and every other sport will do so in 2026. With the SWOC only having four football teams, more movement is expected. Still, there are at least two more seasons of SWOC football before the conference potentially goes by way of the PAC-12.
Listed in alphabetical order, here is a preview of each football team in the SWOC going into 2024:
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Harrison
2023: 9-4, made Division II, Region 8 semifinals
Head coach: Derek Rehage
Returning players: QB Dickie Engel, RB/LB Cole Koops, RB/LB Preston Flick, RB/DB Cooper Rotert, OL/DL Logan White, OL/LB Grant Dallio, RB/LB Ian Wuest, DB Wyatt Brock, DB Hank Rotert
Outlook: Harrison returns many top contributors after a huge breakout season; The Wildcats were 1-9 in 2022 but finished 9-4 in 2023.
Starting quarterback Dickie Engel is back after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns to four interceptions in 2023. He also rushed for another 541 yards and two touchdowns. The team’s two leading running backs return, including Cole Koops who ran for 1,379 yards (7.7 yards per carry) and 18 touchdowns last season. None of the team’s top three receivers will be back. The Wildcats also lost Luke Rodgers, who went for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023.
The team loses more on defense, but Hank Rotert, who had five interceptions last season, will be back. Same with Logan White (4.5 sacks), Grant Dallio (3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles), Wyatt Brock (44 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions) and Cohen Hering (11 passes defended).
Mount Healthy
2023: 8-3, lost first round of postseason
Head coach: Jordan Stevens
Returning players: QB Jahmeir Spain, ATH/DB Jai’mier Scott, WR/DB Jeremiah Sanders, TE/LB Raishawn Cotton, RB/DB Nashoun Crittendon, TE/DE Ty Watkins, DB Charles Turnage
Outlook: Mount Healthy finished second in the SWOC last season, just behind Harrison. When the two teams met on Sept. 29, Harrison beat Mount Healthy 42-6. The rematch is on Oct. 4 this season, a date certainly circled on both teams’ calendars.
Jahmeir Spain will once again be the star of the show for Mount Healthy in 2024, after passing for 2,749 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, sporting a 70% completion percentage. The 6-foot-3 rising senior holds offers from four Mid-American Conference schools, Marshall, Temple and UNLV.
His running mate Israel Bradford (1,035 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023) has graduated, and so has his leading receiver JayJay Etheridge (1,107 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns). Look for Wisconsin commit Jai’Mier Scott to step into a bigger role in the offense after going for over 750 total yards in 2023.
Harrison allowed the fewest points among SWOC teams in 2023, and the defense should be strong again. It loses multiple top contributors, but leading tackler Raishawn Cotton (133 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 25.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles) and leading sack-getter Ty Watkins (5.5 sacks) return. So does Charles Turnage, who had four interceptions in 2023. Scott will also play a large role in the defense.
Northwest
2023: 1-9, missed postseason
Head coach: Brandon Schon
Returning players: QB Lauris Barnes (transfer from Colerain), RB Kinxton Hill, RB Michael Lacue, WR/FS Hezekiah Kelley, DB Karsyn Curry, K/P Parker Siebel
Outlook: After finishing 1-9 in 2023, Northwest is hoping for a breakout campaign. Lauris Barnes, a rising junior with a big arm, transferred in from Colerain and is expected to start at quarterback. Kingston Hill (1,142 yards, 7.1 yards per carry in 2023) and Michael Lacue are expected to form a strong running-back duo.
Hezikiah Kelly, the only freshman named to last year’s All-SWOC team, figures to contribute as a defensive back, where he made his name last season, and as a wide receiver. Karsyn Curry had three interceptions in his sophomore season. The team is expecting big things from Parker Siebel, who has already made a 50-yard field goal in practice this offseason in his first season kicking.
Talawanda
2023: 2-8, missed postseason
Head coach: Andy Stuckert
Returning players: QB Cale Leitch, RB Lance Catrell, WR/DB Demetrius Morris-Williams, WR/DB Kemper McAfee
Outlook: Stuckert is still rebuilding the Talawanda football program. When he was hired before the 2023 season, there were 40 football players at the school. This year, their roster is up to 75. It will be a young team, but it’s moving in the right direction.
Quarterback Cale Leitch will be a senior. Last season he passed for 1,152 yards and rushed for 638 more. He added 16 total touchdowns. His leading receiver, Demetrius Morris-Williams, is back too, so Talawanda can look forward to that connection continuing.
Note: All stats are from the SWOC website.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio high school football: Who wins Southwest Ohio Conference in 2024?
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