MIDDLETOWN - Hey, Ohio. Your defending state champion Colerain Cardinals are looking pretty nasty again.
Colerain, which has flown somewhat under the radar since losing to St. Xavier in its season opener, destroyed Middletown 68-14 on a cold, damp Senior Night at Middletown's Barnitz Stadium Friday, raising its season record to 8-1.
Junior fullback Trammell Williams rushed 22 times for a season-high 279 yards and four touchdowns for Colerain, which is ranked No. 2 in the Enquirer area Division I coaches' poll and No. 21 nationally by USA Today.
The Cardinals, who crushed Milford 76-0 last week, are gathering steam for another postseason run. Colerain's offense looked shaky in losing its season opener 7-0 to St. X, but the Cardinals' triple-option attack has averaged 53.5 points a game since then.
"I like where we are," Colerain coach Kerry Coombs said. "We're getting better every week, on both sides of the ball. I think we may be tough to beat."
It started early Friday with Williams, a 5-foot-10, 172-pound blend of speed and power who scored twice in the first six minutes. Williams is playing the fullback position formerly manned by Mister Simpson, who is now a freshman at the University of Michigan.
"It's easy for me, running behind a great senior line," Williams said. "We've got the best line in Ohio.
Colerain's offensive line, led by senior guards Connor Smith (Ohio State recruit) and Eric Ornella, continually opened big holes for Williams and Co. Colerain held a staggering 563-196 edge in total offense (532 yards rushing). Middletown was held to minus-29 yards rushing and got most of its yardage via passes late in the game vs. Colerain's reserve defense.
Williams also has taken center stage while the Cardinals' resident senior running backs, Terrence Sherrer (University of Minnesota recruit) and Kyle Lumpkin, have seen their carries dwindle.
"Terrence and Kyle have been very humble about it, and that's great," Coombs said. "They all just want to win, and I'm proud of them."
Backup running back Dwayne Curry, a junior, rushed 13 times for 148 yards and three touchdowns for Colerain. Most of Curry's work came late in the game.
Ron Johnson, in his first year as Middletown head coach, was duly impressed.
"They're what we aspire to be," Johnson said. "We're proud to be on the same field with Colerain, and it's good for our kids to see this. They're what we're all shooting for."
Friday's game extended Colerain's Greater Miami Conference winning streak to 43 games, dating to October 1999.
Next week, Colerain will try to wrap up at least a share of its sixth straight GMC title. The Cardinals will play Oak Hills at 6 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium, with St. Xavier facing Moeller in the second game of a doubleheader.
Colerain scored the first four times it had the ball, good for a 28-0 lead by early in the second quarter.
It was 41-0 by halftime.
"You've got to make it a 15-round fight, and they knocked us out in the first round," Johnson said.
Colerain's attacking defense, led by Ohio State-bound Tyler Moeller and Michigan recruit Cobrani Mixon at linebackers, allowed virtually nothing. Middletown didn't advance past its own 43-yard line against Colerain's starting defense.
Coombs pulled all his offensive starters and most of his defensive regulars with 6:22 left in the third quarter, with Colerain up 48-0.
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Colerain21201413-68Middletown00014-14
C -Williams 39 run (Schulte kick)
C -Williams 6 run (Schulte kick)
C -Pride 4 run (Schulte kick)
C -Lumpkin 3 run (Schulte kick)
C -Williams 20 run (kick failed)
C -Clifford 30 pass from Pride (Schulte kick)
C -Williams 7 run (Schulte kick)
C -Curry 8 run (Tabar kick)
C -Curry 4 run (kick blocked)
M -Davis 85 pass from S. Jones (Brandabur kick).
C -Curry 72 run (Tabar kick)
M -C. Jones 7 pass from S. Jones (Brandabur kick)
Records: C 8-1 (6-0 GMC), M 3-6 (1-5).
