Week 9 - Orrville @ Clear Fork

***Game will be broadcast on Mansfield Radio WMFD. Click here to stream starting at 7pm.*** (Stream the game and browse my archives, what a way to spend a Friday night.)

Who: Orrville Red Riders (5-3, 4-1 in OCC) vs. Clear Fork Colts (6-2, 4-1 in OCC)
Where: The Colt Corral - Bellville, OH (Map & Directions)
When: Friday October 23rd, 7pm

All Time Series: Orrville leads 7-0 (Click here for detail)
Last Meeting: 2008 (Orrville won 29-15)
Last Week: Orrville beat Mansfield Madison 41-24, Clear Fork lost to Ashland 35-28.

Region 14 Standings: Clear Fork sits 3rd in the region with 14.4125 points, while Orrville sits 6th with 12.625 points. A win over Orrville would gain Clear Fork an additional 3.2 points, while an Orrville win would net the Riders an additional 3.95 points. Both teams can cement a playoff berth with a win.

Coaches: Doug Davault is 28-13 in his 4th year as Orrville coach. Dave Carrol is in his first season as Clear Fork coach, he's a Clear Fork alum and had coached the previous 11 seasons at Urbana, compiling an impressive 86-32 record with 6 playoff appearances and 5 conference titles (Central Buckeye Conference).

I could make this preview one sentence..."This game is very big for both teams." Done. See you next week.
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Ok, you know better, I'm not one for brevity...but in short, this is a very big game for both teams, possibly moreso for Orrville than Clear Fork. But a Clear Fork win would put them alone in 2nd place in the OCC, and snap a pesky 7 game losing streak to the Red Riders, one that has seen them not play Orrville to within 2 touchdowns in any of the previous 7 games.

Let's review...and possibly entrench the karmic gods firmly on the side of the Colts.

1994 - Orrville 19-0 (playoff game at Wooster's Follis Field
1997 - Orrville 31-20 (playoff game at Mansfield's Arlin Field)
2004 - Orrville 21-0
2005 - Orrville 38-7
2006 - Orrville 28-7
2007 - Orrville 28-14
2008 - Orrville 29-15

Average score....27-9.

Now that that's out of the way...this game will be the best Orrville/Clear Fork game in the short series history. If there was ever a year for Clear Fork to get the monkey, or as it were in this case, the Red Rider off their back, it's this week.

Clear Fork seemingly has the talent, balance and most importantly, the confidence to win and prove that they're indeed back on the map.

For Orrville, they need a win to cement their 20th playoff berth, and first since 2006. And they need a win to salvage a season that was full of hype, potential and promise. While all would not be lost, let's face it, a 5-4 record heading into Wooster was not what most Rider fans expected or even fathomed back in the summer time.

The Riders will bring as healthy of a roster as they've had all year, and this would be the perfect week to showcase all their talent. A win on the road, against a quality opponent with the playoffs on the line would do a world of good for the Riders and their fans.

This game will showcase the OCC's 2 leading rushers, Clear Fork senior Jordan McCune and Orrville junior Tre Simpson. Between the 2, they have nearly 2000 rushing yards and 35 TD's running the ball. The two also have a combined 458 receiving yards.

McCune has 1,113 yds on the ground (19 TD), 344 receiving yards (4 TD) and 178 kick return yards (1 TD). He's even thrown for a TD this season. On average, he's putting up 200+ total yds per game and 3 TD's. If not for Ashland's Marcus Fuller, he's easily the OCC Offensive MVP.

Orrville's Simpson has 874 yds rushing (16 TD) and 144 receiving yards and 145 kick return yards. He also has at least 2 picks on defense (that I've seen) and returned one of those for a TD in the 4th quarter of last week's Madison game. For the season, Tre is averaging nearly 150 yds. in total yards per game, and 2 TD's per game.

Both teams have their "go to" guys, but this game may come down to which supporting cast steps up. The advantage on paper goes to Orrville, but Clear Fork is having a special season, one that has seen them win their first 4 home games this season by an average of 30 points per game.

Predictions:
28-22 Orrville. This game is too big to Orrville's group of seniors. Clear Fork plays it tough, but Orrville is a more talented team from top to bottom, and I think that wins in the end.

CalPreps.com says Clear Fork wins 28-21
Fantastic50.net says Clear Fork by 4
Daily Record picks Orrville...but it's close...5-4.