Wayne was off to a 5-0
start last season before star quarterback Braxton Miller suffered a broken leg in a Week
6 game against Clayton Northmont. Wayne
still made the playoff field but fell to Cincinnati Colerain 23-0 in the second round. With Miller back under center, Wayne is aiming to sustain a longer playoff run this season.
Huber Heights Wayne (8-4)
* Players to Watch
– QB Braxton Miller (6-2, 190, Jr.), DL Terry Talbott (6-3, 265, Sr.), CB
Terrence Talbott (5-10, 175, Sr.), MLB Josh Harrison (6-1, 220, Sr.), DB Tre
Moore (5-11, 180, Jr.).
* Outlook – Wayne was off to a 5-0
start before Miller, its standout quarterback, suffered a broken leg in a Week
6 game against Clayton Northmont. Wayne
still made the playoff field and swamped unbeaten Cincinnati Woodward 52-0 in
its opener before falling to Cincinnati Colerain 23-0 in the second round.
Miller has recovered from the injury and is considered Ohio’s top prospect in
the 2011 class. After throwing for 1,000 yards and rushing for 500 as a
freshman, he threw for 642 yards and five touchdowns in six games before the
injury.
“When you have a player like Braxton, you have to feel good
about that,” said Wayne coach Jay Minton, who
returns for his 11th year as the Wayne coach and 19th as a varsity
head coach. “His competitiveness and athletic ability, that is a combination
that you don’t see very often. He’s a special player who, when he steps on the
field, he makes everyone else around him better.”
Minton has five starters back on offense and six on defense.
“We feel we are pretty solid up front,” Minton said. “At
receiver, we don’t have that one marquee guy. With Braxton being there, you
want to make sure you have some guys who can run great routes and catch the
ball.”
The schedule will be a challenge. Wayne opens against Cincinnati Princeton in
the Crosstown Showdown before going upstate to visit Canton McKinley and
hosting powerful Cleveland Glenville. Wayne
also figures to be in the Greater Western Ohio Conference hunt.
Schedule
Aug. 28, vs. Cincinnati Princeton (Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown at Dayton'sWelcome Stadium), 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 5, at Canton
McKinley, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12, Cleveland
Glenville, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18, at Trotwood-Madison
Sept. 25, Troy
Oct. 2, Clayton Northmont
Oct. 9, at Kettering Fairmont
Oct. 16, at Beavercreek
Oct. 23, Centerville
Oct. 30, at Springfield
