Amelia football has last chance to make history

This is the last chance to make history for Amelia football.

For better or worse, the Barons realize that there will never be another Amelia Barons football team after this season. Amelia will merge with Glen Este to form West Clermont High School in 2017.

“It’s kind of a special year. It’s an honor,” said coach David Brausch. “There is a little added pressure maybe to go out a winner. It’s been so long since we’ve had one here.”

The Barons will not look ahead to becoming Wolves. There are 12 seniors who have put in years of work and the past several months in the weight room getting ready to create their legacy at Amelia.

“There’s a lot of excitement about the new school and we don’t want to temper that,” said Brausch, “but there is a group of seniors who are never going to taste that. They will all play a key role in the success of this team.”

Those seniors are led by quarterback Cage Meyer, linebacker Kyle Nicodemus, running back/defensive end Eli Altherr, and lineman Brant Fluehr. The junior class is led by talented wide receivers Bobby

Wilmoth and Mitch Mentzel.

A full offseason under Brausch’s staff has the Barons far ahead of where they were last August. Now, the players must translate that hard work on and off the field into results on Friday nights. A win or two in September will build confidence as the Barons look to snap an eight-game losing skid.

“We’re already so far physically ahead of last year. We expect to be mentally ahead of last year, too,” said Brausch. “We’ve got to learn to trust ourselves. Hopefully, we have some early success.”

Kyle Kaiser and Jacob Dakin will boost the deep defensive line. Luke Meyer, Trey Brausch, and Jake Rose flank Nicodemus at linebacker. Ryan Cann and Blake Boykin will line up at corner with Wilmoth and Mentzel at the safety spots. Daniel Hennessey, David Collins, Nathan Lacey, Alex McQueen, and Logan Crouch give the Barons depth on the offensive line.

The Barons know what is at stake and what a winning season would mean to this year’s seniors and all of the Amelia football players who have worn the blue and white over the years.

“I think they can erase a lot of bad years by going with a good one,” said Brausch.

Schedule:

Aug. 26 – Mount Healthy

Sept. 2 – at CNE (7:30 p.m.)

Sept. 9 – at Williamsburg

Sept. 16 – Batavia

Sept. 23 – Bethel-Tate

Sept. 30 – at Norwood

Oct. 7 -- at Western Brown

Oct. 14 – New Richmond

Oct. 21 – at Goshen

Oct. 28 – at Blanchester

All games are Fridays at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.