CONTENTS WLKR High School Football Broadcast Schedule pg. 2 Sandusky Bay Conference Outlook...................... pg. 3 K96 High School Football Broadcast Schedule.... pg. 5 Ohio State Football Preview................................. pg. 6 Ohio State Football Schedule............................... pg. 8 High School Sports Schedules ............................. pg. 9 Cleveland Browns Preview ................................... pg. 20 Cleveland Browns Schedule ................................. pg. 21 The 70 Year Drought ............................................. pg. 22 Fall 2018 Voice of the Firelands Magazine 1 What’s New in Area High School Football for 2018 will add Hopewell-Loudon in 2019. Willard will be showing off an updated facility in 2018 as the Flashes have added field turf; along with new field goal posts, yard markers and score- board. Willard will also be highlighting our Nation’s Military in Week 2 during its game against next- door-neighbor, Plymouth. WLKR will be broadcasting the Military Appreciation Night game live with an extended pregame show. A lot of new faces will make their Friday night debuts on the sidelines. Josh Bowman The Norwalk Truckers wel- come new head coach Josh Bowman | Sports Director Todd Fox, formerly of Tiffin – WLKR-FM & AM, WKFM Calvert, where he led the The Sandusky Bay Conference Senecas to several playoff continues to evolve in 2018. In appearances. Norwalk also has a the River Division, Danbury and new-look non-conference Gibsonburg have been added schedule featuring their season while Shelby is gone and will be opener at home against Mans- Vermilion Head Coach Brett Colahan playing an independent sched- field Senior (live on WLKR) and a leader Mike Stoll, who has As far as scheduling quirks go, ule this year. The Whippets will road game at Norwayne. retired after 21 seasons. Steven- the Monroeville Eagles will start then join the central-Ohio Vermilion unfortunately had son previously coached at South the 2018 season in a unique way located MOAC in 2019. The SBC to hire a new head coach after Central and Colonel Crawford. with two straight Saturday night Matt Kobal died unexpectedly The New London Wildcats road games; in week one at San- last November following his first have welcomed new head coach dusky St. Mary’s and week two at season. The Sailors have pro- Kemmes Keys, who will look to Tiffin Calvert. moted former offensive coordi- bring the ‘cats back to their win- WLKR and WKFM are proud to nator Brett Colahan to head ning ways after a few tough support our local coaches, ath- coach. years. Keys was an assistant letes, marching band members In the Firelands Conference, coach at a successful Sandusky and those that help make this the Western Reserve Roughriders Blue Streak football program. time of year special in our listen- will be led by head coach Ty ing area. Find complete broad- Stevenson, replacing longtime cast schedules in this edition of The Voice of the Firelands and also at wlkrradio.com and wkfm.com. Fall 2018 Voice of the Firelands Magazine 3 2018 Ohio State Football Preview By Rob Polinsky Ohio State went 12-2 in 2017 including a five game winning streak to end the campaign. The Buckeyes once again defeated Michigan they won the Big Ten Championship game over Wis- consin and had a bowl victory by dumping USC 24-7. Urban Meyer begins his sev- enth season in Columbus with an overall record at Ohio State of 73- 8. OSU will open the 2018 season by hosting OSU…no, this isn’t the spring Scarlet and Gray game. Ohio State hosts Oregon State on Labor Day weekend Saturday September 1st at noon. The highlight of the nonconfer- ence schedule is a trip to Dallas area where the Buckeyes will play Texas Christian University at the home of the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday September 15th at 8pm. After a week two meeting with Rutgers on September 8th, The Bucks get into the full swing of conference play with a trip to Happy Valley and a tilt with Penn State on September 29th. The fol- lowing Saturday, Ohio State will JK Dobbins host Indiana University on Octo- son on November 24th. The Big points per game. However, a key play calling duties, decided to ber 6, that game will serve as Ten championship game will be cog to that offense, quarterback transfer to LSU. homecoming. November has played Saturday December 1st at JT Barrett, has graduated and it Back at wide receiver this year always been a big month in col- 8pm in Indianapolis. appears his replacement is still up are Parris Campbell and KJ Hill. lege football and OSU has some Kevin Wilson returns as the in the air. Currently Dwayne The Buckeyes should also be great matchups this November. offensive coordinator along with Haskins and Tate Martell are bat- strong in the backfield, returning They include hosting Nebraska seven starters from a year ago. tling to for the starting quarter- JK Dobbins, Mike Weber, and November 3rd, going to MSU on During his first season in Colum- back position. Earlier this year Joe North Ridgeville’s own Demario November 10th, and hosting bus, Wilson’s offense averaged Burrow, who was seen as a possi- McCall at running back. On the Michigan to end the regular sea- over 500 yards per game and 41 ble contender to take over as the line, Michael Jordan and Isaiah Prince are expected to be two of the team’s top offensive leaders. Greg Schiano returns to his seat as the team’s defensive coordina- tor despite nearly leaving for Ten- nessee over the off-season. The Buckeye defense could be one of the team’s biggest question marks with just four starters returning from a year ago. Last season this group allowed 300 yards per game and 19 points per game. The defense has to replace a ton of talent including five starters who were drafted this past spring in the NFL draft. Six of last year’s top ten tacklers are gone. The good news, one of the nation’s top defenders returns in Nick Bosa on the defensive line. The secondary will be young; Jordan Fuller who Greg Schiano See OSU, 7 6 Fall 2018 Voice of the Firelands Magazine OSU From 6 is the leading returning tackler should lead that group. Some of the issues for the defense appear to be that they are very young; they have to replace seven starters. They will have to get good in a hurry with two big road tests in the month of September at Texas Christian and Penn State. If Ohio State survives Septem- ber the schedule gets easier in October. Football fans will want to circle the calendar for Novem- ber 10th. That is the day the Buckeyes make the trip to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. That game might just decide who represents the Eastern Division and goes to Indi- anapolis to contend for the Big Ten Championship Trophy. Last November the Buckeyes were upset by the Hawkeyes in Iowa in a 55-24 loss that essen- OSU Marching Band tially cost the program a playoff spot. This year Iowa is off the upset if they want to have a the announcing team of Paul kickoff each game. WLKR will also schedule, but Ohio State will play championship season in 2018. Keels, Jim Lachey, and Matt air the weekly Coach Urban at Purdue on October 20th and All Ohio State football games Andrews. Tune in for the pregame Meyer show and the Buckeye the Buckeyes must avoid that will be heard on 95.3 WLKR with coverage ninety minutes prior to Roundtable program. Fall 2018 Voice of the Firelands Magazine 7 Bellevue Football 8/30 St. Joseph CC ........................Away 9/1 Vermilion.............................Home 8/24 Canton CC ............................Away 9/1 Norwalk ................................Away 9/5 Norwalk ................................Away 8/31 ClearFork.............................Home 9/4 Lakota..................................Home 9/10 Perkins.................................Home 9/7 West Homes ........................Home 9/6 Gibsonburg .........................Home 9/12 Sandusky...............................Away 9/14 Shelby ..................................Home 9/11 St. Mary CC...........................Away 9/15 Port Clinton ........................Home 9/21 Toledo Start ..........................Away 9/13 New Riegel ..........................Home 9/17 Tiffin Columbian ................Home 9/28 Norwalk ................................Away 9/15 New London .......................Home 9/19 Vermilion ..............................Away 10/5 Perkins.................................Home 9/18 Old Fort.................................Away 9/24 Norwalk...............................Home 10/12 Tiffin Columbian ................Home 9/20 Danbury................................Away 9/26 Perkins ..................................Away 10/19 Sandusky...............................Away 9/25 St. Joseph CC.......................Home 10/1 Sandusky .............................Home 10/26 Clyde....................................Home 9/27 Lakota ...................................Away 10/4 Oak Harbor...........................Away 10/2 Gibsonburg...........................Away 10/6 Fremont ................................Away Bellevue Volleyball 10/4 St. Mary CC .........................Home 10/9 Edison ...................................Away 8/20 Margaretta...........................Home 10/9 New Riegel............................Away Clyde Girls Soccer 8/21 Galion ..................................Home 10/11 Old Fort ..............................Home 8/18 Upper Sandusky...................Away 8/23 Fremont ................................Away 10/15 Tiffin Columbian..................Away 8/22 Toledo Start.........................Home 8/27 Willard .................................Home