Firelands vs. Oberlin preview

It's the battle of Oberlin Ohio as the Oberlin High School Phoenix host the Firelands Falcons. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

For two schools who are only eight miles apart, both teams have already won two more games this year then all of last season. This game marks the first meeting between the two schools since 2004. Prior to that, they played each other every season.

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For Firelands (4-0 ), they have won five straight games going back to last season in which they finished 2-8. Head Coach Mike Passerello became interim coach during week 3 of the 2010 and lost his first seven games and now has won five straight.

The Falcons continue to have success running the football averaging 300 yards rushing and scoring 33 points per game while allowing only 11 points per game. The record of their four opponents is 1-15.

RB/LB Nick Deichler leads the way with 583 yards rushing, 10 TDs, 39 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception. QB Kyle Smith has 475 yards rushing with 4 TDs and 499 passing with 4 TDs. ILB Zack Hofecker (46) and OLB Joe Kudela (42) lead the team in tackles while DT Joe DeWitt and OLB Steve Bajcer have four sacks apiece.

Oberlin (2-2) has wins this year against Lutheran East and Richmond Heights and losses vs. McDonald and Brookside. Head Coach Fred Howery is in his 2nd season after failing to notch a victory in 2010.

The Phoenix is lead by Senior RG/LB Drew Randleman. Not only does he excel on the field - recorded 154 tackles in 2010 earning him 3rd team All-Ohio honors, he is also a team captain and has a 3.4 GPA.

Junior QB DaShaun Horton has an interesting story. In 2010, he was a JV wide receiver. This year during summer drills the coaches noticed he had a good throwing arm and moved him to backup QB.  When starting QB Melvin Medina suffered a broken collarbone in the last scrimmage vs. Rhodes, Horton was promoted to starting quarterback.

Last time the two teams met was October 15, 2004 when Firelands traveled to Oberlin and came away with a 35-22 victory.