FAIRFIELD — There’s a connection to Badin High School’s Division II, Region 8 quarterfinal against Mount Healthy that Nick Yordy finds to be relevant.
But it’s not that important to stray him and his Rams away from the task at hand.
“The amount of time I was there coaching and have been there professionally, it adds a little twist to it,” said Yordy, who was a former offensive coordinator for current Hamilton coach Arvie Crouch at Mount Healthy from 2010 to 2016.
“For me, I’m going to try and win a football game just like they are as well.”
The fourth-seeded Rams face the fifth-seeded Owls in a postseason showdown on Friday night at Fairfield Alumni Stadium.
“It does mean something regarding the time I was there,” said Yordy, now in his eighth season as Badin’s head coach. “It’s the players that I was able to coach and some of the relationships that I was able to build.
“I’ve been at Badin now for eight years, but I still teach there,” Yordy added of being a math teacher in the Mount Healthy district. “I’m familiar with some of the kids. Some of the kids, I had them in class. Some of them I don’t know who they are. I think now that I’ve had my time at Badin, some of these kids probably don’t even know who I am.”
But Mount Healthy coach Jordan Stevens knows who Yordy is. Stevens took over at Mount Healthy after Crouch was hired at Hamilton.
“He’s a legendary coach,” Stevens said. “Badin is always extremely disciplined. They do exactly what they’re supposed to do. It’s tough. They don’t make mistakes. Just watching them on film and throughout the season, they don’t beat themselves. They do things really, really well — and they do it fast.
“I think we match up well. They’re big upfront. It’s going to be tough for us. But we match up well based on skill. They’ve got skill guys, but we’ve got skill guys, too. Hopefully, we can have one or two pop and see what happens. Up front, it’s going to be tough for us definitely.”
The Rams (9-2) have won nine in a row since losing to Hamilton and St. Francis De Sales to start the season. The Owls (9-2) have won four in a row and nine of their last 10.
“The goal at this point is to win and advance,” Yordy said. “It doesn’t matter necessarily what it looks like. You just got to keep playing. Last week wasn’t pretty, but we were able to battle through it, and we get to play another day. We’re practicing, and the weather is still relatively nice. So, it is what it is.”
Badin snuck by Trotwood-Madison 14-12 in the first round, while Mount Healthy beat Aiken 26-20.
“I’m really happy to get here. I’m really happy to be here,” Stevens said. “Just for these guys. We have gone through a lot — especially toward the end of last year and into the offseason and coming into this season. Our district has gone through a lot. But them just sticking around and being resilient, and that’s kind of why I hope we keep it going because I feel like they deserve it.
“I really wish I could describe some of the things that we’ve gone through,” Stevens added. “That’s why I’m excited for these guys. They’ve definitely earned it, and they’ve earned it the right way.”
Mount Healthy is led by senior quarterback Jahmeir Spain, who has thrown for 3,289 yards and 37 touchdowns. Spain has connected with junior receiver Ace Cooper 43 times for 1,238 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Owls senior running back Jayson Kauffman-Stewart, who has fully returned to the field after nursing an injury throughout the season, rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns against Aiken.
Defensively, Mount Healthy senior linebacker Raishawn Cotton has a team-best 156 tackles. Senior Tyshawn Spain has 119 tackles.
“He’s done a great job coming in after Arv,” Yordy said of Stevens. “He’s continued what Arv has accomplished. The expectations were kind of high, and he’s maintained that. Credit to him and his staff and the kids for being there and playing hard and winning football games.”
Badin has only given up 8.4 points a contest. But Yordy said he’s wanting to see a little more from his offense, which scores 20 points a game.
“We’ve got to get our offense moving more with our defense,” Yordy said of last Friday’s victory over Trotwood-Madison. “We capitalized on a turnover earlier in the game. We had a big play, and the second half, it kind of sputtered out. We’ve just got to be more consistent. One of our sayings is to try to start fast and finish strong. We got off to a fast start, but didn’t necessarily finish the way we wanted to.”
Badin is led by junior running back Lem Grayson, who has 819 yards and 11 total touchdowns. Junior quarterback Colt Emerson has thrown for 896 yards and 11 touchdowns, while junior James Brink has 35 catches for 415 yards and seven scores.
Junior Trent Owens (98 tackles), junior Alex Albrinck (86 tackles), senior Royce Rachel (8.5 sacks) and senior Xander Arnold (three interceptions) lead Badin’s defense.
“A couple games we’ve played this season, we’ve been able to pick up some first downs and eat up the clock,” Yordy said. “At the end of that game, we were able to do that. You get a couple going. So, credit to our kids for battling. We’ve hung in there and did what we needed to do to win games.”
The winner plays Anderson or Vandalia Butler next Friday in a regional semifinal at a neutral site.
Here’s a look at other coverage-area playoff games:
No. 8 Lakota East at No. 1 Moeller
The Thunderhawks (8-3) have won six of their last seven, including a 42-28 first-round victory over West Clermont.
The Crusaders (10-1) finished No. 3 in the MaxPreps Ohio High School Football Rankings. The two teams last played in the 2021 season opener when Moeller won 42-27.
Lakota East senior quarterback J.T. Kitna has thrown for 2,401 yards and 24 touchdowns. Ryder Hooks has 1,275 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with 20 catches and 188 receiving yards. Zion Neal has 40 receptions for 600 yards and eight touchdowns. Cohen Reip has a Greater Miami Conference-best 131 tackles.
Moeller junior quarterback Matt Ponatoski has thrown for 2,778 yards and 39 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Jovan Love and Matthew Fogler have caught a combined 55 passes for 1,205 and 22 touchdowns. Defensively, Jacob Cravens and Jonah Hayes each have 46 tackles, while Christian Harris has 6.5 sacks.
The winner plays either Hamilton or Princeton.
No. 7 Elder at No. 2 Lakota West
The Firebirds (10-1) are on an eight-game winning streak. The Panthers (6-5) have won two of their last three, including last week’s 28-3 victory over Mason.
Lakota West has knocked Elder out of the playoffs the last two seasons — 24-14 in 2023 and 30-10 in 2022.
The Firebirds have the best offense and defense in the GMC. Senior quarterback Sam Wiles has over 2,200 all-purpose yards and has been apart of 28 total touchdowns. Senior linebacker Grant Beerman has a team-best 86 tackles.
Panthers sophomore quarterback Kaden Estep has thrown for 1,669 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior running back Joey Thamann has over 1,200 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns, while senior receiver Christopher Paff has 44 catches for 640 yards and six touchdowns.
Elder is led by juniors Cooper Sandhas (75 tackles) and Derek Uran (71 tackles, 9.5 sacks).
The winner plays Winton Woods or St. Xavier.
No. 5 Hamilton at No. 4 Princeton
The Big Blue (9-2) have logged their best record since 1997. They’ll face the Vikings (9-2) for the second time this season. Hamilton rolled Princeton 34-0 in Week 6.
Gracen Goldsmith secured the Big Blue single season rushing record with 1,550 yards, and he’s scored 24 touchdowns.
Goldsmith rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns in the first meeting against Princeton, and the Big Blue outgained the Vikings 302-45 in yardage. Antonio Mathis connected with R.J. Shephard-Ruffin on a 66-yard touchdown pass.
Princeton junior De’Angelo Birch has thrown for 1,535 yards and 17 touchdowns. Junior Landen Miree has 48 catches for 629 yards and nine touchdowns. Defensively, junior Andre Parker has 109 tackles and seven sacks, while senior Shelvon Hibbett has a GMC-leading 13 sacks.
The winner plays Moeller or Lakota East.
