MADISON TWP. — Steve Poff used last season as a measuring tool for where the Madison High School football team needs to be heading into 2024.
He said his Mohawks are getting there. But it’s been a tough task.
“I love the attitude,” Poff said. “When you sit here and you watch them, nobody’s miserable. Everybody’s working hard.
“Do I have a bunch of crazy predictions for this season? No. We’re just going to do our best to be competitive. We want to do well in our anomaly games, but it’s time for us to be competitive in the league we’re in.”
Poff came back to lead the Mohawks last season for the start of his second stint. Madison reeled off four straight wins before losing seven consecutive — going 0-6 in Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division play.
“We’ve got to find a way to compete with Brookville. We’ve got to find a way to compete with Valley View,” Poff said. “I don’t think you can just go out and start beating teams. You start out by competing with them. When they blow the whistle for the start of the fourth quarter, and nobody knows who’s going to win, now you’re starting to turn everything around.”
Poff had already done that once in his Madison football coaching career from 2014-2018 — turning what was a mediocre team to essentially a program eyeing a Division V state title.
“We’re in the league we’re supposed to be in,” Poff said. “Yes, it’s hard to win here. It’s harder to win now than it ever has been in this league. Everybody is competitive. We’re just determined to make a better showing than what we have.”
The Mohawks caught some bad luck in 2023 when senior running back Kwenton Rhodus went down with a season-ending injury against National Trail. Madison won the Week 4 game 34-7 before losing the next seven.
“We weren’t mentally tough enough to overcome any of that,” Poff said. “We just weren’t ready. We’re much more prepared now. We’ve got lots of dudes getting reps.”
Senior Peyton Neal is starting his fourth year at center. He said there’s a lot of optimism heading into Madison’s Week 1 bout at Preble Shawnee on Aug. 23.
“It’s been a struggle for sure. We had two rough years,” Neal said. “I think the Madison Mohawks will be a very determined team.
“It’s one play at a time,” Neal added. “We might make a mistake, the other team might make a mistake. But at the end of the day, we’re a gap scheme team. We’re just trying to press all the way up as linemen. We’re not trying to get to the linebackers. We’re just trying to create gaps for our fullbacks and halfbacks — trying to get them running lanes and get them running and get them down there.
“It’s one down and distance at a time. We might get three the first play. Three yards, three yards, three yards. We’re pounding it in. Eventually, we will be down there by the endzone, and that’s it.”
Senior Kaleb Miller returns as a running back and in the secondary. Miller stepped up after Rhodus went down to rush for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 2023.
“The main focus for our team is Week 1, honestly,” Miller said. “Chalking down Shawnee’s game first, and we’re just trying to get better, get our reps in and be more efficient with our plays.”
Poff said there will be some fresh faces on the field once Week 1, in fact, rolls around.
“We’ve lost a lot of kids,” Poff said. “Some moved on to different things, or they just didn’t want to be here, and that’s OK. I’ve told the team that they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. The ones that we have left are fantastic as far as their attitudes. We’ve got a lot of stuff that we’re trying to work on. They’re trying. We’re working every day.”
While the Mohawks knocked off Preble Shawnee 33-13 in last year’s season opener, Poff said they’re not looking past the Arrows in a couple weeks.
“We understand that they’re going to be fantastic,” Poff said. “We’re going to get their best game. We know they aren’t happy about last year. Every week for us this year is going to be a dogfight.“We’re trying to figure out the pieces. You’ve got to make them work.”
