NEW MIAMI — Give credit where credit is due. The New Miami High School football team is off the snide.
The Vikings snapped a 21-game losing streak with their 14-8 victory over Gamble Montessori in a season opener Friday at Mara Field.
“It’s a verification that their hard work was worth it,” New Miami second-year coach Chris Fogle said. “You get this one — when you haven’t won in so long and don’t know how to finish games — winning becomes a little bit easier because you’ve finally been there.”
New Miami’s last win was against Miami Valley Christian Academy (22-6) on Oct. 8, 2021. The Vikings had lost three straight season openers to Gamble.
Fogle is now into his second season as head coach of the Vikings. He coached for three years at Twin Valley South before coming to New Miami.
“For me, it was relief and excitement, obviously,” Fogle said. “I think it was pretty much the same for the kids.”
Fogle noted that this year’s seniors have won one game in their whole career. This year’s juniors and sophomores hadn’t won a game in high school and junior high, he added.
“They’re excited, and they’ve got that feel of what it’s like,” Fogle said. “That will want to push them on through the rest of the season.”
Senior running back Dalson Hayes ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings, who had 337 total yards of offense against Gamble. Hayes also had a game-high 13 tackles.
Senior Jason Wyatt and freshman Landyn Butler each logged an interception for New Miami (1-0), which gets back to action at Manchester on Friday, Aug. 30.
“Right now, this tells me that we have a lot of grit and determination,” Fogle said. “We’re going to fight. We’re not going to lay down for anybody, which is new for us. We’re going back to making big hits and standing on defense, which is going to be our solid ground.
“I’m so proud of them,” Fogle added. “Not so much to win, but these kids have come out to play. We had 20 kids last year, and the most we ever played with was 16. This weekend, we walked on the field with 36 kids.
“We’ve got this turning in the right direction. Obviously, we’re looking for more down the line. Our ultimate goal is to be in the playoffs at the end of the season and battling for a conference championship. We’ve come so far in one year. It’s kind of amazing how hard they’ve worked. They’ve held themselves accountable. They’ve done the work.”
