The Centerville Elk versus The Huber Heights Wayne Warriors

W

WarriorOne

Well-known member
This is the most unusual Ohio High School football season in the past thirty-five years. That's how long I've been a Wayne fan. During that time there has certainly been turbulence for both teams. After the Elkies dominated Wayne for many years, Wayne hired Schneider and he upset the Greater Miami D-1 hierarchy. Next, Centerville's Coach Gregg retired, Wayne hired Coach Minton and while things improved for the Warriors while they began a downward spiral for Centerville.

Now fast forward to the past few years. Centerville has begun to show some improvement while the Warriors unceremoniously dumped Minton.

Now, things have almost reversed. The Elkies appear to show improvement while the Warriors are struggling to get back to their winning ways. Then, along comes the unprecedented affects of the pandemic. Has this "no-fans-in-the-stadium" strategy affected this rivalry?

Do these unusual circumstances negatively affect this rivalry? Should this year be identified with an asterisk on the schedule? Will this rivalry continue with the importance of the past twenty years? What do you think? Oh, you can tell us how and why your team will win this upcoming game too.
 
 
I think cville defense has played good. Wayne always has athletes but struggle score against Miamisburg. Although Miamisburg is better than last year I still thought Wayne would put it to them. Burg kept it close. Cville played Springfield good but I’m not overly impressed with Springfield either. I believe b close low scoring affair. No dog in this fight but respect the rivalry of these two programs. Good luck both teams
 
WarriorOne said:
This is the most unusual Ohio High School football season in the past thirty-five years. That's how long I've been a Wayne fan. During that time there has certainly been turbulence for both teams. After the Elkies dominated Wayne for many years, Wayne hired Schneider and he upset the Greater Miami D-1 hierarchy. Next, Centerville's Coach Gregg retired, Wayne hired Coach Minton and while things improved for the Warriors while they began a downward spiral for Centerville.

Now fast forward to the past few years. Centerville has begun to show some improvement while the Warriors unceremoniously dumped Minton.

Now, things have almost reversed. The Elkies appear to show improvement while the Warriors are struggling to get back to their winning ways. Then, along comes the unprecedented affects of the pandemic. Has this "no-fans-in-the-stadium" strategy affected this rivalry?

Do these unusual circumstances negatively affect this rivalry? Should this year be identified with an asterisk on the schedule? Will this rivalry continue with the importance of the past twenty years? What do you think? Oh, you can tell us how and why your team will win this upcoming game too.
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The Centerville and Wayne rivalry goes way back. I attended the Centerville @ Wayne game in 1966, and also the Wayne @ Centerville game in 1967. No pandemic is going to stop this rivalry! This should be another exciting game between them at Centerville Stadium!

Since you referred to the Elks as "Elkies" (Vamps does this too). I was wondering that in this time of social awareness, that if the Wayne Warriors mascot with an image of a native American, all dolled up in an Indian headset and war paint, has gotten any backlash?
 
Kyle_E_Woyote said:
The Centerville and Wayne rivalry goes way back. I attended the Centerville @ Wayne game in 1966, and also the Wayne @ Centerville game in 1967. No pandemic is going to stop this rivalry! This should be another exciting game between them at Centerville Stadium!

Since you referred to the Elks as "Elkies" (Vamps does this too). I was wondering that in this time of social awareness, that if the Wayne Warriors mascot with an image of a native American, all dolled up in an Indian headset and war paint, has gotten any backlash?
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.Yes, they most certainly have been criticized for their team logo. Most especially and vigorously by me. Several other Wayne fans have posted their displeasure too. However, referring to the Centerville team as the Elkies is not social. It is simply a harmless but provocative way of ribbing the fans of a competitor. I would not and have not ever posted anything that may be considered socially insensitive.
 
WarriorOne said:
.Yes, they most certainly have been criticized for their team logo. Most especially and vigorously by me. Several other Wayne fans have posted their displeasure too. However, referring to the Centerville team as the Elkies is not social. It is simply a harmless but provocative way of ribbing the fans of a competitor. I would not and have not ever posted anything that may be considered socially insensitive.
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Who thought of Elkies first, you or vamps? :unsure:
 
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Kyle_E_Woyote said:
Who thought of Elkies first, you or vamps? :unsure:
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I don't know. I've used it for years now but I can't say it was original. I do remember using it in response to the "Dayton Wayne" moniker assigned to the Warriors. There have been a few other things Wayne has been called too but I will not remind you of them. Some were very irritating.
 
I remember Wayne having the most enthusiastic fans, from way back when I was at the Centerville @ Wayne game in 1966. The game was a blowout, with Wayne winning 39-6. The Wayne fans packed their home side of the stadium, and I think it was still filled all the way to the end of that blowout game. I could feel the energy coming from them. I could tell they really loved football and their team.

I went back to Dayton and saw the Centerville @ Wayne game in 2015. I got a sideline pass from an old friend I knew who was affiliated with the Wayne athletic department. Wayne packed the stands again, with that same energy, almost 50 years later!

Even with this pandemic and some of the things that have happened with the football program recently, I still can't imagine a Wayne home game where the Wayne faithful didn't pack their side.
 
My memory of Wayne only goes back to 1986. That is when I moved to Huber Heights from an advisory assignment to England with the DOD. I am originally from Columbus. Now retired with 43 years service and approaching 80 years of age I have become somewhat frail and have not been able to go to a game in about five years. Still, I manage to listen in via Alexa or the internet. It will be so very unfortunate if this rivalry is allowed to diminish. I think it is good for the Dayton area.
 
Thank you for your years of service WarriorOne. With more games coming on the internet, I hope you can be watching more and more of the Wayne games. I think the Wayne / Centerville rivalry is still alive and well, and will be well into the future.
 
Seeing both teams this game can go either way. Centerville front 7 is tough and Wayne has a ton of speed. If Wayne runs the ball I think they win the game in a close one
 
Both teams have descended to mediocrity...for somewhat different reasons...
Having followed HS sports for nearly 50 years now, I've reached some fairly consistent understanding of what happens over time & changing demographics for Public schools.
For nearly every "winning" program there is a "season" (no pun intended) where the community itself hits a growth streak in terms of prosperity, popularity, and a younger demographic of parents also hitting their own stride. In Dayton, this happened for the city schools primarily in the 50's/60's when the town prospered with a vibrant industrial employment base and a low cost of living. You had Belmont, Roosevelt, Meadowdale & Dunbar all fielding top sports programs. Wayne (Huber Heights), Centerville, Kettering, Troy, Sidney, Northmont (Englewood) and others likewise began growing exponentially shortly thereafter.
Within each program, an ideal moment of timing occurred when the right coach arrived and was able to instill his philosophy at a time when the community would accept it. For Troy it came in the early 70's, For Faimont, Centerville & Northmont it came in the mid 70's and for Wayne it came in the 80's.
That crescendo of timing, community, coaching and parents & kids all hungry for success, no matter how hard the work, only has its moment in the sun for so long...(some longer than others) and then it burns itself out, as slowly everything begins to change to something different. Not always worse, just different. And some, of course, never reach a winning formula.
Football, as we all know, is a tough sport. It takes tough kids, tough coaches, & a tough-minded community to succeed.
In my opinion, Centerville has descended because the program & community has grown soft. Wayne has descended because the program has lost focus & discipline. The most obvious common denominator of course being great coaching and the support to fuel it...
What is now different for Wayne and Centerville was inevitable. This is not intended, nor directed as judgement for the current players & coaches...it just is what it is. Things come & go and then come & go back again...But for now, it's mediocre time.
 
I expect this game will be another close one like last year. Both teams return a lot of talent. Even though everybody makes the playoffs this year, it feels like this game is a "must win" for both teams as neither want to drop to a record of 1-2.
 
Kyle_E_Woyote said:
The Centerville and Wayne rivalry goes way back. I attended the Centerville @ Wayne game in 1966, and also the Wayne @ Centerville game in 1967. No pandemic is going to stop this rivalry! This should be another exciting game between them at Centerville Stadium!

Since you referred to the Elks as "Elkies" (Vamps does this too). I was wondering that in this time of social awareness, that if the Wayne Warriors mascot with an image of a native American, all dolled up in an Indian headset and war paint, has gotten any backlash?
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To some, maybe not you, the term Warrior is a compliment.
 
ELK Strong said:
I expect this game will be another close one like last year. Both teams return a lot of talent. Even though everybody makes the playoffs this year, it feels like this game is a "must win" for both teams as neither want to drop to a record of 1-2.
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Agreed this is a make or break feeling game for both. Winner stays in the hunt for the league title and sets themselves up with a solid seed chance for playoffs
 
I have no dog in this fight, but I occasionally like to share an anecdote on how serious this game is to some people. Many years ago, I worked for a company headquartered in Huber Heights. Most of the workers lived in Huber Heights and were avid Wayne Warrior fans. They had kids on the team and lived for Friday night Wayne games. Most of them knew I lived in Centerville (but attended Alter HS) and they taunted me all week. Try as I might, I couldn't get them to understand that I really didn't care which team won. "I went to Alter. I don't care who wins. I have no loyalty to Centerville High School. None. Zip. I live in Centerville, that's all. Good luck. I hope Wayne wins", I would say, time after time, but to no avail. Sure enough, the next Monday, after a Wayne victory, they would keep taunting me, "HAHA. We kicked your Elk butt! LOSER! HAHAHA." I would just shake my head. Their passion (and ignorance?) was unbelievable.

Good luck to both teams (I guess).
 
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HardCorps said:
To some, maybe not you, the term Warrior is a compliment.
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I apologies for hijacking my own thread but I must respectfully disagree. There are some limited situations where "Warrior" may be considered endearing but when it is used to express a quality of a mass murderer, it is not a quality that should be associated with children. The history is obvious that the term is used to emphasise the brutality of "Mad Anthony Wayne" and his soldiers.
 
WarriorOne said:
ct

I apologies for hijacking my own thread but I must respectfully disagree. There are some limited situations where "Warrior" may be considered endearing but when it is used to express a quality of a mass murderer, it is not a quality that should be associated with children. The history is obvious that the term is used to emphasise the brutality of "Mad Anthony Wayne" and his soldiers.
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When I think of United States Marines, Soldiers, SEALS, and Air Force Air Controllers that is when I think of Warriors, period. That is just me, but then again I am a little picky about that. Athletes, not so much.
 
Guys,
I think I've reached the point where I have nothing left to contribute. I have really enjoyed the Yappi forum and most all of the people on here. Thankyou for the insight, the loyalty & the memories...You are all great fans and supporters of HS sports, which I admire. Best of luck to both programs...I hope you achieve what you are looking for. I especially want to single out Elks '83, Elksone, Elkstrong and Vamps, whom I have all come to respect.
Best of wishes to the Elks teams, coaches and supporters...it's been enjoyable to follow you through the years. This is Nooks signing off..............
 
When I think of "Warriors"; Suebi, Thuringians, Angles, Jutes, Saxons,Franks come to mind; dang Latin classes. just change the mascot to a Harii; Germanic warriors who painted themselves all in black and attacked at night; oh, wait a minute- nevermind.
 
I'll take the Warriors in a great one. Interception returned for TD gives the Warriors the victory.
 
Wayne needs discipline, after 15 penalties for 144 yards, if they play like that friday, they lose.

Not sure what the coaches are doing about it, but thats pretty bad. Definitely not the same team.
 
I'm sure many rival fans in the GWOC enjoy seeing both Centerville and Wayne sort of come back to Earth. I'm not a fan of either team, but do remember the many great teams these schools have produced. I would enjoy seeing both get back to their consistent, winning ways. As for this game, I expect it to be a close game either way, decided by 7 or less. I'll go with:

Centerville 24
Wayne 21
 
purplenova said:
Wayne needs discipline, after 15 penalties for 144 yards, if they play like that friday, they lose.

Not sure what the coaches are doing about it, but thats pretty bad. Definitely not the same team.
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Agreed. After so long, one would assume they don’t care.
 
purplenova said:
Wayne needs discipline, after 15 penalties for 144 yards, if they play like that friday, they lose.

Not sure what the coaches are doing about it, but thats pretty bad. Definitely not the same team.
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Yeah, it isn't getting any better. Same story from last year carried into this year. Maybe the coaches have addressed it? Who knows? As much as I love the Wayne Warriors, I feel our best days are behind us. Kudos to the school board for ruining a dynasty program!
 
bigtimewaynefan said:
Yeah, it isn't getting any better. Same story from last year carried into this year. Maybe the coaches have addressed it? Who knows? As much as I love the Wayne Warriors, I feel our best days are behind us. Kudos to the school board for ruining a dynasty program!
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There's still the great, long lasting Centerville / Wayne rivalry.
 
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