TVC Ohio & Hocking

[riddlemejohnny]

Since it was a Hocking vs. Ohio matchup last night. Waterford put a BTA beatdown on River Valley. Waterford has had it's woe's over the last few weeks. Since the the departure of some coaches from the staff, Coach's Cunningham and Burns really seem to have this group headed in the right direction. Can't wait to see the Waterford Southern match up Friday night!

[SEOsportchamp23]

Since it was a Hocking vs. Ohio matchup last night. Waterford put a BTA beatdown on River Valley. Waterford has had it's woe's over the last few weeks. Since the the departure of some coaches from the staff, Coach's Cunningham and Burns really seem to have this group headed in the right direction. Can't wait to see the Waterford Southern match up Friday night!

Waterford has finally settled into who they are, and that identity is hard to deal with.

Cunningham and Burns really do look like they’ve found the rhythm of the offense — not just running sets, but understanding when to push the ball inside, when to let their athletes work, and when to kick out to shooters. That inside‑out balance is what separates a good team from a dangerous one.
Waterford’s athleticism --there is a luxury most small‑school teams don’t have. When your forwards like Heiner, Roberts and Fairchild can defend, rebound, run the floor, and finish (even if still polishing the touch around the rim), it forces defenses to collapse. That’s exactly why Lang and Pennock are getting those clean looks and last night both of them were wide open a lot. With this type of offense- defenses have to choose who to defend. And this is one team that has 7 or 8 players who can make it difficult where you simply can’t guard everything at once. Add in steady, no‑drama production from a player like Pottmeyer, and suddenly every possession has multiple threats.

The first Southern matchup was a completely different version of Waterford. That deep playoff run in football created a slow start — conditioning, timing, and chemistry all lag behind. Now they look like a group that’s been practicing together for months, not days/weeks.

If they defend with discipline and keep pounding the ball inside, this has all the makings of a game that stays tight deep into the fourth quarter. Southern isn’t going to roll over at home, and Waterford’s style forces long, physical possessions. That combination usually produces a grinder of a finish.

May have to make the trip to Racine for this one. Wasn't planning on it but I think this matchup may be the best game on the schedule in SEO.

[riddlemejohnny]

Since it was a Hocking vs. Ohio matchup last night. Waterford put a BTA beatdown on River Valley. Waterford has had it's woe's over the last few weeks. Since the the departure of some coaches from the staff, Coach's Cunningham and Burns really seem to have this group headed in the right direction. Can't wait to see the Waterford Southern match up Friday night!

Waterford has finally settled into who they are, and that identity is hard to deal with.

Cunningham and Burns really do look like they’ve found the rhythm of the offense — not just running sets, but understanding when to push the ball inside, when to let their athletes work, and when to kick out to shooters. That inside‑out balance is what separates a good team from a dangerous one.
Waterford’s athleticism --there is a luxury most small‑school teams don’t have. When your forwards like Heiner, Roberts and Fairchild can defend, rebound, run the floor, and finish (even if still polishing the touch around the rim), it forces defenses to collapse. That’s exactly why Lang and Pennock are getting those clean looks and last night both of them were wide open a lot. With this type of offense- defenses have to choose who to defend. And this is one team that has 7 or 8 players who can make it difficult where you simply can’t guard everything at once. Add in steady, no‑drama production from a player like Pottmeyer, and suddenly every possession has multiple threats.

The first Southern matchup was a completely different version of Waterford. That deep playoff run in football created a slow start — conditioning, timing, and chemistry all lag behind. Now they look like a group that’s been practicing together for months, not days/weeks.

If they defend with discipline and keep pounding the ball inside, this has all the makings of a game that stays tight deep into the fourth quarter. Southern isn’t going to roll over at home, and Waterford’s style forces long, physical possessions. That combination usually produces a grinder of a finish.

May have to make the trip to Racine for this one. Wasn't planning on it but I think this matchup may be the best game on the schedule in SEO.

I agree with you 100%. I thought Coach Cunningham's quote in the Times following the FF game was nice tip of the hat to his players.

“What can I say about the group? Start rocky for the year. They don’t lose their way. Come in and work every day to get better and fight. We’re to the point where we’re seeing the gathering of our hard work. That’s on those guys. To be in the position they were, to come in and keep grinding every day. I couldn’t be more proud of them,”

You can definitely see it from the stands. This group has grew leaps in bounds over the last few games, that starts in the locker room! Their ability to come together and then combine their athleticism and ability to play the game, throw in some good coaching, its very likely we have not seen the best version of them yet! I thought at the beginning of the season Waterford's depth would be their achilles' heel. Like you said their identity has shifted. It was 2-3 guys, now 7-8 guys. Not to mention I noticed the Hurley kid was back for the first time since a long break with mono. This young man showed a lot of promise early on in the year. If the can get him to speed by tournament time, they are pushing the envelope of 8-9 guys. Its no secret that teams with that kind of depth become huge problems for other teams.

I am with you, Friday could be an absolute barn burner! If Waterford comes out on the winning side, the TVC Hocking just became very, very interesting.

[SEOsportchamp23]

Since it was a Hocking vs. Ohio matchup last night. Waterford put a BTA beatdown on River Valley. Waterford has had it's woe's over the last few weeks. Since the the departure of some coaches from the staff, Coach's Cunningham and Burns really seem to have this group headed in the right direction. Can't wait to see the Waterford Southern match up Friday night!

Waterford has finally settled into who they are, and that identity is hard to deal with.

Cunningham and Burns really do look like they’ve found the rhythm of the offense — not just running sets, but understanding when to push the ball inside, when to let their athletes work, and when to kick out to shooters. That inside‑out balance is what separates a good team from a dangerous one.
Waterford’s athleticism --there is a luxury most small‑school teams don’t have. When your forwards like Heiner, Roberts and Fairchild can defend, rebound, run the floor, and finish (even if still polishing the touch around the rim), it forces defenses to collapse. That’s exactly why Lang and Pennock are getting those clean looks and last night both of them were wide open a lot. With this type of offense- defenses have to choose who to defend. And this is one team that has 7 or 8 players who can make it difficult where you simply can’t guard everything at once. Add in steady, no‑drama production from a player like Pottmeyer, and suddenly every possession has multiple threats.

The first Southern matchup was a completely different version of Waterford. That deep playoff run in football created a slow start — conditioning, timing, and chemistry all lag behind. Now they look like a group that’s been practicing together for months, not days/weeks.

If they defend with discipline and keep pounding the ball inside, this has all the makings of a game that stays tight deep into the fourth quarter. Southern isn’t going to roll over at home, and Waterford’s style forces long, physical possessions. That combination usually produces a grinder of a finish.

May have to make the trip to Racine for this one. Wasn't planning on it but I think this matchup may be the best game on the schedule in SEO.

I agree with you 100%. I thought Coach Cunningham's quote in the Times following the FF game was nice tip of the hat to his players.

“What can I say about the group? Start rocky for the year. They don’t lose their way. Come in and work every day to get better and fight. We’re to the point where we’re seeing the gathering of our hard work. That’s on those guys. To be in the position they were, to come in and keep grinding every day. I couldn’t be more proud of them,”

You can definitely see it from the stands. This group has grew leaps in bounds over the last few games, that starts in the locker room! Their ability to come together and then combine their athleticism and ability to play the game, throw in some good coaching, its very likely we have not seen the best version of them yet! I thought at the beginning of the season Waterford's depth would be their achilles' heel. Like you said their identity has shifted. It was 2-3 guys, now 7-8 guys. Not to mention I noticed the Hurley kid was back for the first time since a long break with mono. This young man showed a lot of promise early on in the year. If the can get him to speed by tournament time, they are pushing the envelope of 8-9 guys. Its no secret that teams with that kind of depth become huge problems for other teams.

I am with you, Friday could be an absolute barn burner! If Waterford comes out on the winning side, the TVC Hocking just became very, very interesting.

When you’ve got a rotation that already goes 7–8 deep and a JV group that’s young but capable of giving real minutes, that’s the kind of depth small‑school teams usually don’t have. It shows up in games like last night—fresh legs, no panic when someone gets in foul trouble, and the confidence that anyone who checks in can contribute.

Hurley being out with mono explains a lot. He’s exactly the kind of bench guy who becomes a difference‑maker in February: energy, size, and no fear. Getting him healthy only strengthens what they already have.

And what about the younger Pottmeyer. He’s small, but he plays with that natural feel you can’t teach. Vision, pace, and the ability to make the right read—those traits age really well. Give him another offseason and he’s going to look like a completely different player.

They are only graduating one senior- which is wild. That’s how you build a multi‑year run. They’re already competitive, but the ceiling is clearly higher than what we’ve seen so far. They have got some tough ones ahead with Southern and then Warren and Athens. Those teams will test them, but honestly, those are the kinds of games that sharpen a team’s identity and help the rankings take care of themselves.

Everything about this group screams upward trajectory. If they stay healthy and keep developing, they’re going to be a problem for a while.
Friday night will be a packed house in Racine.