Football Preview: Stow at Twinsburg

9/14: Twinsburg

Tonight is the first road game for the Bulldogs, and what a test it
will be. Last year's contest was one of the most exciting games the
two teams have ever shared together—a double overtime, sudden-death
thriller ending when Chris Choler weaved his way through the Tigers
defense and found his way into the end zone. As Stow students stormed
the field, Twinsburg walked away disappointed, as this game was one
of the few blemishes on a 7-3 record. Quarterback Jalen Washington,
wielding an extremely accurate cannon for an arm, ended his junior
season with 1850 yards passing and a mere 4 interceptions, in
comparison to his 13 touchdowns. John Barton, the running back, may
be one of the few on the squad to say his 2011 campaign was just a
little bit better: 27 touchdowns on the ground, one fumble. He was
also a threat through the air, grabbing four touchdowns and averaging
15.2 yards per catch. It's safe to say that Twinsburg might be able
to cook up some trouble for Stow on the Bulldog's first road trip of
2012.

Key to victory: Here's the thing: John Barton is a beast. Listed as 5'9, 175
pounds, he scored 32 of his team's 45 touchdowns last season, and
unless something big happened in the offseason, he probably won't be
slowing down. Do whatever you can to hold Barton and worry about Jalen Washington later. The defense was not overwhelming last year, but 21 sacks is not a bad thing by any means.