Listen Here
UF and Ashland’s head coach each weigh in on the heavy weight battle
By Erin Moran and Sarah Rutledge
morane@findlay.edu
rutledges@findlay.edu
One of the longest-running rivalries in Division II football returns this weekend as the No. 9 University of Findlay matches up with No. 15 Ashland University in what is essentially a game for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference title. The Oilers enter the game at 9-0 overall and Ashland 8-1 overall but both are 7-0 in the conference.
The rivalry dates back to 1924 and stands as the oldest football rivalry for both teams. For Ashland’s head coach, Doug Geiser, the history and emotional nature of the game is what makes it meaningful every season.
“It’s the oldest rivalry we have,” Geiser said. “We have two schools with very like-minded, like-purpose mission statements, recruit a lot of the same players, that goes together. It’s just a natural rivalry and something we look forward to it every year”
The oldest Division II rivalry in the state of Ohio first kicked off in 1924 according to the UF Athletic Department website and has been played 51 times, with Findlay holding a 17-30-4 mark in those games.
Both teams are ranked in the Super Region 3 Rankings, Findlay at No. 2 and Ashland at No. 4.
“It’s been christened the ‘Battle of Ohio’ and is ‘a special game’,” said Geiser.
The rivalry between the schools adds emotion to the game and the undefeated record of Findlay also adds pressure to the week. For the first time in 28 years, Findlay has gone 9-0 to open the season. The team’s six captains, Tristian Cross, Israel Ogunmoyero, Jayden Farmer, Johnny Harris, Sam Weihrauch and Ethan Lane, have been foundational contributors to the success and in leading what many within the program describe as more than a team.
Cross, a fifth-year senior pre-law major at Findlay, says his reasons for even committing to Findlay in the first place was about the community of the team.
“It felt like every other place that I went to just cared about money and football,” Cross said. “When I talked with the coaches here, they harped on how much they wanted to recruit good quality young men first. Having that as my first impression meant a lot to me, and now these teammates are my brothers for life.”
Head coach Kory Allen says the players care deeply for one another and thinks the leadership on the team helps set the tone.
“I think our captains in our upper-class leadership have all done a very good job,” Allen said. “They’ve been through it all. This team believes in each other, and they very much embody our mantra of one team.” said Allen.
This season, the players were asked what their motto should be. They chose: “Prove It.” Two words that hold a lot of weight, especially to sixth-year student Jayden Farmer. Taking on Ashland for the G-MAC title give them a chance to do exactly that.
“I’m excited to prove it,” Farmer said. “Proving it to not only us as the players, but also to our fellow students, the outside, and the community.”
Both teams are very similar in more ways than one. The Ashland coach noted that preparing for Findlay often feels like preparing for a version of their own team.
“It’s like looking in the mirror,” Geiser said. “I’m hoping we can give a battle you know because they’re the superior opponent this year.”
Both coaching staff emphasized the need for controlled intensity.
“We talk about the need to play with emotion, not on it,” said Allen. “But that doesn’t matter if it’s a rivalry game, if it’s week one, two, three, or four. This game is played with emotion. There is no other way in football.”
Geiser shares a similar mentality that Ashland holds themselves to.
“Whether it’s on the field, off the field, in the community, in the classroom, you conduct yourself like a gentleman and play in the first-class manner.”
Despite the competitive playoff implications, both teams maintain a week-by-week mindset.
“This week is not going to be different because if you believe in your process, if you believe in your culture and what we are building and what we’re doing, then it shouldn’t change,” Allen said.
“I am just treating this game and these upcoming games as just normal games. We need to block out the noise,” Cross said. “I know what we are capable of.”
“We get a chance to play at home in front of our fans, get a chance to play your oldest rival and you can’t let the outside noise infect you at this point,” Geiser said. “This week that’s what the job is so you don’t want to look past anything, you don’t want to get caught up on any outside noise or talk.”
Athletic Director Jim Givens urges students and the community to go to the game and support the team.
“Being undefeated is a testament to our athletes and coaching staff,” Givens said.
“I am excited to see what we accomplish Saturday, and I hope to see as many Oilers in the stands as possible,” said Farmer.
The game kicks off at 1 p.m. at Ashland University’s Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field. The game will be Ashland’s Military and First Responder Appreciation Day.
