As I watched Avon dismantle Vermilion Friday night, I thought to myself, "Was this believable before the season started?" It was realistic to expect Avon to win the West Shore Conference and have a banner season. I don't think anyone expected was a team that could be put in the class of its 1996 team that went undefeated.

If you remember that team, the '96 Eagles won with Zach Mitchell and Tim Nelson running the football, a stout defense, and sophomore Christian Wimmer as the quarterback.

This year's team is much different in that the quarterback is a senior, and the team revolves around his play -- vs. a young quarterback being cushioned by veterans around him. Either way, it's an exciting time in Avon. I stand by my prediction that would have Vermilion second in the WSC. Sure, the Sailors have some tough games with Rocky River and North Ridgeville left, but I'm believing Avon is 41-18 better than the rest of the WSC.

Here's some conference-by-conference items I'll be thinking about Saturday morning:

SWC: I still can't believe I heard on the radio Berea shut out Brecksville. I'll have to see that one in print. Brecksville's loss and an apparent injury to Brandon Kish has me thinking Avon Lake looks like a good pick to win the Southwestern Conference again. If Kish is out for a long period of time, I think Amherst can get to the Avon Lake game without him. But, they won't have much of a chance against a smart defense that won't falter by keying on Kish and allowing Brandon Morgan speed by them the other way on a misdirection run.

LEL: Shaw's win over Admiral King was no surprise, but the magnitude of the beating was eye opening. I'll be interested to see where the Admirals fall in the computer ratings. Even if they win out, it's going to be tough for them to make it. I fear their non-conference schedule is just too light. They needed this one.

PAC: Oberlin has guaranteed itself of not having a losing season for the first time since 1997. Next up is Brooklyn and a chance at a 6-1 start, the first of its kind at Oberlin since defensive coordinator Jehu Anderson was a senior there. Then, Oberlin has Lutheran West, which plays Clearview in a Stripes Division showdown next week. If Lutheran West and Oberlin win, it will be ironic. The last time Oberlin was 6-1, it played for the Lorain County Conference title against Wellington in Week 8.

NOC: Another tough loss for Elyria, but last week's defeat to Parma has me thinking 1-9 - or 2-8 if Elyria can beat Lakewood - is that team's fate.

NCL: Like Admiral King, losses like Friday's are going to cost Elyria Catholic a shot at the playoffs.

SBC: Huron vs. Clyde looked to be the difference maker in the Sandusky Bay Conference. With Clyde's win, the Fliers look to have a hold on the conference like Avon does with the WSC.

FC: St. Paul plays Saturday, and I doubt the Flyers will lose before the playoffs, but The Swami said it's time to take New London seriously. With the seniors and experience New London had back, I expected a breakout season. Still, I would be surprised if New London won more than twice in the last four weeks.

NOL: Every week Bellevue shows there's reason to believe it's back.

Mike Mansnerus' halfback pass to Kevin Morisette made No. 6 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays Thursday night.
In case you missed the highlight or the game, Avon Lake beat Olmsted Falls, 34-7. Mansnerus, a lefty, rolled to his left on the pitch and hit Morisette for a deep touchdown pass. The win was big enough for Avon Lake, overcoming an 11-6 loss last weeek at Brecksville. Add the highlight getting a push nationally, this could give Avon Lake quite a boost for the second half of the season.

If I didn't have to stay in the office Friday night (the Journal is implementing a new system, and I must help ease the transition), I'm sure I would hear WEOL's Tim Alcorn mention how he can't believe we're coming to the midway point of the season.

Each year, he says it and I know a lot of people are thinking it.

So, with the midway point upon us after Friday night's games, what will the second half have in store for the area?

I'm sticking by a few of my predictions, like Vermilion winning five or six of its last seven games and the Southwestern Conference prediction that I rattled off last week.

There are a few surprises:
- I'm still in shock Wellington is 0-4. Like Vermilion, this is another team capable of turning its season around. The Dukes' fate will depend on their psyche after some tough losses in the fourth quarter.
- Edison and Western Reserve are 3-1. Maybe this was lack of respect on my part, but I didn't think either would be much better than 5-5 or 6-4. They're both looking like they'll win at least seven.
- Monroeville is also 0-4, but then again, the Eagles have been plagued by injuries.
- Avon Lake lost two games in the first four weeks. I still scratch my eyes at this because the Shoremen still have what any team would dream to possess -- uncanny talent up front.
- Anthony Harrison has back-to-back 200-plus yard performances. I know he's good, but I wouldn't have thought Admiral King's offense would allow a back to get enough carries to reach that point. Then again, Harrison is averaging about 10 yards per carry.

As I'm watching the Monday Night Football game between Dallas and Philadelphia, I notice Terrell Owens flapping his arms, immitating the Eagles' dance that he once flaunted so frequently.
Obviously, this is Owens at his finest. The sad part of it is the pros are there for everyone to see, making what guys like Owens do a direct impact the kids who watch them.
Now, don't let me have you think Owens' actions are going to make a high school senior replicate him.
A seventh- or eighth-grade football player may, though.
That's what makes the flaunting and showboating bad. Personally, I don't mind it, but seeing Owens flap his arms Monday night got me thinking about the impact it could have on that seventh grader.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association goes out of its way to promote sportsmanship, requiring public address announcers to read its message before games, and by other avenues.
That could get lost when someone flaps his arms like an eagle this week during his team's seventh-grade football game.

I get that feeling we're going to see a Southwestern Conference race similar to the last few times Avon Lake wasn't the sole champion. You remember, like two years ago when Brecksville emerged with Olmsted Falls closely behind.
If you remember the last time before that, the 2000 season and around that time -- when the SWC had three-way shares for the conference title between Amherst, Avon Lake and Olmsted Falls -- then you really know what I'm talking about.
Avon Lake already has a loss to Brecksville, but Amherst looks poised and Olmsted Falls could bounce back to be a player with the Comets, Bees and Shoremen.
Who do I like? Amherst, naturally, with what I see as the conference's best and most balanced offense, plus a defense that has shown it has arrived in the last two weeks.
But, here's my prediction and reason why I think the SWC is so intriguing:
It starts Thursday at Avon Lake. My pick is Avon Lake beats Olmsted Falls in overtime, 20-14, on the FSN Ohio showdown.
With that loss, Olmsted Falls falls to 1-4, but then goes on to win its last five games, including a home win over Brecksville.
Brecksville will suffer just one loss, that one at Olmsted Falls, but beat Amherst for its only loss.
In Week 10, a 5-1 Amherst will meet a 5-1 Avon Lake for a chance to share the SWC with Brecksville. In that game, Amherst wins and shares the SWC with Brecksville at 6-1. Falls and Avon Lake end up at 5-2.
There you have it; my prediction. It's something I thought about last night while driving home and wanted to share.

Friday night, Derek Hoebing put on the jersey he wanted to be wearing all along: No. 89.
For the first two games of the season, he was wearing No. 65, his old jersey from his freshman season when he played on the offensive line. That was his job once again for the first two games this season, but the return of left guard Logan Wright allowed Hoebing to return to tight end.
The Sailors still lost to Amherst, 28-7, their offense sputtered despite Hoebing's return to the position he will play next year at Michigan State, and they're 0-3.
It couldn't get any more disappointing at Vermilion, right?
Not so fast.
Like coach Frank Horvath said after the loss, Vermilion's opponents are a combined 8-0. In fact, all three teams Vermilion lost to in non-conference play could be undefeated next week if Huron beats St. Paul Saturday in a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2 in The Morning Journal Power Poll.
Let's see. On top of Huron, which was No. 2 this week, I voted Amherst No. 1 and Clearview will be in the top five after this week.
That's a pretty brutal schedule for this area's standards.
Before the season, I thought Vermilion would finish 6-1 or 5-2 in the conference and go 1-2 in non-conference.
Guess what Vermilion? I'm sticking by my conference prediction: The Sailors will go 6-1 in the West Shore Conference. At worst, they'll be 5-2.
The offense struggled mightily against Amherst, which has a defense that looked lack-luster in the first two games. In Week 3, it was more of Amherst's defense showing up than Vermilion's offense not showing up. Granted, they didn't look good, but there's still plenty of talent on that team to support a defense that is in the upper echelon of the WSC.
I thought to myself, "maybe they need to just go with one quarterback. Platooning Tim Clark and Mike Virgin is too predictable."
With Clark, teams know Vermilion will pass. With Virgin, the Sailors are more apt to running.
Then again, it worked for Ohio State with Joe Germaine and Stanley Jackson one year. Plus, Horvath knows much more about his guys than me or any other run-of-the-mill observer.
The bottom line is the WSC schedule is here, and that bodes well for a Vermilion team that had the toughest non-conference schedule in that conference. Yes, even tougher than Midview's lineup of Warrensville Heights, Amherst and Buckeye.
Because of that, I stick by my prediction. Vermilion will still win six games. Avon's looking like the class of the conference, but Vermilion has been conditioned the best by what its faced.
The realist in me says five, but I'm sticking with six. And I'll argue with anyone on that.

Clearview junior Anthony Hitchens was among the Week 2 nominees for the Army Iron Man Award, which honors Ohio's best two-way high school football players.
Hitchens had 197 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 18 carries in Clearview's 34-12 win over Vermilion. He also returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown from his linebacking spot.
The performance was an eye-opening one.
Everyone already knew about Hitchens' ability as a running back. His play as a linebacker has gotten less notoriety (I plead guilty on that one), but after his play last week, I'm ready to argue he's as good, if not better, as a linebacker. Numerous times, Clearview coach Mike Collier gave Hitchens the green light to blitz, and Hitchens was in the Vermilion backfield causing havoc all game long. It didn't matter if Vermilion had dropback passer Tim Clark or the more mobile Mike Virgin taking snaps. Hitchens was in both of their faces.
As for the interception, he was in the right place at the right time. Hitchens sat in zone coverage when he pulled in the interception, but he weaved and dodged would-be tacklers on his way back to the end zone.
On offense, he already knows he's getting the ball. But, on the interception, he had to react quickly. It showed just how good he is and, maybe more importantly, how much he's improved since his freshman year.