MAKIN' A STATEMENT...is what Tri-County North did with a 47-13 victory over Bethel.

It's only the second week of the season and things are unclear as to who will emerge as the team to beat in the CCC this year.

Mississinawa Valley was the only conference team to capture a win to open the season, but Miami East quickly took care of that with a 44-0 shellacking on the Blackhawk's home field in week two.

In the process, Sam Smallwood became the leading ground gainer in school history with 2,818 career yards - breaking the previous record of 2,812 set by Tim Roddy in 1977.

It was a dominating effort by East, who scored all it's points in the first three quarters and used the fourth quarter to rest the starters.

With Smallwood and a ton of other seniors on the roster, Miami East appears to be better than the playoff team it fielded a year ago - making for a huge obstacle for other Cross County Conference foes.

Covington, last year's Conference Champs, had its hands full with a much improved Bradford team before pulling away with a 35-6 victory.

Already young and without five starters, the victory came at a cost for the Buccs as additional injuries occurred in the physical battle between the two rival programs.

But Dave Miller managed to keep the Buccaneer ship on course as younger players entered the game and contributed with solid efforts - even making big plays as evident by the 31-yard touchdown run by back-up quarterback Jake Stewart.

Bradford, on the other hand, has shown significant improvement from a year ago - even with the youth on its roster. First year coach Chris Miller had his team playing physical football, although youthful mistakes cost them throughout the game. More experience in Miller's offense will make the Railroaders a dangerous opponent for anyone in the CCC by season's end.

Tri-County North, also a young team, made a statement with a 47-13 victory over a traditionally strong Bethel team. The Panthers dominated throughout, scoring 35 points in the first half and 12 more points in the third quarter.

North tallied 476 yards of offense, while holding the Bees to just 138 yards - all coming on the ground.

With the size the Panthers have up front and the speed they have at the skill positions, Tri-County North could be in the hunt at the end of the season.

Arcanum also picked up a win after an embarrassing effort against Middletown Madison in week one. The Trojans held off a gutty Twin Valley South team for a 30-27 victory.

Both teams have new coaches and will continue to improve as the season progresses.

The longest tenured coach in the conference, Eugene Hoening, has his dangerous Ansonia Tigers in the win column after a 40-19 victory over National Trail.

Over the years Hoening has garnered respect from other coaches around the league for fielding hard-hitting, physical football teams. As each week goes by the Tigers will continue to improve, which makes them a challenge for any team in the CCC looking to capture the CCC crown.

It's still early and the story hasn't been written on the 2008 football season. Teams are still not refined and in mid-season form, making the next two weeks critical for every team in the conference.

Hopefully everyone stays healthy and continues to improve. Because it will only lead to some exciting matchups over the next eight weeks.