Here we are at the close of another season of MVL football. With the playoffs just around the corner and the MVL looking to make a strong outing at the state level this season, now may be an opportune time to revisit the MVL Race of the Decade
To begin with let's take a look at the current Race of the 2000s standings:
| Team | W | L | T | PF/G | PA/G | DIF | PCT | Titles | Playoffs |
| Sheridan | 43 | 8 | 0 | 33.8 | 7.7 | 26.1 | 0.843 | 2 | 5 |
| New Lexington | 38 | 13 | 0 | 25.5 | 15.1 | 10.4 | 0.745 | 2 | 3 |
| John Glenn | 36 | 15 | 0 | 27.3 | 12.9 | 14.4 | 0.706 | 0 | 3 |
| West Muskingum | 28 | 23 | 0 | 18.4 | 16.7 | 1.7 | 0.549 | 1 | 2 |
| Crooksville | 26 | 25 | 0 | 18.6 | 19.2 | -0.6 | 0.510 | 0 | 2 |
| Morgan | 25 | 26 | 0 | 20.3 | 25.0 | -4.7 | 0.490 | 1 | 1 |
| Tri-Valley | 13 | 38 | 0 | 14.4 | 26.3 | -11.9 | 0.255 | 0 | 0 |
| Maysville | 13 | 38 | 0 | 12.3 | 27.7 | -15.4 | 0.255 | 0 | 0 |
| Philo | 11 | 40 | 0 | 11.4 | 27.5 | -16.1 | 0.216 | 0 | 0 |
As would be expected, one of the most significant movers this season was West Muskingum. In taking the 2005 MVL title, the Tornadoes surpassed Crooksville for the 4th spot and gained a game on New Lex, John Glenn and Sheridan. The other mover of note is Tri-Valley, which drew even with Maysville.
Six seasons into the decade Tri-Valley, Maysville and Philo are all eliminated from contention for the top spot. Their situation with regard to the race of the decade can be seen rather dramatically in the following chart:
| Race of the Decade (through 2005) | |||
| Team | WINS | ||
 | 43 | ||
 | 38 | ||
 | 36 | ||
 | 28 | ||
 | 26 | ||
 | 25 | ||
 | 13 | ||
 | 13 | ||
 | 11 | ||
With a five game lead, Sheridan is in excellent position to take the Race of the Decade. 0.500 seasons for the remainder of the decade would most likely keep them on top. New Lexington and John Glenn are the viable contenders; they will most likely be battling it out for the 2nd spot in the seasons to come. But keep in mind there is still a great deal of football left to be played, and if we have a few more seasons as unpredictable as this past season, who knows? Best of luck to all teams in the upcoming years; and thanks to all for a magnificent 2005.