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Best Bets: Week 2 – Cincinnati

Week 2 features multiple top teams facing quality interstate and out-of-area opponents and GCL South teams battling state powers.

Deshaunte Jones-Colerain

After two picturesque Friday nights weather-wise, heat and humidity are in the forecast this weekend. The gametime temperature will likely be in the 80s, which will take a toll on teams with less depth.

Here are Cincinnati’s Best Bets for Week 2:

St. Xavier (1-0) at Colerain (1-0), 7 p.m. – Colerain ran for 363 yards in its season opener, a 27-16 win over Warren Central (Ind.). Senior quarterback Deshaunte Jones led the Cardinals’ ground attack with 183 yards. St. Xavier blew out Covington Catholic, 57-7, holding the Colonels to 20 yards of offense. The Bombers allowed just 14 rushing yards, so their defense vs. a potent Colerain running attack will be a crucial area of this game.

Wayne (1-0) at Moeller (1-0), Sunday, 4 p.m. (ESPNU) – Moeller survived a furious rally by Indianapolis Cathedral last week, 21-19 to open the season. Quarterback Tom MacVitte was solid (7-14 for 117 yards, two TDs, no interceptions), but the Crusaders ran the ball 46 times and averaged just 2.3 yards. They also turned the ball over three times. Wayne beat Canadian Prep Academy, 38-0 in its opener, giving up just 47 yards of offense.

Lebanon (0-1) at Loveland (0-1), 7 p.m. – Regardless of how these team fare ultimately, this should be an entertaining game. Lebanon and Kings combined for 104 points and 981 yards of offense in the Warriors’ 59-45 loss. Lebanon quarterback Dakota Allen threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns, and Cody Brown had 14 catches for 161 yards and three scores. Loveland also lost a high-scoring thriller, 35-34. Tigers QB Drew Plitt finished with 251 passing yards and Luke Waddell caught five passes for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the stating-the-obvious portion of this article, expect lots of passing and scoring.

Winton Woods (1-0) at Glen Este (1-0), 7 p.m. – Winton Woods scored 26 unanswered points before taking its foot off the gas in a 26-15 win at Princeton last week. The Warriors held Princeton to 1.4 yards per rush. Glen Este blew out Amelia, 63-20, led by Robby Boone’s 178 rushing yards on just eight carries – a 22.3 average – and two TDs. Both teams are well balanced offensively.

Elder (1-0) at Lakota West (1-0), 7 p.m. – Elder was down last season and Lakota West advanced to the state quarterfinal round, so the Firebirds have a chance to start 2-0 despite facing a GCL South power in Week 2. The Panthers scored eight first-half touchdowns in a 56-14 over Oak Hills last week, and Lakota West’s Zelwyn Robinson ran for four touchdowns in his team’s 41-18 win over Glenoak in the opener.

Oak Hills (0-1) at Harrison (0-1), 7 p.m. – Both teams look to rebound from Week 1 losses – Oak Hills was pounded by Elder, 56-14, and Harrison dropped a 24-23 decision to East Central. The Highlanders need to tighten up their run defense significantly, as they allowed 6.3 yards per carry. The Wildcats must cut down their penalties – they were assessed 11 for 109 yards last week – and have to do a better job closing out games. They allowed nine unanswered points in the final five minutes last week to lost by one.

Dixie Heights (0-1) at Milford (0-1), 7 p.m. – Dixie Heights went to the Class 5A state title game last season but lost a lot of talent from that squad. Milford pulled off a big win over Loveland to wrap up its 2014 campaign. But both lost their first games of the season this fall. The Colonels and Eagles should both potential and will be much improved by the end of October. In the meantime, they’re pretty evenly matched, which should make for a competitive contest.

Covington Catholic (0-2) at Sycamore (0-1), 7 p.m. – These teams dropped heartbreakers in the first games of the season. CovCath fell to Ryle, 35-28 on a late touchdown and Sycamore lost 36-35 to Mount Healthy. The Colonels also took a beating last week vs. St. Xavier. Both were above-.500 teams last year and can ill afford another loss early in the season.

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