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Best Bets: Week 2 – Dayton

No one wants to start the season at 0-2. Digging a hole like that will make it very difficult to snare a playoff berth come Halloween night. Several Dayton area schools are in must win situations. The road to November is tough no one wants to make it harder than it already is.

Markell StephensPepper-TrotwoodMadison

Here is a look at our Dayton Best Bets for Week 2.

Springboro (0-1) at Centerville (0-1), 7 p.m. – Both schools are coming off of heartbreaking losses. This is a must win for each school. Going 0-2 in Division I, Region 2 will make the playoff quest very difficult to overcome. Springboro has to take care of the football and Centerville has to tighten up its defense in order to snatch the victory.

Clinton-Massie (1-0) at Steubenville (1-0), 7.pm. – This could be the preview for the Division IV state title games. Steubenville and Clinton-Massie are both capable of going all the way. This affair has all the ingredients for an “instant classic.”

Fairfield (1-0) at Northmont (0-1), 7 p.m. – Fairfield must avoid the trap of a letdown game after a big win over Centerville. The Indians have a multitude of playmakers on offense. That will keep opposing defense honest. The Northmont offense struggled mightily in Week 1. That led to the Thunderbolts defense being on the field for more than 30 minutes against Hilliard Davidson. Those minutes need to be cut significantly if Northmont wants to hang in this tilt.

Greenville (1-0) at Tippecanoe (1-0), 7 p.m. – Tippecanoe has reloaded and the Red Devils new cast of characters racked up 404 yards rushing last week. Greenville must stop the run and Jakob Prall. The Green Wave is playing with an extremely large amount of confidence. They are a veteran bunch who won’t be rattled on the road at Tipp.

Indian Hill (1-0) at Waynesville (0-1), 7 p.m. – A dominating performance by Indian Hill over New Richmond in the opener caught everyone’s attention. The Braves defense allowed just 55 yards passing and 50 rushing in Week 1. Waynesville had its share of offensive ineptitude against Bellbrook. The Spartans must be sharper Friday or else it could be a very long night.

Kings (1-0) at Xenia (0-1), 7 p.m. – Xenia has to fix its problems stopping the run or else it could be a very long night. The Buccaneers gave up 405 yards and six rushing touchdowns in the loss to Beavercreek. Kings had three players rush for more than 100 yards in its win over Lebanon. The Knights amassed 394 yards and eight rushing touchdowns in that affair.

Northwest (1-0) at Troy (1-0), 7.pm. – Good starts to the season left both schools feeling good about themselves. There is still work to be done on the defensive side of the ball. The team that allows the fewest big plays will walk away the winner in this battle.

Thurgood Marshall (0-1) at Trotwood-Madison (1-0), 7 p.m. – A brutal non-conference schedule already has Thurgood Marshall in a fight for its playoff life. The Cougars must play better on the line of scrimmage. Trotwood-Madison was very impressive in its win over Division I Pickerington High School Central. Running back Raveion Hargrove ran for 226 yards. Rams defensive star Roland Walder will also play receiver where he made an immediate impact in Week 1.

Wilmington (1-0) at Bellbrook (1-0), 7 p.m. – Make no mistakes about it Bellbrook wants to beat you with the run. Head coach Kevin Basinger could care less if the Golden Eagles ever threw the ball as long as they continue to grind it out on the ground. Forcing Bellbrook to play from behind will benefit Wilmington. The Hurricanes ability to get ahead early could be the deciding factor in this contest.

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