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Breaking down the Skyline Crosstown Showdown

The slate for the 19th inception of the Skyline Crosstown Showdown has been set. Appropriately there are 19 games with nine of these being played at the University of Cincinnati – five at Nippert Stadium and four at the Sheakley Center.

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There are eight games pitting teams that had winning records in 2015 against each other. Six contests have foes that each had losing records a year ago. Four teams that lost at least their last six games in ’15 are in the Showdown.

The Greater Miami Conference is represented by eight of its 10 schools. All four Greater Catholic League South teams are also in the Showdown. For the first time in years there are no Greater Western Ohio Conference teams in the SCS. The only Ohio school outside of the Cincinnati area is Pickerington North from suburban Columbus. Six Northern Kentucky schools, two from Indiana and one program from California will represent.

Here is a breakdown of all the matchups.

INDIANA / KENTUCKY KICKOFF
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19
(East Central High School)
Campbell County (1-10) vs. East Central (12-3), 7:30 p.m. – East Central, the Indiana Division IV state runner-ups in 2015 get things started for a third straight season against interstate rival Campbell County. The Trojans are well-equipped and should make another push for a state title once again. The Camels will be searching for an identity after a disappointing finish last fall.

(Lloyd High School)
Lloyd (9-4) vs. Walton-Verona (6-5), 7 p.m. – A duel between two Class 2A cross-district rivals who are very familiar with one another. The teams have met five times in the past four years with Lloyd winning both affairs last season. The Walton-Verona defense must contain Juggernauts senior LaShaun Townsend or it will be a long night. Townsend can score from anywhere, at anytime and in all phases of the game.

OHIO KICKOFF
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24
(UC’s Sheakley Athletics Center)
Purcell Marian (3-7) vs. Summit (4-6), 7:30 p.m. – This game should be on the schedule to start every season. The two Division V, Region 20 private schools that are separated by one mile are better than what they showed last fall. The athletes will dominate in this affair. It will be the ones on defense that make the big plays who will be the difference. Both squads will be trying to establish that they can win the close one. Each team lost three games last season by eight points or fewer.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25
(Mount St. Joseph University)
Covington Catholic (5-8) vs. Oak Hills (1-9), 7 p.m. – This is an odd interstate Showdown matchup but it’s one that features a pair of up and coming junior quarterbacks in Covington Catholic’s AJ Mayer and Oak Hills’ Jacob Woycke. They each have experienced talent around them. This should be a high scoring and entertaining affair. Oak Hills lost one possession per quarter last season if they can clean that up and take care of the football the Highlanders could be a handful on offense.

(UC’s Sheakley Athletics Center)
Indian Hill (11-1) vs. New Richmond (7-4), 7 p.m. – Indian Hill is a contender for the Division IV, Region 16 championship and then some. The Braves defense will be tested by a New Richmond offense that has playmakers all over the place. The Lions defense had no answers for Indian Hill quarterback Reed Aichholz last season as the Braves dominated the line of scrimmage in a 42-14 win.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26
(UC’s Nippert Stadium)
La Salle (13-2) vs. Sycamore (6-4), 6 p.m. – Two-time defending Ohio Division II reigning state champion La Salle begins life after JL (Jeremy Larkin). Expect this contest to move along pretty fast. The Lancers will rely on the run game behind Jarell White and Christian Turner to take the pressure off of a new and “raw” quarterback. Sycamore will feature Division I recruit and workhorse running back Ra’Von Bonner to keep the chains moving and the La Salle offense off the field.

Lakota West (7-3) vs. Moeller (5-5), 8:30 p.m. – If ever there was a good week to catch Moeller it would be in the opener. Lakota West has to make the Crusaders to cough up the ball in order to stick around in this one. Big Moe is a legitimate state championship contender. The Crusaders will show just how big and deep they are on both sides of the line. Moeller is going to wear teams down week after week and own fourth quarters. The Firebirds usually overachieve when they go into the season flying under the radar during head coach Larry Cox’s tenure. This team is doing just that.

(UC’s Sheakley Athletics Center)
North College Hill (4-6) vs. Wyoming (8-3), 6 p.m. – Quarterback Andrew Marty is back for his senior year for Wyoming after being injured in Week 3 of his junior season. He so many weapons and big targets to throw to the Cowboys are going to be hard to game plan for. Wyoming is going to challenge Indian Hill for the CHL title and then some in the playoffs. The Cowboys will be too much for the North College hill defense to corral.

Reading (9-2) vs. Roger Bacon (3-7), 8:30 p.m. – Only one way for Roger Bacon to go and that is up. The Spartans head into ’16 having lost their last seven games a year ago by an average of 37.0 points. If they don’t take things serious Reading will dart right past them.

(Cooper High School
Cooper (10-3) vs. Newport Catholic (9-6), 7:30 p.m. – Cooper head coach Randy Borchers and his Jaguars have had their way with his alma mater the past two seasons. Cooper has shutout NewCath 35-0 and 31-0 in their last two outings. Expect the Thoroughbreds to be more competitive against the larger Jaguars in this battle.

(Lakota East High School)
Lakota East (3-7) vs. Loveland (6-4), 7 p.m. – Injuries decimated the Lakota East offense last fall. The Thunderhawks head into ’16 on a six game losing streak by an average score of 31.8 to 8.4. Loveland has won five in a row. The Tigers would love nothing more than to avenge last year’s one-point loss to Lakota East in the opener. Loveland was stopped on a two-point conversion with 37 left in the contests. Tigers’ running back Luke Waddell touched the ball 16 times for 259 yards and four touchdowns in that loss.

(Milford High School)
Hamilton (4-6) vs. Milford (4-6), 7 p.m. – This will be the fourth straight season that these two squads have opened against each other. Hamilton has won two of three including last years tilt. Both teams could use the confidence of Week 1 win. The team that makes the less mental mistakes wins this one. There were a combined 25 penalties for 207 yards in last season’s slop-fest.

(Princeton High School)
Glen Este (8-3) vs. Princeton (3-7), 7 p.m. – An early season audition and pivotal contest for a Division II Region 8 playoff berth. Look for a much improved Princeton team with new coach Pat McLaughlin opening up things on offense. Glen Este lost a very accomplished senior class. The Trojans inexperience will be pushed to its fullest by the Vikings in the first half. Coming out of that barrage unscathed would be a huge plus for Glen Este.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
(UC’s Nippert Stadium)
Colerain (12-2) vs. Warren Central, IN (8-4), 1 p.m. – Another rematch of last season’s opener. Colerain won that battle, 27-16. It was one of the few times that the Warriors high scoring offense was held in check in ’15. The Cardinals defense is oozing with Division I talent. They should be more than special come August.

St. John Bosco, CA, (13-1) vs. St. Xavier (7-5), 5 p.m. – St. Xavier has plenty of firepower on offense. The Bombers fans will need to study their rosters thoroughly as newcomers to the defense will flood the field in Week 1. St. John Bosco has to avoid jet lag and not wither in Cincinnati’s muggy August heat.

Elder (9-4) vs. Pickerington Central (8-3), 8 p.m. – There isn’t much in the cupboard for Elder. The Panthers are as about as inexperienced to start a season as they ever have been under head coach Doug Ramsey. But like all Ramsey led teams they get better as the year goes along. Pickerington Central has to take advantage of the Elder youth. An early double digit lead would do wonders for Pick North’s cause.

OHIO WEEK TWO
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
(Anderson High School)
Anderson (1-9) vs. McNicholas (5-5), 7 p.m. – A new era begins at Anderson with head coach Evan Dreyer. The Redskins will look to quickly end the six game losing streak that the enter ’16 with Dreyer’s quick-paced spread offense. McNicholas has owned this Forest Hills war the past two seasons. The Rockets should see those bragging rights continue for another year.

(Bishop Fenwick High School)
Bishop Fenwick (13-1) vs. Mt Healthy (8-4), 7 p.m. – Bishop Fenwick has been a thorn in Mount Healthy’s side in two of the past three seasons. Now the Falcons hope they can reload and repeat their success. Bishop Fenwick hopes they don’t have to rebuild after last year’s great run. The Owls are in the same boat. Eventually, new stars will emerge on both sides but for the most part the defenses will shine in this knock-down, drag-out battle.

(Withrow High School)
Mason (8-3) vs. Withrow (4-6), 7 p.m. – One of the most underrated Division I Region 4 teams heading into this season is Mason. The Comets are big and strong up front. They run hard and have a proven quarterback. The Withrow defense needs to be up to the challenge of stopping Mason’s pounding in the run game

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