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Best Bets: Week 11 – Cincinnati/Dayton

The playoffs open in Ohio this weekend, and Regions 4 and 8 feature multiple intriguing matchups involving local teams.

Here are the Best Bets for Week for the first weekend of the playoffs in southwestern Ohio:

Region 4

No. 8 Springboro (7-3) at No. 1 Colerain (10-0), 7:30 p.m. – Springboro likes to air it out, keyed by QB Brody Mahle’s 2,144 passing yards and Nick Kovac’s 1,002 yards receiving. The team averages 35.5 points per game. After winning by three, six and six points the first three weeks, Colerain has won by 14 or more points in its last seven. The Cardinals rush for 242.9 yards per game.

No. 5 St. Xavier (5-5) at No. 4 Fairfield (7-3), 7:30 p.m. – St. Xavier lost three straight games before wrapping up the regular season with a win over Louisville St. Xavier. The Bombers enter the postseason allowing a GCL South-best 115.0 rushing yards per game. Fairfield also boasts a strong defense, as the Indians gave up an average of just 14.6 points in the regular season. QB Aaron Carmack has thrown for 1,739 yards, including back-to-back 200-plus yard games.

No. 7 Sycamore (6-4) at No. 2 Lebanon (7-3), 7:30 p.m. – Sycamore won its final four games to sneak into the playoffs, overcoming a pair of overtime losses to start the season. RaVon Bonner finished the regular season with a GMC-best 1,690 rushing yards, and he scored 28 touchdowns. Lebanon dropped two of its last three and allowed 55 and 42 points in those losses. Opponents are scoring 26.6 points vs. the Warriors.

Region 8

Anderson quarterback Jay Volpenhein (Cathy Lachmannn/TSF staff).

Anderson quarterback Jay Volpenhein (Cathy Lachmannn/TSF staff).

No. 8 Anderson (7-3) at No. 1 Troy (9-1), 7:30 p.m. – Anderson has won five of its last six and is scoring an average of 43.4 points per game. Jay Volpenhein threw for 3,137 yards with a season-low 238 in the regular season finale, and the Redskins have three of the ECC’s top four receivers, led by Jake Newton with 79 catches for 969 yards. Troy has won five in a row, all by at least 21 points, and Josh Browder leads the team in rushing with 1,175 ground yards.

No. 7 Harrison (6-4) at No. 2 Turpin (10-0), 7:30 p.m. – Harrison eked out a postseason berth despite a four-point loss to Northwest to end its regular season. Frankie Young led the SWOC with 2,793 passing yards, and Gerald Smith and Mitchell Crawford finished one-two in conference receiving yards with 1,070 and 975, respectively. Turpin is allowing just 9.8 points and 202.1 yards per game. Three Spartans have rushed for at least 480 yards.

No. 6 Edgewood (8-2) at No. 3 La Salle (8-2), 7:30 p.m. – Edgewood has averaged 44.0 points during its current three-game winning streak. Devon Garrett and Julius Hayden lead the team’s rushing attack, as both have gained over 600 yards this season. La Salle suffered back-to-back losses early in the season but has won its last five and has not allowed more than 14 points during that streak.

Region 16

No. 6 Indian Hill (9-1) at No. 3 Alter (10-0), 7:30 p.m. – What a first-round matchup. Indian Hill’s only loss came vs. Wyoming in double overtime, and Alter has won every game this season by a minimum of 19 points. Reed Aichholz leads the Braves with 1,943 passing yards and 24 TDs vs. just one interception, and he has rushed for 450 yards and 14 scores. Alter is allowing just 6.5 points per game and has surrendered just six points total the past three weeks. Oh yeah, the team averages 48.3 points as well, boasting the three top rushers in the GCL Co-Eds.

Region 20

No. 5 Aiken (7-3) at No. 4 Milton-Union (7-3), Saturday, 7 p.m. – Aiken has won six games in a row, scoring at least 40 points in all of those victories as it finished 4-1 in its conference. Milton-Union has also lit up the scoreboard recently, rolling up 55 and 56 points in its last two games.

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