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Best Bets: Week 12 – Ohio

Only 10 teams remain from the Cincinnati area and seven more the greater Dayton metro region.

The winners advance to the regional finals and will be three wins away from state titles.

Here are the Best Bets for the second weekend of the playoffs in southwestern Ohio (NOTE: Colerain-St. Xavier and Mason-Sycamore will be covered more in depth later this week):

Division I, Region 3

Wayne QB Rashad McKee (photo by David Wysong/TriStateFootball.com)

Wayne QB Rashad McKee (photo by David Wysong/TriStateFootball.com)

No. 1 Wayne (10-0-1) vs. No. 4 Dublin Coffman (9-2), Friday, 7:30 at London – It’s amazing that QB Rashad McKee is just a sophomore, as he went 12 of 14 for 235 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and he rushed for 136 yards and one TD on six carries last week vs. Lancaster. Coffman has beaten up on some teams with ugly records, and the only area opponent it has faced is Fairfield, which it beat, 31-14 in Week 3. Additionally, Shamrocks coach Mark Crabtree is still suspended this week for a recruiting violation. Wayne should be the heavy favorite.

Division II, Region 8

No. 1 Troy (10-1) vs. No. 4 Miamisburg (9-2), Friday, 7:30 at Dayton Northmont – A GWOC matchup, Troy topped the American North field while Miamisburg finished tied for the top spot in the National West. The Trojans’ lone loss this season came vs. the Vikings, 21-17 at Troy on Sept. 23. In the regular season, Josh Browder has rushed for 1,175 yards to lead Troy, and Hayden Kotwica is 100-for-172 for 1,600 yards and also rushed for 754 yards and 11 scores. Tony Clark ran for 226 yards last week in Miamisburg’s win over Kings to give him 1,196 ground yards on the season.

No. 2 Turpin (11-0) vs. No. 3 La Salle (9-2), Friday, 7:30 at Lakota West – One of the best matchups in Ohio or Kentucky this weekend. Turpin not only hasn’t lost, it has won all but one game by at least 15 points. The Spartans have not faced a GCL opponent this season. Four Turpin rushers have carried the ball at least 70 times, and Luke Bohenek peeled off 226 yards last week and has gained at least 100 yards five of the past six weeks. Griffin Merritt completed 66.1 percent of his passes during the regular season, throwing for a South-best 1,556 yards and 16 touchdowns. Christian Turner carried the Lancers last week with 171 ground yards. La Salle has won seven straight but barely got past Fairfield last week, and Turpin has a better resume.

Division III, Region 12

No. 1 Franklin (11-0) vs. No. 4 St. Mary’s (10-1), Friday, 7 at Wayne – Franklin beat Tippecanoe by one point, 41-40 last week. The Southwestern Buckeye League has had some rushers pile up tons of ground yards, and Ryan Montgomery has tallied 1,609, including 737 and 12 touchdowns the past three weeks. St. Mary’s lone loss is by six points to 10-1 Ottawa-Glandorf, and the Roughriders hammered fifth-seed Belmont, 42-8 last week.

No. 3 New Richmond (10-1) vs. No. 7 Trotwood-Madison (9-2), Friday, 7 at Mason – After losing by 13 to Indian Hill, New Richmond has won its last 10 and has scored at least 28 points in all 11 of its contests. Trotwood-Madison has fallen to Wayne and Troy – both higher-division No. 1 seeds – by a combined margin of 15 points.

Division IV, Region 16

No. 1 Wyoming (11-0) vs. 5 Valley View (10-1), Friday, 7:30 at Monroe – TSF has talked all season about Wyoming’s offense, but the Cowboys’ defense has shut out five of its last seven opponents and surrendered just 19 points in that span (2.7 per game). Valley View enters this game having scored 34 or more points in each contest during its current six-game winning streak.

No. 2 Clinton-Massie (10-1) vs. No. 3 Alter (11-0), Friday, 7:30 at Centerville – Alter being the three seed is pretty laughable, as the Knights must be favored this week, if not in the entire region. Alter beat Kettering Fairmont by 19 to open the season and has won every game since by a wider margin. Clinton-Massie lost to Turpin by seven in Week 2 and has recorded four shutouts. The Falcons beat Taft, 26-12 to open their playoff season last week.

Division V, Region 20

No. 1 CHCA (11-0) vs. No. Milton-Union, Saturday, 7 at Miamisburg – CHCA got past Taft, 33-28 in Week 4 and has won its last seven games by at least 18. Milton-Union is a definite underdog, although it has scored at least 55 points in each game during its current three-game winning streak.

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