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Best Bets: Week 14 – Ohio

It’s state semifinal weekend in Ohio, and only two Cincinnati teams and two from Dayton have made it this far. Three of those teams have come from the GCL – Cincinnati-based La Salle and St. Xavier plus Kettering Alter.

Trotwood-Madison is also two wins away from a state title, coming out of the GWOC.

Here are TriStateFootball’s Best Bets for the state semifinals of the playoffs in southwestern Ohio:

Division I

St. Xavier's Sean Clifford (TSF staff).

St. Xavier’s Sean Clifford (TSF staff).

No. 5 St. Xavier (8-5) vs. No. 3 Pickerington Central (12-1), 7:30 at Piqua – It’s been Sean Clifford doing the majority of the passing the past two weeks for St. Xavier, as he has gone 29 of 48 for 360 yards and three touchdowns, and he has rushed for 258 yards and three more TDs in that span. The Bombers lost three of their final four entering the playoffs and after beating Fairfield by 21 in their postseason opener, won their last two postseason games in overtime, Colerain and Sycamore, giving them a 3-0 record against the GMC this playoff year. Speaking of close playoff games, Pickerington Central held off Wayne, 17-14 last week. The Tigers have won their last eight, and their lone loss this season has been in OT.

Division II

No. 3 La Salle (11-2) vs. No. 4 Anthony Wayne (10-3), 7:30 at Sidney – La Salle has won nine straight games, and after surviving a 23-21 win over Edgewood to open its playoff season, the Lancers have beaten Turpin and Miamisburg by 31 points each. Jarell White has battled through injuries this season but he has found the end zone four times in the past two weeks, gaining 203 yards. Dual threat Christian Turner leads the GCL South in receiving yards with 623, and he has also rushed for 692 yards and nine touchdowns. Anthony Wayne has barely gotten through each round of the postseason. After a 21-7 win over Glenville to open its playoff campaign, the Generals beat Avon Lake by eight and Olmsted Falls by seven. La Salle appears to be the favorite in this game.

Division III

No. 7 Trotwood-Madison (11-2) vs. No. 1 Toledo Central Catholic (13-0), Saturday, 7 at Lima – Trotwood-Madison gave up just 47 points in GWOC competition this season, and the Rams are scoring 40.7 points per game in the playoffs. Raveion Hargrove is having a huge postseason, rushing for 541 yards in three games and averaging 12.3 yards per carry. He has gained 1,398 ground yards this season. Toledo Central Catholic has won all of its playoff games by at least 19, outscoring its opponents 116-20. The Fighting Irish won state titles in 2012 and 2014 and were the runners-up last season.

Division IV

No. 3 Alter (13-0) vs. Columbus Bishop Hartley (10-2), 7:30 at London – Alter has completely dominated its opponents, outscoring them 600-100. That’s 46.2 points per game and 7.7 against. Holden Rushing has gained over 1,000 yards on the ground, and John Bivens III and Ryan Markoff have added over 800 each. Bishop Hartley has lost two games, but they have both come to 13-0 teams and they have been by three points (31-28 vs. Toledo Central Catholic) and seven points.

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