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Preview: St. Xavier at Colerain

Colerain WR/DB Ja'von Hicks (photo by Mitchell Cooke/TSF)

It has become a staple of Cincinnati high school football in the Queen City. The annual early season clash between St. Xavier and Colerain. The rivalry has produced some “Instant Classics” that have often led to epic playoff rematches. This Friday night’s U.S. Marines Battle of the Gridiron Series packed with everything. It is all about private versus public, student section versus student section, (Tom) Bolden versus (Steve) Specht but most importantly city bragging rights.

XAVIER BOMBERS (1-0) at COLERAIN CARDINALS (0-1)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m., Cardinal Stadium
Listen on ESPN 1530 AM
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PLAYERS TO WATCH: St. Xavier has a variety of different ways they can attack on offense. It all starts with senior QB Chase Wolf. As the Wisconsin commit refines and rounds out his game it will make the Bombers that much more dangerous as this campaign wears on. Safety valve, senior slot man, Cameron Specht has had at least four receptions in 12 of his last 15 games. Their classmates WR Andrew Wittrock has 10 touchdown receptions in his last 13 contests while RB Matthew Fox ran for a career high 172 yards in Week 1.|

On defense, St. Xavier is led by seniors DE Blake Bacevich, a Cincinnati commit, DE Sean Mesue and DE Bobby Jefferson II up front. An underrated classmate, LB Will Childs is all-district material. Lining up next to him is the 6-foot-4, 231 pound junior LB Thomas Kiessling. Expect offer to start pouring in for Kiessling soon.

St. Xavier DL Bobby Jefferson II (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

For Colerain leadership needs to step forward on offense. Seniors QB Gunnar Leyendecker and WR/CB Ja’von Hicks need to be more productive on this side of the ball.  Juniors FB/LB Ivan Pace, Jr, QB/RB Deante Smith-Moore, RB/DB Syncere Jones and RB JJ Davis shouldn’t shy away from the spotlight. This is their time, too. The Cardinals need them to shine on a more consistent, week-to-week basis if the team wants to go deep in the postseason.

Defensively, Colerain’s identity is LB Joe Bolden, a relentless beast. The senior has more than 250 total tackles at the varsity level just one game into his final year. Cousin and junior LB Luke Bolden (coaches son) is a Division I Power 5 Conference recruit.

TEAM TRENDS: Five times in the last six years the two teams have met in the regular season and in the playoffs, including in each of the last three seasons. The winner of the regular season battle has also won the playoff tilt four times in that span. The teams average a combined 17.6 more points in the playoff games than they do in the regular season affairs, over the last six years.

Colerain has been incredibly consistent under Tom Bolden going 107-17 in his 10 seasons at the helm. The Cardinals have lost only eight regular season games under his watch. The other nine of Bolden’s 17 career losses have come in the playoffs. Seven of his career losses have come at the hands of St. Xavier (four in the playoffs). Five times Colerain has gone unbeaten during the regular season under Bolden’s watch.

St. Xavier RB Cameron Specht (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

St. Xavier has won three state titles in 13 seasons under the guidance of Steve Specht. He has has a 119-45 lifetime record including a 27-10 mark in the postseason. To put in perspective that is just two contests fewer than averaging three postseason games a year (regional finals). The Bombers seven-game winning streak is currently tied for the third longest during Specht’s tenure.

COLERAIN’S KEYS TO VICTORY: The Colerain offense looked like it was running with cement shoes on, at times last week. They must play faster, force the issue and dictate the pace against the St. Xavier defense. There are too many good players at the skill positions for this team to struggle for long, on this side of the ball. A lackluster and unfocused effort from this crew again will leave the Cardinals in a “backs to the wall” position, in the fight for a playoff berth.

ST. XAVIER’S KEYS TO VICTORY: The Bombers defense should follow La Salle’s lead from last week. String things out from things from sideline-to-sideline and keep the play in front of the secondary and force Colerain to beat them vertically. Efficiency on offense allowed St. Xavier to pull away from Hinsdale Central in its opener. Following the game plan with perseverance against the Cardinals will create the end results the Bombers are looking for.

Prediction: ST. XAVIER 20, COLERAIN 14

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