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Best Bets: Cincinnati – Week 9

CHCA can clinch a conference title with a win, but most of the remaining leagues will likely see their championships decided in Week 10.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great matchups this week. The SWOC has a two, with the top four teams all facing off.

St. Xavier may have clinched home-field advantage but hooks up with St. Ignatius in a rematch of that epic 2016 championship game.

Wyoming and New Richmond can also position themselves to earn the top spot in their respective conferences.

Here are the Best Bets for Week 9 in Cincinnati:

St. Xavier (8-0) at Cleveland St. Ignatius (7-1), Saturday, 3 p.m. – It’s a rematch of the Division I title game last season as well as a battle of top seeds in their respective regions. St. Xavier holds the top spot in Region 4 and has already clinched home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The maintenance of the No. 1 seed and an unbeaten regular season are still on the Bombers’ 2017 regular season checklist. The Wildcats’ lone loss of the season came last week vs. Moeller. They did beat Elder by two earlier this season.

Harrison (6-2) at Mount Healthy (4-4), 7 p.m. – Harrison has clinched at least fourth place in the league, and the Wildcats have a chance to move up with a win over Mount Healthy The Owls are 4-0 in SWOC play and tied with Edgewood for first. Harrison has scored an average of 45.3 points during its current three-game winning streak. Three of the top four SWOC leaders in receiving yards – C.J. Young, Levi Tidwell and Jace Fette – are Wildcats, and QB Frankie Young’s passing yardage total is up to 1,566, tops in the conference by nearly 500 yards. JuAires Montgomery has moved under center for Mount Healthy, though he has rushed 67 times the past two weeks for 195 yards and three TDs. Harrison is in solid playoff position, ranked seventh in its region, while Mount Healthy is 17th, needing to win out and possibly get help.

Edgewood (6-2) at Little Miami (6-2), 7 p.m. – Like Mount Healthy, Edgewood is hoping to remain unbeaten, setting up a championship game vs. the Owls next week. The Cougars have outscored their conference foes, 161-53 and have won all of their SWOC games by at least two touchdowns. Wade Phillips eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark last week, and he and Elijah Williams have teamed up for 25 touchdowns on the ground. This is Little Miami’s final league game, as the Panthers are in fourth place at 3-2. They can finish no worse than that but could improve to third with a strong late showing. Boasting a pair of shutouts this season, Little Miami is holding opponents to 11.4 points per game. In a battle of teams with big cat mascots, the Panthers are still looking for their first win vs. the Cougars since the league’s formation. Both teams are currently outside the playoff bubble, with Edgewood ninth and Little Miami 13th in the region.

Norwood (4-4) at CHCA (5-3), 7 p.m. – Norwood is 2-1 in the MVC Scarlet, tied for second with Summit, and CHCA holds the top spot at 3-0 and can clinch the division with a win. The Eagles haven’t been challenged in league play, having run up 154 points to their opponents’ 35. CHCA enters this weekend on a four-game winning streak, with all of those victories coming in blowout fashion. The Indians were hammered three straight weeks, dropping them to 2-4, but they have battled back to .500 thanks to consecutive victories in the their season in the league. For playoff purposes, Norwood needs this game much more, as it is tied for 16th in Region 16. CHCA would be in if the season ended today, ranked sixth.

Fairfield (5-2) at Mason (6-3), 7 p.m. – This is a crucial game in the battle for second place in the GMC. Colerain has already clinched the league title, and Fairfield is in solo control of second at 5-1, while Mason is in a three-way tie at 4-2. The Indians saw their five-game winning streak by the Cardinals last week but have still outscored in-league opponents, 166-69 this season. The Comets have also lost to Colerain and dropped their league opener, 21-7 to Sycamore. Fairfield QB Jeff Tyus is 16 passing yards short of 1,000 for the year. With 300 rushing yards in his last two games, Mason’s Matt Sora is up to 783 for the year. The Indians haven’t won in this series since 2013. Both teams are on pace the make the playoffs, with Fairfield holding the five spot and Mason No. 8 in Division I.

Wyoming (8-0) at Mariemont (5-3), 7 p.m. – Wyoming and Indian Hill are tied atop the CHL at 5-0, and the Braves play Deer Park this week, so if both win it would set up a title game between the two the final week. The Cowboys are averaging 50.6 points while allowing just 9.4 per week. Crazy stat: Wyoming QB Evan Prater has thrown for touchdowns on 19.4 percent of his attempts this season. Mariemont recorded its third shutout of the season last week and since its season opener has not surrendered more than 23 points in any game. Wyoming is fourth in Division I and controls its own playoff destiny. Mariemont is 13th in D-5 and needs this game if it hopes to qualify.

New Richmond (7-1) at Clinton-Massie (7-1), 7 p.m. – New Richmond looks to stay unbeaten in the SBAAC American while Clinton-Massie, at 2-1 in league play, tries to pull even with the Lions. These teams are both in the top three in fewest points in all of the league: The Falcons are No. 1, giving up 10.0 points per game, and New Richmond is surrendering just 12.5. Both teams are in control of their playoff fate, as New Richmond is fifth in Division III while Clinton-Massie is seventh in D-4.

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