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Best Bets: Week 10 – Cincinnati

It’s the final regular season week in Ohio, so Harbin ratings matter more than league titles, several of which will be on the line the last weekend before the playoffs.

The ECC, SWOC, CHL and GCL Co-Ed championships will all be decided, while St. Xavier, Colerain and CHCA have all clinched first place in their respective leagues.

Here are the Best Bets for Week 10 in Cincinnati:

Mason (7-2) at Lakota East (6-3), 7 p.m. – In a mostly top-vs.-bottom final week, Lakota East has a chance to sneak into the top GMC’s echelon. The Comets are 5-2 in conference play, tied with Sycamore and Fairfield for second place. Lakota East and Princeton are 4-3. Mason has recorded back-to-back shutouts, and the Comets are tops in the GMC with just 204.1 yards allowed. The Thunderhawks are No. 1 in the league in offense at 329.2 yards per game, but they have one-dimensional, notching a league-best 281.7 average on the ground vs. a GMC-low 47.6 on the ground. Lakota East RB Jack Dobrozsi is 26 yards of 1,000 for the season. Mason holds the fifth spot in Division I and is a lock for the postseason with a win. Lakota East is 10th and would need help, even with a victory in this contest.

Sycamore (7-2) at Princeton (4-5), 7 p.m. – Similarly, Sycamore and Princeton are 5-2 and 4-3 in the GMC, respectively, but the Aviators should be a bigger favorite. Sycamore is one of the best-balanced teams in the conference, while the Vikings average fewer than 100 passing yards. Sycamore has won the last two meetings between these teams. With the No. 4 seed in Region 4, the Aviators control their own playoff destiny, but Princeton has been mathematically eliminated.

Elder (6-3) at La Salle (7-2), 7 p.m. – These teams are both 1-1 in the league, so the winner will finish second while the loser takes third. Elder has gone three wins, three losses, three wins – a trend it hopes to end. La Salle has beaten a pair of upstate teams the past two weeks. Their totals aren’t that impressive, but the Lancers’ Cameron Porter and the Panthers’ Luke Massminter are the top two rushers in the GCL South with 605 and 520 ground yards, respectively. Elder WR Kyle Trischler has 63 receptions for a conference-best 753 yards and four TDs. The Panthers have much more to play for, as they are sixth in Division I and can control their playoff fate with a win. La Salle is tops in Region 8 and has clinched home field for the first round.

Moeller (4-5) at Winton Woods (8-1), 7 p.m. – Moeller started the season 3-1 but has dropped four of five since and finished last in the GCL South with an 0-3 record. Despite being 4-5 overall, the Crusaders are still seventh in the Harbin ratings and would qualify for the playoffs with a win. Winton Woods is 1-1 vs. GCL South teams, having beaten La Salle and lost to Elder by one in overtime. The Warriors are second in Division II and will host an opening-round postseason game.

St. Xavier (8-1) at Louisville St. Xavier (8-1), 7:30 p.m. – Not only do these teams have the same school name, they boast identical records. The Cincinnati version of St. Xavier saw its bid for a perfect regular season dashed at Cleveland St. Ignatius last week. The Bombers blew through their GCL South foes, outscoring them 82-20. The Tigers are coming off back-to-back shutouts and have allowed just 9.6 points per game, the best average of any team in their entire class. The Bombers have clinched the No. 1 see in Division I, and Louisville St. Xavier’s postseason matchup has already been decided, so many starters on both sides may see their snaps curtailed.

Edgewood (7-2) at Mount Healthy (4-5), 7 p.m. – Edgewood is 5-0 in the SWOC and Mount Healthy is 4-1, so the Owls can clinch a share of the conference title with a win. Harrison is also 4-1 in the conference, so the possibility exists there could be three-way tie atop the league standings. Edgewood’s Wade Phillips is the only rusher in the league in four figures (1,185), and he’ll carry the ball against a Mount Healthy defense that boasts SWOC sack leader Lonnie Phelps, who has taken the QB down eight times. Edgewood is eighth in Region 8 and needs to win and get help to qualify for the postseason. The Owls are 17th and not mathematically eliminated, although it would take a small miracle to vault nine contending teams in a week.

Indian Hill (8-1) at Wyoming (9-0), 7 p.m. – Both have clinched postseason spots and they are 5-0 apiece heading into what is ultimately the CHL championship game. The only blemish on Indian Hill’s record is a seven-point loss to CHCA on Sept. 1. The last two regular season meetings between these teams have been epic. The Cowboys won in overtime last year and the Braves pulled off a five-point win on a fourth-quarter field goal and a safety in 2015. Indian Hill and Wyoming are both headed to the postseason but have plenty to play for. The Cowboys hold the three seed and the Braves are seventh in District IV.

Badin (5-4) at McNicholas (5-4), Saturday, 1 p.m. – Only one of the four Cincinnati-area GCL Co-Eds will finish over .500. Both are 3-3 in league play, tied for tops in their division. Badin has been mathematically eliminated and McNicholas is in 11th place in the Harbin ratings. Rockets QB Cole Burdick leads his team in rushing yards (496) and is tops in all of the GCLC with 1,345 passing yards. The Rams’ Lavissa Martin has gained 1,267 yards on the ground and is averaging 9.3 yards per carry.

Goshen (9-0) at New Richmond (7-2), 7 p.m. – New Richmond has just one league loss and looks to split the SBAAC American with Goshen and possibly Clinton-Massie as well. Goshen has clinched a playoff berth, holding the No. 2, and the Lions are currently outside the bubble at 10th and desperately need a win.

West Clermont (6-3) at Milford (8-1), 7 p.m. – Regardless of the winner, both teams have to be happy with their regular seasons. It was the first ever for West Clermont, which will finish no worse than third in the ECC, and Milford tied for last in the conference, going 2-8 and 1-9 in 2016. That means at least a six-game turnaround for the Eagles. And Milford is headed to the playoffs as a result, currently sitting in the three hole in Region 4. The Wolves need a win to get in, as they sit in ninth.

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