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5 Best Bets: Week 2

The 2019 high school football season is officially underway for everyone, as teams from all over Ohio kicked off their seasons last week. There was a mixture of blowouts, upsets, nail biters, and everything in between. Often times we see the biggest improvements from teams all over the Tri-state area in the second week of the season. With the opening game excitement and jitters out of the way, week two should bring us some excellent quality of football. Here are some of the marquee Week 2 matchups in this week’s 5 Best Bets.

No. 2 St. Xavier at No. 3 Colerain
One of the best rivalries in all of Ohio is renewed this week. These teams have spent the last decade plus doing battle, and playing some of the best games we’ve seen. The Cardinals have dominated the series in recent years, winning six of the past eight matchups. Both teams are coming off impressive Week 1 wins with high-scoring games of 28+ points and crucial points off turnovers that helped seal the game. This will be a contest that could be decided on the turnover margin. Each of these teams plays smart, disciplined, hard-nosed football. Getting over 20 points will be difficult, and the one mistake that leads to an extra score will ultimately decide this game. Expect a packed house as these storied programs do battle once again.

No. 10 La Salle at No. 9 Mason
Week 1 couldn’t have gone better for the Lancers, and worse for the Comets. La Salle dominated the new look, Tom Bolden-led Lakota West team, 31-7. Mason was embarrassed at home by Springboro 34-7. Pat McLaughlin’s team flexed their muscles in the trenches, gaining 241 yards on the ground, averaging more than six yards per carry. Mason’s offense will have to be better against a stout La Salle defense that forced two turnovers last week. The line of scrimmage will be the ultimate deciding factor. If Cam Porter has running lanes like he did in Week 1, Mason could ultimately suffer a similar loss. However, Brain Castner is one of the best in the business for having his boys ready after a tough week. The Lancers look to make it back-to-back wins over the GMC.

No. 19 Harrsion at East Central
Each of these teams are going into this game very confident. East Central has already played twice, routing their opponents by a 58-12 margin. Harrison is coming off a dominating 38-6 win against Butler, with star QB Connor Kinnett having one of the best opening performances we have seen in a long time. He went 23-of-30 for 344 yards passing, five touchdowns, and put up 40 yards on the ground. This game has the potential to be the most entertaining game of the week. Neither team has shown much of a weakness early on.

No. 16 Sycamore at Kings
Two teams coming off impressive week one victories, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Sycamore gained 238 of their 372 total yards via the ground game, and had a 33-0 lead by the second quarter against Loveland. Kings also mustered 30+ points in Head Coach Alex Garvin’s debut. This game might look like a shootout based on the week 1 scoreboard, but don’t count any of these defenses out. Sycamore only allowed 178 total yards to Loveland, and Kings giving up 20 to Lebanon isn’t terrible either. Converting on third downs and keeping drives going will be crucial in this game. Both offenses are lethal when given extended time, so a few slow and methodical drives might be in the game plan.

No. 25 Ryle at Cooper
These two Northern Kentucky teams have been polar opposites through two games. Cooper has had a steady dose of incredible defense, allowing only seven total points in two games. But the Jaguars have struggled offensively. Ryle was annihilated in the opener 37-0 by CovCath, but looked like a completely different team in all aspects against Conner, winning that game 34-10.This could be the game we finally understand which Ryle team we will see throughout the season. Although Cooper has been suffocating opponents, their problems moving the ball and scoring points is real. If Ryle’s offense shows up ready to play physical on both sides of the ball and limit turnovers, they’ll be a tough out. However, if Cooper’s offense finds a rhythm and the defense stays solid, Ryle could be in for a long game.

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GAME OF THE WEEK: NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC AT ROGER BACON
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour presented by TriStateFootball.com

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Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:

OHIO
Indianapolis Cathedral at #1 Elder
#4 Fairfield at Springfield
#5 Winton Woods at West Clermont
Withrow at #6 Princeton
#9 Moeller at Louisville Trinity
Centerville at #12 Lakota West
#16 Anderson at #15 Hamilton
Fairmont at #18 Lakota East
Dunbar at #19 Milford
#21 Edgewood at Franklin
Springboro at #22 Middletown
Coldwater at #23 Mount Healthy
Taft at #24 Wyoming

KENTUCKY
Lexington Catholic at #7 Covington Catholic
Campbell County at #14 Highlands

INTERSTATE
#17 Simon Kenton at Oak Hills

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