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Best Bets: Conference titles on the line

The last week of the regular season for teams in Cincinnati is upon us. Conference titles are up for grabs, and teams will be looking to finish their season strong and go into the postseason with an edge. This season has lived up to the hype even with the extreme circumstances, and the week before the playoffs should give us plenty of fireworks. Here are the games to look forward to in this edition of the 5 Best Bets.

NO. 11 MASON AT NO. 1 LAKOTA WEST
The GMC championship will be on the line as we will have a new winner for the first time in 19 years. The Firebirds didn’t play last week due to COVID and now they look ahead to the Comets. Coming off a tough 12-7 loss to Hamilton, the Mason offense couldn’t generate much of anything. It will take a monumental effort to get back on track, because Lakota West is arguably the best team in the Tri-State area. They have two shutouts, and have yet to give up more than 13 points in a game. The offense has outputs of 40, 33, and 21. Plain and simple, it is hard to point out a weakness in this team. For the Comets, their defense has been incredible all year. The offense has to sustain and finish drives with touchdowns. The Firebirds will look to contain Nolan McKormick, which means someone else has to step up to diversify the offense, whether that is quarterback Michael Molnar, Eli Jordan, or Jaxon Orlando. It will be interesting to see how this game starts. With the Firebirds having a week off and the Comets coming off their first loss, the team that starts quickly will likely win this game.

MCNICHOLAS AT NO. 18 BADIN
The GCL Co-Eds have been playing high-level football all year. The championship will be on the line here in a battle of defensive juggernauts. The Rams have steamrolled through all of their opponents so far in 2020. The only exception being a 2-point win against a solid Alter team. Badin is averaging 34 points per game, but their strength is on the other side of the ball. They are coming off their first shutout of the year against Caroll, and are allowing only seven points per game. The Rockets have had an outstanding overall year as well, but are coming off their first loss of the year, getting handled by Alter 28-7. The biggest reason for the loss was their inability to stop the running game. Alter ran for 278 yards. The previous three games the Rockets allowed less than 100. The other major factor was turning the ball over four times. It is difficult to beat anyone giving the ball away like that. For McNicholas to have any chance in this game, they must go back to being stifling on defense and take care of the ball. The Rams have a balanced offense, averaging over 150 yards on the ground and through the air. We know what Badin team will show up. If the Rocket team of Week 5 shows up, Badin will run away with this game quickly, although if McNicholas plays like they did the first four weeks, they have a puncher’s chance.

NO. 17 MOELLER AT NO. 3 LASALLE
Neither of these teams have had the season they had hoped for, but there is still a lot to play for and improve on for these GCL South rivals. The Lancers haven’t been able to live up to lofty expectations so far this season. They were the top-ranked team coming into 2020, and were a hot pick to run the table. Yet here they are at 3-2, looking to find their groove before the playoffs start. The main weakness for the Lancers has been their inability to stop the run, giving up about 200 yards per game. In their two losses, they allowed 198 and 234. The secondary has Division I talent, but the front seven have been pushed around, and that needs to change if LaSalle wants to repeat as state champions. The Crusaders have now lost four games in a row, and although they have played better football overall as of late, they still have glaring weaknesses. They are allowing over 170 passing and rushing yards per game, the only GCL South team to do so. Moeller is also allowing 32 points per game, while turning the ball over a jaw-dropping 16 times in five games. With the Lancers coming out with something to prove, expect them to jump all over the Crusaders and add to that turnover total. Moeller also does not run the football well, playing right into the style of LaSalle. The Crusaders will have to play a flawless game if they want any chance at a regular-season finale win.

NO. 10 HAMILTON AT NO. 8 COLERAIN
These are two teams that had their early-season struggles, but both are coming off wins that could turn their season around right at the perfect time. The Big Blue upset an undefeated Mason team 12-7, allowing only 173 total yards. They have reeled off three straight wins, and have a swagger they haven’t had in years. The Cardinals defeated Sycamore by a score of 21, displaying one of the most impressive defensive showings of the season. The Aviators could only muster 86 yards of total offense. For the Cardinals, their defense will have to carry them through this game, and the playoffs. The offense has been inconsistent all year. Although having MJ Flowers and Freddie Johnson gives them multiple home-run threats on the field at all times. For Hamilton, their offense has also been good, but not great. Quincy Simms Marshall and Keyshawn Stevens will have to carry the load and be special for the Big Blue to be a true threat. Regardless, if you believe defense wins championships, then these two teams have a chance. The winner of this game will have an extra level of confidence going into postseason play.

NO. 22 HIGHLANDS AT CONNER
We can’t forget about Northern Kentucky where most teams will be playing their fourth game of the season. It’s hard to find a team in the area that has been more impressive than the Cougars. They have two wins by a combined score of 69-6, including a shutout last week. They have been scoring at will and not giving an inch on the defensive side of the ball. The Bluebirds have started a pattern, but not one they are happy with. Their three games have gone as follows: loss, win, loss. Highlands has only scored more than 14 points once all season, and have given up more than 20 in every game. The blowout loss against Boyle County could be considered an anomaly, because they won’t play a team of that caliber outside of Covington Catholic all season. Regardless, this is a team that is in dire need of a feel good win. It may have to wait another week, as the Cougars might be too much to handle.

GAME OF THE WEEK: NO. 12 TURPIN AT NO. 5 WINTON WOODS
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour presented by TriStateFootball.com

Other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:

OHIO
St. Ignatius at No. 2 St. Xavier (Saturday)
No. 7 Princeton at No. 16 Fairfield
Loveland at No. 13 Kings
No. 14 Lakota East at Oak Hills
No. 15 Sycamore at West Clermont
Milford at No. 21 Anderson
No. 23 Wyoming at Taylor
No. 24 Indian Hill at Finneytown
No. 25 Roger Bacon at North College Hill

KENTUCKY
No. 6 Covington Catholic at Boone County
No. 19 Simon Kenton at Russell

INDIANA
No. 9 East Central at Connersville

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