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2021 Preseason Blitz 5 Top 25

St. Xavier QB Brogan McCaughey (photo by Dan Bieneke/TriStateFootball.com)

The reigning Division I state champion St. Xavier Bombers begin the year as the #1 team in the 2021 Preseason Blitz 5 Top 25 presented by TriStateFootball.com. The boys from North Bend Road return nine starters on offense and a handful more on the other side of the ball.

St. Xavier will be tested right out of the gate facing No. 2 Lakota West in our Blitz 5 Game of the Week. The Bombers ended the Firebirds’ season in the regional finals. Don’t be surprised if these schools meet up again in the playoffs.

There are six games pitting Top 20 teams to kick off the 2021 campaign. In addition to Lakota West at St. Xavier the Week 1 slate features two other contests between Top 10 teams. No. 3 La Salle hosts No. 6 Colerain and No. 8 Moeller is at No. 10 Lakota East. 

Also on the slate, fourth-ranked Elder is set to welcome No. 12 Covington Catholic, No. 5 Princeton entertains No. 20 Anderson and No. 17 East Central is at No. 17 Lawrenceburg.

Here’s the complete 2021 Preseason Blitz 5 Top 25:

  1. St. Xavier (10-2 in 2020) – All four of the program’s state titles have come in the last 17 years under head coach Steve Specht. The Bombers now aim for back-to-back crowns for the first time in school history. NEXT UP: 8/20 – #2 LAKOTA WEST (8-1).
  2. Lakota West (8-1) – The Firebirds return three All-Ohio and three FBS commits from a defense that allowed just 5.7 points per game and posted four shutouts in 2020. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at #1 St. Xavier (10-2).
  3. La Salle (8-3) – This is a veteran Lancers’ team that has gone 21-5, including a 9-1 mark in the playoffs over the past two seasons. La Salle has won five regional titles, all in the last seven years. NEXT UP: 8/20 – #6 COLERAIN (6-3).
  4. Elder (5-4) – A highly entertaining offense will make the Panthers load to handle. The teams that Elder will play were a combined 75-25 (.750 winning %) in 2020. NEXT UP: 8/20 – #12 COVINGTON CATHOLIC (10-2).
  5. Princeton (6-2) – New head coach Andre Parker has plenty of horses in the stable. Don’t be surprised if the Vikings make a deep playoff run. NEXT UP: 8/19 – #20 ANDERSON (7-3).
  6. Colerain (6-3) – Since its state championship year of 2004, Colerain has gone a combined 86-6 at home. The Cardinals will be out for blood after being dethroned from a string of 20 consecutive GMC crowns, last fall. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at #3 La Salle (8-3).
  7. Winton Woods (9-1) – Expect more of the same results for Winton Woods even though the Warriors have a new head coach, Chad Murphy. NEXT UP: 8/20 – TROTWOOD-MADISON (4-2).
  8. Moeller (3-6) – The Crusaders are just 5-18 dating back to October 13th, 2018. Their last GCL South win was the week before that. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at #10 Lakota East (4-4).
  9. Fairfield (2-7) – The Indians started eight sophomores and a freshman at quarterback last season. Those youngsters are now on the warpath to capture the schools seventh straight playoff appearance. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at Centerville (4-4).
  10. Lakota East (4-4) – The Thunderhawks are flying under the radar. This could be the sleeper team of the season. NEXT UP: 8/20 – #8 MOELLER (3-6).
  11. Hamilton (6-4) – The Big Blue looks to continue the great strides they have made under head coach Nate Mahon. The program aims for a school record third straight playoff appearance and its first postseason win. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at West Clermont (3-5)
  12. Covington Catholic (10-2) – In the last four years, the Colonels have won two state championships, been a state runner-up and a state semi-finalist. The program is a combined 54-3 in that span. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at #4 Elder (5-4)
  13. Mason (5-3) – Making the playoffs has become a given for the Comets.  Mason has been to the postseason in each of the last six campaigns. NEXT UP: 8/20 – GAHANNA LINCOLN (4-4)
  14. Sycamore (1-7) – The Aviators head into 2021 having lost seven tilts in a row. They averaged just 8.0 points in the last six of those defeats. NEXT UP: 8/20 – LOVELAND (1-6)
  15. Kings (7-1) – The Knight will face six teams that won three games or fewer in 2020 including three squads that had just one victory. Kings is hoping to make the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2015 and ’16. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at Middletown (1-6)
  1. Turpin (5-2) – The Spartans are a combined 11-1 in Eastern Cincinnati Conference play over the last two years. Four times in the last six seasons Turpin has finished its ECC schedule with one loss or less. NEXT UP: 8/20 – OAK HILLS (2-7)
  2. East Central (8-3) – In two years under head coach Jake Meiners the Trojans’ defense has allowed 10.2 points per contest while holding 13 of the 23 opponents to seven points or less. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at #18 Lawrenceburg (11-2)
  3. Lawrenceburg (11-2) – The Tigers a legitimate contender to win the Indiana Class 3A title. Four times in the last five years the Tigers have won 11 games or more. In that span Lawrenceburg is 51-14 (.785 winning percentage). NEXT UP: 8/20 – #17 EAST CENTRAL (8-3)
  4. Dixie Heights (6-4) – This a veteran team that won’t go down without a fight. The Colonels will be a menace every Friday night. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at Lloyd (4-3)
  5. Anderson (7-3) – The newly nicknamed Raptors will still be a high scoring offensive machine. Fifteen of the 16 Anderson losses under head coach Evan Dreyer have come to teams that went on to make the playoffs. Those 15 postseason qualifiers were a combined 114-33 for .775 winning percentage. NEXT UP: 8/19 – at #5 Princeton (6-2)
  6. Beechwood (10-2) – The Tigers return a large portion of the team that won the programs fourth state championship in the last five years, in 2020.This team is going to be even better and more polished than they were a season ago. NEXT UP: 8/21 – at Fairdale (7-1)
  7. Ryle (6-4) – The Raiders are looking to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It was also the last time they beat both Highlands and Covington Catholic in the regular season NEXT UP: 8/20 – LEXINGTON CATHOLIC (5-3)
  8. Ross (8-3) – In 2020, the Rams had their most prosperous playoff run in school history with the programs first three postseason victories ever. Replacing 22 seniors will not be an easy task for the coaching staff. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at Wilmington (4-4)
  9. Wyoming (9-1) – The Cowboys have won 47 consecutive regular season games, the top streak in Ohio amongst all divisions. The Wyoming seniors are a combined 38-2 at the varsity level. NEXT UP: 8/20 – at Harrison (3-7)
  10. Clinton-Massie (9-1) – The Falcons averaged 51.7 points and 438.7 yards of total offense (392.3 rushing) per game last season. Clinton-Massie returns players that accounted for 97.8% of those yards and 94.4% of those touchdowns. NEXT UP: 8/27 – at #20 Anderson (7-3)

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: Badin, Conner, Edgewood, Harrison, Highlands, Indian Hill, Lebanon, Middletown, Mount Healthy, Northwest, Roger Bacon and Simon Kenton.

 

 

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