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Best Bets: Week 2

La Salle RB Gi'Bran Payne (photo by Dan Bieneke/TriStateFootball.com)

What an exciting time it was last week around the Tri-state area as the 2021 season kicked off in grand fashion. We saw history being made by coaches and players, and witnessed games that will be remembered for years to come. This should give us a glimpse of what could be an exciting rest of the season. 

Week 2 is headlined by rivalries being renewed, and more high-octane offenses ready to fill up the stat sheet. The teams that came out on the winning end will look to duplicate their ways, on the other side many teams will look to avoid an 0-2 start and get back on track. Here are the matchups to look out for in this week’s edition of our Best Bets.

#1 ST. XAVIER AT #8 COLERAIN
Hello old friend, long time no see. These two powerhouses did not square off last year for the first time in well over a decade due to COVID-19. 

The Bombers are the top-ranked team in the Blitz 5 Top 25 presented by TriStateFootball.com and proved that in a massive way, taking care of number two Lakota West 31-14. St. Xavier quickly fell down 14-3, then rattled off 28 unanswered points to stifle Tom Bolden’s crew. 

Charles Kellom led the way on offense, rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Although the biggest game changer was turnovers. St. X intercepted two passes, both by senior Grant Lyons, including one that went for six. This team is well balanced, has excellent leadership, and showed everyone why they are ready for back-to-back state championship runs. 

Colerain, on the other hand, turned in a Week 1 performance they’d like to forget as they fell to La Salle 20-14. The Cardinals weren’t able to generate much offense, mustering only 219 total yards while the Lancers had 340 yards. Only seven points came from that unit, as the other came from a kickoff return. This isn’t a surprise for a team breaking in a sophomore quarterback in Zae Jennings. Senior M.J. Flowers had a solid game with 83 rushing yards and a touchdown. The defense was good, but not great, which isn’t a good sign for a team that prides itself on that side of the ball. 

This game will be determined by the Cardinals ability to play the style of defense we are used to seeing. The Bomber defense will come prepared for the triple option, as it will be difficult for Colerain to move up and down the field. Forcing St. X into turnovers will be crucial, and they will be looking to do damage on special teams just as they did against La Salle. The Bombers will look to establish the run game and eventually take shots against the Cardinal secondary. Colerain is a tough team, but this mountain could ultimately be too high to climb.

#6 WINTON WOODS AT #3 LA SALLE
A top ten matchup between the best Division II has to offer locally, it does not get better than this. Both teams played well in their debut games. The Warriors pitched a shutout against Trotwood Madison while the Lancers looked impressive in a win against Colerain as mentioned above. 

These teams have similar styles as both lean on the run game and on the opposite side of the ball, stopping the run game. The Lancers now look to have a two-headed monster with Gi’Bran Payne and Jaylen Grant. Grant ran for 107 yards on 14 carries in Week 1 and Payne added two rushing touchdowns of his own. 

On defense, senior JJ Ruffin led the way with 11 tackles with 3 tackles for loss. This is a team that will get drastically better each with due to their gauntlet of a schedule, so they will be ready week in and week out. 

The Warriors did it in a unique way in their first game, generating two safeties. With a new head coach, quarterback, and replacing stars on defense, it will take Winton Woods some time to mold into form. Having Tyreke Spike’s big-play ability helps. 

The Warriors will look to force Lancer quarterback Mason Mattingly to throw the ball. He was an unimpressive 9 for 19 and 72 yards through the air last week. The Lancers will look to take Spikes out of the game and make the other Warrior players beat them. Field position and time of possession will be the deciding factors in this game. La Salle’s experience could ultimately take over this game and put them over the top.

#24 CLINTON MASSIE AT # 21 ANDERSON
If you want a high-powered offense and lots of points being scored, this is your game. Clinton Massie is playing their first game of the season, and they return 97 percent of their offensive production. That includes star running back Carson Vanhoose, who ran for 1,498 yards with 30 rushing touchdowns. The offense as a whole averaged 36 points per game, best in SBAAC. 

Anderson is coming off a dramatic 58-45 loss at the hands of Princeton. The offense was spectacular as they gashed the Vikings through the air, led by junior quarterback Griffin Scalf who threw for an eye-popping 462 yards and six touchdowns. The problem for the Raptors was their defense as they allowed 727 total yards, including 430 yards on the ground. 

This will have the Falcons salivating because they have very little interest in throwing the ball. They averaged 392 yards on the ground and only 46 through the air in 2020. The complete opposite goes for Anderson, who aired the ball out 55 times and ran only seven times last week. The true definition of clashing styles going head to head. 

For the Raptors, although the defense was poor, they turned the ball over six times. If they even cut that down to four or three, they could have still come out victorious against Princeton. The line of scrimmage will dictate the outcome of this game. 

Anderson will have six to eight men in the box every play. Will the Falcons’ secondary be able to stay with the Raptors potent passing attack? In 2020 Clinton-Massie surrendered 197 passing yards per game. Although they return an experienced secondary which will help them in a big way. Expect both of these teams to eclipse 30 points, and it could very well turn into a game where the team with the last possession wins.

#14 SYCAMORE AT #15 KINGS
This is an intriguing GMC-ECC matchup between two teams whose offenses were magical to open the season. The Knights look to go 2-0 against the conference as they handled Middletown in Week 1, 31-6. The Aves put up an astounding 47 points against Loveland, but it’s worth noting their defense struggled, allowing 34. 

The Knights looked impressive on both sides of the ball, holding the Middies to only 171 total yards and forcing a turnover. Losing their star Ty Skylski didn’t seem to bother them as they rushed for 248 yards. Junior Will Kocher led the way with 158 rushing yards, 88 passing yards, and three total touchdowns. 

The Aves had their video game numbers as well, tallying 518 total yards, 497 of them coming from the running game. Although as mentioned before, their defense struggled mightily, allowing 308 yards through the air and 151 on the ground. That will be the ultimate difference in this game. We know both teams are going to pound the rock, but which front 7 will stand taller? 

Sycamore William Ingle gashed Loveland with his legs just as his counterpart did in Week 1, running for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Although Sycamore was big on explosive plays, scoring five touchdowns of 30 or more yards. While Kings played a slow, death by a thousand cuts offense, holding the ball for 50 minutes and every score being under thirty yards. The clock will continue to run so don’t expect this game to be three hours. The tougher, more disciplined team will come out on top 

GAME OF THE WEEK
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour,  Harrison at #17 East Central.

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

OHIO
West Clermont at No. 2 Lakota West
No. 4 Elder at Pickerington Central
No. 5 Princeton at Loveland
Louisville Trinity at No. 7 Moeller (Saturday)
Edgewood at No. 9 Hamilton
Centerville at No. 10 Mason
Springfield at No. 13 Fairfield
No. 16 Turpin at Dublin Coffman
Monroe at No. 22 Ross
Taft at No. 23 Wyoming

KENTUCKY
No. 12 Covington Catholic at Belfry
No. 18 Dixie Heights at Cooper
No. 19  Beechwood at Paintsville
No. 20 Highlands at Simon Kenton

INDIANA
No. 25 Lawrenceburg at Taylor

 

 

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