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Best Bets: Week 3

La Salle RB Jaylen Grant (photo by James bates/TriStateFootball.com)

Two weeks into the season and we have seen some excellent football from all over the area. There have been some high-scoring shootouts, defensive struggles, and even one-sided blowouts. Teams are slowly figuring out their tendencies and locking in to how they will attack the rest of the year. 

Week 3 should be one to remember as we have high leverage conference matchups, interstate showdowns, and the number two team in the country marches into Cincinnati to take on one of our finest. Here are the battles to look out for in this week’s edition of the Best Bets.

#14 KINGS AT #7 WINTON WOODS
The favorites from the ECC do battle in a game that could be the deciding factor on who stands number one at the end of year. 

The Knights are 2-0 and playing well on both sides of the ball. They have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 65-18. They run the ball effectively, led by junior quarterback Will Kocher who has 254 yards and five touchdowns over the first two games. Defensively, Jake Cameron and Hunter Jones have been leading the charge, as they both have an interception to show for it as well. 

The defending champion Warriors are coming off a tough loss to LaSalle, their second in a row to the Lancers. The defense was a bright spot again as they have allowed less than 20 points in back-to-back games, but the offense continues to struggle. The running game has not been there and Buddy Ellery and Logan Lawson continue to share snaps at quarterback. 

Teams are honing in on Tyreke Spikes and forcing the Warriors to get others involved. The Knights will look to continue this trend. Winton Woods has the talent to slow down Kings’ rushing attack, but will the Warriors be able to muster enough offense? Winton Woods has to win the time of possession battle. They will look to keep the Kings’ offense off the field. 

The Knights will attempt to wear out the Warriors and both teams will be looking for a turnover to really swing the tides. This game is crucial for the Warriors if they want two ECC championships in as many years. The offense needs to find answers and they need those answers quickly.

IMG ACADEMY AT #3 LASALLE
How cool is this? The number two ranked team in the entire country will make their way to Cincinnati and take on the Lancers. IMG is a breeding ground for high level Division I athletes and NFL stars. They are the standard of high school football in the U.S. and to put it in simple terms, the Lancers have to be flawless to win this game. 

IMG routed American Heritage, the number eight ranked team in the country 35-15 to start the season, then proceeded to demolish Bishop Sycamore (OH) 58-0. Some of the big names to look out for are running back Kaytron Allen, offensive lineman Tyler Booker, quarterback A.J. Duffy, wide receiver Carnell Tate, defensive tackle James Smith, and defensive end Jihad Campbell. This team is massive in the trenches and is littered with talent. 

The Lancers who are 2-0 in their own right after holding Colerain to 14 points and Winton Woods to seven points. They have also struggled on offense though as quarterback Mason Mattingly has not been able to find his groove through two weeks. The formula will be simple for IMG – shutdown Gi’Bran Payne and the LaSalle running game and force Mattingly to throw. 

The Lancers will have to put their best foot forward defensively, especially in the front seven. IMG will look to run the ball behind that intimidating offensive line and then open up the passing game. Turnovers will be everything for the Lancers. They absolutely have to take care of the ball and be ready to go back and forth with the Ascenders offensively. IMG is not a team that is going to beat themselves. 

Play calling will also be crucial for the Lancers. Mixing and matching the running and passing game effectively and at the right time, paired with some trick plays will help keep IMG guessing. This is the ultimate litmus test for the Lancers and they will have the support of the entire Tri-state area for this game. Win or lose, it’s up to the Lancers to show the best of the best what we are made of.

#6 MOELLER AT #16 EAST CENTRAL
Here is an exciting interstate game with two historic powerhouses having a great start to their season. 

Next to St. Xavier, it is hard to find a team that has been more impressive than East Central. They defeated a deep Lawrenceburg team 34-6 in Week 1, then followed that up with a 42-0 shellacking of Harrison last week. They run the ball with incredible efficiency, and completely suffocate you on defense. 

The Crusaders had an eventful Week 2. They were scheduled to play Louisville Trinity, but that was canceled due to COVID. A last-minute game was made with Chaminade Julienne, and the Crusaders took care of business 42-28. Although context needs to be added to this most recent win, Chaminade is a very good team, but they are in a much lower division than Moeller. This is a game the Crusaders should have dominated, but they gave up 28 points, 100 yards rushing and over 200 yards passing. Moeller also had 11 penalties and two turnovers. With that being said, they cannot play that way against the Trojans otherwise it will be three straight dominating victories. 

They need to replicate their Week 1 performance against Lakota East where they totaled 146 rushing yards, 314 passing yards and no turnovers. Getting Josh Kattus involved will be huge for Moeller. He only has four receptions for 58 yards in two games this season. 

The Trojans will be chomping at the bit to face this Crusader front seven that has been vulnerable against the run. Moeller will have to come out on fire and connect on the first punch. Expect this game to be physical, nasty, with the big boys up front deciding which team moves to 3-0.

#8 COLERAIN AT #10 MASON
Life comes at you fast, doesn’t it? For so many years we saw Colerain winning GMC Championships and Mason being a consistent 8-win team and in the top two or three teams in the conference. Now, the Cardinals are winless through two games and were on a running clock last week versus St. Xavier, and the Comets are 1-1 and struggling to find any consistency on offense. 

The Comets’ defense has been impressive, allowing less than 200 total yards to both of their opponents. Although the junior Quarterback Larson Brown and running back Nick Sailers just haven’t been able to pull this offense forward. Pair that with the Comets’ inability to take care of the ball, turning the ball over five times in two games. 

For the Cardinals, essentially nothing has gone right through two weeks. Their offense has been stagnant, defensively they went from a respectable showing in Week 1 to being gashed in Week 2. Turnovers have also been deflating the Cardinals, having five turnovers through two weeks as well. 

With Mason being solid on defense, will Colerain be able to move the ball and score consistently? M.J. Flowers is due for a breakout game and Zae Jennings will continue to get better. We have known Colerain to be a great defensive team over the years and they will look to get back to that this week. The line of scrimmage and turnover battle will decide this game. 

Both teams need a win desperately. If the Cardinals fall to 0-3, we could be looking at one of the toughest and disappointing years in school history. Something has to give in this game; we will see who gives more.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour,  CHCA at McNicholas.

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

OHIO
No. 1 St. Xavier at Olentangy Liberty
No. 4 Princeton at No. 2 Lakota West
St. Louis St. Mary’s at No. 4 Elder
Middletown at No. 11 Lakota East
No. 13 Fairfield at No. 17 Sycamore
Loveland at No. 15 Turpin
Little Miami at No. 20 Anderson
No. 21 Ross at Valley View
No. 22 Wyoming at Norwood
Northwest at No. 23 Badin

KENTUCKY
Lexington Catholic at No. 12 Covington Catholic
Somerset at No. 18 Beechwood
Campbell County at No. 19 Highlands
Ryle at No. 24 Cooper

INDIANA
No. 25 Lawrenceburg at Milan

 

 

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